Today went pretty well, I think--did a predator/prey lab, went around to the lab stations, interacted with the students, explained the concepts/mathematical parts of the worksheet to them...when they got it, I could see the gleam of satisfaction in their faces! But a note of warning: found that sometimes, Spanish-speaking-only students will nod and give the impression they understand even when they don't! I need to go back a few minutes later and make sure they really get it, that they're not just trying to please or to nod because they don't want to admit that they don't get it...
Learning more of the names, which is helping.
Given my "low" from last week, I decided to (and Victor generously agreed to accomodate me) give a short anonymous survey to the students, asking what their life goals were, what their favorite high school subject was and why, and issues they thought were really important. Turns out that >90% want to go to college (not sure if community or 4 yr) afterwards because they "want to be somebody" and "want to get a good job." Also, those that really liked biology did so because they got to do experiments. I think this allows us to know the students better (as you suggested in your comment) and engage them more, hopefully. Also puts good pressure on us to come up with good experiments!!
Victor and I are starting to plan what we want to do during week 5. Some of the things require lab kits, which the companies I have spoken to so far don't want to give for free or discounts, even though it's going towards high school education. Victor has a small grant, but I don't want to use all of it in one fell swoop (Kit for immunostaining: $300, Primary antibody: $200). Maybe it's worth it, since it will last us a while...
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It seems that you have gained some knowledge about your students that is essential (a glimpse into their personal motivation). Let's talk more about this and how you might tap into that well.
ReplyDeleteDo you find yourself asking students, "Do you understand?" Then they nod as if they do but they really don't? If so, ask a question that makes them demonstrate some aspect of that knowledge. A question such as 'Do you understand?' or 'Right?' is not a useful question on its own. Students will tend to hide their ignorance in the short-term, in the hope that they gain the knowledge in time for the test. By doing this, they protect themselves from looking like a fool in front of their classmates and teacher. At least, this is part of the reason students will simply nod (regardless of them being a non-native speaker).
Let's use the weekly meetings to share some more hands-on ideas.