The first blog of the New Year. It got pretty hectic and crazy towards the holidays. This semester I will be going in on two different days. My schedule is a lot more hectic, so it might fluctuate. I will be at YHS Tuesday 1st-3rd and Wednesday 4th-6th.
These last couple of weeks the students have been finishing up units and reviewing for their end of the semester exams. In two weeks 1st period will be a new group of students while the other periods will remain the same.
Astronomy is mostly Seniors, so they don't care about much. They had a worksheet they were suppose to fill out during class. The questions related to the teachers lecture and their reading on the subject of black holes.
In the chemistry classes, there was a review worksheet they had to work on in teams. The worksheet was worth 20 pts. The first team to finish got 10 EC pts., 2nd got 5 EC pts., 3rd got 1 EC pts. In the end they all got the 20 pts. I was very surprised, but in most groups everyone participated. This kind of activity has a huge chance of one person doing all the work.
Currently 3rd period has shown the most improvement. They only have a couple of students failing while the other classes have a handful. Overall the students seem to have stopped fighting the system. The are trying to be quite and learn. In 5th period there are a couple of students that need extra attention and I sit on the side and help them. All the students seem to enjoy my presence in the classroom. They all want to say hi and don't hesitate to ask me questions.
I think this semester is already going to be better than last.
1 comment:
Amanda,
It takes time to establish a relationship with the students. It sounds like this has happened in the Chemistry classes. You will face that same challenge with the new group of students in first hour Astronomy. However, once the relationship has been established, you can begin to make progress helping the students learn.
I am pleased to read that the students worked together on review activities. If only we could teach them to work together in study groups. I am sure everyone helping everyone else would produce more growth.
I hope that the resolve to learn continues on into second semester. Students understanding the classroom system and understanding how to be successful within it is always a challenge. Sometimes you have to point out to individual students how much they have improved. Please do this individually as some students can be quite self-conscious about this. I believe one part of internal motivation is being able to recognize your own efforts and accomplishments. Too many students believe that other students earn good grades because they are "smart" rather than because the students work hard to earn the grades.
I look forward to reading your second semester blogs.
Carol Cramer
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