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unique opportunitiesinsight into the five different classes FWCD represents within the Malone Schools Online Network program

August 5, 2013: parent-student meeting; walkthrough of the virtual classroom and possible schedule conflicts

Aug. 19-23: Mr. Uhr and Ms.. Wakeland train students with the profiles; equipment; and new softwares. Saba and eCollege

September 3, 2013: Five classes begin

soon as the student created an account. With the help of the online-classroom environment and these two softwares, students enable themselves to complete homework in class as well as allow themselves to receive the most effective instruction with the teacher during actual class time. Because the learning is done at home and the homework done in class, the teacher and the students are able to discuss any misunderstandings they have. The new teaching method has been embraced by all the participating students at Country Day, and many of them appreciate a different way of learning. Although this is nothing new to FWCD, the program also boasts small class sizes and emphasizes the importance of building a

Uhr said. “The courses require a lot of bandwidth.” Although scheduling proved to be the hardest goal to ac-complish in Uhr’s eyes, he believes the hard work FWCD put into making these classes possible for the student body paid off. MSON course-takers were given a survey, which yielded positive results. The feedback Uhr got from the surveys helped him better understand the many advan-tages of offering courses like these: they are rigorous, they require a lot of work, and they allow FWCD students to engage with other students all over the United States. As many universities today have online programs, taking an online class as a high schooler only reinforces the fact that FWCD is a college preparatory school.

comfortable teacher-student relationship. It took a lot from FWCD faculty to make these classes available to the student body. Uhr sits in on every class each day, there for students whether they need his as-sistance or not. “Hopefully, by second semester, they will be completely self-sufficient,” Uhr said. “I have had to adjust my calen-dar a little bit this year., but I like to watch the different courses, see how the different teachers teach.” Fortunately, there haven’t many problems with the daily process of taking an MSON course. However, there are some difficulties that come along with providing such an opportunity. “It’s gone smoothly, but there have been a few issues,”

12/88FWCD boasts 12 students taking five different classes: Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law; Chi-nese Five; Arabic One; Advanced Abstract Math; and Introduction to Organic Chemistry. A total of 88 students across the country are involved in the MSON program for the fall semester.

Organo chem. Organic chemistry. Some call it the hardest class they’ve ever taken in college, but for Malcolm McDonald ‘14, it’s just another class he’s

taking in high school. The class focuses on exactly what a regulars or honors chemistry class at FWCD doesn’t cover in depth. It studies the chemistry of carbon bonds and how they relate to our ev-eryday lives, incorporating chemistry’s practical applications to medicine, various industries, and the environment. “Right now, we are learning all of the prerequisites for the course,” McDonald said. “So that includes understanding how bonds form, hybridization, and orbits. We’ve also gone over functional groups, which has helped a lot in my Biology class as well.” For him, there is a small price to pay for taking an MSON course. “I miss a lot of class,” McDonald said. “But, I usually don’t have a lot of makeup work because I have a free period, and the class lines up pretty nicely with my schedule. Most of the classes I miss are taught by teachers with whom I share free periods with.” McDonald’s love for chemistry is definitely evident, as he took the AP Chemistry course last year as a junior, and is now taking AP Biology as a senior. Now, he’s taking the next step into the world of medicine. “It’s nice because FWCD doesn’t offer Organic Chemis-try,” McDonald said. With this year’s new course offerings through MSON, stu-dents like McDonald are exposed to subjects they would’ve had to wait until college to study; now, they can take them in the comfort of their own high school.

Also a BC Calculus student, junior Coleman Walker ‘15 is enrolled in Advanced Abstract Math; and the class covers just that.

“We are currently talking about proving set equality and countability and introducing fractals,” Walker said. Although some students may have heard of terms similar to these, like fraction instead of fractal or solution set instead of set equality, they most likely have never covered anything like this. Even Walker states that the course is meant to teach exactly what a student hasn’t covered in traditional math classes like geometry or algebra II. “Considering it’s a class that is based on math concepts not covered in high school, I was unprepared, but that was expected,” Walker said. However, unprepared may be a bit of a misnomer, consid-ering the feedback Mrs. Wakeland, Assistant Division Head of the Upper School, is receiving from the coordinators of the MSON program. Wakeland boasts that FWCD stu-dents are almost always the first to log into the system, earn exceptional grades, and seem to be very comfortable in the new setting. Getting accustomed to a new way of learning may prove difficult for some, but Walker is thriving. “I definitely like the relaxed attitude toward grades,” Walker said. “Because it’s a new concept and technology and has a few kinks, the focus of my class tends to lie more heav-ily on understanding the concepts than the grades.” By placing more of an emphasis on comprehension rather than tangible rewards such as a good grade on a test, the math class creates a comfortable environment for its students, one in which they can explore mathematics without fear. Like many other MSON courses, the Advanced Abstract Math class utilizes the flipped classroom. “We present homework problems to the class and go

Coleman Walker ‘15 works on his math homework during his Advanced Abstract Math class. Photo by Alex Doswell ‘16

over the solutions,” Walker said. “After that [the instructor] teaches everything we need to know to watch the homework lecture and do the problems.” The actual class is something that Walker really enjoys; however, there are some things that could be changed in order to make his junior year a little easier. As we all very well know, junior year is definitely a stressful one, as you begin your college search, begin taking APs, and hopefully start acquiring positions of leadership in fine arts or sports. With all of the added weight, taking an MSON course can be challenging in terms of scheduling. “I miss a class every time [the MSON course is in session],” Walker said. “It can be a little much at times, but I’m able to make up the work. I’d prefer more even spacing [in between MSON gatherings].” Despite minor inconveniences, Walker thoroughly enjoys the new environment offered by the Malone Schools Online Network and believes it is a valuable experience. It has proved to be a very encouraging, goal-oriented, and reward-ing way of learning. “I really want to improve my problem solving abilities and rational thought process, and it’s definitely helping,” Walker said. Expanding on the helpfulness of the program in his math abilities, Walker invites and encourages other students to go out on a limb and try something new or continue studying something they already have a passion for. “If a student is interested in the subject being taught, I highly recommend they take the class,” Walker said. FWCD students have all expressed their satisfaction with the MSON course offerings, something that is manifested in their praise from other teachers all over the country, their grades, and their success in getting used to the innovational virtual classroom.