October 18, 2011
Classroom changes
I feel like I am barreling through the material. There isn’t enough time for reflection, improvement and mastery. I’m currently grading midterms and they are terrible. It’s incredibly disheartening. The students aren’t retaining anything. . . I need a better mousetrap. I’m beginning to think I need to make more changes to the way I teach/the way I structure my day. Fridays (or whatever the last day I see the students for the week) needs to be some kind of reflection day. Perhaps, set aside time to reflect on what they’ve learned, have some kind of proof problem to prove they’ve learned it. . . I would like to go back to a system similar to the one I experimented with my first year of teaching. In that unit, students were given a folder containing all the information for a particular unit. I gave one, maybe two lectures and then the practice was the responsibility of the student. There were three quizzes that had to be taken by particular drop dead dates and then a test that was taken. If I were to do something like that, each concept would have 3 or 4 “proof problems”. Perhaps they could be kept in a basket or folder on the front table. Once students believe they are ready for the quiz, they have to complete the “proof problem” and turn it in. Then they make take the quiz. The due dates gives students the ability to move more at their own pace but I do not know if general chemistry is mature enough to budget their time appropriately or responsible enough to do the practice they need. I just feel like one third the class gets the idea and is ready to move on while another third just needs practice and a last bit has no idea. Why do they seem to make such great progress and then bomb the test?
I think my next step will be to offer retakes for the benchmark. Originally, I had said the benchmark grade was permanent but the grades are so awful I don’t feel I have a choice. Students will be returned their benchmarks and a “retake ticket” form. It will have three sections. First, students will have to explain why they achieved the score they did. If it matches their practice scores or not is one way, or they could explain why they did or did not study or on what concepts they were still unclear. Secondly, there will be the test itself containing space for the student to explain the correct answer (not why they got it wrong but why the correct answer is the correct one. Math counts as explanation). Thirdly will be a space for students to explain how they will better prepare for the retake. Once this is completed and discussed with me, I will allow them to retake the test. I like this idea better than the homework proof because it forces them to review and study by making them go back over the test.
Student Response
Last entry I mentioned how I was going to introduce the idea of artifacts into my physics class since they were not using the AFL system and I could see if it was easier or effective at all. I immediately noticed the difference in the mindset of students between physics and my AFL chemistries. My chemistry students, by and large, have stopped asking about points and instead are focusing on learning the material and improvement. Many of them are redoing assignments simply for the reinforcement and practice as well as asking for even more practice assignments. Physics immediately saw this as a “get out of homework free” card. We will see how it goes as time progresses. I am notorious for testing different homework systems so I do not think tweaking this as time progresses will throw my students for a loop. As always, the students who practice and do their work will do the homework I request regardless of the rewards or consequences and the students who skimp on homework and practice will skimp no matter what the rewards or consequences.
Overall I do still feel the student response is positive. I feel like they are focused on the learning and not the points and can communicate their learning effectively through the mastery levels. But. . . it does slow down the amount of curriculum I can cover. Is that ok? I need a way for the killers and go-getters to move on while the folks who need more reinforcement to practice. . .
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