Jump to content

Menu

Tell me about Outschool classes!


Recommended Posts

Outschool offers very short duration, short duration and longer duration classes.  The teachers are independent so there is no cohesive school philosophy/approach/community really.  Quality varies from teacher to teacher.  There are LOTS of topics offered.  DS took a short duration Astronomy course.  It was nice.  The teacher was interesting.  DS needed me to be involved to keep him organized.  The teacher sent information through email but it wasn't always completely clear what the assignment expectations were from a middle schooler's perspective.  The teacher didn't track any grades or anything but he did give some feedback.  

 

I posted a more thorough review on the Gen Ed board.  Scroll down to the Outschool review.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/638806-master-list-of-on-line-classes/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't really take classes with Outschool, per se. It is just a platform for independent teachers to offer their courses to a much larger audience; Outschool does the marketing, manages the enrollment, and handles the fee collection. Therefore, one cannot generalize about the classes (the content, method of delivery, age-appropriateness, how organized it is, etc). Are you familiar with Airbnb? It is a similar idea: a way for independent folks to reach many more customers in a streamlined, efficient way.

 

That said, we've enrolled in four courses via Outschool. All have been very good, but I certainly vetted each separately with no assumptions. The best way to do this is to contact the teacher via email and ask many questions.

 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask them. There should be other threads about it; I know I've said nearly this same thing a few times already!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good morning,

I am aware of how Outschool works. I am still hoping to get a few responses specifically about classes that have been taken.

We've done a Big Picture History class (1 time, 1 hour class); a Data Analysis with M&Ms and Puppies (2 times, 1 hour each); and a 14-week French History class with Mary Middlebrook. Obviously I have lots more to say about the 14-week class! Mary's info was excellent, her passion for the topic was evident, and my student's retention was very good. Her homework assignments were varied and creative. We took the class in preparation for an upcoming trip to Paris. Pretty sure DD12 knows WAY more about French history than any of the rest of us!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...