As a math teacher, data collection is an integral part of my content instruction, and, now I realize, that it can also be used to make an impact on students' perspectives and attitudes toward schoolwork. I can use rubrics to evaluate student effort, and students can track how their level of effort correlates with their achievements in class via spreadsheet software. Software like SurveyMonkey.com gives me the tools to create surveys for my students so I can get insight into their characters and help them see the general tendencies of our class. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).
My greatest struggle, especially with my eighth graders, is getting the students to completely do their homework and practice skills independently. The end of the school year is a nightmare! They do not seem to understand that a major reason they are not succeeding on tests is because they are not actively trying to learn the skills. I can try to help the issue by incorporating practice assignments that students can use to track their speed and accuracy with specific skills. Then, I can have them track their success over time with more practice. Students can also see different angles of mathematical topics with different tools programs provide, such as spreadsheet software and various algebra websites.
References
Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Theoretical foundations. Laureate Education, Inc. (custom ed.).
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M, & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD..
Hi, I can understand with your struggle. I teach math and sometimes I struggle just like you. Homework is often copied by students or assisted by tuition teachers that I find evaluating students based on homework submission a waste. It does not reflect a student's real ability. There is limited time in class to drill them, so final test results look very disappointing.
ReplyDeleteHi, I can understand with your struggle. I teach math and sometimes I struggle just like you. Homework is often copied by students or assisted by tuition teachers that I find evaluating students based on homework submission a waste. It does not reflect a student's real ability. There is limited time in class to drill them, so final test results look very disappointing.
ReplyDeleteI also teach math and I agree with you that one of the most difficult things about teaching math is that students do not correlate working with success. Students get the idea (often from their parents) that they are bad at math so they do not try and as a result the inevitable do poorly. I agree with you that having students track their effort using a spreadsheet and then comparing their effort to their grade on a test would be a great way to show them how their effort makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteIf you really wanted to get your point across you could have a topic at the beginning of the year (maybe one that is not even part of the curriculum but is specifically used for this purpose) and during the first week take 15 minutes to teach it to the students on Monday then on Friday give them a quiz. The next week spend a little time each day teaching them, having them do practice problems, and doing a couple problems for homework, then give them another test and show them how much better they do when they put in effort and practice.