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I have thought many times that I would like to write about the changes I've made this year in how I am teaching but have had no time. But midterms are approaching, and I'm thinking I might be about to see some results. I say this, but who knows....
This year we are using a web based integrated software program called Eduphoria. I like the potential in using this program--I like that eventually I could have questions coded to track if they are getting such concepts as subject/verb agreement or understanding of case endings. Mind you, it's designed to be tied into TAKS standards, not what *I* think is important. No matter, I will eventually have it coded my way. :-)
Using Eduphoria also meant that our district wanted us to have what in essence are 6 weeks tests, which seems fine, but I had been testing (for years) just every other stage. I had noticed, though, in recent years that I was starting to lose more and more students on the grammar sections. I pride myself on being able to break things down and teach them in a way that students understand the grammar, but, as I said, recently I was losing more students on those portions on the tests, and then especially on the semester exams.
So when I was thinking I needed to develop 6 weeks, that I would need to make changes. Translation of a short passage would need to be moved to a stage quiz. This quiz could also target specific grammar questions of the type I had been testing on sight passages on the main tests. On the quiz, the difference would be that I could target and discuss specific grammar questions with regards to the passage the day before the quiz, show them different ways to discern case or tense, etc. In place of the translation on the test, I've incorporated a listening section where I read sentences and they have to match them to pictures. (These have gone well, I think.)
The short passages on the stage quizzes are also used for recitations for each stage. We practice saying the passage in class for a few days straight, have a window of days for students to phone in their recitation to leave on my voice mail, and thus they become far more familiar with the passage.
The biggest PROBLEM with these changes is that I've created FAR MORE WORK for ME to grade. However, I have students telling me that they are understanding the grammar better this year.
I'm also hoping this will make my midterms more doable. In the past my midterms have been in 2 parts: the first part is like a regular stage test of whatever was the most recent thing we are studying, the 2nd part consists of passages and questions that address reading comprehension and grammar. While my best and brightest always did fine on these, the majority of my students struggled. Perhaps it's just too much higher level thinking--too much of applying what you know to passages you never really read well to begin with. Now, I have promised that the stage quizzes--the passages with grammar questions--will form the majority of the 2nd part, with reading comprehension questions added in. Today, in fact, I gave students in Latin 1 reading comprehension questions for all of the stories/passages we've covered so far. In other words, this portion of the test should NOT seem daunting like it may have seemed in previous years.
Too much hand-holding? Maybe so. On the other hand, I don't do a bunch (well, any) goofy myth or Roman life projects to raise students low grammar grades. The woman I did my student teaching with all those years ago was like that, and I know many other teachers are as well. When students say that my class is easy, they will often backtrack and explain that I just don't give a lot of homework. And I don't. If I did, they'd just copy. I see enough of that as is. I do demand a certain amount of quality on quizzes and tests, but I also offer a lot of support and guidance along the way to those who just can't make those little leaps and jumps on their own.
Anyway, in another week or so I'll know if this has been worth all the lack of sleep and grading. I've been told that I create too much work for myself. Perhaps that's true, but I'm also determined to teach every child that's in the room. I become frustrated if I fail even one student, especially if I feel that I could have found a way to reach him or her. A colleague once told me that I didn't have my counselors trained right--that I needed to explain that a child that can't make a B in English shouldn't be in my class. I remember staring at her and thinking that was a fairly elitist way of thinking and a sure way to keep a Latin program small. Yeah, I don't work that way.
But maybe if I did I wouldn't be falling half asleep as I type this during my lunch break....
This year we are using a web based integrated software program called Eduphoria. I like the potential in using this program--I like that eventually I could have questions coded to track if they are getting such concepts as subject/verb agreement or understanding of case endings. Mind you, it's designed to be tied into TAKS standards, not what *I* think is important. No matter, I will eventually have it coded my way. :-)
Using Eduphoria also meant that our district wanted us to have what in essence are 6 weeks tests, which seems fine, but I had been testing (for years) just every other stage. I had noticed, though, in recent years that I was starting to lose more and more students on the grammar sections. I pride myself on being able to break things down and teach them in a way that students understand the grammar, but, as I said, recently I was losing more students on those portions on the tests, and then especially on the semester exams.
So when I was thinking I needed to develop 6 weeks, that I would need to make changes. Translation of a short passage would need to be moved to a stage quiz. This quiz could also target specific grammar questions of the type I had been testing on sight passages on the main tests. On the quiz, the difference would be that I could target and discuss specific grammar questions with regards to the passage the day before the quiz, show them different ways to discern case or tense, etc. In place of the translation on the test, I've incorporated a listening section where I read sentences and they have to match them to pictures. (These have gone well, I think.)
The short passages on the stage quizzes are also used for recitations for each stage. We practice saying the passage in class for a few days straight, have a window of days for students to phone in their recitation to leave on my voice mail, and thus they become far more familiar with the passage.
The biggest PROBLEM with these changes is that I've created FAR MORE WORK for ME to grade. However, I have students telling me that they are understanding the grammar better this year.
I'm also hoping this will make my midterms more doable. In the past my midterms have been in 2 parts: the first part is like a regular stage test of whatever was the most recent thing we are studying, the 2nd part consists of passages and questions that address reading comprehension and grammar. While my best and brightest always did fine on these, the majority of my students struggled. Perhaps it's just too much higher level thinking--too much of applying what you know to passages you never really read well to begin with. Now, I have promised that the stage quizzes--the passages with grammar questions--will form the majority of the 2nd part, with reading comprehension questions added in. Today, in fact, I gave students in Latin 1 reading comprehension questions for all of the stories/passages we've covered so far. In other words, this portion of the test should NOT seem daunting like it may have seemed in previous years.
Too much hand-holding? Maybe so. On the other hand, I don't do a bunch (well, any) goofy myth or Roman life projects to raise students low grammar grades. The woman I did my student teaching with all those years ago was like that, and I know many other teachers are as well. When students say that my class is easy, they will often backtrack and explain that I just don't give a lot of homework. And I don't. If I did, they'd just copy. I see enough of that as is. I do demand a certain amount of quality on quizzes and tests, but I also offer a lot of support and guidance along the way to those who just can't make those little leaps and jumps on their own.
Anyway, in another week or so I'll know if this has been worth all the lack of sleep and grading. I've been told that I create too much work for myself. Perhaps that's true, but I'm also determined to teach every child that's in the room. I become frustrated if I fail even one student, especially if I feel that I could have found a way to reach him or her. A colleague once told me that I didn't have my counselors trained right--that I needed to explain that a child that can't make a B in English shouldn't be in my class. I remember staring at her and thinking that was a fairly elitist way of thinking and a sure way to keep a Latin program small. Yeah, I don't work that way.
But maybe if I did I wouldn't be falling half asleep as I type this during my lunch break....
