Repetition
I have two classes. Three sections of Advanced Algebra Honors, and two sections of Calculus. Over the past month I have noticed some trends with these classes and how I teach them. One positive trend is my ability to improve a lesson. I might have a lesson plan that I execute on my period two algebra class, and it goes nothing like I had hoped, so I modify it and run it on my period three algebra class. I can even make a third refinement for my period seven class. By that time I can anticipate almost any question the students might have or solve any problem that might arise with the calculator.
Case in point: Yesterday I delivered a strong but rushed performance on limits to my period one calc class, and I felt that it got the point across well, but I could have managed my flow a little better. So this morning I printed out the notes that I saved off the smart board from yesterday, and I am in the process of annotating them as a guide for my lecture today for period five. I know which examples work, which ones don't, and I can even remark where students reached epiphany ("oooooh, now I get it") and I can emphasize those points.
There are two disadvantages to this. The first is obvious: the students in period seven are obviously getting more than those in period two. I don't know of an easy way to remedy this without providing errata and "catch-up" lessons to the earlier classes on lessons learned from the later ones. And even this will cause the early classes to fall behind because we would be spending so much time visiting old material.
The other disadvantage is with my own memory. The classes fade together, and if I make an insightful comment to one, I am liable to forget I made it unless I write it down. Then when I go to make that same statement again, they have already heard it or worse, I assume I said it to a particular class and they never received the message. The key here is going to be in writing down notes on all of my lesson plans, and referring back to those on a regular basis. Even this seems really tedious and I don't think I could keep up with it.
Case in point: Yesterday I delivered a strong but rushed performance on limits to my period one calc class, and I felt that it got the point across well, but I could have managed my flow a little better. So this morning I printed out the notes that I saved off the smart board from yesterday, and I am in the process of annotating them as a guide for my lecture today for period five. I know which examples work, which ones don't, and I can even remark where students reached epiphany ("oooooh, now I get it") and I can emphasize those points.
There are two disadvantages to this. The first is obvious: the students in period seven are obviously getting more than those in period two. I don't know of an easy way to remedy this without providing errata and "catch-up" lessons to the earlier classes on lessons learned from the later ones. And even this will cause the early classes to fall behind because we would be spending so much time visiting old material.
The other disadvantage is with my own memory. The classes fade together, and if I make an insightful comment to one, I am liable to forget I made it unless I write it down. Then when I go to make that same statement again, they have already heard it or worse, I assume I said it to a particular class and they never received the message. The key here is going to be in writing down notes on all of my lesson plans, and referring back to those on a regular basis. Even this seems really tedious and I don't think I could keep up with it.
posted by Kyle at
4:22 AM
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