Spring 2015 weeks 1-4

I am pleased with the coreq course compared with last semester. I have treated the first 4 weeks as an orientation to 111 and started targeted minilessons and assignments for classwide issues identified, as well as individual-level concerns. Student success is 25% higher up to this point last semester.

083 still needs more quizzes and was extremely slow in getting moving this semester. The 3 hour once a week format is taxing on both me and students. I miss the 2x a week sections. We just get exhausted. Textbook issues continue to confound, as 4/20 students are without books. Having students submit work on Blackboard is working for most students, working very well for me, but may require a handout to explain to students who miss the first day.

Fall semester overview

Fall semester was difficult as I added in the 073 section at the last minute. This was the first time that I had taught the co-req course and it showed. Most nights were driven by the 111 section, and little structure occurred.  This made evaluation difficult. It also made planning difficult. Students seemed to be totally consumed by the workload in 111, as well as the instructors formatting of the course. It became a tutoring session, semester-long, and not the course the college had intended. More structure must be added next semester to satisfy college requirements and help maintain my own sanity.

The ENGL083 course went very well, overall. The addition of the student-led discussions were effective in most courses, save for those with low levels of cohesion among students. One section I opted to not use them because of the overall class dynamic. I was unable to cement the student-led learning project, however, so I moved weights of the evaluation to other parts of the class. The experiment of moving the final to the midterm was not as effective for the essay grades, but it did show an effect on the traditional m/c exam. (There was an overall 5% increase in the mean score). I recommend scrapping the learning-project for now, further reflection on the discussion set-up, and reverting back to essay as final, with possibly more quizzes to bolster m/c test scores.

Week 1 Summer 2014

This week has been one of the smoothest ones I can recall. I have a few ideas as to why this was the case. First, beginning with the Mindsets on success coupled with the goals and distractions sections of the text set the tone for the 8 weeks. It got students highly involved in metacognition of shared goals and issues among the class, including my own. Next, moving the inclass activities away from a homework category and back to it’s original position, a group-oriented activity, increased interactivity among students and me as a whole unit. Using text assignments as a homework tool, something I have let to the wayside over the years, seems to have also created an external attachment to the course.

Regarding activities, save this agenda for future semesters /2 for fall spring. Add the extra reading autobio organizer, as well as the 2 paragraph model. This will save the confusion noted in CIQs.

In short, regarding feedback on CIQs, good job, Jeremy. 7 weeks to go. Keep it up.

weeks 9-13 reflection

I have combined 4 weeks of reflection since we have been working on preparation for the final exam since spring break. I added updated articles to the college tuition packet and streamlined the process: understanding and choosing question; note taking; note processing; written essay. Students again thanked me this semester for showing them the step-by-step process. However, it was hard again to incorporate in-class assignments that complemented the process guided-instruction methodology I use for prep. This summer I will try using the actual exam as independent, step-by-step practice so that each student is prepared for the final and not rushed. Currently I ask them to do in one week what we do together in 4.

My great experiment of using the placement test as a alternative route to course success has finally died. I have been told to cease using it, even in the hidden curriculum as a method of evaluation. I am hurt and sad, but understand college policy may frown upon it. It was a good experiment and helped many students in the process free their time for pursuits in other courses using our course as a “home-base.” Changes to the colleges mean changes in personal methodology, and I accept that. The anarchy method I have used this semester– 35-40 min mini-lectures and self-pursued, individualized learning, is also out the window. Student morale was increased. Learning flourished. I was kept busy, but it is a questionable practice by college standards.

weeks 6-8 spring reflection

Using a practice and a real midterm was very effective for both students and me. I was able to find errors and bad questions in the practice exam, and students stated that test anxiety was lowed as they “practiced” the exam first. Scores were at a 68% average w/o a curve. When adjusting for a bad question, mean scores hit 70%. Minor and major details remained the biggest issue, with paragraph patterns and transitions a close second. I had hypothesized this, and am working on new ways to introduce and practice these ideas, though many students intimated that they “got it” after the practice exam. Students also appreciated that I linked the week 6 assignment, a working bibliography for a real or hypothetical research paper, with many students using it for their ENGL093 course. 

Spring weeks 3-5 reflection

The main idea web links assignment, coupled with the multiple passes in activities seem to be cementing the ideas of topic sentences, major details and minor details. Calling major details “detail category holders” clarified it nicely, too. The weather and sicky-ickies have delayed the schedule a bit. I have been carrying activities over to the following week, and allowing students, as a class, to choose 2 of the three activities. Allowing students a voice seems to increase ownership of the activities. The value analysis and cost/benefit analysis are syncing well into the writing courses and/or giving students a jumpstart into the research process. It also allows them to see minor details grow into major detail categories and further into topic sentences. I will run two midterms this semester, a practice and a real, weeks 7 and 8 a la wed/fri spelling tests in elementary. This will allow students time to succeed in one of two passes and give a few a chance to work on independent assignments.  

week 2 summer

After several semesters of break, I tried a collaborative-based dialogue again this week.

Spring 2014 week 1 and 2 reflection

Weeks one and two this semester focused mainly on consoling fears of college and building confidence in this environment. The CIQs demonstrated that this goal was met: students felt heard, attended to, and loved. The vocab and study plan experiments went better than previous semesters because I stressed the secondary goal, research technique and scientific method. Weather delayed some activities into the next week, but pacing seems to be right on. Allowing a few extra min after class to clarify or work puts students at ease and allows them to reflect on the days activities. Consistent and repetitive explanation of procedure are helping to eliminate the usual confusions of homework and course processes. The modules and the Connect still represent a confusion spot, esp in the face of the journals and web reviews. 

Week 1: Summer

Started the semester with three new readings and a new activity. The students seemed confused about the actual task: Jot down a few notes about what do you learn about the author from his text. Then, jot down notes about places you see yourselves. I’m not sure if this was their nerves, mine or a mix. I like the activity, but the dressings need to be cleaner next semester.

The use of Brookfield’s CIQ was very helpful for me this week. I like the feedback I get from the students, esp. on untested lessons and activities. It seems almost too simple, but I perfer not to go to homework-crazy the first week with administrative moves, textbook issues, etc. I think the first week should have a CIQ over both meetings, though I allowed for just one for all week.

note to self. St’s BO?… offer “extra” tag or bw? blunt discussion? circumvention? lesson? no clue. =(

week 15

Flaws in my 100 pt scale are starting to show up.

1. When students fall behind drastically, it can be a long climb to 70 pts. The sixteen week semester can be falsely accommodating to missing an assignment here and there. At this time in the semester, those missed points add up to an almost insurmountable goal.
2. The reading seems spot on. Most students are hitting or surpassing the 70 mark about last week.
3. The writing is flawed. On student in particular was able to garner 72 pts., however, I feel her skill set is less than that which would mean success in ENGL111. More quizzes and sentence skills assignments need to be included. Essay work this semester ate into them so much that I am willing to sacrifice the mini research paper to allow them to return to the curriculum.
4. Some students have ceased to come to class when they reach their desired point level; however, I do see them in the Math center or ASC working on other coursework. I’m in a dilemma about this.