Heterogeneous students in homogeneous...
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Heterogeneous Students in Homogeneous Classrooms Carol Bentley Brown lncarnate Word High School, 727 E. Hildebrand Avenue, San Antonio. TX 78284 Each fall as classes begin, those of us teaching chemistry realize that our classes are not made UD of readied vessels waiting to be filled. Rather, they consist of individuals with varvinp ahilities and differing motivations for taking chemisgy. l?e all know that for every student who w a n g t o he a doctor. there is one whose oarents insist that chemistry is the courseto take regardless of the student's aptitude. ~ a i class h has both students who are ready and eager to learn and others terrified of the subject. Some students see this chemistry course as the first step in a long journey while others see i t as completion of the final science requirement for graduation. How to motivate and challenge all these groups of students without aiming at an average or mediocre level of development is a never-ending, hut exciting, task. The faculty and administration a t Incarnate Word High School have been making an effort to meet this challenge with what we believe are some different, if not innovative techniques. Incarnate Word is a private Catholic girls' college-preparatory school with an enrollment of 570. The school is centrally located in San Antonio, Texas, and draws students from all sections of the citv and the surrounding metrooolitan area. The fact that our student body is all girl A d heavily populated hv minorities (at least 60% Hispanic) has presented some for our ~ciencebe~artment. Ten years ago special I was told that while physics was in the course offering hook, i t had not been taught in five years. "Girls don't take courses like physics." This year 40 girls are enrolled in physics! Our science offerings have changed from Biology I, Chemistry, Physical Science, and occasionally Biology I1 to a much stronger program of hoth regular and honors Biology I, advanced placement Biology 11, Environmental Science, Field Marine Biology (located in Hawaii), Physical Science, Chemistry I-honors, Advanced Placement Chemistry 11, and
Caml Bentley Brown teaches chemistry and physics at lncarnate Word High School, where she has sewed as Department Chairmanfor the past eight years. This year she received the Soulhwest Regional Catalyst Award for Excellence in ChemiSbv Teachino in Hioh School. She is also me 1984 reclp en1 of me Amer.can Chernocal Soclety Somh*ert Regonel Award for Hlgn Schwl Teaching
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Physics. We are even beginning to hear an interest expressed for Phvsics 11. socikty's changing attitude toward women and minorities in science and engineering has helped to bring about these changes. Student involvement with organizations such as the American Chemical Society and the Society of Professional Engineers has allowed our students to see that women and minorities do have a chance to succeed in fields that have been male dominated in the past. Participation in summer experiences such as the minority programs a t M.I.T. and Texas A&M University has provided enrichment for students. Youngsters involved in such programs report on their experience in class and encourage others to anolv. On camnus. faculty members serve as rolekodels for th;si;dents, sho&ng them that it is "OK" for a female t o he interested in science and math. However. there has t o he more than iust a good role model t o provide success for such diverse students within the classroom itself. The two maior comoonents to our setting involve the use of a flexible schkdule and Learning ~ c t i v i t a a c k e t s (LAPS). Our school day is broken into 17 twenty-minute modules (mods) with three minutes between each mod for passing from one class to another. The overall picture ends up looking very much like a college student's schedule with the major difference that the students are confined to campus during the school day. I meet my chemistry classes three days per week. One period is 45 minutes long; the next period is an hour long; and the third, our lahoratory period, is an hour and a half. A student may have three to five classes during any given day. The rest of the time is "unstructured!' I t is what haopens during this unstructured time that is the key to p r o v i d 6 for the varying ahilities among students. During this time the student can go to the library,which is truly a learning resource center, or t o a study hall for quiet study, or-best yet-to any teacher who does not have a class a t that time. We call this an "openlab." In the chemistry open lab, students might use the time to do extra lab work, to view filmstrips, to listen to tapes, to work problems, to meet with a study group, to use models and suoolemental texts within the room. or to get individualized he& with various problems or concepts with which they are havine difficultv. Comouter and microfiche nroaams are availakle for supplemental or difficult concept's. The other maior comoonent of our oroeram is the Learnine Activity l'acke
