Split teaching is when an activity (eg. History for class 8A) is taught by 2 or more different teachers during the week, and is especially common in UK 'Sixth Forms' ... how is it best handled in TimeTabler ?
How you enter 'split-teaching' depends on whether your activity is a "Pure Class" activity (like 9A History) or a "Block" (like an option block across year 10).
Pure class:
If it is a 'Pure class' activity: ... and AA is taking 2 periods while BB takes 1 period, then just create 2 activities for 8A History; one activity for 'SS' with AA, and the other activity for 'S' with BB. Then give both activities the same 'day-block code' (eg: '2') to let TimeTabler know that you want them placed on different days of the week.
For more details, see Section H23 in your printed Manual.
Block:
If it is a 'Block': There are two ways you can represent split-teaching in a block:
-- (1) make a decision yourself about which teachers will teach at the same time as other teachers, and create 2 or more blocks of these teachers to represent the total number of lessons. You would then need to give all the blocks the same 'day-block code' (eg: '1') to let TimeTabler know that you want them placed on different days of the week.
or:
-- (2) Enter all the individual lessons in a 'Consistently-setted Group' or in a 'Container Block' ... to see how these work, please look at the following:
i) Sections H24 & H25 of your copy of the printed Manual.
ii) Worked Examples I1 to I6 in the printed Manual.
iii) HelpMovies 46 & 47.
iv) Click here to read this PDF on Consistent-Setting - especially examples A, B and H.
Note that method (2) gives maximum flexibility, but method (1) is simpler to set-up. (see also the discussion in HelpMovie H46).
'Container Blocks' are often used in 'Sixth Forms' in the UK; 'Consistently-setted Groups' are often used in Years 10 &11 in the UK.
Please bear in mind: if only one group/subject within a block has split teaching, then you don't need anything complicated like a Container Block ... it is always simpler in that case just to create 2 simple blocks, one with teacher AA taking the subject, and the other with teacher BB taking the subject, as explained in Section H23 in your Manual.
Notes:
Note 1: If you have 2 teachers taking a lesson at the same time in the same room (a 'main' teacher and an 'assistant'):
When entering an activity that needs two or more teachers teaching together (same time, in same room), then you use the Advanced screen. You reach the Advanced screen in the Batch or Curriculum Diagram either by:
i) highlighting an activity and clicking F4
ii) or ... double-clicking on an activity to view it, then clicking the 'Advanced' button.
Then enter your second teacher in the "assist-1" or "assist-2" column. This makes them an assistant to the main teacher for this activity. Both teachers then have to be free at the same time for the lesson to be placed.
For more on the Advanced screen, see HelpMovie 27B and Section H48 in the current Manual.
Any questions ?: Please ask us on our online Support Centre.
By the TimeTabler Team