Independant Study
Full Semester: Course compacting is completed first, usually in the first few weeks of the semester. After the coursework has been completed, an Independent Study can be used as a personal curriculum for the rest of the semester.
This type of study is the most in depth, and requires the most personal discipline, you will likely be out of class for the better part of four months. Projects completed for this type of study can be very open ended and complex, seeing as marks on all assignments have already been achieved, and any additional work is seen as bonus material. Be as ambitious as you want! Anything you’ve ever wanted to do, no matter how abstract, now is the time.
Goals and updates should be organized and completed in partnership with the teacher, whom in this context is serving more of the purpose of a mentor/advisor. Take advantage of this relationship. Most teachers have all sorts of interesting perspectives to contribute, and they may not have the opportunity to express them in a normal classroom setting.
Unit Specific: Within a course, if there is a specific unit of study you have already mastered (and this can be somehow demonstrated), a Unit I.S. can be negotiated. These are smaller in scale than a Full Semester I.S., and the topics selected should be proportional to the time limits.
Though the sudden freedom of having entire weeks to devote to your own learning can be intoxicating, try not to let it drown out your common sense. For example, no matter how enthusiastic you are, it is highly unlikely that you can compose a complete history and etymology of the English language in a few precious free periods.
Since the evaluation of this I.S. will have a significant impact on your course mark, it is ESSENTIAL that clear expectations of the finished product are established between you and your teacher. An I.S. outline contract is necessary to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and nothing is squandered in confusion. (See a sample outline contract here).
It would also be beneficial to draw up a complete marking rubric in partnership with your teacher, though this can be time consuming. The more that is openly discussed throughout the progress of your Independent Study, there is less that is likely to go horribly wrong during the evaluation.
Assignment Modification: Any assignment, no matter the size, can be changed or substituted for an alternative. Though every teacher will have different expectations, Assignment Modifications are usually required to loosely follow the theme or direction of the original assignment’s unit of study. The amount which you are allowed to deviate from the original assignment structure will vary from teacher to teacher, or even assignment to assignment.
In terms of evaluation, whatever is completed will likely be marked in accordance with the rubric of the original assignment. Unless, of course, the changes are so drastic that you and the teacher decide to follow a different standard of evaluation. If this is the case, it is extremely important that expectations are clear and understood by both parties, and an I.S. outline contract is still highly recommended.
This is the simplest method of Independent Study, and may be attractive because it does not usually involve leaving the classroom. On the other hand, this may make it less desirable.
