I just read an article for my Grad school class regarding how much students actually retain in a class period. Remarkably it is only 10%. I find this kind of shocking. But I do kind of see it as well. Students these days have roughly 7 classes, work, sports, and of course TV and cell phones. Some are just not that interested in school. And especially with only 3 weeks left, it is getting hard to motivate them.
I have been trying to do more Inquiry learning in the classroom. This is a tool that will hopefully help students remember more than just 10% of what went on in class. Getting students to generalize a problem, figure out a solution and analyze the data at hand will hopefully get them to remember what occurred in class. Students get sick of taking notes and looking at power points all day. If they are out of their seats and moving around the room trying to figure out a solution to a question that they have to discover is a wonderful solution to a typical class period.
During these last couple of weeks we really need to motivate students to want to come to class, get ready for finals, and pay attention during the school day. I have multiple labs left to cover during my final unit of Chemistry class. Which gets them out of their seats, and gets them using lab materials and testing on lab equipment. How are other classes keeping students motivated these last couple of weeks of the school year?
I found this website with some helpful hints. It is nice that as a school we are doing most of them. Or at least in my department we are.
1. Start Class with a Mind Warm-Up
2. Use Movement to Get Kids Focused
3. Teach Students How to Collaborate Before Expecting Success
4. Use Quickwrites When You Want Quiet Time and Student Reflection
5. Run a Tight Ship When Giving Instructions
6. Use a Fairness Cup to Keep Students Thinking
7. Use Signaling to Allow Everyone to Answer Your Question
8. Use Minimal-Supervision Tasks to Squeeze Dead Time out of Regular Routines
9. Mix up Your Teaching Styles
10. Create Teamwork Tactics That Emphasize Accountability
http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
KEEP YOUR STUDENTS MOTIVATED :-)
Thanks for the tips Alison!
ReplyDeleteDemands on students today are amazing. Students have many responsibilities inside and outside of school. That is one reason why I am a fan of block scheduling. It would be a lot easier for students to focus on four classes as opposed to seven. I think that retention would be higher and engagement would as well as long as the block times are utilized wisely. With fewer transitions throughout the day, students would ahve an easier time focusing on the four classes that they have.
I see the advantages for block scheduling, but if teachers don't use their time wisely- it could do the opposite and be even more disengaging. It would be helpful to train teachers- so that the method is successful.
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