I start the second half of the school year with a renewed energy to keep on the path of increasing student engagement. The results from a short survey I gave the students on the last day of first semeter have reinforced what I had felt all along. It is working! Overall the techniques I am incorporating into the class are having a positive affect on the students. Has your enjoyment of social studies gone up, stayed the same or gone down since the beginning of the year and why? That was the main question on the survey that I wanted answered. In the fall, 58 students rated their enjoyment of social studies as positive. At the end of the semester, that number has risen to 101 students. The number of students that rate social studies as a negative experience dropped from 39 to 11. Some of the reasons that students gave as why they enjoy class are as follows: class is always fun; we are always doing activities which make class fun; class is awesome; I never knew history could be so much fun; and history is so interesting, it's my favorite class. No one addressed the classroom environment and the efforts I have made to make it fell safe and welcoming, but I believe that the positive responses would not be so overwhelming if the environment wasn't working for them.
On the other end of it, some of the responses from the 11 who say their enjoyment has dropped were: I don't like U.S. History; I like learning about ancient civilzations more; I just loved my sixth grade teacher, so you didn't stand a chance;( that is my favorite ) and down because you made a seating chart last quarter and I am not sitting by my friends anymore. That last one demonstrates the imprtance of student choice. I had not made a seating chart until second quarter, and did so based on the increasing noise level. I can live with those negative comments. Once again, no references to the classroom environment.
Thirty-Four students said their enjoyment has stayed the same. The majority said they like coming to class, but their enjoyment is based on the topic being covered. Once again, I can live with this response. It makes perfect sense that the content plays a part of their enjoyment.
About 91% of the students say the best part of class are the activities. They like to be kept busy. Likewise, 86% say they do not like lecture, and that lecture is the most boring thing we do. Lecure does not involve them as much as hands on activities. I need to keep creating ways to keep them working with material and exploring it. I need to remain conscious of not relying on powerpoint-lecture lessons.
This week, I have them working in groups to teach a full chapter of the book to class. I have turned class over to them and they will get the opportunity to find creative ways to teach the content to their classmates. I will be able to report back on the first presentations next week, until then, Happy Teaching!!
Do you know the names of the 11 students that rated social studies as a negative experience, or were the surveys anonymous? If so, could you sit down with those kids and ask for some input from them about things you could do to make it a more positive experience for them? Your class sounds awesome and it seems as if you have completely transformed your style and the kids are loving it. Congrats on that. You are getting what was intended from this program. Nice work!
ReplyDelete