Reply to HB-Woodlawn - what is the level of "independent study" in MS?

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Reply to "HB-Woodlawn - what is the level of "independent study" in MS?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We are interested in applying for middle school placement via the lottery this October,  but we're not familiar with how teaching is done at the school. From what we gather from the HB-Woodlawn's website, it seems that there is a higher degree of independent study given to students. Do HB Woodlawn middle schoolers spend their time doing their own research and planning their coursework independently (akin to college-style study), or do they rely on designated textbooks and workbooks outlined by the teacher? How much face-to-face teaching and assessment quizzes are given at the school?

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The next lottery will open next December, and around that same time there will also be an information night where they will explain their philosophy and independent study, etc. and much more.   You should plan to attend - usually a weeknight around 7 pm.   And no, it's not like college, it's very much like at the other middle schools, but counselors help them plan their curriculum and there is some flexibility as they progress to higher grades. [/quote]

A lot of this is good info except HB has no counselors so that part if wrong.

There really isn't independent study in middle school. Middle schoolers take the same classes as other middle schools in APS. The curriculum is mandated by the Virginia standards of learning. There is room in their schedules for an extra elective as compared to the other middle schools, so you get more choice in what to take that way. Also HB teachers seem more flexible in how they let kids approach projects. If a student can make a good case for doing a project differently than proscribed, the teacher is likely to let them, as long as it still meets instructional objectives. As far as tests and quizzes,yes, they still have all of those, although they seem to have less than the other APS middle school I have experience with, and more projects and presentations instead.

In high school, students can do an independent study if they want, and there is also a course in which the topics are driven by student interest (I think). But they have to do this on top of fulfilling all the standard diploma requirements, and those classes are regular classes. Except, as in middle school, it seems like my high school kid has a little less tests/quizzes than a friend at another APS HS.

Students in high school do design their own course schedules, so choice and independence definitely comes into play there.

In general, the school gives students a high degree of independence, so yes, in that sense, it does remind me a lot of college. For instance, if students finish their work in a class, it's not unusual for a teacher to let them leave, increasingly so as they get older. [/quote]

They do have counselors, who are also teachers, just not separate counseling staff. Each kid at HB has a counselor, an assigned TA in middle school who stays with them for 6/7/8, and one they pick  who stays with them for 9/10/11/12. [/quote]

I thought kids got a different TA for each year of middle school but then picked another TA to stick with them through all 4 years of high school?[/quote]

No, they have a teacher advisor who stays with them, and a small group of kids they stay with, all through middle school. They have an adult that gets to know them closely and keep an eye on them during those three important years, it's one of the really nice things about the model. The middle school TA may help suggest who they might want to talk to about being their high school TA, who will be their college counselor (and the high school TAs are mixed grades, while the middle school TAs are a "class"). The middle school TA will also help them understand how the course selection process works, what electives are available, how they can take classes at the Career Center in high school, etc. [/quote]

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