Thread: Alternative education

Hi there!

I wish I knew something about PLATO or the alternative education system - but I don't. You may want to post your question again under the technology forum - to increase your chances of getting a good constructive reply.

Best wishes,

David Chin
Moderator for New Teachers' Place @ Teacher Focus

I teach in an alternative program. I teach Language Arts and Social Studies to grades 6-12. What kind of alternative program is yours? Mine is a suspension/expulsion alternative, Kind of a last chance school. I don't know what the PLATO system but I would love tohear about it. Please fill me in on your situation. I have been teaching this program for seven years, before this I worked for private contractors in Juvenile Justice as a teacher in residential programs for over ten years. I'm sure we will have many things to share.
Looking forward tohearing from you, Jo-Anne

The majority of my students are age 15-19. They have dropped out of school and are being given this last chance to earn a high school diploma. Our dipoma is separate and has different requirements than the traditional high school.
For the most part I teach English and history, but I end up teaching a little bit of everything. Like I said earlier, I am a first year teacher and this is a brand new program so we're fixing it along the way. The school is in a very small community with a population of 779. The majority of the students drop out either to work on the farm or because they are pregnant.
The PLATO system is a curriculum in itself. We start with fastrack testing. They take a test in math, reading, and language arts. It then assesses their skill level. From there I match it with an english course for the semester: language arts or reading. They do the majority of their work on the computer. But I add a written assignment every week and a book review every semester.
History is a lot harder on the computer. My background is in the social studies, so I am a little more picky about the content. It is a program called WorldView that PLATO bought the rights to. For every chapter/topic it gives a one page overview, a glossary with terms, a timeline, 50 learning questions (it prompts you if you get them wrong) and a fifty question test. Although it seems to cover all the basics, something just doesn't seem right and I'm still not sure what I want to change or how.
The PLATO system is very thorough and has been designed by educators, so I know that it is well versed in pedagogy. I'm sure their website could explain better at what they do. I'm learning as I use it.
In return, I would also love to hear what you do with your curriculum. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jeanette

PLATO just rang a bell with me.

I seem to recall a study back in the early eighties that involved PLATO. The researchers tested students who took courses via computer assisted instruction with students who participated in a class with a traditional lecturer. The results were inconclusive and showed no significant difference in the quality of learning between either group.

Is this the same system?

Just wondering.

David

I cannot be sure if it is the same, but from the description it sounds just like it. PLATO came around in the eighties and it is computer-assissted instruction.
I would be interested to see a follow up study to see if there were any differences in information retention or study skills of PLATO students versus traditional classroom study.
I find it debilitating to a degree, since I am not the one instructing, I am not getting the constant feedback, the computer does. And although for the english part of PLATO it will only advance as the student masters the material, it makes it difficult to monitor students actual progress versus what the computer defines.