How do you use the Teaching Co?

[Lux Et Veritas Academy]

We are using several courses in 2008. Do you treat it as just a lecture? Try to implement assignments/writings in with it? Do you use it in addition to other spines? Just curious about ideas related to your experiences with it.

 

Thanks:)

[Marcie in GA]

I have also been wondering about this. Do you build a course around the videos? Does it replace your spine?

 

Marcie

[periwinkle]

Since most of the lecture series are 30 hours or shorter, it may be difficult to use them as a core course. You have to add in quite a bit of material for a full credit. Certainly this can be done with some planning and creativity. However, some of the courses are derived from textbooks...for example, when we used The Joy of Thinking, I purchased a used edition of The Heart of Mathematics textbook and used them in tandem for a full course.

 

I believe most of us use these videos as supplemental material. Sometimes my students just listen to them and enjoy them. Sometimes we take notes (these are excellent for practicing note-taking!) Sometimes I expect a written response or research on a given topic. Several of the high school courses do come with workbooks.

 

Hope this helps a little!

[kathleen]

Here's what I'm doing this semester. I am teaching American history through Reconstruction, and using Paul Johnson's book A History of the American People along with 36 lectures from TC's History of the United States 2nd ed. The students watch (or listen to) approx. 2 lectures per week and read a portion of Johnson's book (or another book--for example, they read Albert Marrin's 1812: The War Nobody Won this week). They write summaries of the lectures, and we usually have discussion questions based on both the lectures and the text (these are all high school juniors). Sometimes the papers are based off the lectures, too (or a combination of the lectures and readings).

 

I find that the lectures balance the readings extremely well. Each author (or lecturer) emphasizes different things, and it's been wonderful for the students to have this balanced approach. It makes for great discussions, and the students all absolutely love Professor Guelzo.

 

I have also used the series on the Middle Ages (Philip Daileader) as a supplement to our Western Civilization course (using Spielvogel as a spine). This, too, was a great addition. Next year, my son will take an economics course using a college text, but he will also watch the TC Economics 3rd. edition course.

[Moira in MA]

I used Physics in Your Life with my dd last year (9th grade) as half of a physical sciences credit. The lecture notes referenced chapters in Hewitt's Conceptual Physics which dd read and dh chose problems and experiments to go along with the readings and lectures. The other half was a chemistry course at a local co-op.

 

I did this after firing dh as Physics teacher. He had been using this text but dd kept getting the deer-in-the-headlights look :eek: and had decided she was no good at science. She is now taking AP chemistry at the co-op and looking forward to a calculus-based physics course for her senior year. Science will never be her passion but she now enjoys it.

 

Other courses we use as a supplement to our learning. For example, we listened to a lot of Elizabeth Vandiver's lectures last year as we went through Omnibus I. Dd and I both listened to Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor for back ground material last year.

 

I actually think that you could make a full course out of some teaching company material. You'd need to do the suggested readings and follow some rabbit trails. Most of the notes include a couple of questions to consider that could be used as essay prompts. I listened to Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind (SF & Fantasy literature) last fall -- can you tell I'm a Teaching company addict? -- I am itching to do this will my dd's but will probably not manage to fit it in. I checked out Prof Rabin's web site U of Michigan and the teaching company course matched his 2 semester sequence on this subject.

 

Bottom line: if you use the material actively rather than just listening, it is credit-worthy imho.

[Beth in SW WA]

We are watching World History: The Fertile Crescent to The American Revolution taught by Linwood Thompson. Its a young high school course and it comes w/ a workbook that the kids fill out while they watch the dvd. We watch the videos when I am introducing a new ere/event in our history studies. Its a nice addition and I hope to purchase more dvd's in the future.

[Beth in Central TX]

Right now, since my boys are younger, I'm using our Teaching Company resources to educated myself. In preparation for this year, I listened to Philip Daileader's Middle Ages trilogy last summer/fall since my oldest son is studying the Middle Ages this year. I listened to the lectures and took a few notes. During our history time, I try to bring out the important aspects of that time period through socratic dialogue with my son.

[Nan in Mass]

I've presented them as something fun to entertain us on the way to gymnastics rather than something required, and I've carefully selected courses that my son is interested in. I think building a future adult self-education habit is more important than actually using these for a manditory class. They are an awesome resource and as such, I don't want to waste them on high school education and possibly discourage my children from using them the rest of their lives. The government one we are listening to right now fits in beautifully with my son's great books reading, and we are pausing and discussing quite a lot, but if we don't finish it or he decides to try something else instead, I'm going to bite my tongue.

-Nan

[Anne/Ankara]

We just listen to them, as a supplement to our reading/discussion. They are ususally very interesting and helpful in understanding the topic. Highly recommended!

[Cynde]

Mostly, I've built courses around the DVD lectures. I buy the lecture and use the resources listed in the course guidebook. There are tons of resources. I primarily stick to ones listed as "essential." There's no way you could do them all. Some of the resources are actually textbooks, so it becomes your spine.

 

This does take some effort. It takes time to review the books either online or through the library, decide what resources to use, decide what other work you want to include, and then schedule it all. I have dc write answers to the lecture questions in the guidebook and include other types of work (essays, research papers, geography work, writing about art pieces from the museum, etc.) depending on the course. These have been some of ds's most meaningful classes. He's loved them. As a disclainer, I built these courses for our dc in their 11th and 12th grade years. The courses have required a lot of reading and writing. The resources listed in the guidebooks are college level or adult (not that our bright homeschooled high school children can't handle them:))

 

I've done this for the following TTC programs: The African Experience: From "Lucy" to Mandela, Art Across the Ages, and Power over People: Classical and Modern Political Theory.

 

I've also used The History of the United States as a supplement to an American history course we already had. I just mesh the two together and have dd view TTC lecture after she covers it the history program. Like others have said, this give another view point and focus on the same topic that is refreshing.

 

I wish I would have caved and started using TTC sooner. I would have used more of their programs as supplements earlier in high school or just for fun in the car, etc.