Why So Difficult?

I asked my students today why the quiz was difficult for many of them. They responded by saying that when the questions are on the screen they find it difficult to look and transfer the correct answer to their page, especially when there is a multiple choice format on the screen. Many need to have the choices in front of them on a printed sheet so they can cross off, eliminate, see what's right in front of them. I agreed with them but explained that the reason the screen was used was to save on photocopying costs. So economics militates against success?

Into My Head

Why does evaluation often seem like a crap shoot? The other day a student came in during lunch to write a quiz she had missed. I was getting her quiz questions out when she said "Wait! I have to get this back into my head!" as she quickly flipped through her notes. The information needed for the quiz had been reviewed in class. She had all of this. But now it seemed she knew almost nothing, as if it was a matter of cramming some information at the last minute so she could remember bits of information enough to pass the quiz. Is most of what we do in quizzes and tests "getting it into my head" long enough to pass and then it's gone again?

Unexpected Response

Maggie stayed at lunch in my room to finish a reading assignment. I noticed she was looking perplexed. Her face was slightly contorted. I said in a light-hearted way "Maggie, you look like you're in pain! ( meaning because of the reading ). She quickly replied " Yeah, it sucks always being alone". My heart sank. I was not expecting that response. She took my words in the deeper emotional sense. I immediately understood. Maggie's the girl with the purple hair who sits by herself and neve joins a group. My words were a trigger for her, bringing to the surface her feelings about being socially isolated. Other students worked in reading groups. She worked by herself. I stayed close to her desk just long enough to say "I understand" and to make sure she had my support in understanding the reading. My next step will be to look for an opportunity to pair her up with a willing student, and to connect with her daily to help her with her work so she doesn't fall behind....other thoughts?

It Pays to Overcommunicate

I have two classes at the same level following the same course curriculum. During the morning class, I assigned a task and later realized that students had a lot of questions about the expectations I had not anticipated. I spent a lot of time repeating the same answers to many inquiring about details of the task. For the afternoon class, I decided to approach things differently. I spent a few moments explaing each page and number of the assignment, thus quelling the barrage of questions I was faced with in the morning class. The moral of the story for me this day was that you can't assume students understand a handout or written instructions such that they will produce optimally as a result. It pays to overcommunicate and assume that what I've prepared and is eminently clear to me may not be clear at all to the students. It pays both from the standpoint of use of my time and of student success to go over each parameter and answer any outstanding questions. I wonder how often students don't understand and don't bother asking and just do what they interpret, rightly or wrongly, to be what is expected. This is more guesswork than it is learning.  

Student Presentation Boredom

When is it more educational to have students listen to each other's presentations without any requirement other than to listen and clap? This may lead to boredom in the audience. I have a group of 24, each of whom present for between 5 and 10 minutes. 3 or 4 class periods go by without anything else going on except presentations. Is this a valid use of the listener's time? An alternative I have used is to have students ask topical questions and get credit for it. Or students are asked to keep a log of the main ideas for a quiz later. Or student listeners also take turns asking standard questions that each presenter must answer. This becomes the interactive structure of the presentation where different students take turns asking the lead questions. Or another silent seatwork task is given that students must complete before the last set of presentations finishes. Other ideas?