[etni] Does the class/Hakbazot

From: "David R. Herz" <drh16@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 09:08:17 +0200
Collective Nouns

In American usage, class is typically singular.  The class is a single unit,
just like the ensemble or the team.  Thus, the "jury finds" or the
"committee believes."  British English goes the other way.  My suggestion is
to pick one idiom and stick with it, noting that there are dialectical
differences and that students may see alternative usages in different
contexts.

See Bryan A. Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage, Oxford University Press
(New York, 2003)

Hakbazot

While there is certainly some research to show that there are advantages to
working in heterogeneous groups, I am reminded of research quoted by one of
my teachers that found that teachers are most effective (I don't know how
that was measured) when they are teaching according to their trusted
methodologies.

I would suggest to your principal that dumping people in a heterogeneous
class will not make the teachers effective at teaching heterogeneous
classes.  Further teaching heterogeneous classes may be mere suitable to
certain styles of teaching.  I can imagine it would be a complete disaster
in frontal teaching styles and might have great advantages in classes where
group work and paired learning are much more common.

My point is that there is probably a certain skill set necessary to teach
heterogeneous classes effectively.  If you do not think your skill set is
that skill set, I would ask - maybe even insist - that your principal come
into your class and teach you how to work with heterogeneous classes.  Heck,
get all the teachers on your team to do it.  If he can teach you what is
necessary to have your students thrive in a heterogeneous setting, great.
If he sees that it is not working, he might just let you have your old
hakbazot back.

Yours truly,

David R. Herz
drherz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.educatingisrael.com
Bet Rimon
052-579-1859



 

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[etni] Does the class/Hakbazot

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