Edited by Alan Frederick Richards, Saturday, 11 Jan 2025, 18:10
I feel that the time has come to vent my disappointment
about Block Two.
Block One was managed for those doing their Primary option. It
was mostly revision of material in the BA (Creative Writing,) using the same
text books as one of their sources. We were in Tutor Groups allocated by
Primary option, with three special Forums for the Tutor Group:
·
A Forum for review of Activities
·
A separate Forum for TMA review
·
And even another, almost completely useless
Forum just for the Tutor Group
That was for people who had chosen their Primary option and
were familiar with it.
Then we came to Block Two. I thought this would be a gentler
introduction, aimed at students with less knowledge and interest in their
second subject. But, no, it wasn’t. It wasn’t aimed at Secondary option
students. It was EXACTLY the same as Block One for those who had taken a
different Primary choice.
But in Block Two, we don’t have an Activities Forum. For
most of Block Two, we struggle on with Tutor Group forums that are useless. We
don’t get the TMA review Forum either. And TMA 02, in the Secondary genre, will
be marked by an expert in our Primary genre.
The so-called Genre Forum comes two thirds of the way
through the block and is so confusing that students don’t understand it. It
mixes up Primary and Secondary genres and is of uncertain use. Is it for
Activities? It’s too late for half the Block. Is it for the draft TMA?
Yes, we have Workshops, Just as confusing and just as late.
We are left with a Forum section; a Genre Forum – not in the Forum Section; and
a Workshop – somewhere else.
What would Block One have been like with no Forums for the
first few weeks and a TMA marked by someone chosen for a different Genre? That’s how
Block Two has been treated.
My initial plan was to concentrate on TMA 02, and fit it
what I could of Block Two. So far, I feel as if I am just waiting for Block
Three.
19. Block Two gets Worse
I feel that the time has come to vent my disappointment about Block Two.
Block One was managed for those doing their Primary option. It was mostly revision of material in the BA (Creative Writing,) using the same text books as one of their sources. We were in Tutor Groups allocated by Primary option, with three special Forums for the Tutor Group:
· A Forum for review of Activities
· A separate Forum for TMA review
· And even another, almost completely useless Forum just for the Tutor Group
That was for people who had chosen their Primary option and were familiar with it.
Then we came to Block Two. I thought this would be a gentler introduction, aimed at students with less knowledge and interest in their second subject. But, no, it wasn’t. It wasn’t aimed at Secondary option students. It was EXACTLY the same as Block One for those who had taken a different Primary choice.
But in Block Two, we don’t have an Activities Forum. For most of Block Two, we struggle on with Tutor Group forums that are useless. We don’t get the TMA review Forum either. And TMA 02, in the Secondary genre, will be marked by an expert in our Primary genre.
The so-called Genre Forum comes two thirds of the way through the block and is so confusing that students don’t understand it. It mixes up Primary and Secondary genres and is of uncertain use. Is it for Activities? It’s too late for half the Block. Is it for the draft TMA?
Yes, we have Workshops, Just as confusing and just as late. We are left with a Forum section; a Genre Forum – not in the Forum Section; and a Workshop – somewhere else.
What would Block One have been like with no Forums for the first few weeks and a TMA marked by someone chosen for a different Genre? That’s how Block Two has been treated.
My initial plan was to concentrate on TMA 02, and fit it what I could of Block Two. So far, I feel as if I am just waiting for Block Three.
Alan