Anatomy of a Class
Alephbeis Learning Portal navigates the complexities of multi-year classes with distinct terminology. While “class” can refer to both “Mr. Hopkins’ First Grade” (specific students for a year) and “First Grade” (the grade level across years), the Learning Portal separates these concepts into:
- Classroom: This contains the constants, the properties that stay the same from year to year – Grade Level and Teacher. (though teacher changes are possible, as discussed later). Think of it as the “room” and “curriculum” in a real school.
- Class: The variable elements built upon the Classroom – specific students and the current school year. This is like placing the “students” in the established room with the chosen curriculum.
Setting up a class involves first choosing a Classroom (grade + teacher + curriculum), then adding students for the current year. The school year is automatically managed by the system.
An analogy can aid in understanding these terms. Similar to a brick-and-mortar school, before admitting students, one needs a Classroom, a Teacher, and a Curriculum Level. Only after establishing these foundational elements (room, teacher, curriculum level) does the focus shift to placing the students.
Typically, the subsequent years see consistency in the Classroom, Teacher, and Curriculum, with student changes being the primary variable. Once the Classroom is set up and a curriculum level is assigned, minimal adjustments are needed. Occasionally, changes like switching a teacher or altering the curriculum level may arise. In such cases, editing the Classroom is a straightforward
Below is a visual representation of this:
Classroom teacher
The teacher of the class does change at times, and this is supported in the Learning Portal. When a teacher is updated on a classroom it will affect only this year and moving forward but not previous years. This scenario would look like this:
To receive a detailed walkthrough on setting up classrooms, refer to this article: Setting Up a Classroom: Step-by-Step Guide.