Posted by
Waski_the_Squirrel on Monday, August 25, 2008 8:56:47 PM
Teachers should take advantage of the great opportunity their job gives them. Teachers can reinvent themselves every year. Even in a small school where you may have the same students year after year, there is a long summer break during which old habits can be forgotten.
Summer was a great time to reflect on what went well and what didn't go so well during the year. How was classroom management? Pacing? Testing? There are many things to reflect on. Even experienced teachers will spend some time reflecting (one hopes).
A beginning teacher is likely to have many things to reflect on. The idea of improvement is overwhelming. However, bite off small chunks. New or old, look at two major things. Improving these two is likely to help in other areas. For example, classroom management will improve all facets of the classroom: you'll be able to cover more material, the students' learning will increase, and the teacher will have time to focus on struggling students (rather than annoying students).
For this year, my two are:
- Less lecture
- Require mastery of material
I don't like lecturing. This year, I'm making a conscious effort to do less of it. I want students to do more. That way I can circulate and help the ones who need it. I can also place responsibility where it belongs. Finally, they're more likely to pay attention to an activity in which they are actively engaged. I improve every year on this, but I'm still not where I want to be.
To require mastery of material seems obvious, but the students tend not to buy into that. Too many will do poorly on a concept and simply write it off. Grades are not a motivator to a large segment of students. Many lack the maturity to understand that if they don't master material now, they won't be able to build on it. Many are practical enough to look at experience. They got by in other classes with a minimum, why is this any different?
Countering that culture of minimal effort will be more work on my part. However, with small classes this year, I think I can devise a system. My plan is to give lots and lots of quizzes during each chapter. This has a research base because students retain more information with more frequent evaluations. The second part of that is that I will require a certain minimum grade on each quiz. Otherwise, they'll do a tutorial on the concept and then take another quiz. The extra work is a stick, and I don't plan to allow any student to sit and spin his wheels, so I'll limit quizzes (and average quiz grades together). However, these two sticks are countered by the chance to learn the material and be more successful (carrot). I recognize that some of my students will choose to fail or not do the extra work. In the end, they still control their destiny.
I also plan to tweak quizzes. I will pay attention to concepts missed on the test. (Minor errors don't count.) They will have an additional quiz attached to their next test based on those concepts.
This year it will be a lot of work. However, I hope to use technology to aid me. I'd like to set up a database of questions for each course. I'd also like to use software to administer tests and quizzes: the software can correct large sections of them for me. I'll still need to read short answers, and I'll certainly allow them to write out mathematical solutions or diagrams. It's easier that way!
Along the way, I'll try to keep up other good habits from past years: organization, staying current with grading, limiting what I grade, and many others. #2 of this year's new innovations will definitely keep me busy!