Classes like Music, Drama, and Art teach creativity and other skills that may not be addressed or provided in standard core classes. Some districts offer advanced middle school computer electives. They help introduce teens to possible professions and specific areas of skill. My electives colleagues and I began to send emails back and forth, asking each other what the acronyms meant. The classroom buzzes with activity. Electives teachers might not have the same amount of homework to grade as English teachers; we might not feel pressured to cover the curriculum as a math teacher might feel. While students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math than other students who were not taking music appreciation. Reaching performan… Electives aren't in place just so students can have fun in high school, They are there so you can explore your options. But a change in budgets and academic values turned everything around. Katelynn Nagelmiller, Staff WriterDecember 11, 2014. Electives will give students a class they’re interested in and something to look forward to every day. According to a profile of SAT data, students with general subject coursework experience scored 57 points higher on the verbal test and 41 points higher on the math test. It’s a great day in Sandlot Drama class. Our principal posted several emails that discussed SRI, RTI screening, and STAR Math information. Classes like Music, Drama, and Art teach creativity and other skills that may not be addressed or provided in standard core classes.”. If other states did the same, thousands of teachers would be out of a job and students would be prevented from learning creativity and certain skills they would possibly need in life. In fact, several studies show that students are more likely to get a degree or major in a course they took as an elective. The name of the class isn’t really Sandlot Drama. Not only are creative pursuits so good for your brain, but they also show colleges your personality. Electives help keep school fun. Each team first develops a city infrastructure by using Sim City 4. Electives also help teens learn day to day skills that can help them when they are in college and in the adult world. But despite the “fun” part of our jobs, we play an important role in helping our students to learn, to focus, and to achieve. Or watching the shyest girl in the class appear on stage as Lady Gaga. It helps keep the brain stimulated, Is a great common ground for making friends, And can help you get better jobs in high school. Components of the competition are brought together in five-minute presentations for an audience of local engineers. They start singing “I Wanna Be a Billionaire.” Other students join them on stage, surrounding the guitar girl as they hop to the lyrics. Others use the school’s spotlight while more students are working on “backstage” tasks: finding costumes, making scenery, and creating a playlist of sound effects. While researching, writing, and editing their problem-based essays, the teams also build scale models of their city. What was going on in the rest of the school that we might be able to support but could not unless someone updated us with information regarding these new programs? In elementary and middle school most homeschoolers include unit studies and plenty of field trips. Electives allow students to explore topics that interest them. Sixth graders gather around computers in the classroom, writing their plays. In addition to three sections of drama, I teach two media production classes and one section of my favorite class of all—Future City—where teams of students prepare for an annual regional engineering competition. The electives teachers teach six periods a day, with only a personal preparation period, so that core teachers can have both a collaborative planning time and a personal planning period. Instead of feeling independent about the work that I do, I often feel that I should be more supportive of increasing student achievement. The group on stage gathers around one of the girls as she plays guitar. So whether your thing is playing an instrument, painting, acting, or something else, definitely consider choosing that for your elective. For so many students, these classes are the only place they shine and the only reason they come to school each day! They help introduce teens to possible professions and specific areas of skill. Those of us who teach electives tend to have more freedom to plan the time that’s needed for creative projects. I am a junior in high school this year, notoriously the most difficult and academically rigorous year of high school. Cutting electives does not motivate the students who are least likely to pass a state test. Remedial electives in reading, math and other major subjects are important because they can help prevent students from falling behind their grade levels. 1-800-445-8250 (Customer Service), Teaching in Today's Tech-Powered Classroom, Social-Emotional Learning: It Starts With Teachers, Making Teacher Recertification Meaningful, Getting Personal: Teachers, Technology, and Tailored Instruction, Inside Classroom Management: Ideas and Solutions, Next Draft: Changing Practices in Writing Instruction, Teaching Tolerance Culturally Responsive Teaching Awards, “Transforming School Conditions: Building Bridges to the Education System That Students and Teachers Deserve. I can write out directions for the scenery crew as a math word problem and discuss the concept of proportion as they create a backdrop. Electives teachers are used to planning their own programs, but at our school we have found that we need to know what the other teachers are doing. . Selecting Electives. Maybe this will show other schools in other states that electives like arts, music, and creative studies are important and ultimately help with students cognitive and interpersonal benefits. These just aren’t possible in high school BUT electives can provide some “light relief”.

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