CREATIVE practice #6: Let teachers teach several subjects (allowing more contact with individual students)

This practice is found in smaller schools and in many elementary schools.  The advantages are clear

a) the students get to know one teacher

b) the teacher can point out the connections between subjects

c) the math teacher and science teach and the teacher who teaches history can meet to create a project... oh, what if one teacher covers those three subjects?  then one teacher can help a student design a great project that includes comments about three areas.

The disadvantages?  Some students might complain about "having the same teacher day after day, hour after hour"

The next step is to allow teachers to teach a student several years in a row -- the teacher follows a cohort of students.  Big Picture Learning schools use this procedure -- one teacher for most of the subjects... for all four years of high school.

The Two-Teacher School

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How does this practice support creativity?  Any process that builds a stronger relationship between a teacher and a student will tend to lead to more creativity.

You can see how this practice is used at Parkmont School in Washington, DC. and at Big Picture schools   metcenter.org   bigpicture.org