Sad results

I have been marking the Ancient Greece tests that my 11s wrote recently and, to say the least, I am very disappointed in the results. My disappointment is compounded by the fact that 2 out of 3 classes overwhelmingly failed to do the homework I assigned (deep in my heart I knew they wouldn't do it). My biggest issue is that kids complain that they "don't have enough notes to study from" and yet when they are given a reading and some questions to answer or definitions to complete, they don't do them. I can't help but think that we spoonfeed them too much these days, as evidenced by the non-stop photocopying that takes place every day all day all across the board/province/country (including Quebec!)/North America. Note-taking is dead. Just look at a student's notebook. If they are asked to write down anything more than 2 sentences, it is just too overwhelming for them. I guess that is where the authentic performance task comes to the rescue. Using them circumvents the disappointing test results and seemingly meaningless homework checks. I know that the stuff kids learn the best is the stuff they do/create. Okay, I can pick out the error in my recent practice...just have to correct things now. Hmmmm.

2p assignment

I decided to try something a bit different with my 2P history class this week. The text we bought uses a thematic approach, something that is new to me and the kids. I had done lessons that were a mix of teacher and student-centred approaches, but often felt like I was going to slow for some and too fast for others. For this theme, I assembled a package of materials and assigned the performance task at the beginning of the week. The major unit task is to create a time capsule for the 20s and 30s, and the individual task that had to be done this week was to create 5 news headlines that announced actions taken by the government during that time period. I read somewhere that applied students, especially boys, prefer to begin a task with few instructions and take the “I’ll call you when I need you” approach. My class is dominated by boys and figured it was worth a shot.
The goal was to create one headline per day, in addition to completing the assigned materials from the package for that day. The package materials included a Venn diagram, a web diagram, an Examine Both Sides assignment, and some content questions from the text. I spent the week working the room, providing assistance to students who needed it as they worked through the assignment. My reflection is below:

The Cons:

• Kids getting off task


• Some kids falling behind

The Pros:

• More questions asked about the assignment (kids felt safer pulling me aside to ask instead of doing so in front of the class)


• Opportunity for ongoing formative assessment


• Able to meet the needs of individuals better

Many students were done by the end of the week. Some had to sign out texts to finish. I preferred the student-centred approach but because it was new to the kids, some didn’t use their time very well (go figure). I think the next theme will be a mix again, but heavier on the student-centred side.

Good things to come...

Our regional teams met at the Hellenic Centre today and spent time focusing on what we would like to see happen in Thames Valley in terms of keeping the II initiative alive and kicking. It was a very productive day and I am quite optimistic that all of the time and money spent on this worthwhile venture will not be wasted. It is always refreshing to see Barrie and I was again reminded of 2 things:

1. how complex our job is
2. how much we can do to make help students learn

I posted some comments about teambuilding and I think that is what I will base my action research project on. The plan is to do teambuilding on Mondays at the very least and to ask students what, if anything can be gained. I would also like to incorporate more reflective writing into my lessons. Perhaps a lesson template with built-in reminders? That's it for now. Cheers.