So I was thinking last night as I read some of my students MGPs...
One of them was written by one of my students who typically turned in high quality writing with few grammar mistakes; unfortunately, the autobiography that he wrote for his MGP was full of run-on sentences, a lot of commas were missing, and his use of semi-colons didn't make sense.
It got me wondering if I had actually taught them anything...And this got me frustrated and a little down...
Yet today, after thinking about it all, I realized that I had taught my students something. I had taught them about different genres of writing. I had taught them how to focus on their content and not worry about their grammar. I had helped them identify their weaknesses so they could work on those. I had helped them see the value of revision and editing.
And they had told me a few things during all of this teaching...They told me they're lazy and that's why they don't complete assignments, complete the writing process, or implement what they're learning in their work.
Could I have done more? Oh yeah! But did I do a good job? Yeah. I created an atmosphere of support, of friendship, and challenge. I gave them advice and explained why we did things in class. I gave them a chance to give me feedback on the activities we did. I admitted my faults to them when I messed up or tried to do an activity with them that wasn't going well.
And in all of this, I realized that I can go into my internship with confidence because I know I can hold my own in a classroom, but also a lot of fear, because I know I still have a lot to learn about teaching.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
12/3/08
Today was the last day of class. Last night I baked my students a cake to honor all of their hard work and, more importantly, because I had forgotten to remind them that we were going to have a potluck. I figured I would bring the potluck to them...
Today, I went in with only two things planned: Eat cake and present projects to class. Before class started, I had a few of the girls that were already there help me put the desks in a circle. I told them all to sit in the circle.
Then we just waited for everyone to arrive. I took attendance as they walked in and collected any late work that still had to be graded. I had a few students who still didn't have what they needed, but I took what they had and figured I'd just give them a grade on that.
Once a majority of the students arrived, I told them all to come up and get a piece of cake and then we'd start with presentations. Only about half of them actually took a piece, but some said they would come back for more.
After we all settled in, I had them each present their work. I told them to tell me the title, explain it if necessary, and then give a brief explanation of each of their genres and repetends. These little explanations could have been better, but overall, they were decent. I didn't want to expect too much out of them on the last class because many are stressed out and need to relax.
One thing I did notice that I am really glad about is that my students are almost all friends with each other. They stay after class to work with each other on stuff for my class or for other classes they have together. They call each other on the phone and communicate to one another all of the time. It really is exciting to see a class work so well together! I hope that I can continue to foster a classroom atmosphere like that in my classrooms...
Today, I went in with only two things planned: Eat cake and present projects to class. Before class started, I had a few of the girls that were already there help me put the desks in a circle. I told them all to sit in the circle.
Then we just waited for everyone to arrive. I took attendance as they walked in and collected any late work that still had to be graded. I had a few students who still didn't have what they needed, but I took what they had and figured I'd just give them a grade on that.
Once a majority of the students arrived, I told them all to come up and get a piece of cake and then we'd start with presentations. Only about half of them actually took a piece, but some said they would come back for more.
After we all settled in, I had them each present their work. I told them to tell me the title, explain it if necessary, and then give a brief explanation of each of their genres and repetends. These little explanations could have been better, but overall, they were decent. I didn't want to expect too much out of them on the last class because many are stressed out and need to relax.
One thing I did notice that I am really glad about is that my students are almost all friends with each other. They stay after class to work with each other on stuff for my class or for other classes they have together. They call each other on the phone and communicate to one another all of the time. It really is exciting to see a class work so well together! I hope that I can continue to foster a classroom atmosphere like that in my classrooms...
Monday, December 1, 2008
12/1/08
I'm starting to get used to students walking in late. It seems a habit for my bunch that I have little control over....
I waited a few minutes to begin because of said lateness; I just handed out their journals from last class and other assignments that I had graded over break.
I started class with a quick reminder of the schedule of our class. We only have one more official meeting together in which they will present their MGPs and celebrate the end of the semester. I also informed them of the time that they can pick up their graded projects during exam week. I'm beginning to wonder how many people will actually come pick them up.
After this, I had them write their final journal for this project and told them about one other one that they needed to do to fill in the gaps for the final draft. They took a good amount of time to work on these. I was glad.
After this, I talked with them about some of the comments they left me from the survey I took last week. I answered the few that I could in class and then took a survey on the chalkboard activity from last week. They said they didn't like it, but thought that it was a good way for them to work on grammar points that they struggle with.
The final part of class was spent on peer review. I put them in groups of three and gave them a sheet with questions to help them think about what still needed work. A couple of them obviously blew this time off and rushed through it. I made them work with another person's work to emphasize to them the importance of revising their work.
I stayed for writing studio today because Ashley was gone. I worked with her group and talked to them about their projects. It concerns me that they are so confident about their work and don't really want to talk about it, especially because many of them haven't been on task for a majority of this project.
*One thing that really shocked me today was that none of my students had their homework ready for today...NOT A ONE OF THEM!!
I waited a few minutes to begin because of said lateness; I just handed out their journals from last class and other assignments that I had graded over break.
I started class with a quick reminder of the schedule of our class. We only have one more official meeting together in which they will present their MGPs and celebrate the end of the semester. I also informed them of the time that they can pick up their graded projects during exam week. I'm beginning to wonder how many people will actually come pick them up.
After this, I had them write their final journal for this project and told them about one other one that they needed to do to fill in the gaps for the final draft. They took a good amount of time to work on these. I was glad.
After this, I talked with them about some of the comments they left me from the survey I took last week. I answered the few that I could in class and then took a survey on the chalkboard activity from last week. They said they didn't like it, but thought that it was a good way for them to work on grammar points that they struggle with.
The final part of class was spent on peer review. I put them in groups of three and gave them a sheet with questions to help them think about what still needed work. A couple of them obviously blew this time off and rushed through it. I made them work with another person's work to emphasize to them the importance of revising their work.
I stayed for writing studio today because Ashley was gone. I worked with her group and talked to them about their projects. It concerns me that they are so confident about their work and don't really want to talk about it, especially because many of them haven't been on task for a majority of this project.
*One thing that really shocked me today was that none of my students had their homework ready for today...NOT A ONE OF THEM!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Further Reflections - from the entire semester
So Jon and I were talking and he suggested that I take some time to reflect on some things outside of the typical day to day blogs.
One thing that I've noticed is how much I will miss my class of students when the semester is over next week. Despite the challenges of teaching remedial English to college students who are lazy and admit to being so, I have really grown to love my students and the experience of teaching them. There have been some really great moments that have made me feel like a good teacher....like the time I told one of the boys who seemed to care very little about the class that his article was an example to the class...or the time that I helped a few of the girls figure out solutions to issues they were having in their classes...and the student who, after missing 9 classes (not consecutive), turned in the longest project 3 and a huge autobiography of her life for project 5...especially the letter that one of my students wrote to a person who should still be her enemy, but someone she decided to reconcile with for her own good; a letter that was the best piece of writing she had done all semester, one in which her passion came out instead of her b.s. voice for an assignment she didn't really care about.
And as I think of all of these great moments, it makes me wonder what I did to render such moments. The only thing I can think of is that I made an effort from day one to learn my students names and to encourage them in their work...especially when it was good, but even more (which was often), when their work was much less than what they were capable of doing. I made an effort to let them know that I was there for their benefit and would help them whenever needed. I explained to them why I had them do certain activities and what they needed to learn before they could leave my class. I let them know how much their honesty meant to me, even if it was harsh and not what I wanted to hear....
All in all, I think it was this relationship building that made this class at least a little bit successful.
Will my students leave knowing all they should about grammar and punctuation and spelling? NO! But they know where they struggle in their writing and they know what a writing process is. They know that there are different styles of writing. They know that they write the best work when they personally care about their topic and that their work will never be as good when they have to write about something they don't care about. They know that good writing isn't something that someone can accomplish alone, it is something that needs the help and support of others.
And what do I know? I know that if I let me students know who I am and what I stand for, that that is all that matters. I need to do my best, not compare myself to others, and just do what I know will work for my class. I know that I need to learn from my mistakes and keep record of all the things I do, whether they were good or bad. I know that collaboration is a must to being successful as a teacher. I know that I need to really be excited about what I'm teaching so that my students can at least pay attention while I'm trying to teach something. And I need to let them know that I'm paying attention...when their heads are down, when they're sleeping, when they're plagiarizing, when they're confused...
It's been a good semester...and although I wish I could do it over again (the teaching of this class, not the other things), I'm satisfied with the effort I gave and the things that I learned. And I know I am a better teacher because of it!
One thing that I've noticed is how much I will miss my class of students when the semester is over next week. Despite the challenges of teaching remedial English to college students who are lazy and admit to being so, I have really grown to love my students and the experience of teaching them. There have been some really great moments that have made me feel like a good teacher....like the time I told one of the boys who seemed to care very little about the class that his article was an example to the class...or the time that I helped a few of the girls figure out solutions to issues they were having in their classes...and the student who, after missing 9 classes (not consecutive), turned in the longest project 3 and a huge autobiography of her life for project 5...especially the letter that one of my students wrote to a person who should still be her enemy, but someone she decided to reconcile with for her own good; a letter that was the best piece of writing she had done all semester, one in which her passion came out instead of her b.s. voice for an assignment she didn't really care about.
And as I think of all of these great moments, it makes me wonder what I did to render such moments. The only thing I can think of is that I made an effort from day one to learn my students names and to encourage them in their work...especially when it was good, but even more (which was often), when their work was much less than what they were capable of doing. I made an effort to let them know that I was there for their benefit and would help them whenever needed. I explained to them why I had them do certain activities and what they needed to learn before they could leave my class. I let them know how much their honesty meant to me, even if it was harsh and not what I wanted to hear....
All in all, I think it was this relationship building that made this class at least a little bit successful.
Will my students leave knowing all they should about grammar and punctuation and spelling? NO! But they know where they struggle in their writing and they know what a writing process is. They know that there are different styles of writing. They know that they write the best work when they personally care about their topic and that their work will never be as good when they have to write about something they don't care about. They know that good writing isn't something that someone can accomplish alone, it is something that needs the help and support of others.
And what do I know? I know that if I let me students know who I am and what I stand for, that that is all that matters. I need to do my best, not compare myself to others, and just do what I know will work for my class. I know that I need to learn from my mistakes and keep record of all the things I do, whether they were good or bad. I know that collaboration is a must to being successful as a teacher. I know that I need to really be excited about what I'm teaching so that my students can at least pay attention while I'm trying to teach something. And I need to let them know that I'm paying attention...when their heads are down, when they're sleeping, when they're plagiarizing, when they're confused...
It's been a good semester...and although I wish I could do it over again (the teaching of this class, not the other things), I'm satisfied with the effort I gave and the things that I learned. And I know I am a better teacher because of it!
11/24/08
So this is the only class that we have for the week. After talking with Kate before class, I was beginning to wonder how many students would show up...because it was snowing like crazy, and because this is the only class this week.
My wonderings were confirmed when I got to the classroom and there were only a few people and only a few more showed up before class time. However, to my surprise, almost everyone showed up by about 12:10!
I began class by collecting the remaining Project 4 letters that still needed to be mailed and/or graded. I'm still missing some. I need to make sure I get them all.
I then collected all of the journals the students had done so far so that I could give the students some feedback on them before they turned the final MGP in the upcoming Wednesday.
The last thing I collected was the 2 pt. genre so that I could get a glimpse of what students were working on and also give them credit for getting them done on time. I had a few really good pieces and some that desperately needed more time and effort. I am, however, excited to see all of the pieces put together.
I also explained to the class that I would be sending out a copy of one of their classmate's journals that was done really well so that they could get an idea of what I was looking for. This student actually emailed me a few days later thanking me for valuing his work and sharing it with the class. I think this sharing of their work is good because it really shows them where they are in the process of their studies and is an informal way of publishing work...
This was a great lead in to the last journal they would do about their genres. I really tried to get them to share with me and whoever else would be reading their project, what their projects really reveal about them at one of the stages of their life.
After this, I passed out blank notecards and had them all define for me (on one side) what they thought revision is and what editing is. I asked them to clarify the difference between the two and tell me if there was a difference. On the other side of the card, I had them tell me what they still want to work on in class, what they learned from the class, things they liked about the class...stuff like that. After they were finished, I shared with them some of the definitions they came up with. I was surprised to see how many of them were in agreement and how they had chosen definitions opposite of what I did, however, after reading what they thought, I think I would tend to agree with them rather than myself.
For our grammar and revision practice today, I had seven students write on the board and the rest in their seats on notebook paper about their MGP projects. I asked them to try to use commas, a semi-colon if they remembered the rule, and a homonym or homophone if they could. After a slight moment of confusion and frustration, they all got started and wrote for me a good little chunck of writing. When they were finished, I read the writing on the board and had the students tell me how they would fix the errors that were present. Most of the errors were with commas & semi-colon usage; there were no issues with homonyms or homophones! This activity seemed to work well. The students, although hesitant to participate, did well with the writing and correcting. I think it modeled to them how easy it is to make mistakes (there was only one student who didn't have any errors) and how easy it is to correct them. I hope to use this activity more.
For a final finale to the chalkboard activity, I shared with the students a few examples from their work of sentence combining, word choice, and tone. Although this seemed to be a little much for the day, because I only used 2 examples and let them rest a little, I think they got the point. It was a good learning moment and, I think, showed them a little more how to revise a work without necessarily worrying about mechanics and grammar...
Before our final activity, I made sure they were all on the right track to having their work done for Monday. We revisited the schedule and made the necessary additions.
We ended class with a peer review of all the pieces they have done so far...this was a great lead in to writing studio as well.
My wonderings were confirmed when I got to the classroom and there were only a few people and only a few more showed up before class time. However, to my surprise, almost everyone showed up by about 12:10!
I began class by collecting the remaining Project 4 letters that still needed to be mailed and/or graded. I'm still missing some. I need to make sure I get them all.
I then collected all of the journals the students had done so far so that I could give the students some feedback on them before they turned the final MGP in the upcoming Wednesday.
The last thing I collected was the 2 pt. genre so that I could get a glimpse of what students were working on and also give them credit for getting them done on time. I had a few really good pieces and some that desperately needed more time and effort. I am, however, excited to see all of the pieces put together.
I also explained to the class that I would be sending out a copy of one of their classmate's journals that was done really well so that they could get an idea of what I was looking for. This student actually emailed me a few days later thanking me for valuing his work and sharing it with the class. I think this sharing of their work is good because it really shows them where they are in the process of their studies and is an informal way of publishing work...
This was a great lead in to the last journal they would do about their genres. I really tried to get them to share with me and whoever else would be reading their project, what their projects really reveal about them at one of the stages of their life.
After this, I passed out blank notecards and had them all define for me (on one side) what they thought revision is and what editing is. I asked them to clarify the difference between the two and tell me if there was a difference. On the other side of the card, I had them tell me what they still want to work on in class, what they learned from the class, things they liked about the class...stuff like that. After they were finished, I shared with them some of the definitions they came up with. I was surprised to see how many of them were in agreement and how they had chosen definitions opposite of what I did, however, after reading what they thought, I think I would tend to agree with them rather than myself.
For our grammar and revision practice today, I had seven students write on the board and the rest in their seats on notebook paper about their MGP projects. I asked them to try to use commas, a semi-colon if they remembered the rule, and a homonym or homophone if they could. After a slight moment of confusion and frustration, they all got started and wrote for me a good little chunck of writing. When they were finished, I read the writing on the board and had the students tell me how they would fix the errors that were present. Most of the errors were with commas & semi-colon usage; there were no issues with homonyms or homophones! This activity seemed to work well. The students, although hesitant to participate, did well with the writing and correcting. I think it modeled to them how easy it is to make mistakes (there was only one student who didn't have any errors) and how easy it is to correct them. I hope to use this activity more.
For a final finale to the chalkboard activity, I shared with the students a few examples from their work of sentence combining, word choice, and tone. Although this seemed to be a little much for the day, because I only used 2 examples and let them rest a little, I think they got the point. It was a good learning moment and, I think, showed them a little more how to revise a work without necessarily worrying about mechanics and grammar...
Before our final activity, I made sure they were all on the right track to having their work done for Monday. We revisited the schedule and made the necessary additions.
We ended class with a peer review of all the pieces they have done so far...this was a great lead in to writing studio as well.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
11/19/08
The students were really chatty today at the beginning of class. I think they were a little worried about the water contamination from the water line break from the day before and a little confused on the regulations. We took a minute to talk about that.
I then had them pull out their revised letters and envelopes so I could glance through them and send them out. A lot of them had forgotten and I reminded them that they needed them for the next class. I'll send out a reminder, too, so they don't forget.
I then collected their second journal about the 3 pt. genre and their draft of their 1 pt. genre. It was good to glance through them and get an idea of where they were going with all of their work. While I was skimming through all of this stuff, I had them write their journal 3. They had to tell me the process they completed to make their one point genre. I asked them to start with the picking of the genre and to end with what they still needed to do before it would be ready for their final cohesive piece.
I then had them share, if they wanted, what they did for their 1 pt. genres. A few shared about the announcements they made or the thank-you letters they wrote. I was really glad they were proud of what they did. I also used this time to answer any questions or concerns they had so far with the project. I had a few students ask about how much revision would be required for certain artistic pieces. I reminded them that each genre needed to have enough length to truly tell their audience about a certain part of their life (past, present, future). This seemed to be a good reminder and challenge for some.
In order to transition into our grammar lesson for the day, I handed back Project 3 to the students who had it finished completely and gave the students who didn't, the materials they needed to finish (a lot of them didn't turn in a reflection because they were absent). I then talked with them about commas and semi-colons because they struggle with them. I handed out the comma explanation first and read through that with them quickly. I had a lot of people who weren't paying attention, and some falling asleep. It was hard to really gauge if they were learning anything at all. I then handed out the semi-colon sheet and explained to them briefly how the semi-colon is used. Again, it was a struggle to keep them focused, but I think most of them understood the gist. I did have one student who didn't get the difference between the use of the two and that gave me a good chance to reiterate for them the differences.
We finished class with a workshop on their 2 pt. genre. I explained to them what their homework would be and who needed to stay for consults. This gave the students who hadn't done their reflection for Project 3 a chance to get it done and hand it in, and also gave everyone else a few minutes to prepare for the work they needed to do over the weekend. I let everyone go a little early and got started with the indy consults.
Today I talked with the students who had consistent and troublesome grammar issues. I made sure that each one was aware of the problem and how to fix it. I tried to encourage them that they had done everything else right, but they just needed to work on their expression. I think most of them appreciated the help and saw the need for improvement. I was really pleased with their reactions and positive attitudes about using these pieces where they had the most struggles for their revision piece for Project 5.
I then had them pull out their revised letters and envelopes so I could glance through them and send them out. A lot of them had forgotten and I reminded them that they needed them for the next class. I'll send out a reminder, too, so they don't forget.
I then collected their second journal about the 3 pt. genre and their draft of their 1 pt. genre. It was good to glance through them and get an idea of where they were going with all of their work. While I was skimming through all of this stuff, I had them write their journal 3. They had to tell me the process they completed to make their one point genre. I asked them to start with the picking of the genre and to end with what they still needed to do before it would be ready for their final cohesive piece.
I then had them share, if they wanted, what they did for their 1 pt. genres. A few shared about the announcements they made or the thank-you letters they wrote. I was really glad they were proud of what they did. I also used this time to answer any questions or concerns they had so far with the project. I had a few students ask about how much revision would be required for certain artistic pieces. I reminded them that each genre needed to have enough length to truly tell their audience about a certain part of their life (past, present, future). This seemed to be a good reminder and challenge for some.
In order to transition into our grammar lesson for the day, I handed back Project 3 to the students who had it finished completely and gave the students who didn't, the materials they needed to finish (a lot of them didn't turn in a reflection because they were absent). I then talked with them about commas and semi-colons because they struggle with them. I handed out the comma explanation first and read through that with them quickly. I had a lot of people who weren't paying attention, and some falling asleep. It was hard to really gauge if they were learning anything at all. I then handed out the semi-colon sheet and explained to them briefly how the semi-colon is used. Again, it was a struggle to keep them focused, but I think most of them understood the gist. I did have one student who didn't get the difference between the use of the two and that gave me a good chance to reiterate for them the differences.
We finished class with a workshop on their 2 pt. genre. I explained to them what their homework would be and who needed to stay for consults. This gave the students who hadn't done their reflection for Project 3 a chance to get it done and hand it in, and also gave everyone else a few minutes to prepare for the work they needed to do over the weekend. I let everyone go a little early and got started with the indy consults.
Today I talked with the students who had consistent and troublesome grammar issues. I made sure that each one was aware of the problem and how to fix it. I tried to encourage them that they had done everything else right, but they just needed to work on their expression. I think most of them appreciated the help and saw the need for improvement. I was really pleased with their reactions and positive attitudes about using these pieces where they had the most struggles for their revision piece for Project 5.
11/17/08
I have been trying to start class about 1 minute late so the straglers don't miss anything...which I have been frustrated with.
I usually begin class collecting what the students had to complete for this day of class so that I can give them credit and get an idea of where they're headed with their work. Today I gave them credit for having the first journal typed and collected the 3 pt. genre so I could get an idea of the length of their work and how they did picking their own genres. Some of the drafts were really impressive (5+ pages for an autobiography of the past) while others were pretty minimal (1 page autobiography with a great intro and barely any extra insight into the boy's life).
I then had them write their second journal for P5 in which I asked them to tell me what they were trying to portray to their audience about themselves, what they did well with that goal, and what still needed work. Skimming through them today, I got the idea that they weren't really thinking much about their work and just gave a very general answer to my questions.
When they were finished writing, I showed them the variety of their work for the 3 pt. and asked them to share with me their repetend ideas. Only one student had actually worked on hers and had them almost ready. She came up and showed the class the pictures she had chosen and explained her theme of using pictures of rooms from her lifetime (baby room, dorm room, future home). I had others just tell me their basic idea. I stressed to them that it was important for them to come up with the ideas now and work on gathering the stuff they needed over the next 2 weeks.
The rest of class after this was spent working on the 1 pt. genre with a little Spanish music in the background. During this time I corrected students' work and answered questions. Many of the students stayed on task and some even finished what they were doing and only had to go home and polish it up.
At the very end of class, I reminded students to look at their schedules and to add in that they needed to revise Project 4 (letters) for class on Wednesday so that we could send them out with some confidence.
I left after this so that they could work with their studio consultants on their 3 pts. and journals.
I usually begin class collecting what the students had to complete for this day of class so that I can give them credit and get an idea of where they're headed with their work. Today I gave them credit for having the first journal typed and collected the 3 pt. genre so I could get an idea of the length of their work and how they did picking their own genres. Some of the drafts were really impressive (5+ pages for an autobiography of the past) while others were pretty minimal (1 page autobiography with a great intro and barely any extra insight into the boy's life).
I then had them write their second journal for P5 in which I asked them to tell me what they were trying to portray to their audience about themselves, what they did well with that goal, and what still needed work. Skimming through them today, I got the idea that they weren't really thinking much about their work and just gave a very general answer to my questions.
When they were finished writing, I showed them the variety of their work for the 3 pt. and asked them to share with me their repetend ideas. Only one student had actually worked on hers and had them almost ready. She came up and showed the class the pictures she had chosen and explained her theme of using pictures of rooms from her lifetime (baby room, dorm room, future home). I had others just tell me their basic idea. I stressed to them that it was important for them to come up with the ideas now and work on gathering the stuff they needed over the next 2 weeks.
The rest of class after this was spent working on the 1 pt. genre with a little Spanish music in the background. During this time I corrected students' work and answered questions. Many of the students stayed on task and some even finished what they were doing and only had to go home and polish it up.
At the very end of class, I reminded students to look at their schedules and to add in that they needed to revise Project 4 (letters) for class on Wednesday so that we could send them out with some confidence.
I left after this so that they could work with their studio consultants on their 3 pts. and journals.
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