Day 44
Student Contribution by Ethan York
As a student, I have never really enjoyed history-based classes. For me, it was always a stop and go, memorizing material for a test and forgetting it soon after. I never took the time to remember anything about history, because quite frankly, I was never given a reason to. As long as I kept my A in my class, I was happy. That’s why for me, the concept based application of AP Human Geography was such a welcomed change. I was able to play to my strengths, and could probably come very close to teaching an APHG course today. But this year, I dreaded AP World History. Don’t get me wrong, I had heard from many students what a wonderful teacher Mr. Heintz was, but I didn’t think even he would be able to make me learn and retain historical facts for a whole year.
This year, when school came in session, and I walked into
Now, all good systems have a downfall, and Mr. Heintz’s methods definitely aren’t an exception to that rule. For his teaching methods, students are given immense amounts of freedom in their learning. If they choose not to learn or apply themselves, they will fail. This fact has already begun to show in some of my classmates. But for students who take the time to apply themselves and let their minds run wild, Mr. Heintz has created a classroom that is not only a positive educational environment, but also a successful one
My Response
Ethan is honest. As I read through his initial response, I was pleased with myself. He understands what the course is doing and he has embraced the ideals. However, as I navigate towards the end of the post, there was truth in what he said. I have given a great deal of freedom. Whiles
Now what?
I’m taking a few days this week to codify the project. Not in a standard format, but put some general frameworks to the thinking involved. After this week, I’m going to have the students set goals for their own learning and then help them monitor their progress in the completion of those goals. I think this will help preserve the integrity of the time I’m setting aside for them and holding them to a standard.