Well, as we near the end of week 3 (and the official start of Steeler's football season!...) I have to say that I have learned a lot during this short week!
I gave my first anatomy and physiology exam this week. I felt like I couldn't have possibly prepared my students more for this test. After the review game on Tuesday though, I realized that no matter what I did, many of them just will not put in the necessary effort to do well in this class. Students had a chance to review for the test and earn bonus points on their score and many of them didn't bother to pay any attention at all. I definitely showed in their scores! I ended up with 6 students who received each letter grade (A,B,C,D &F). Nice and balanced I guess, but I am really disappointed that there were not more A's and B's! I think that they now realize that simply paying enough attention to guess is not going to be enough in this class. They will have to truly understand the material in order to answer the questions. This truly is a college-level course and many of them are not used to the studying that is necessary. I have offered help many times so I just hope that the students who need it will take advantage of it!
Forensics was also interesting this week. We had some disruptions throughout the week and we didn't end up getting through as much material as I had initially planned for. I am still adjusting to how much time is needed to do lab activities and in-class work. Luckily, this won't be a problem because I can easily adjust the forensics schedule to fit the pace of the class.
Overall, I can tell this week that the "excitement" of starting school is dying off for most students. That initial motivation is already starting to disappear as everyone falls into their day-to-day routines.
I hope that I can keep my students interested and excited about my classes. I also hope that as they are faced with challenges, they feel as if they can come to me for help. I truly want them all to be as successful as possible. I am continually evaluating my practices as a teacher every day...even every class period. I can tell that I am going to have many invaluable experiences this year because there have been so many already
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ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating when you try and try to get students to work and they don't respond. Sometimes that first test grade is a wake-up call for some of the students. Being able to post the grades on EdLine for parents to see quickly also stimulates motivation a bit.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are reflecting on your practice; I'm looking forward to visiting your class this week!