Student Responses to the Survey - February 2013
In general, my students felt like they were autonomous learners and acknowledged that they had control of their learning. One student remarked that he thinks he has control because, “when I want to do it I do it.” Another student commented that she feels in control of her learning because “we get to choose activities to help us learn.” Some students though did not feel autonomous and commented that the class is “boring” sometimes. Moreover, they noted that they “sometimes just don’t get it” and have a hard time understanding the material. This is consistent with the fact that I would sometimes see my students with perplexed looks on their faces, as if they did know what was going on in the class. I will now examine specific student responses from February.
In February, Tyson was one of the top students in my second period class. He frequently participated, did excellently on written exams, completed group work and usually submitted written assignments. He has often remarked that he prefers my teaching style to Ms. JP’s because he feels as if he actually knows what’s going on and can do well in the class.
I was glad to see that Tyson was self-aware of his performance in World History class. His answers are consistent with my impression of him. It was encouraging to see that at least some students are enjoying the class and more importantly, that they are learning new information
I was glad to see that Tyson was self-aware of his performance in World History class. His answers are consistent with my impression of him. It was encouraging to see that at least some students are enjoying the class and more importantly, that they are learning new information
This response comes from Kali, one of the top students in my 3rd period class. She always came to class prepared and ready to learn. She completed all homework assignments and took copious notes while we were learning. She was involved in all of the activities and seemed to be a step ahead of the other students. I could tell that she really enjoyed World History class and learning in general. She was always happy and ready for what we would do next. As you can see, her survey answers confirm my opinion and Kali notes that she “knows more about what is happen around me and about ancient stuff and history” (sic). I was most interested in Kali’s response to the last question, where she notes that she feels autonomous because she has the “opportunity to help others and teach them.” I am glad that Kali knows her place in the class and recognizes that she can be a resource to the other students who may need some assistance. This demonstrated to me that she understand that in an autonomous classroom, the teacher is not the only one who hold knowledge. In this environment, the students can and should be involved with each other to further their learning.
Although most students felt autonomous, there were definitely some students who did not feel as if they had control over their learning. I thought that this particular response was interesting because the student is pretty bright and intelligent and it confused me that he had these thoughts. In February, I had a hard time understanding why he would often look at me with blank stares and claim that he did not understand the way I was teaching. I thought that I was being pretty clear, but my particular teaching style (during that month) was simply not working for this student and several others. This demonstrated to me how students really do learn differently from one another and how crucial it is to differentiate lessons so that all students can engage with the material in some way. This response, and other similar ones, encouraged me to continue to give students autonomy and get their input for lesson planning so that they would be interested in what we were doing. Over the course of the semester, I have received fewer blank stares and I believe that I have done a better job at accommodating my students' learning styles. In fact, this particular student was extremely helpful during the Outlining activity and was one of the students who served as the teacher during the "Flipped Classroom" model. In the next few sections, I will discuss more student responses from March and April to demonstrate how they have grown throughout the semester.