Our science department teaches using the modeling method, which groups students into teams of 4 to ‘self discover’ science laws by doing experiments, etc. There is no textbook and only an infrequent handout as a ‘lesson’. For the past three years I have been paired with kids whose parents just complained them into an A level / Honors class for bragging rights, and this ‘teaching style’ has proven to be a complete waste of classroom time and a total drain on after school homework time. I spend at least 2 hours a night searching the internet for lessons or experiments to complete homework. While I have managed to get A’s and that extra GPA point per semester, it is getting mentally exhausting and I am considering just dropping to I level, which is still ‘taught’ (or not taught) by modeling, but supposedly more in depth and slow paced.
The question I pose to you seasoned students is will this level change be glaring on my transcript and how will it be interpreted? Anybody do this and how do you reflect on your decision?
ANY advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated.
16 yo asian female, 4.0 unweighted GPA, 4.64 weighted, rigorous curriculum
applying to top tier schools in the NE, but not Ivies
The courses above are correct, with AP Bio next year. Thanks!