I am so disappointed in myself. I allowed myself to get so worked up today over my 3rd period Biology classes projects that I was physically shaking after class was over. My BIO class average for the last chapter test was a 52.2%. I allowed them to use a study guide which basically covered the entire test, and spent 5 weeks covering 12 textbook pages of information. That is PLENTY of time! Still - 52.2% test average.
With 2 weeks left to go in the 3rd quarter and 1 chapter left to teach, I decided I had enough. I looked at the district final exam we are to give in May and saw that out of that chapter, only 3 objectives are covered in the final. I wrote out a study guide covering those 3 objectives on Genetic Engineering and decided they were going to do a project.
The project is very basic. The students could either work alone or with one partner to create either a power point or prezi presentation on a genetic disorder. I had a list of genetic disorders and instructed each group or individual to pick one. They also got a guide for their project which was basically 7 questions to answer using either a power point or prezi and present it to the class. They had to include pictures, and 2 references. I also gave them a rubric which broke down EXACTLY how I was going to grade their presentations and projects. I opened up the lap top carosels for the students to use in class and gave them 5 days in class (5 hours) to work on their presentations. Today was round 2 of presentations and it did not go well.
I scheduled my "A" students to present first since I figured they would serve as a model of how the presentations were supposed to go. They presented yesterday and did a decent job. Today, everything fell apart. Not one presentation was complete. Not one presentation was ready to be presented. Students who did a ppt presentation, I asked them to email it to themselves or put it on a flash drive so it could be shown from my computer on the overhead. Not one of them did. To top it all off, I had so many behavior problems, I could not even focus on what my presenters were saying because I was so distracted by the childish behavior of my 16 year olds.
I am completely disappointed by their behavior and lack of quality work. 5 days. 5 hours to answer 7 questions in a presentation format. This is supposed to be the best way students learn. I am at a complete loss of words.
My Chantell! Don't loose faith in your students or being a teacher!! I know the pain you feel, and disappointment that comes with it. :)) Perhaps you need to think about different ways to deliver the material. I STRONGLY SUGGEST you look into taking a KAGAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING course. They will be in Phoenix this year. It saved my life. I also tried a different thing to have students present their work. I'll have to explain it to you in person. It worked out well. I know the feeling of students who don't complete their work. All you can do is be strong, and hand out those "F's" that they deserve. It's their effort, their accountability. :( As we are told over and over - it only gets better with each year.
ReplyDelete