Independant Study

Even the best teachers can become confused with the Independent Study process, and it isn’t difficult to see why. A connection between, (for example), synesthesia and deep sky astronomy can tenuous at the best of times, and a teacher attempting to mark a paper on these subjects is often at a loss, especially when the original assignment was a standard literary comparison of two Shakespearian tragedies.

An Outline Contract is a simple and highly effective way of ensuring that you and your teacher are on the same page for the duration of your project, and that no one’s sanity is lost in the process. For a sample, click here.

Type of Study
The first thing to be decided is what kind of I.S. you intend on completing. Full descriptions of a few Independent Study options can be found here.

Timeline
How long is this study? A week? A month? All semester, or just until Tuesday? Once a timeline has been agreed upon, it’s very important to have this in writing, for both you and your teacher. Vague deadlines can result in confusion on both sides, and can be an unnecessary frustration for a teacher who feels that they are taking a risk.

Specific dates for meetings and teacher updates should be established, to keep your teacher informed about your progress, and to provide incentive for avoiding procrastination.

Content
This is a tricky section, since questions and ideas are by nature ephemeral and abstract. However, if a clear goal is outlined, it is much less important that the specifics remain as rigid as normal assignment structure. For example, if the goal of the study is for you to complete a research essay about the Beatnik culture of the 1950’s, it is relatively inconsequential that the focus of the essay shifted away from literary accomplishments and towards socio-cultural impacts.

This is essential for your teacher to understand, as final results that are highly divergent from the original concept may be difficult for them to put into perspective. Emphasize that change is a good thing, and reflects the success of the “learning process”.

Format
Though this can be difficult to decide upon before your research (or whatever base work your study requires) has even begun, it’s a good idea to establish what your final product will look like in as much detail as possible.

Remember, this isn’t really a restriction, a way of helping your teacher understand what it is you’ll be doing for however long you’re out of their class. Format can always be changed, even up to the last minute. However, teachers are less likely to react favorably when they believe for a month that they will be receiving a literary analysis, and what lands in their laps far more closely resembles a persuasive historical report. It is also important to determine format in advance to ensure a fair evaluation.

Evaluation
This is the most difficult, and also the most important, section of the contract. Since an Independent Study is often quite tentative and informal, if there is going to be a problem, this is when it will occur. It is ESSENTIAL that you and your teacher agree on how the study will be marked, what weight factor it will carry towards your final mark, etc. Ideally, you should co-design a mark rubric with your teacher that reflects the overall goals of the study.

Signatures
MAKE SURE YOU SIGN IT. Both you and your teacher should keep copies of the contract that have been signed and dated by both parties. This ensures that there can be no disputes along the lines of “I thought you said…”, “But we agreed on…”, etc. Also, if your teacher is kind hearted but a bit dotty, this will serve to remind them where it is you’ve been all this time.