I have the pleasure of teaching two different courses to two different grade levels. I have two sections of chemistry (10th grade) and three sections of biology (9th grade). Each class has such a unique personality -- and it goes way beyond just grade level. Yes, there are obvious maturity differences between 9th and 10th graders. For some reason, there is a great deal of maturing that occurs between those years. Generally speaking, my 10th graders are more responsible and have greater concern for their grades while my 9th graders are still a bit in "middle school mode" and don't yet understand the fact that failing a class in high school means retaking that class in high school.
Beyond that, the classes vary so much in terms of personality and demeanor. I have classes that are studious and hard-working, and others that are full of energy that is not always directed into the proper outlets. I have a wide variety of students and a wide variety of grades that reflect that fact.
As an educator, I find myself in the conundrum on how to address these personality differences. In an ideal world, I would be able to differentiate each and every lesson and unit to meet the variety of needs in each class. I would be able to give every struggling student the one-on-one help they need and give each unmotivated student the confidence boost and pep talk that pushes them to achieve.
Unfortunately, I don't live in an ideal world. I am given a 55 minute class period to hit every item on the agenda. Sciences courses involve a great deal of prep work and labs take up an entire class and often spill over into other class days. How on earth can I ensure that my lessons work for each and every student? How can I ensure that every student is understanding? I do not have those answers, not by any means, but I do have a few strategies I use to monitor which students.
I love using any sort of instant-response system in the classroom. There are two main ways that I use this. One is the use of SMART Response system. I can create a short assessment, pass out the remotes and have students answer anonymously. I'm not a huge fan of "quizzes" but I like to give my quizzes in this format for a couple of reasons.
1) Instant feedback for student (they see their grade at the end)
2) Instant feedback for teacher (graphs of most missed questions at the end, along with student scores)
3) Engagement level (students love technology and things with buttons)
One downside is that it takes some level of preparation, as you have to prepare the questions ahead of time. It also feels a bit formal and doesn't always fit with what we are doing for the day.
My most used student feedback system is tentatively called "3-2-1 Five!" If we are covering new content for the first time, I will periodically ask students to show a number zero to five showing their understanding of the material -- zero, I am completely lost, or five, I could teach this to my partner. I count down from three and they show me their number in front of their chest. It's anonymous, quick, and students tend to be very honest. It takes a quick scan of the room to see who is struggling and I can make sure to get them to participate as we continue on. This works particularly well in Chemistry when we are doing practice problems, as I will ask after each problem and see if they are getting the hang of it or need to go back to review.
After I have an idea of which students are struggling, I try to make a conscious effort to double check their work later on, or to make sure I call on them if they raise their hand. It at least provides a place for me to start addressing their struggles in a timely manner so they don't get lost in a pile of confusion.
What types of strategies do other educators use to cater to the multitudes of personalities in the classroom?
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