Instructor Signups

Good questions, some of which have already been answered in previous posts/threads.

There is NO TIME FRAME for classes. It's up to each instructor to decide when the class is over.

There are NO GRADES. So there is also NO STRESS. Students learn as much as they want, participate whenever they choose, going at their own pace.

As stated before, there are no certifications issued. This is knowledge and experience being shared, not graded, not certified, only transferrable from one human to another.

I'm really pushing the boundaries of the Free School concept, FREEING it from traditional teaching methods, competition, goals and rewards.

This is a non-competitive, cooperative educational environment.

I am for multiple instructors if they are willing to agree to a syllabus and course structure.

Instructors are free to play with the existing setup of the classes, exploring new ways of interaction if they choose.

So some might choose a more traditional approach of teacher and students, others can try a seminar approach, or invent something new!

Innovation is something desperately needed by our educational institutions. The Internet provides a resource better than any library or school. So we aren't going to limit ourselves by designing this school like traditional brick and mortar schools.

The only way I would consider "ranking" students is by the # of postings they have made in the school. So someone with say 100 posts would gain some new title, just like in the forums themselves. Like second level student.

The only reason for doing that is to indicate to other students and teachers that this person has been active in the School and is more knowledgeable about how it works than a newbie would. This would perhaps give their words a bit more weight than a newbies. Other than that, I don't see the advantage, because I don't acknowledge "levels" of education in the traditional sense.

Indeed if a teenager was very active in the school with lots of posts, should that person be viewed with more respect than a newbie who is 60 yrs old with tons of experience, maybe even a graduate degree?

So it's not good to judge ppl based on participation. However it IS good to encourage participation with some kind of reward for more posting as opposed to just "auditing" a class.

 

As far as Peace Practices goes, I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I have been considering a course in Ahimsa, or non-violent Passive Resistance, based upon the teachings of Eastern religions, Gandhi & Martin Luther King Jr.

 

I'll write up something in another thread, as I'm still working on more info for instructors.

I'm going to start with only 2-3 classes at first to see how they fare, and what other features they might need.

I'm planning on creating a whole new module for the school, so I don't want us to get too attached to the current setup with many classes already using it if it is to be replaced or upgraded soon.

But every instructor needs to setup a syllabus describing their class and their experience/education/knowledge relevant to the subject they want to teach. Include any requirements or restrictions for the students.

I may elaborate some guidelines for all instructors, but I'm giving everything a lot of thought first so we don't put in place guidelines that limit us unnecessarily.

But for those who've never taught a class before, we should introduce some concepts that are traditional, and some that are not.

For example, instructors should be assigning tasks to students. It's not just about telling them facts that should be memorized. It's about pointing them in the right direction to find the facts themselves. Student research is a big part of the learning process.

We want interactivity not just with the instructor, but with the other students, and the greater community, virtual and real. So any exercises or assignments that require they do research, go out in the community and report back what they find are preferred if not essential to the Free School experience.

The Free School is open to new concepts in learning, or alternative ones that have been tried and succeeded.

So besides the content of a class, instructors need to decide upon the method of instruction for that class. All this should be spelled out in the intro to the class (the first post the instructor makes). This way students can decide if that's suitable to them.

 

I'm hoping by this weekend I'll have a new interface up where you can all suggest, signup and teach classes.

So those who've made suggestions here, can re-enter their suggestions and they will automatically be added to the official class list as suggested classes.

Then once enough students and an instructor have signed up, I'll create a forum for it and the class will start. Then everyone who signed up will get a PM telling them the class is starting.

It will be much easier to deal with than scrolling thru threads looking for interesting classes, then having to find all those who said they were interested and inform them that its starting.

I am setting up an "audit" status where someone can audit a class without participating. This way we get a better idea of how many ppl are actually benefiting even if they never participate.

 

OK, the new interface is now ready. Everyone who posted up their class ideas must now enter them into the new system.

To see all the new options available please visit the Free School Homepage.

You can explore our Class List where you can signup for any you like. You can also Suggest A Class if you don't see what you're looking for! Have a look at our Student List to see who is taking which classes.

Please note: you must signup for a class before you will appear in the student list.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions for improvement. Please report any bugs to Skip.

Enjoy!

 

Hi Saria, what error do you get when you suggest a class (it may be fixed now, try again)...

 

No, but a summary would be nice. Enough for a student to decide whether to take it.