In Algebra 2, we are working on logarithms right now. I am pretty much sticking with what I did last year - I was pleased with the results and the students have continued to respond well. Mathy McMatherson's post on sharing assessments caught my attention as I was catching up on GReader posts. Since I am getting ready to assess properties of logarithms, I thought I'd share a question I am considering.
As I was teaching today and we were discussing the change of base formula, I was thinking about how it tied in with the properties of logarithms we did the day before. Traditionally, some of the problems give the student the value of a logarithm they don't know (like log_2_3) and ask the student to approximate, say, log_2_12. So here's my thought:
Question Version 1
a) Write log_5_200 as a sum or difference of logarithms.
b) If you are given that log_5_8 = 1.2920, use the expression you wrote in part a to find the value of log_5_200.
c) Find the value of log_5_200 to the nearest ten-thousandth.
Question Version 2
Use the properties of logarithms and that log_5_8 = 1.2920 to find the value of log_5_200. Then use the change of base formula to find log_5_200.
I like the multiple representations idea here. I like the second version but I am afraid that there is not enough structure for my students to grasp what I am going for. The first version is very structured and gets at what I want them to demonstrate.
As I am preparing for review, I am also pondering how to review this with them. I can put the exact question on the review (changing numbers) but on the other hand, I can also give them problems of each type on the review and not give them the exact wording of this on their assessment. Usually I give them review sheets that have pretty much the exact type of problems on the assessment but the numbers are changed. I am nervous that if I don't give them the exact type of problem to practice that they won't do well with it and fuss if they don't get what to do. Still debating what I am going to do here, but I need to decide shortly since I begin review tomorrow.
Comments are certainly welcome. Thanks!
Showing posts with label assessments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label assessments. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Second Thoughts on Assessment
First off, I do want to apologize for the lack of posts. I have to be honest, I am still very overwhelmed, although I am now at least planning 2 to 3 days ahead rather than just for tomorrow. I still don't feel like I am in my groove yet.
In Algebra 2, I am getting ready to give my second assessment. Like last year, I am assessing each learning target twice. However, I am counting the first assessment and if the student has earned their 5 on the first time, they do not have to do the second assessment. I have been having second thoughts about this after I gave their first assessment two weeks ago. I know why I had decided to do this. I wanted students to give a better first effort on the assessment and when I didn't give a score on the first time, students tended to skip the problems. Also, this gives students their first chance at a reassessment. But, there are a couple of things causing me to have second thoughts.
First off, after the first assessment, I had several students already asking for a reassessment. I put them off, telling them they would have another chance at it in a couple of weeks. At that point, and now, still, I am thinking that I should have let them reassess right away if they were ready. Now that it's been about two weeks, I'm not sure they will do as well. Secondly, some students are now facing 6 skills to assess on this time around. I am starting to think that I may have set them up to not do as well because of that. Thirdly, we had professional development today and one of the speakers talked about Standards Based Grading. Well, she didn't call it SBG, but it's SBG. She was talking about using exit cards to assess where students where on a particular skill. Normally, you would use this for formative assessment, however, if all students showed they understood the skill, she suggested that you could go ahead and record that as mastery of the skills. The teacher would only do this if all students showed mastery. That got me thinking about giving assessments that only worked with a few skills. I asked her about how a teacher would justify assessing in this manner when at the college level, almost every class gives assessments at a much larger interval. Her response was to inform students that your concern was that they showed they learned and understood the material and that if they have done that successfully at high school, they would be able to adjust once they reached college.
Now, I don't think I am willing to assess formally that often, however, it is really getting me thinking about putting 6 learning targets on an assessment. I am seriously considering after this assessment to go ahead and go back to assessing 3-4 skills at a time and just assessing once. Thoughts from the peanut gallery? Leave them in the comments. Thanks.
In Algebra 2, I am getting ready to give my second assessment. Like last year, I am assessing each learning target twice. However, I am counting the first assessment and if the student has earned their 5 on the first time, they do not have to do the second assessment. I have been having second thoughts about this after I gave their first assessment two weeks ago. I know why I had decided to do this. I wanted students to give a better first effort on the assessment and when I didn't give a score on the first time, students tended to skip the problems. Also, this gives students their first chance at a reassessment. But, there are a couple of things causing me to have second thoughts.
First off, after the first assessment, I had several students already asking for a reassessment. I put them off, telling them they would have another chance at it in a couple of weeks. At that point, and now, still, I am thinking that I should have let them reassess right away if they were ready. Now that it's been about two weeks, I'm not sure they will do as well. Secondly, some students are now facing 6 skills to assess on this time around. I am starting to think that I may have set them up to not do as well because of that. Thirdly, we had professional development today and one of the speakers talked about Standards Based Grading. Well, she didn't call it SBG, but it's SBG. She was talking about using exit cards to assess where students where on a particular skill. Normally, you would use this for formative assessment, however, if all students showed they understood the skill, she suggested that you could go ahead and record that as mastery of the skills. The teacher would only do this if all students showed mastery. That got me thinking about giving assessments that only worked with a few skills. I asked her about how a teacher would justify assessing in this manner when at the college level, almost every class gives assessments at a much larger interval. Her response was to inform students that your concern was that they showed they learned and understood the material and that if they have done that successfully at high school, they would be able to adjust once they reached college.
Now, I don't think I am willing to assess formally that often, however, it is really getting me thinking about putting 6 learning targets on an assessment. I am seriously considering after this assessment to go ahead and go back to assessing 3-4 skills at a time and just assessing once. Thoughts from the peanut gallery? Leave them in the comments. Thanks.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Assessment Questions
Something else I am going to be revisiting is how I'm doing assessments. For the first 19 years of my teaching career, I did unit tests, sometimes with quizzes in between. This year, I teach 2-3 Learning Targets and then quiz - the most recent Learning Targets for feedback, the preceding 2-3 Learning Targets for a grade. Right before Christmas Break, I revised the feedback problems to "feedback or 5" - if students could show me they knew it, they could earn their 5 and were exempt from the problems on the next quiz, otherwise, they got feedback.
I have to be honest, I'm not happy with this system. I feel like I've lost instruction time. I spend more time than I'd like between reviewing and assessing. About a third of my students don't try anything on the feedback problems. However, when I surveyed my students, they liked having less concepts on a test. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next year, but I'm pretty certain that it's not going to be the way I did this year.
Lately, I've also been thinking about how assessment needs to be in class. I have always been a "given them a test to see what they know" person. With the revisions in testing coming from the Common Core, I have started to wonder about giving my students a task instead of a test for assessment. For example, when we did transformations in December, I had my Advanced Algebra 2 students do a matching activity in pairs. Could I count that as their assessment? Granted, I would need to modify it a little so they would explain why they matched the way they did, but could that count? If I'm going to use that as their assessment, do I allow them to use their notes? Can they talk to other groups? Should they even be allowed to do it in pairs? Normally when I give a test, students are not allowed to use their notes, books, or talk to other students. Does that change now?
I'm curious what you all think - please, if you will, address my questions in the comments. Thanks.
I have to be honest, I'm not happy with this system. I feel like I've lost instruction time. I spend more time than I'd like between reviewing and assessing. About a third of my students don't try anything on the feedback problems. However, when I surveyed my students, they liked having less concepts on a test. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next year, but I'm pretty certain that it's not going to be the way I did this year.
Lately, I've also been thinking about how assessment needs to be in class. I have always been a "given them a test to see what they know" person. With the revisions in testing coming from the Common Core, I have started to wonder about giving my students a task instead of a test for assessment. For example, when we did transformations in December, I had my Advanced Algebra 2 students do a matching activity in pairs. Could I count that as their assessment? Granted, I would need to modify it a little so they would explain why they matched the way they did, but could that count? If I'm going to use that as their assessment, do I allow them to use their notes? Can they talk to other groups? Should they even be allowed to do it in pairs? Normally when I give a test, students are not allowed to use their notes, books, or talk to other students. Does that change now?
I'm curious what you all think - please, if you will, address my questions in the comments. Thanks.
Saturday, February 04, 2012
No Answers, Just Questions
I gave my Algebra 2 students a quiz this week on multiplying polynomials and factoring. I didn't put any feedback problems on it this time. We have been working on factoring for the last week to week and a half and it was time to see how well they knew it. We are getting ready to move to solving quadratic equations and I plan on giving students another opportunity to assess on factoring on the next quiz, but it was just plain time to give that assessment. Two weeks ago, I had given the assessment with feedback (details here) if you want the back story.
I do have to say that the students did much better on multiplying polynomials than the first time around. I would have liked to see a few more 4s and 5s - but for the most part, students were where I had expected and hoped they would be. Factoring, well, I'm still not so sure how I feel about their results. The results were not as horrendous as I feared they might be. However, I had hoped for more 4s and 5s and the reality is that I have more 2s and 3s than I would like. I am a little baffled.
I felt I had prepared them fairly well. We did notes on Friday and Monday on ax^2 + bx + c using what I call the x + box method. I had given them a note sheet with not only the examples, but what I felt was a pretty good explanation as to how I work through it. Students practiced in class with worksheets on Monday and Tuesday and we did a review game using my SMART Board game I came up with (details here in the last 2 paragraphs). Students seemed to feel that they had a good grasp on it when they left class Wednesday. Then Thursday was the quiz and I'm not sure what happened from Wednesday to Thursday. I watched students do the process on their own Wednesday with confidence (several students in particular who have been struggling with my class) and saw on their quizzes Thursday that they forgot part or all of the process. I have no idea what happened. How can they know it well in class the day before and then forget it the next day?
I think some of it goes back to not practicing the material enough. I have blogged about this on and off over the last month (In order: here, a little here, and here). Students I have today are not like what students in my generation were. Plus, their outside of school situations are very different than what students in the community I live in are. Many of my students do not do much practice outside of class - especially the ones who need it. Do I need to totally restructure my class so that they have practice time embedded in it? Do I shift to something like Mathy McMatherson discusses in his recent blog post - giving only exit tickets and occasional outside of class practice? I can relate to several of the issues he discusses in his post - he is wise beyond his (teaching) years. If you don't already read his blog, add it to your reader. Well worth your time. While I am mentioning some other recent blog posts I've read - Bowman's post on retention of high school mathematics has me thinking also. How can I expect my students to retain this year's stuff if they can't even retain this week's stuff? Bowman teaches Calculus in Jordan and also blogs good stuff. Another newer blogger worth adding to your reader. I'm also trying a little of what Glenn talks about here with guided notes for his students. More on what I did in a later post - but I thought it was worth trying.
As long as I am adding other blog posts that have me thinking on this issue, I need to add David Coffey's recent post on our expectations of students. I think this is the largest overlying issue to me right now. If I keep setting up parts of the learning process for them (giving them guided note sheets, embedding practice in class and not putting the onus on my students to do outside work), how successful are they going to be once they leave my class? What will happen to them next year when their teacher will do very little of those things? How do I help my students to be successful?
I do have to say that the students did much better on multiplying polynomials than the first time around. I would have liked to see a few more 4s and 5s - but for the most part, students were where I had expected and hoped they would be. Factoring, well, I'm still not so sure how I feel about their results. The results were not as horrendous as I feared they might be. However, I had hoped for more 4s and 5s and the reality is that I have more 2s and 3s than I would like. I am a little baffled.
I felt I had prepared them fairly well. We did notes on Friday and Monday on ax^2 + bx + c using what I call the x + box method. I had given them a note sheet with not only the examples, but what I felt was a pretty good explanation as to how I work through it. Students practiced in class with worksheets on Monday and Tuesday and we did a review game using my SMART Board game I came up with (details here in the last 2 paragraphs). Students seemed to feel that they had a good grasp on it when they left class Wednesday. Then Thursday was the quiz and I'm not sure what happened from Wednesday to Thursday. I watched students do the process on their own Wednesday with confidence (several students in particular who have been struggling with my class) and saw on their quizzes Thursday that they forgot part or all of the process. I have no idea what happened. How can they know it well in class the day before and then forget it the next day?
I think some of it goes back to not practicing the material enough. I have blogged about this on and off over the last month (In order: here, a little here, and here). Students I have today are not like what students in my generation were. Plus, their outside of school situations are very different than what students in the community I live in are. Many of my students do not do much practice outside of class - especially the ones who need it. Do I need to totally restructure my class so that they have practice time embedded in it? Do I shift to something like Mathy McMatherson discusses in his recent blog post - giving only exit tickets and occasional outside of class practice? I can relate to several of the issues he discusses in his post - he is wise beyond his (teaching) years. If you don't already read his blog, add it to your reader. Well worth your time. While I am mentioning some other recent blog posts I've read - Bowman's post on retention of high school mathematics has me thinking also. How can I expect my students to retain this year's stuff if they can't even retain this week's stuff? Bowman teaches Calculus in Jordan and also blogs good stuff. Another newer blogger worth adding to your reader. I'm also trying a little of what Glenn talks about here with guided notes for his students. More on what I did in a later post - but I thought it was worth trying.
As long as I am adding other blog posts that have me thinking on this issue, I need to add David Coffey's recent post on our expectations of students. I think this is the largest overlying issue to me right now. If I keep setting up parts of the learning process for them (giving them guided note sheets, embedding practice in class and not putting the onus on my students to do outside work), how successful are they going to be once they leave my class? What will happen to them next year when their teacher will do very little of those things? How do I help my students to be successful?
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Now What?
Yesterday I gave a quiz on properties of exponents and adding and subtracting polynomials (the graded learning targets on this quiz) as well as multiplying polynomials and factoring (GCF and x^2 + bx + c) for feedback. Although I am not done grading yet, let's just say the results I have seen from the graded learning targets so far is less than spectacular. I have done the graded portion for 2 of my 3 classes and I think (without actually calculating them) the average on my 5 point scale was around 2.5. They still don't have it. After teaching it before Christmas Break, quizzing for feedback before Christmas Break, doing 2 additional days of activities after Christmas Break, and giving them review problems before the quiz, they still don't have it.
I just don't get it. Adding and subtracting polynomials is basically adding like terms. How can they get to this point in Algebra 2 and not be able to combine like terms correctly? I have several students who tell me that 3x^2 + 6x^2 is 9x^4. I still have students, in spite of having calculators available, who cannot add or subtract integers properly. I have students who will take an expression in parentheses such as (6x^2 + 10x - 3) and try to combine it into one term such as 13x^3.
I understand there can be confusion keeping straight what to do with the properties of exponents. I'm multiplying (4x^3y)(2x^2y^4) and you want me to add exponents but multiply the numbers? When I divide you want me to subtract the exponents? When I raise something to a power I'm supposed to multiply exponents? It can be a little confusing. But when I explained it one on one to some students the day before and gave them as many hints as I could to help them keep it straight - remember, you are not doing the same operation to the exponents as you do to the numbers; notice that the operation you are doing is one step lower on the order of operations list - they still don't remember it the next day.
And those are just the graded learning targets. On the feedback learning targets, multiplying wasn't horrendous, but there are still some errors that I'm not happy about seeing them. On the factoring problems, most students didn't even attempt them and of those who did, about half (that I've seen) didn't have much of a clue. It's like what we've done for the previous 2 days totally was a waste of time.
This week is the end of the grading period. I can pretty much tell what's going to happen. The students who care about their grades will want to re-assess the learning targets to bring up their grades. From the surveys I gave them after their test (same one as the Advanced Algebra 2 students with many surprisingly similar results as far as the comments went - but that's another post), I can see that they do care - about their grades. That, of course, means between Wednesday and Thursday there will be a bunch of students who want to come in to re-assess so they can get ___ grade. The problem is, they don't have the skill. Some of them do, but for the most part, my students don't have it. The students who really don't have it most likely won't re-assess. They will continue to not get it. Since math builds its knowledge on previously known things, as the year continues, those students will continue to struggle and this issue will compound.
So, I am sitting here on Saturday morning pondering the same question I was yesterday as I drove home from school - now what? I know that if the students don't have the skills I tested them on Friday, there are going to be places they struggle the rest of the year. If they don't understand the properties of exponents and adding and subtracting polynomials, trying to do multiplication of polynomials is difficult. If they don't understand how multiplication of polynomials works, how are they going to factor them? And let's not even get into the implications for later topics (solving quadratics by factoring, other polynomial skills, exponentials, etc.). I thought by doing the stations activities that it would help their understanding but obviously if it did, it didn't stick in their brains.
I have a four day week when we return. Do I go back over these skills and provide the opportunity to re-assess in class for the whole class? How do I go back over these skills? I have already taught, provided in-class activities, put together 2 screencasts (exponent rules and +/- polynomials) for them to be able to view outside of class, plus helped them in class as they asked for it. I'm kind of at my wits end - I'm frustrated that they aren't doing preparation they should be. I'm sure part of it is my fault - I don't check their homework and I don't go around and mark whether they've done it. I had good intentions at the beginning of the year, but it takes time to do that at the beginning of the period and in spite of my best intentions, many students spend the time talking instead of working through the warm ups like they should. I suppose I ought to collect those too.
Add on top of that a fairly busy week this week outside of school. It's not like I have hours and hours of time to prepare a whole lot of things for them. Probably one of the more frustrating things right now is that I spent 6-7 hours putting together those stations activities I blogged about earlier and now that they've had the assessment on it, I feel like it was somewhat wasted time. They still don't have the skill. I'm not really feeling like putting in a ton of effort on something they a) aren't going to "care" about and b) won't really put forth the effort they should to do. But I know as a veteran teacher that I will always put in way more effort than they will. I also know that it doesn't change that I need to do something.
So, I guess I'm doing two things here. First, I'm venting. I'm frustrated and I need to vent (not that any of you have ever been there before....). Second, I'm looking for suggestions. What would you do? Would you give re-assessments in class this week? What would you do to make sure students understood these two concepts? I probably only have 1 or 2 days tops to review with them (again) before the end of the grading period if I'm going to do anything as far as re-assessments. I'm just stumped at the moment. Please comment and help. Thanks in advance!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Assessment Survey
In response to my blog post yesterday about why I think students aren't attempting feedback questions, misscalul8 asked, "Have you tried asking the students why they don't try the feedback problems or ask them how they study?" To be honest, I've never been a fan of asking my students survey questions, especially not ones that may give them the chance to criticize me. I suppose that goes back to the little gnawing fear that they'll all say I suck as a teacher as well as that I'm afraid that they won't take it seriously. However, during my half hour drive into work, I thought to myself that maybe it would be a good idea to ask them. I suppose that I am getting more comfortable in my own skin as a person and as a teacher.
I only surveyed my Advanced Algebra 2 students (17 students there today) - I figured they would take it the most seriously and thought that it would give me a good idea whether it's worth asking my regular Algebra 2 students the same questions. I have included all responses but I obviously didn't edit their grammar. So, without further ado, here is the survey and their responses, followed by my comments in blue:
Please answer the following questions honestly. Your answers will help me assist you in your learning of mathematics and will not affect your grade in any manner.
1) How do you normally prepare for a test or quiz in math?
2) When you are given a review sheet for an upcoming test or quiz, do you work through the problems?
I only surveyed my Advanced Algebra 2 students (17 students there today) - I figured they would take it the most seriously and thought that it would give me a good idea whether it's worth asking my regular Algebra 2 students the same questions. I have included all responses but I obviously didn't edit their grammar. So, without further ado, here is the survey and their responses, followed by my comments in blue:
Please answer the following questions honestly. Your answers will help me assist you in your learning of mathematics and will not affect your grade in any manner.
1) How do you normally prepare for a test or quiz in math?
- I try to learn what it is we're being tested on, since I usually don't understand when we learn it in class.
- I look over questions that I'm not sure about, until I understand them.
- Student doesn't do anything (2 students)
- I just pay attention in class and write things down.
- Good amounts of sleep.
- Do practice questions.
- The review sheet. (3 students)
- Study like crazy when it comes closer to the time of the test.
- I do the review sheet and sometimes take notes.
- Go over what the test is on.
- Listen in class.
- Practice.
- Do math problems / review sheet.
- All of the homework. extra problems worked through, and the review sheet.
2) When you are given a review sheet for an upcoming test or quiz, do you work through the problems?
none 1
less than half 4
about half 3
more than half but not all 7
all 2
I am glad to see that more than half do at least half of the review sheet. At least it's not a waste of my time. I would like to see more in the "more than half but not all" and "all" categories though.
3) What do you think would help you better prepare for tests or quizzes in math? Why?
- (main point) More explanation of how to do the things, because in class we go too fast and I get confused.
- Pay more attention to what I'm confused about.
- Sleeping more. I would be more alert in class.
- If I could remember how to do the feedback problems I would be better prepared because I don't ever remember how to do the feedback whether I look over them again or not.
- Review games
- Review every question I do not know.
- Nothing really.
- If I did my homework it would help.
- Do one problem from each section on the test, like the problems on the test, not exact ones, the day before the test. (**I think she meant for the class or me to do these problems.)
- Practice the problems over and over.
- Nothing. I catch on or I don't, how I work doesn't matter.
- More review sheets or fun worksheets. Do homework problems on the board.
- Do more work.
- To do more problems to practice.
- More study guides.
- Coming up with a fun idea to help us understand better and pay attention more.
- Student didn't answer.
I was pleased to see that most of the responses pointed out things that the particular student should be doing. I was a little nervous to see these responses as the question could be taken as what more I could do to help them prepare. I have the feeling that when I have my Algebra 2 students do this, there will be more suggestions as to what I can do instead of things they could do.
This year, I have tried something different with testing. Instead of giving a "unit test," I have given quizzes with some problems that are for a grade and some where you get feedback only.
4) Do you like this method better than unit tests? Why or why not?
- Yes and no because we are moving too fast and I sometimes forget the stuff we are being graded on and yes because if I do understand then I can possibly get an exempt on it the next test.
- I really like this method, it makes me feel more comfortable knowing that if I don't understand the feedback questions then I will get help.
- Yes, so we know how we're doing.
- I like the fact you give us quizzes with the graded problems but I don't like that you put feedback on there because I feel I need more practice.
- Yes. You get breaks in between quizzes instead of one big test.
- Yes because that is less you have to study for.
- I'd rather have a unit test because if we learn too much at once then I get confused.
- Yes, because I see problems like that more than once. It helps me understand what I did wrong on the test.
- Yes I like this better, especially when you exempt it from the next. It gives me a heads-up.
- Yes, but I HATE how we learn 6 learning targets, then take a quiz on the first three. I forget some stuff learning new things between.
- I don't really care either way.
- For sure!
- Yes, I do. It doesn't make it as big of a test.
- Yes, I like having only some problems graded.
- Yes, because only the first few problems are graded.
- Yes, because it helps you prepare for the next quiz.
- Yes, I like this method because it's easier to see what I do wrong.
On the other hand, I'm not real thrilled about continuing to have to make up reviews and quizzes for every 5-7 class days.
5) Do you attempt the feedback problems? Why or why not?
- Sometimes, if I actually understand it.
- Yes, because I usually get 5's.
- Yes I do because if I get them right I don't have to do them on that test.
- Yes because I want the feedback
- Yes most of the time because I want to see if I know it.
- Sometimes I do but sometimes I forget about it.
- Most of the time. I only don't if I don't understand it.
- If I know them.
- Yeah because you tell us to, and it gives me a good understanding of where I am.
- Yes, because it's on the test.
- Sometimes I don't.
- Yes, sometimes, when I know how.
- Yes, to at least attempt them.
- Yeah, because you tell us to.
- Yes, that way I know what parts of the problem I have to work on for the next test.
- Yes, so I can see how I need to study for the next week.
6) Have you come in and re-assessed a learning target?
yes 13
no 4
No surprises here. Most of these students want to do well.
7) If you answered yes to question 6, why did you decide to re-assess?
- Because I failed it on the normal test, and needed time to learn it so I can get a better grade.
- I re-assessed because I understood what I missed, and I wanted to correct it.
- Because I like getting 100%s
- I decided to re-assess to try and get extra points and keep my grade up.
- It wasn't a four or above.
- Usually the stuff I missed was stuff I knew how to do.
- I decided to because I knew I know the problems and I knew I could get the answer right a second time.
- To get my grade better.
- I didn't get a five when I knew I could have.
- I did bad.
- I didn't do good.
- To get a better grade.
- I learned what I did wrong and wanted to fix it.
If you answered no, why did you decide not to re-assess?
- 2 students didn't answer.
- I stick with my original grade.
- I haven't yet because I have a 100%, but will re-assess because I screwed up one of the learning targets.
I think I'm going to give the same survey to my Algebra 2 students. They have a quiz tomorrow and at this point I'm thinking I'm going to give it to them after they are finished. I am expecting some different responses and even some different tones in their responses. Should be interesting...
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
An answer to my quizzing dilemma?
Another round of quizzes, another blog post on how my students aren't doing so well with my current system. But this time, I think I'm getting closer to a why.
On the last day before Christmas Break, Cathy Hamilton spoke to us. A good part of what she talked with us about was the poverty mentality. The district I teach in has 52% of our students on free or reduced lunch. That number could potentially be higher since there may be families who don't apply for free or reduced lunch (pride issues). The part that resonated the most with me was about how people who are in poverty are in "survival" mode. They are thinking about the present and getting through today. Future is not very prevalent in their thoughts. People in the middle class are future-focused. They talk to their children about what they're going to be when they grow up, going to college, and other "future" things. People in poverty don't do that. They are focused on getting through today. Another difference is how people in poverty look at their situation versus those in the middle class. People in poverty feel that it's just their luck things are the way they are or it's just the way it is. If their child is bad in math, "that's just how our family is." Unlike people in the middle class, they feel they don't have a choice. People in the middle class talk about choices. If a child from a middle class family did something wrong, they made a "bad choice." Middle class people offer their children choices to make all of the time. They do their best to help their children make the best choices.
So, getting back to my quizzing issue. To recap - this year I have been giving quizzes every 3 concepts or so. The most recent 3 learning targets I give them feedback only. The 3 learning targets that I have already given feedback on (the earlier ones) are graded. Most of this year, students in my Algebra 2 classes have been concentrating on the graded learning targets and making less and less of an attempt on the feedback ones. I did try right before break allowing students to earn their 5 (they mastered it!) on the (normally) feedback problems to see if they would put forth more effort on the feedback problems. In my Advanced Algebra 2 class, my students put forth better effort on the feedback problems and not quite half earned the 5 on at least one of the three learning targets. They had another quiz yesterday with the same deal and only 1 student earned a 5. In my Algebra 2 classes, I had a handful of students earn 5s on their quizzes before break. They have their quiz on Friday.
Also lurking in all of this is my Math I classes. They seem to do better with the 3-3 system. It's actually really surprised me. Usually, since they are the lowest ability students, they tend to give up much easier. They almost always do all of the problems - they take it very seriously. I don't think I'll change it to unit tests for them. In fact, I did that this time (we had a 4 learning target unit) and they didn't do as well. With this next unit, back to teach 3, quiz 3, teach 3 more, quiz 6 (3 graded, 3 feedback), repeat.
So... do I have an answer? Well, the more I think about this, the more I think it goes back to this poverty/survival mentality of focusing on the present rather than the future. My students are in a survival mode in their lives and that translates over to school. Teenagers as it is don't focus on future things much anyway and I think that my students even more so are concentrating so much on the present and surviving that they don't look toward what they could do to get ahead. As far as their quizzes go, they focus on the graded material because that is the "present" in my class - it's what needs to be dealt with now. Surviving in my class means doing the best they can on those graded learning targets. In many cases, I am thinking that they don't even attempt the feedback problems because they aren't focusing on them in their preparation for their quiz since it's not factoring into their grade now. They are probably thinking that they'll learn it when they need to for the grade. I am also now wondering that if the drop off in re-assessments I'm seeing has to do with the same thing. If their grade is "acceptable," why bother trying to improve it? If it's not "acceptable," now the student has to do re-assessments to get the grade up just enough to be "acceptable" again.
Answering the question creates other questions. How do you get students who are so focused on doing what needs to be done today to shift their focus? If my students are focused on the present, is doing the 3-3 method I mentioned earlier really the best thing? They're not doing much on the feedback problems. I almost feel like it's a waste of time. I don't like doing quizzes every five to seven class days (it eats up class time, it's a pain to prepare assessments that often, not to mention it feels like I am constantly writing quizzes and grading them). Am I better off going back to the way I was doing it before ("unit" tests with some feedback quizzes)? Is there a better way? Anyone out there in a similar socio-economic situation and doing SBG? I'd love to hear your thoughts and how you do assessment. Even if your socio-economic situation is not like mine, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what to do about my assessment dilemma. What I do know is that what I'm doing is not the best way. Now I have to figure out what that "best" way is.
On the last day before Christmas Break, Cathy Hamilton spoke to us. A good part of what she talked with us about was the poverty mentality. The district I teach in has 52% of our students on free or reduced lunch. That number could potentially be higher since there may be families who don't apply for free or reduced lunch (pride issues). The part that resonated the most with me was about how people who are in poverty are in "survival" mode. They are thinking about the present and getting through today. Future is not very prevalent in their thoughts. People in the middle class are future-focused. They talk to their children about what they're going to be when they grow up, going to college, and other "future" things. People in poverty don't do that. They are focused on getting through today. Another difference is how people in poverty look at their situation versus those in the middle class. People in poverty feel that it's just their luck things are the way they are or it's just the way it is. If their child is bad in math, "that's just how our family is." Unlike people in the middle class, they feel they don't have a choice. People in the middle class talk about choices. If a child from a middle class family did something wrong, they made a "bad choice." Middle class people offer their children choices to make all of the time. They do their best to help their children make the best choices.
So, getting back to my quizzing issue. To recap - this year I have been giving quizzes every 3 concepts or so. The most recent 3 learning targets I give them feedback only. The 3 learning targets that I have already given feedback on (the earlier ones) are graded. Most of this year, students in my Algebra 2 classes have been concentrating on the graded learning targets and making less and less of an attempt on the feedback ones. I did try right before break allowing students to earn their 5 (they mastered it!) on the (normally) feedback problems to see if they would put forth more effort on the feedback problems. In my Advanced Algebra 2 class, my students put forth better effort on the feedback problems and not quite half earned the 5 on at least one of the three learning targets. They had another quiz yesterday with the same deal and only 1 student earned a 5. In my Algebra 2 classes, I had a handful of students earn 5s on their quizzes before break. They have their quiz on Friday.
Also lurking in all of this is my Math I classes. They seem to do better with the 3-3 system. It's actually really surprised me. Usually, since they are the lowest ability students, they tend to give up much easier. They almost always do all of the problems - they take it very seriously. I don't think I'll change it to unit tests for them. In fact, I did that this time (we had a 4 learning target unit) and they didn't do as well. With this next unit, back to teach 3, quiz 3, teach 3 more, quiz 6 (3 graded, 3 feedback), repeat.
So... do I have an answer? Well, the more I think about this, the more I think it goes back to this poverty/survival mentality of focusing on the present rather than the future. My students are in a survival mode in their lives and that translates over to school. Teenagers as it is don't focus on future things much anyway and I think that my students even more so are concentrating so much on the present and surviving that they don't look toward what they could do to get ahead. As far as their quizzes go, they focus on the graded material because that is the "present" in my class - it's what needs to be dealt with now. Surviving in my class means doing the best they can on those graded learning targets. In many cases, I am thinking that they don't even attempt the feedback problems because they aren't focusing on them in their preparation for their quiz since it's not factoring into their grade now. They are probably thinking that they'll learn it when they need to for the grade. I am also now wondering that if the drop off in re-assessments I'm seeing has to do with the same thing. If their grade is "acceptable," why bother trying to improve it? If it's not "acceptable," now the student has to do re-assessments to get the grade up just enough to be "acceptable" again.
Answering the question creates other questions. How do you get students who are so focused on doing what needs to be done today to shift their focus? If my students are focused on the present, is doing the 3-3 method I mentioned earlier really the best thing? They're not doing much on the feedback problems. I almost feel like it's a waste of time. I don't like doing quizzes every five to seven class days (it eats up class time, it's a pain to prepare assessments that often, not to mention it feels like I am constantly writing quizzes and grading them). Am I better off going back to the way I was doing it before ("unit" tests with some feedback quizzes)? Is there a better way? Anyone out there in a similar socio-economic situation and doing SBG? I'd love to hear your thoughts and how you do assessment. Even if your socio-economic situation is not like mine, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what to do about my assessment dilemma. What I do know is that what I'm doing is not the best way. Now I have to figure out what that "best" way is.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Time to change?
Yes, it was another quiz day in Algebra 2 today. Yesterday, I had them work on review problems over all the learning targets (not just the ones being tested). Still had quite a few students not make much of an attempt on the feedback only problems. If you haven't been following the saga - here is my last post and it has the previous ones linked to it in the second paragraph.
So, as I was grading today, this was the thought I had:
(For those of you seeing this for the first time, I teach, quiz 5-6 learning targets - 3 that were previously quizzed and students only got feedback, 3 that have not been previously quizzed and were the most recently taught and give feedback only.)
Starting with the next quiz (which for my classes will be the last one before Christmas Break), I will still grade the older 2-3 learning targets. On the "newer" learning targets, if a student shows they totally understand it and would earn a 5/5 on it, I will record that 5. On the next quiz, when everyone else is doing those learning targets for the grade book, those students who earned the 5 on the previous quiz will not have to do those problems. I will still write feedback for those students who didn't earn 5/5 so they know what they need to work on, but I won't record a score.
My hope is that students will take all the learning targets seriously, not just the graded ones. I have a growing group of students who are not even attempting the feedback problems.
Thoughts??? Please comment below on what you think. I hate to change mid-stream, but I'm not sure what else to do here. Thanks!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
My (underwhelming?) 100th Post
Since I posted last and saw on Blogger that it was my 99th post, I wondered what my 100th post should be. After all, 100 seems like a rather momentous number. There is a part of me that is somewhat in awe that I am writing my 100th post after starting this blog in June 2010. I don't really consider myself a writer and I really don't blog for anyone or any purpose other than reflection on what I've encountered as a math teacher. Most of the time, taking the time to blog about something helps me sort it out in my head and if that doesn't happen, one of my readers offers a comment that is helpful to me (or in many cases affirms whatever it is that I'm going through is not something I alone am facing). But as I sit here on the last day of November, I still have a nagging issue in my head.
I've blogged about this before (first here, then here, and most recently here). It's the whole quizzing/reviewing thing. You guessed it, today was another quiz day in my Algebra 2 classes and tomorrow is quiz day in Advanced Algebra 2. I'm not through grading the Algebra 2 quizzes. The one class I have graded actually wasn't too bad. However, today I am frustrated with time. You see, I ended up spending most of the class period with my Advanced Algebra 2 students going over questions from the review I gave them (with answers, I should add!) instead of answering a few questions and starting into the next learning target as I had planned. Yesterday I had spent significant class time going over review problems with my Algebra 2 students, but I had pretty much anticipated having several questions from them given how things are going, plus quite a few were out on Monday since it was the start of deer hunting season with guns. I expected that my Advanced Algebra 2 students would remember things better and have a better grasp on it and I was disappointed with that today.
Now, granted, I think part of the reason going over the review took a little longer was the way I did it. Instead of my explaining the problem, I pretty much just wrote what students told me was the next step. After each step, I prompted them with "what's next" or something along those lines. I actually liked this - students had to articulate what to do which helps them to review it and there was some good discourse going on while we were working the problems. One student would ask how another student got something and the students answered it instead of me. I think that helped. I think I'll do that again and bring that more into my teaching and other classes. I liked that the students who knew or mostly knew what they were doing were engaged and reinforcing what they knew as students who had questions were getting them answered.
What I am really disliking this point is that I am spending so much time reviewing. I teach 3 concepts and as we are coming up on the next quiz (which has up to 6 concepts - 3 that were previously assessed, they got some written feedback, and now are being given a score for, and 3 that are the most recently taught concepts where they only receive feedback), I give them a review sheet with answers on the 2-3 concepts that are going to be graded. Students like having the review sheets because it gives them a good idea of what to expect. I get that. But since I am quizzing every 5-7 class days, I lose pretty much 2 days every 5-7 days. Not good. I'm already behind because these students didn't cover as much ground as they should have in Algebra 1 (I've talked about that a lot here) and now I am losing more time reviewing. In my last post about this issue, Damion really hit the nail on the head - like his students, my students don't seem to be retaining well.
In addition, we are coming up on Christmas Break here. Now, mind you, we just had Thanksgiving Break (we were off Wednesday - Friday last week). We have 2 full weeks (this week and next) and the third week, the students have 4 days while the staff has a waiver day on Friday (December 16th). So when students leave on Thursday, December 15th, the next time I see them in class will be Tuesday, January 3rd. Almost three whole weeks! Now, I will be honest, I am totally looking forward to being off school that long. However, being off that long will most likely mean that anything that I teach that last week before break (or earlier) will be mostly forgotten by the time I see them again on January 3rd. I am pretty certain that I am going to need to assess everything before break, which would mean that I would not have a feedback opportunity for them.
So, at this point, I am trying to figure out what to do. I am already contemplating going back to how I used to assess - teach the concepts that form a "unit," actually follow through on quizzing for feedback only every 2-3 concepts and at the end of the unit, have a day or possibly two of review and assess. Just as I typed that, my mind was mentally calculating and maybe I'm not losing as many days as I think... I'll have to ponder that a little later on. (ooooh - squirrel!) Or, I could continue in the same manner - teach 3, assess with most recent 3 concepts getting feedback and the 3 concepts before that earning grades in the gradebook. I'm not sure what other options I have at this point without dramatically changing things and I don't want to go down that road right now. Another option I had contemplated during the summer was to give each concept 2 grades and combine them - that's definitely not something I want to change to mid-year. I'll have to think about that come Summer 2012.
So, here's where you, wonderful readers, come in. I need some help. I can't shake this issue in my head. I'm on my 4th blog post about this issue and I can't work it out in my head. Please offer thoughts, experiences, advice, etc. - Do I keep my assessment system the same (teach 3 - assess 6, 3 graded, 3 feedback), revert back to what I've done before (teach the unit, quiz for feedback a few times, and give a "unit test" with however many concepts are on it), or something else? I look forward to interacting with you in the comments!
I've blogged about this before (first here, then here, and most recently here). It's the whole quizzing/reviewing thing. You guessed it, today was another quiz day in my Algebra 2 classes and tomorrow is quiz day in Advanced Algebra 2. I'm not through grading the Algebra 2 quizzes. The one class I have graded actually wasn't too bad. However, today I am frustrated with time. You see, I ended up spending most of the class period with my Advanced Algebra 2 students going over questions from the review I gave them (with answers, I should add!) instead of answering a few questions and starting into the next learning target as I had planned. Yesterday I had spent significant class time going over review problems with my Algebra 2 students, but I had pretty much anticipated having several questions from them given how things are going, plus quite a few were out on Monday since it was the start of deer hunting season with guns. I expected that my Advanced Algebra 2 students would remember things better and have a better grasp on it and I was disappointed with that today.
Now, granted, I think part of the reason going over the review took a little longer was the way I did it. Instead of my explaining the problem, I pretty much just wrote what students told me was the next step. After each step, I prompted them with "what's next" or something along those lines. I actually liked this - students had to articulate what to do which helps them to review it and there was some good discourse going on while we were working the problems. One student would ask how another student got something and the students answered it instead of me. I think that helped. I think I'll do that again and bring that more into my teaching and other classes. I liked that the students who knew or mostly knew what they were doing were engaged and reinforcing what they knew as students who had questions were getting them answered.
What I am really disliking this point is that I am spending so much time reviewing. I teach 3 concepts and as we are coming up on the next quiz (which has up to 6 concepts - 3 that were previously assessed, they got some written feedback, and now are being given a score for, and 3 that are the most recently taught concepts where they only receive feedback), I give them a review sheet with answers on the 2-3 concepts that are going to be graded. Students like having the review sheets because it gives them a good idea of what to expect. I get that. But since I am quizzing every 5-7 class days, I lose pretty much 2 days every 5-7 days. Not good. I'm already behind because these students didn't cover as much ground as they should have in Algebra 1 (I've talked about that a lot here) and now I am losing more time reviewing. In my last post about this issue, Damion really hit the nail on the head - like his students, my students don't seem to be retaining well.
In addition, we are coming up on Christmas Break here. Now, mind you, we just had Thanksgiving Break (we were off Wednesday - Friday last week). We have 2 full weeks (this week and next) and the third week, the students have 4 days while the staff has a waiver day on Friday (December 16th). So when students leave on Thursday, December 15th, the next time I see them in class will be Tuesday, January 3rd. Almost three whole weeks! Now, I will be honest, I am totally looking forward to being off school that long. However, being off that long will most likely mean that anything that I teach that last week before break (or earlier) will be mostly forgotten by the time I see them again on January 3rd. I am pretty certain that I am going to need to assess everything before break, which would mean that I would not have a feedback opportunity for them.
So, at this point, I am trying to figure out what to do. I am already contemplating going back to how I used to assess - teach the concepts that form a "unit," actually follow through on quizzing for feedback only every 2-3 concepts and at the end of the unit, have a day or possibly two of review and assess. Just as I typed that, my mind was mentally calculating and maybe I'm not losing as many days as I think... I'll have to ponder that a little later on. (ooooh - squirrel!) Or, I could continue in the same manner - teach 3, assess with most recent 3 concepts getting feedback and the 3 concepts before that earning grades in the gradebook. I'm not sure what other options I have at this point without dramatically changing things and I don't want to go down that road right now. Another option I had contemplated during the summer was to give each concept 2 grades and combine them - that's definitely not something I want to change to mid-year. I'll have to think about that come Summer 2012.
So, here's where you, wonderful readers, come in. I need some help. I can't shake this issue in my head. I'm on my 4th blog post about this issue and I can't work it out in my head. Please offer thoughts, experiences, advice, etc. - Do I keep my assessment system the same (teach 3 - assess 6, 3 graded, 3 feedback), revert back to what I've done before (teach the unit, quiz for feedback a few times, and give a "unit test" with however many concepts are on it), or something else? I look forward to interacting with you in the comments!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Quiz Time Blues Again
I just gave another round of quizzes over the last few days. I am not pleased with how it's going. This is nothing new. I can't decide if it's because I'm not happy with doing teach 3 - quiz (3 for feedback/3 for grade) - teach 3 or because I have a lower-ability/less-motivated/less-knowledge-of-Algebra-1 group of students this year.
As we continue with the quizzes - grading the three concepts that were given feedback only the last quiz and giving feedback only on the three most recently taught (details on my SBG system this year is here and reflections on why I wanted to make changes from last year is here), I am seeing that several students are not trying or making little effort on the feedback only questions. It is not a majority of students, but with each new quiz, I am noticing there are more students each time who are not attempting the feedback questions. This worries me and I feel it defeats the purpose of giving the questions for feedback only the first time. The students are cheating themselves of the opportunity to seeing what they know about the problem in a practice situation.
I have been giving them review sheets for the concepts that are being graded since in some cases it has been 2 weeks or so since they had the original instruction on the topic. I suspect what that is doing is focusing the students on preparing for only those problems and they are not doing much preparation on the newer concepts. I am afraid that if I give review sheets with all 6 concepts, we will be spending one day reviewing and another day quizzing every 7-8 class days. As much as I don't want to dwell on what content I am covering over the course of the year, I am already concerned that I will not get to many concepts that I should be for Algebra 2. Last year I ended with exponentials and logarithms and I am deeply concerned that I'm not going to get there this year with their lack of Algebra 1 skills and the time I've had to spend remediating those skills - and that's not factoring in the additional number of testing days (and some review days).
In two of my three Algebra 2 classes, students expressed that they weren't ready for today's quiz. Now, I know it's not due to lack of time and energywe I've devoted to it in class. They weren't ready because they weren't prepared. Students aren't preparing well - they aren't taking the time to work through problems as they should be. I have watched as I have helped students who have wanted the help and seen several students not using the time well. They choose to talk instead of starting the problems. I'm not sure if it's due to lack of confidence in doing the problems or if they don't want to after spending class time listening and (maybe) taking notes. The last few sections I have given students a note sheet to fill in. I did this partially because we were doing graphing systems of equations and inequalities and I thought it would be helpful to have the problems with graphing spaces ready to go for them. I also did this because I thought if they had the examples in front of them, they would actually take notes. I'm not sure how well that worked.
I'm at a bit of a loss tonight. I cannot continue to go backwards. Students have to learn they have to pick up the slack at some point. I feel like I am wasting time quizzing every 5-7-10 class days if they aren't preparing for all of the concepts. Part of the reason I changed to the quizzing concepts twice system was that I thought they would do better on the concepts since they had a chance to get some written feedback from me as a part of the process. If students aren't even going to attempt the feedback-only problems, then the purpose of quizzing this way is moot. I could go back to the way I assessed last year (at the end of a "unit" with a couple of days of review in front of the assessment) and end up with the same results with hopefully less wasted time, not to mention less stress since I would only have to prepare an assessment every 2-3 weeks. Part of what also appealed to me about the teach 3 - quiz 6 - teach 3 - quiz 6 system was that it would be smaller chunks for students to focus on and hopefully they would find that to be more manageable.
So what to do, what to do? At the moment, my plan is to put the How to Study Mathematics article that crstn85 referenced in her recent blog post in front of my Algebra 2 students tomorrow. I am going to do it a little differently. I gave the article to the Advanced Algebra 2 students today (since some of them were still finishing their quiz) and had them read the introduction (through the middle of page 3). Then I counted them off and had each pair read one section instead of one page. Each pair shared with the class what they thought was important. I did not have a chance to share the Cone of Learning with them - I am going to do that tomorrow. My hope is with my Algebra 2 students to get through all of that in class tomorrow. I also had my husband print out in color 11" x 17" Cone of Learning posters that I am going to put up around the room. I want a visual reminder to my students that they need to take an active part in mathematics.
I need to continue to reflect to see if this is how I want to continue to assess, or if I want to go back to what I was doing last year, or if there is a different way I want to try. If I am going to make changes, ideally, I would do it after the end of the 2nd 9 weeks in January. I just don't know what the "right" answer is. If anyone has some thoughts to share that would be helpful, I sure would appreciate it. I am having a hard time separating myself emotionally from this decision. There is a part of me that feels that I am failing my students here. I feel like I am teaching them (not intentionally) to prepare for the short term rather than learning the material thoroughly. Intellectually, I know that this group of students does not have good study skills and that is part of it, not to mention that there are several students who are not strong mathematically. Their experiences in Algebra 1 isn't helping the situation either. Regardless, I have to work with the students I have, where they are at, and make the best of it I can.
As we continue with the quizzes - grading the three concepts that were given feedback only the last quiz and giving feedback only on the three most recently taught (details on my SBG system this year is here and reflections on why I wanted to make changes from last year is here), I am seeing that several students are not trying or making little effort on the feedback only questions. It is not a majority of students, but with each new quiz, I am noticing there are more students each time who are not attempting the feedback questions. This worries me and I feel it defeats the purpose of giving the questions for feedback only the first time. The students are cheating themselves of the opportunity to seeing what they know about the problem in a practice situation.
I have been giving them review sheets for the concepts that are being graded since in some cases it has been 2 weeks or so since they had the original instruction on the topic. I suspect what that is doing is focusing the students on preparing for only those problems and they are not doing much preparation on the newer concepts. I am afraid that if I give review sheets with all 6 concepts, we will be spending one day reviewing and another day quizzing every 7-8 class days. As much as I don't want to dwell on what content I am covering over the course of the year, I am already concerned that I will not get to many concepts that I should be for Algebra 2. Last year I ended with exponentials and logarithms and I am deeply concerned that I'm not going to get there this year with their lack of Algebra 1 skills and the time I've had to spend remediating those skills - and that's not factoring in the additional number of testing days (and some review days).
In two of my three Algebra 2 classes, students expressed that they weren't ready for today's quiz. Now, I know it's not due to lack of time and energy
I'm at a bit of a loss tonight. I cannot continue to go backwards. Students have to learn they have to pick up the slack at some point. I feel like I am wasting time quizzing every 5-7-10 class days if they aren't preparing for all of the concepts. Part of the reason I changed to the quizzing concepts twice system was that I thought they would do better on the concepts since they had a chance to get some written feedback from me as a part of the process. If students aren't even going to attempt the feedback-only problems, then the purpose of quizzing this way is moot. I could go back to the way I assessed last year (at the end of a "unit" with a couple of days of review in front of the assessment) and end up with the same results with hopefully less wasted time, not to mention less stress since I would only have to prepare an assessment every 2-3 weeks. Part of what also appealed to me about the teach 3 - quiz 6 - teach 3 - quiz 6 system was that it would be smaller chunks for students to focus on and hopefully they would find that to be more manageable.
I need to continue to reflect to see if this is how I want to continue to assess, or if I want to go back to what I was doing last year, or if there is a different way I want to try. If I am going to make changes, ideally, I would do it after the end of the 2nd 9 weeks in January. I just don't know what the "right" answer is. If anyone has some thoughts to share that would be helpful, I sure would appreciate it. I am having a hard time separating myself emotionally from this decision. There is a part of me that feels that I am failing my students here. I feel like I am teaching them (not intentionally) to prepare for the short term rather than learning the material thoroughly. Intellectually, I know that this group of students does not have good study skills and that is part of it, not to mention that there are several students who are not strong mathematically. Their experiences in Algebra 1 isn't helping the situation either. Regardless, I have to work with the students I have, where they are at, and make the best of it I can.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Frustrated
Last year with my Algebra 2's and SBG didn't seem this frustrating to me. We are in our last week of the grading period right now and of course kids seem to now care because they are in that lovely point chasing mentality. We had a quiz yesterday - same format I have been doing all year - grade 3 learning targets and feedback on 3 (although I only did two because if I waited for the third one it would have been so long since we did the earlier 3 that I don't think they would have done well). The 3 graded were graphing linear equations (slope-intercept form), write equations given 2 points or 1 point and slope of the line, and write equations given a point and a line either parallel or perpendicular to it. The 2 feedback were solve a system of equations by graphing and solve a system of equations by substitution (both 2 equations 2 variables systems). As I have been doing since the second quiz, I did give them a review page with answers over the three to-be-graded learning targets before the quiz.
The students did okay on the graded learning targets. They didn't knock it out of the park, but my real sense about this group is they are not going to be knock-it-out-of-the-park students unless they do more preparation on their own. When I got to grading the feedback portion, most them had no clue on how to graph the two equations together. Same kids who did pretty well on the graphing one equation on a coordinate plane. Same kids who were able to solve for y to get the equation in slope-intercept form couldn't do it on the back. Directions said to graph and students were trying to do substitution (most unsuccessfully). Or in several cases (way too many to count and way too many for my comfort), students didn't even attempt the feedback only problems.
It's like they don't even see the connections between material we have done previously to what we are doing now. And they certainly aren't retaining things well. Today we worked on more substitution problems, which we did Thursday and Friday (and I gave them a notes page to try to guide them to either take notes or fill in what was important) and I would say from what I saw about half still had no clue what they were doing and most of the other half was struggling to remember where to start.
I am frustrated at this point on many fronts. I am frustrated that I am teaching Algebra 1 stuff to my Algebra 2 students. I am frustrated at how long it takes them to get concepts. I know I can't change that one, but I need to find a way to deal with this better and quick or I am going to be one really frustrated teacher all year. I am frustrated at how dependent my students are. I am frustrated that I haven't done or felt like I can do my goals of incorporating reasoning and sense making materials or being less helpful (see this post for details). There is a part of me that thinks that if I tried to bring in reasoning/sense making activities that it would help my students. Then there's the other part of me who looks back at days like today where I see my students so dependent and not willing to think or try something on their own and I wonder if it's really worth trying.
Getting back to the SBG bit - with getting back their quizzes today and the end of the grading period being Friday, I had several students wanting to reassess. Most of the ones that came up knew what they had done wrong. Those who didn't, we worked through their problems and I think they better understand it. But part of my concern at the moment is that my students are working to just learn the three learning targets they are getting graded on and not working on the big picture. I don't know if that's because of the system I'm using (grade 3 - give feedback on 3). I'm not sure if I'm helping by giving them review problems on just the three learning targets being graded. Well, I guess I'm helping some because they are preparing, but I cannot continue to spend lots of time reviewing if I am quizzing every 5-8 class days. I'm not sure what the answer is to this one.
At this point I just have a bunch of questions and no answers. My thoughts are still pretty jumbled on all of this. I'm hoping that just getting some of it out here will help straighten my thoughts eventually. @cheesemonkeysf probably said it best - my subconscious has to be working through this somehow even though I don't feel like I have any answers. Hopefully it comes to me soon.
The students did okay on the graded learning targets. They didn't knock it out of the park, but my real sense about this group is they are not going to be knock-it-out-of-the-park students unless they do more preparation on their own. When I got to grading the feedback portion, most them had no clue on how to graph the two equations together. Same kids who did pretty well on the graphing one equation on a coordinate plane. Same kids who were able to solve for y to get the equation in slope-intercept form couldn't do it on the back. Directions said to graph and students were trying to do substitution (most unsuccessfully). Or in several cases (way too many to count and way too many for my comfort), students didn't even attempt the feedback only problems.
It's like they don't even see the connections between material we have done previously to what we are doing now. And they certainly aren't retaining things well. Today we worked on more substitution problems, which we did Thursday and Friday (and I gave them a notes page to try to guide them to either take notes or fill in what was important) and I would say from what I saw about half still had no clue what they were doing and most of the other half was struggling to remember where to start.
I am frustrated at this point on many fronts. I am frustrated that I am teaching Algebra 1 stuff to my Algebra 2 students. I am frustrated at how long it takes them to get concepts. I know I can't change that one, but I need to find a way to deal with this better and quick or I am going to be one really frustrated teacher all year. I am frustrated at how dependent my students are. I am frustrated that I haven't done or felt like I can do my goals of incorporating reasoning and sense making materials or being less helpful (see this post for details). There is a part of me that thinks that if I tried to bring in reasoning/sense making activities that it would help my students. Then there's the other part of me who looks back at days like today where I see my students so dependent and not willing to think or try something on their own and I wonder if it's really worth trying.
Getting back to the SBG bit - with getting back their quizzes today and the end of the grading period being Friday, I had several students wanting to reassess. Most of the ones that came up knew what they had done wrong. Those who didn't, we worked through their problems and I think they better understand it. But part of my concern at the moment is that my students are working to just learn the three learning targets they are getting graded on and not working on the big picture. I don't know if that's because of the system I'm using (grade 3 - give feedback on 3). I'm not sure if I'm helping by giving them review problems on just the three learning targets being graded. Well, I guess I'm helping some because they are preparing, but I cannot continue to spend lots of time reviewing if I am quizzing every 5-8 class days. I'm not sure what the answer is to this one.
At this point I just have a bunch of questions and no answers. My thoughts are still pretty jumbled on all of this. I'm hoping that just getting some of it out here will help straighten my thoughts eventually. @cheesemonkeysf probably said it best - my subconscious has to be working through this somehow even though I don't feel like I have any answers. Hopefully it comes to me soon.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Review - or lack thereof
In the past, I have given "unit" tests. Taught the concepts that (loosely) fit together, did a couple of days of review at the end of the "unit," and then gave a test (which was about every 2-3 weeks). Last year, I started doing feedback only quizzes, which I ended up abandoning - I have *never* done quizzes well. I wasn't completely happy with how things went testing wise last year. Here are my previous posts on the revisions I made from last year.
So, at the moment I am teaching 3 concepts and then quizzing 6 concepts - the most recent 3 are being given feedback only, the 3 before that are being graded. For example, most of my classes are getting graded on Learning Targets 4-6 this week and being given feedback on Learning Targets 7-9. I'm not really sure I'm liking this at the moment. My main beefs at the moment are -
1) I feel like I am constantly assessing my students. At the moment (especially since these are easier concepts that are mostly review for my students), I am quizzing about every 5 days (or once a week). Multiply that times 3 preps and you get the picture...
2) I am not reviewing with students in class. There is a part of me that says that my students - especially the ones in Algebra 2 and Advanced Algebra 2 who want to be heading to college - need to learn to do some outside preparation. I think the reality is that my students have no idea how to prepare for a math test. Without doing some sort of review in class, I don't think they do anything to prep for a test. For the upcoming Advanced Algebra 2 and Algebra 2 quizzes (Thursday and Friday respectively), I put together a short review sheet just over the Learning Targets that are being graded (4-6) along with answers. I'm intending to give some time to answering any questions from it, but I don't want to devote a whole period to it. If I do that, I will end up losing a lot more time in the classroom and I don't think that's the answer either.
3) Writing feedback on quizzes certainly takes a long time. I can't honestly say I'm "being less helpful" in them. I am really making an effort to not use the second person pronoun unless I am saying something positive - and sometimes, that is really hard. (Thanks @RobertTalbert for the suggestion.) But I think it is less critical to students and I am hoping they are more receptive to the comments.
Any comments or suggestions from my readers? I'm especially struggling with #2. I am not sure how to best accommodate review for my students (who I think probably need it). Do I just bite the bullet and review in front of every quiz? Do I restructure and go back to giving tests at the end of each "unit" and throw in feedback only quizzes in the meantime? Does someone else have some other brilliant suggestion? Please help! Thanks in advance. - hope to see you in the comments.
So, at the moment I am teaching 3 concepts and then quizzing 6 concepts - the most recent 3 are being given feedback only, the 3 before that are being graded. For example, most of my classes are getting graded on Learning Targets 4-6 this week and being given feedback on Learning Targets 7-9. I'm not really sure I'm liking this at the moment. My main beefs at the moment are -
1) I feel like I am constantly assessing my students. At the moment (especially since these are easier concepts that are mostly review for my students), I am quizzing about every 5 days (or once a week). Multiply that times 3 preps and you get the picture...
2) I am not reviewing with students in class. There is a part of me that says that my students - especially the ones in Algebra 2 and Advanced Algebra 2 who want to be heading to college - need to learn to do some outside preparation. I think the reality is that my students have no idea how to prepare for a math test. Without doing some sort of review in class, I don't think they do anything to prep for a test. For the upcoming Advanced Algebra 2 and Algebra 2 quizzes (Thursday and Friday respectively), I put together a short review sheet just over the Learning Targets that are being graded (4-6) along with answers. I'm intending to give some time to answering any questions from it, but I don't want to devote a whole period to it. If I do that, I will end up losing a lot more time in the classroom and I don't think that's the answer either.
3) Writing feedback on quizzes certainly takes a long time. I can't honestly say I'm "being less helpful" in them. I am really making an effort to not use the second person pronoun unless I am saying something positive - and sometimes, that is really hard. (Thanks @RobertTalbert for the suggestion.) But I think it is less critical to students and I am hoping they are more receptive to the comments.
Any comments or suggestions from my readers? I'm especially struggling with #2. I am not sure how to best accommodate review for my students (who I think probably need it). Do I just bite the bullet and review in front of every quiz? Do I restructure and go back to giving tests at the end of each "unit" and throw in feedback only quizzes in the meantime? Does someone else have some other brilliant suggestion? Please help! Thanks in advance. - hope to see you in the comments.
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