As or Right. Now.
The problem with practice problems is that
- Students don't do it anyway
- They cheat to get it finished
- They get help in some way...but the help is just to complete it, not to understand it
- They try it on their own, but mimicking takes a front seat in this approach. Any problem where mimicking can't be utilized most likely won't get solved
Taking points for homework is also off the table.
More cheating occurs (23%) when points are taken then when no points are put in the grade book (2%)
But that is the only good new for not taking points.
The students not doing it increases from 25% to 38%!!
Question 1
What are some of the things in this chapter that immediately feel correct?
I had already changed my working from "homework" or "assignment" to "practice". I also had taken away the "zero mark" if it wasn't completed, giving only 100% to those completing their practice. In fact, during the pandemic, I was also offering up answer sheets for immediate feedback. So after reading the research on why students don't complete their work, this change to check-your-understanding makes a lot more sense and seems a logical direction for me to.
Question 2
Which of your students do their homework, and which do not?
The students that do their homework in class are those that grades are important to them (or their parents). They want the gradebook to reflect that all work has been completed with high marks. I suspect there was a lot of cheating on some, to be able to achieve this.
The students that do not do their homework are the same every year. You can pick them out. Grades are not important to them. Completion or checking things off a list, are not in their rolodesk.
Question 3
Of those who do their homework, why do they do it? If you consider yourself successful at getting students to do their homework, what message are your methods sending to your students? That is, why do they do their homework, and who is it for?
As mentioned in Question 2, the students that do the homework have a self-drive to get high grades or to have everything completed. The message I am sending them is the same one that drives them as well. They are doing it for me, their parents, to cross it off the list, but it isn't being done for understanding the material any better. s
Question 4
Contrast your answers to Question 3 with the reasons for why you want your students to do their homework.
I want students to do their homework ,
- so they can practice the skills
- so they can make mistakes to move their thinking
- so I can see where the troublesome spots are
- so I can see where their level of understanding is
- so they can work together to solve a problem
Question 5
In this chapter, it was mentioned that practice invokes mimicking. What are your thoughts about practice as an effective learning tool? Is this what you want your students to do?
My biggest concern as I was reading this chapter, is what will I do with the Simulation Trainer! That is totally a mimicking exercise! It is the same problem over and over again. "Mimicking has limitations and is antithetical to the kind of thinking behaviors that thinking classrooms are trying to foster."
Question 6
What do you think about the reality that some students may choose not to do, or not do all of, the check-your-understanding questions? How will you cope with this?
I liked the idea of allowing students to work in whatever groups, wherever they want to. This means they can work on their own, with others, at the tables, or at the vertical surfaces. I can see the Practice Printable being a good resource for check-your-understanding.
Maybe an idea would be if students are struggling with the Printable (I will have to change the name of these!!!!), then that student could go to the Simulation Trainer. But even as I type this, I know this is not the answer for promoting more thinking for that student.
Question 7
What are some of the challenges you anticipate you will experience in implementing the strategies suggested in this chapter? What are some of the way to overcome these?
With all the little changes I've made along the way, I see this new way, Check-Your-Understanding fitting in quite nicely.
Will I have enough opportunities to get grades?
Will SBG become a more prevalent thing as I walk around the classroom observing math understanding?
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