Worried about co op chemistry

[Shelly in IL]

Hi, my son started chemistry 3 weeks ago at co op. They are using Apologia. She does not follow the program exactly, and gives out worksheets from other online honors chemistry programs. My problem? She gives quizzes each week. So, 2 quizzes thus far. First he got an 8 of 10, second 4 of 9. She only gives 2 tests per semester.

 

Through my observation, she appears to teach in arrears. "here are these worksheets. You are homeschoolers, you should know which worksheets you should do based on difficulty. If the easy one is difficult for you, do that one, if the harder one challenges you, do that one.". However, she does not give out the answer sheets for these worksheets, so they don't know if they are on the right track. She does not teach the concept prior to, she just expects them to figure it out first.

 

My son thought he got it, but obviously he didn't. I'm just confused about the teaching and grading, and honestly, I'm afraid of screwing up his chemistry experience. Should i just relax, or should I do BJU at home and make sure he gets it? Thanks

[ccm]

I would speak with the instructor about the confusion with the teaching and grading. Does she know the subject well? Is she teaching concepts and answering questions or leaving it up to the students to figure it out?

 

I mentioned in another thread that I facilitated an Apologia Chemistry lab class at co-op last year. Originally, it was to be a class instructed by a mom who is a physician, but she decided at the last minute not to offer the class at the co-op. I offered to fill the gap with a lab session only, letting the parents know that I would not be teaching chemistry, just facilitating the lab portion.

 

If she knows the subject well and can teach it, I would probably stay with the co-op class. If not, perhaps BJU Chemistry w/dvds may be the answer.

 

HTH!

Edited September 10, 2011 by ccm