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Outsourced class question re: instructor knowledge of the subject


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If I were paying for a class, then absolutely yes to the first question! Our best outsourced English class had an experienced teacher who still reread books in the summer so they would be fresh. It showed up in the quality of her teaching and it inspired the students to think deeply about their books.

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Just what I do for the gr. 7-12 homeschool co-op Lit. & Comp classes I teach:

 

1. I pick books that I have read at least once in the past (often it was years ago).

2. Then I read all the books for the class reading list in advance (usually a few months ahead of covering them in class) to re-familiarize myself with the book as an overview (characters, plot, general themes, author's style).

3. Then I fast read/review the book as I create the weekly lessons to hand out to the students (usually a month in advance of covering the book in class). At this stage, I look for details -- vocabulary words to include in the lesson, and looking for literary elements and literature topics that match up with the different chapters of the book.

4. Optional: when I can (so not every week, but about half the time), on the day before class, I skim/review just the chapters we will cover that week in class.

 

 

I absolutely need all of that repeated exposure to the book to do a decent job of guiding class discussion.

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If you have outsourced English or a literature class, would you expect that the instructor has read the required literature?  Would basic familiarity with the book/readings be considered good enough?  

 

If I outsourced a class, I would expect the instructor to have not only read, but studied the assigned works of literature and also be familiar with background, place of the work in context of time/author's oevre, reason for importance, etc.

"basic familiarity" would not be sufficient.

 

Edited by regentrude
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Perhaps it was a last-minute assignment. I've had that in my college teaching in a STEM field and struggled to stay more than a week of the students. At times questions came up that I truly had no answers for because I hadn't had time to work through the ins-and-outs of everything.

 

If the teacher had plenty of notice, yes, I'd expect that they had prepared by reading the books.A friend of mine is a literature teacher, and she at least skim-reads ALL of the books she uses every summer. I've subbed for her a few times and used her books to prep, and they were full of notes that were obviously made at different times.

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I am still trying to make a decision if I should stick with this class for my daughter.  Unfortunately, most classes have started already, and money is a major issue.  I'm quite hesitant to teach English on my own after a pretty disappointing year last year when I attempted to 'wing it'.  

 

To give a little more background, I found this class after quite a bit of searching for something affordable that would work for my daughter.  I liked what this provider had to offer, but since I was seeking slightly more challenge, I approached the director about offering an honors or more accelerated class. After some discussion, the provider agreed to this and sent back an adjusted syllabus which I agreed would be a better fit.  This was all decided prior to the start of class, and after a few weeks (vacation, general summer stuff happening), I confirmed enrollment.

 

In the first feedback from the completed assignments, the instructor mentioned that she thought the book sounded interesting, but that she (the instructor) had not read the book.  When I addressed this with the director, I was told that the instructors are expected to read the main books, but since I had requested additional literature, it may not be possible for this instructor to read all of those extra books.  This was surprising to me since we had agreed on this syllabus several weeks in advance.  And to be perfectly honest, I assumed that the director would be the instructor since she is the one who selected the additional literature.  The instructor is actually a college student, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but already I see signs in the feedback that perhaps she is not quite ready to teach this type of class.

 

This obviously isn't a good fit, but I am unsure of what providers would be able to take my daughter at this point (many classes are filled).  I can afford to outsource to an extent, but I cannot afford the more tried-and-true providers without some sort of payment plan.  

 

I'm open to any suggestions.

Edited by fastforward
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Fastforward, in your place, I'd first have a talk with the director about your concerns. If that doesn't resolve it, I'd use the Teaching Company's Great Courses available for free at many libraries or for one credit at Audible (or used on Amazon or ON SALE and only on sale at the Teaching Company, but Audible is the cheapest if your library doesn't have them). Then I'd save up for a Bravewriter class or two. You'll have to read and listen along with the Teaching Company classes but they're very interesting so it won't be a chore even if it's a time suck. Bravewriter will give detailed and extensive feedback for your student's writing. They do an excellent job in both their writing and lit classes.

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From your update, the books were added to the class a couple of weeks before the class started at your request. I wonder if the changes were discussed with the teacher and how much advance knowledge she would need to prepare for an increase in her class workload. The teacher may still have been on her summer vacation when you and the director made the changes.

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From your update, the books were added to the class a couple of weeks before the class started at your request. I wonder if the changes were discussed with the teacher and how much advance knowledge she would need to prepare for an increase in her class workload. The teacher may still have been on her summer vacation when you and the director made the changes.

 

This.

It sounds like some miscommunication happened. The qualifications and expertise of the teacher for an outsourced class should have been clear up front - that's the first thing I would look when deciding upon a class.I am not sure how you could have been left under the impression that the director is the teacher when the actual teacher is a college student.

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This.

It sounds like some miscommunication happened. The qualifications and expertise of the teacher for an outsourced class should have been clear up front - that's the first thing I would look when deciding upon a class.I am not sure how you could have been left under the impression that the director is the teacher when the actual teacher is a college student.

 

The teachers are listed on the website, but they do not specify which instructors teach each class, if that makes sense.  I (stupidly) assumed that since the director told me that the extra fee for the additional work was for "her extra time", that perhaps she was going to teach the class.  My mistake was not confirming she would be the instructor, but making an assumption.

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Also, the teachers have very brief bios on the website.  It wouldn't have occurred to me to ask if the teachers are college students, but that was revealed during the first week of class when the instructor for the class I purchased emailed a more detailed bio.

 

Perhaps this all is my fault because I didn't do my homework.  Live and learn, I guess.

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Also, the teachers have very brief bios on the website.  It wouldn't have occurred to me to ask if the teachers are college students, but that was revealed during the first week of class when the instructor for the class I purchased emailed a more detailed bio.

 

What does this provider put in the teacher bios? I would consider the most important things to be the teachers' educational background, qualification and degrees, and their years of teaching experience, including which courses they taught before.

 

That is something I would bring up with the organization.

"Suzie is from Iowa and enjoys horseback riding and playing the guitar" would be irrelevant.

"Suzie graduated from XYZ College with a BA in English Literature and has been teaching high school level courses for three years. Her favorite courses include Science Fiction Literature and Early American literature" would be relevant.

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Also, the teachers have very brief bios on the website.  It wouldn't have occurred to me to ask if the teachers are college students, but that was revealed during the first week of class when the instructor for the class I purchased emailed a more detailed bio.

 

Perhaps this all is my fault because I didn't do my homework.  Live and learn, I guess.

 

Fault is a harsh word. Sadly, it sounds as if it's going to be one of those "live & learn" situations. I'm picky with outsourced classes because money is tight in my home. Can you email the teacher directly? Maybe she intends to read / study the extra books but hasn't had time yet. If the class isn't a good fit for your daughter, perhaps the director will refund some or all of your tuition.

 

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Don't beat yourself up over this. Doing anything differently is going to be a live and learn situation.

We've done a lot of different outside classes. We've had two dud classes, one early on and one when I should have known better & trusted my instincts. FWIW, this is what I look for:

 

1) Who is the teacher?  Does she have good word of mouth from parents/students who have taken her classes in the past?

 

2) What texts are used? How are they used... in total? selections?

 

3) If it's an AP class, what is the teacher's record of 4's/5's?

 

4) Logistics  -- How often & when does the class meet?  Is it async (doesn't work as well for some students and for some subjects) or live online? 

 

How large is the class? What is the student-teacher and student-student class interaction like? Live chat/mic or text into a black hole that only the instructor sees?

 

Is the teacher going to be doing the grading/feedback or is there some sort of "TA" to whom that will be handed off? (This is really important for English/GB classes, imo.)  

 

What's the refund policy? (If it's reasonable, I might take a chance on an elective class. I don't take chances on core classes because, by the time the class has started, the better/sure thing classes are already full/not taking new students.)

 

 

Big red flags for me are--- Not being able to find any BTDT feedback on classes/instructors that have been out there for a while.  Non-existent refund policy.  No teacher assigned. Murky description of the class, the teacher's background, or the logistics of the class. (Ie, no stated limit on class size, bios that only talk about the instructor's dog, no class syllabus,....)

 

Hope something in there helps someone else avoid the mistakes I made with a couple of outside classes earlier on.

 

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In a literature class, I would expect the instructor to have read the required reading, but if the student is doing additional work to make this an honor's course, I would not necessarily expect the instructor to have read all of the extra readings.  It depends on why those readings are being included and what types of assignments are being made about those readings.  Sometimes I have a course in which we are covering basic readings and then students choose a book to read to review in light of the course material.  I have not always read those books.  

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