Sometimes it feels like you are up against a brick wall. Your own principal threatens to cancel your AP CS course due to low enrollment and budgetary restrictions. It’s funny (or not) how the enrollment minimum keeps increasing each year. Two years ago a course would run with 8 students. Now, the minimum is 18. This, and various other budget issues put your job in jeopardy.
So you convince the administration to offer your AP CS course. Of course, for this to happen, you agree to teach the course in the same room and at the same time as your Intro to CS course (a course in a different language).
What other teacher in what other discipline would agree to do this?
Would the AP Chemistry teacher agree to teach AP Chemistry at the same time and in the same room as an introductory chemistry class?
Does the Spanish teacher teach introductory Italian in the same room at the same time as AP Spanish?
What other disciplines are asked to do what you are asked to do? Who wins in a situation where the teacher is asked to do two jobs at the same time? What does it mean to “win” or to “lose”? How do you keep your sanity? Are the students getting shortchanged? How do your non-computer science colleagues feel about this?
If you are a teacher experiencing a “split personality,” what are your secrets to success?
Fran Trees
CSTA Chapter Liaison
Not sure I’d say it is successful. I teach web design in the same room/time as journalism then later in the day Computer Applications and Sociology during the same period. Usually one group is left to fend for themselves while the other receives my attention. Last year I had three class in the same lab during on hour! I don’t think administrations understand the nature of computer class. It takes extra preparation to create self exlanatory lessons. And if the students are not self-starters, they usually struggle with getting work done. It’s just not a good idea, but perhaps a neccesary evil.
Ahh, yes. I have this situation on a small scale this year and I will not do it again. Luckily, my advanced students came in knowing they’d be autonomous so it’s an ok compromise but I’ve never seen this pulled off well. It’s not teaching!
Ultimately, this may doom us to failure. Of course it’s going to be a somewhat disorganized experience without great classroom dynamics if the instructor is juggling wildly different subjects. That in turn leads to low enrollment, leading to doubling and tripling up on class periods…