First let me backtrack. This was an unbelievably difficult month. I'm not sure what exactly made it difficult but it dragged on and on. Students looked at me with hatred in their eyes. Perceived or not, it felt real. It's like all the glitter of the first month and its promises of a glorious school year had finally fallen into a pile of dust. I did not write, because I had nothing good to say. It was a dark time, and I am writing now to make sure I remember next year: November is a dark dark dark time. Hopefully December will be better. I return with renewed strength hoping for a glorious new semester. By February , I may feel dusty again. But here's to the cycle. But that's not what I'm here to write about today. I'm here to write about a quiz idea I tried. Before the quiz, I had three categories that students could choose to work on. Two of the three groups were facilitated by student group leaders. This went fairly well, because students felt that they had someone they could consult with. I "trained" the leaders quickly out in the hall by telling them to give hints instead of answers. I also let them know I had chosen them very specifically because I felt they were up to the task. You should have heard the conversations. I've never seen such intense focus and robust conversations from my most challenging class. Afterward, I gave them a quiz... and it was blank. They had to create their own quiz problems based on what they focused on during the review time. This isn't a new idea by any means, but it is the first time I'm trying it. Some kids had a hard time so I let them use their notes, but they had to write on their quiz that they used their notes (just so I was aware). Grading may be a big of a hassle but it may be worth it. I'll update once they're graded. Still, intuitively it seems like a valid assessment. Below are three examples, each from different groups. There are some kinks, but I'm gonna mull over it. ***Update: 12/11 I still haven't graded these and they haunt me. Either this is unsustainable OR there is a better way to grade them.
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I was just at a meeting sharing best practices. One teacher said she tried having students taking notes on what other students were saying. She'd say "Jon just made a really good point. Let's take that down in our notes." Then Jon would have to repeat slowly what he said so others could write it down. She collected the notes at the end of class. This was to value what other students in the class were saying and positioning them as experts (instead of just the teacher).
I'm really interested in doing this in my own classroom. I'm not exactly sure the structure of how this would look but quoting other students as part of the notes seems like a really great way for students to start leaning on each other. |
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