#LosingTime #Negotiate
Returning to school in Alert Level 2 was exciting and daunting. Exciting in that I was able to break out of my bubble, see my colleagues and work with the students. It was also daunting in that I knew that there was a huge task ahead of me, reintegrating my students back with the learning.
One class in particular that I was concerned about was my Level 2 English class. All through the lock-down period my online classes for my Level 2 English class would usually consist of 2 to 3 students. Most days I had 1 dedicated student who would show up to every class. It was disheartening and frustrating. I knew that when that when we had to return to school that this particular class (Level 2 English) would be the class where I would need to intervene, a turn around and acceleration for achievement was needed.
In my attempt to understand WHY there was disengagement from my Level 2 students, we had a open discussion in our first face-to-face lesson. The most common trend that I noticed from their feedback was that they did not have a working device and were waiting for a loan device. A small percentage of my class did a have a device but chose not to engage with online learning. The findings from the discussion (I wish I had created an online survey so I could have a record of it) although disappointing was important for me to know. Understanding the trend, whether it is favorable or not to what you are working with, is important because it help you understand the context, highlight the areas of improvement and what I have learned to understand and enjoy in that it can show you what is working. This here is where you can capitalize on the strengths and use that to drive what is needed.
I had little to work with the feedback I was given so my next point was to negotiate. I sat with each student and asked them to share their assessment, went through each assessment and highlighted the areas that they needed to work on and then negotiate a date and time that they would like for me to review their work and to give my final feedback. This negotiation was good for me because I felt that I needed to give the responsibility to the students and enable them to feel empowered to drive the assessment - I will facilitate. Once I complete my final feedback we would then negotiate again to confirm a final date for the student to submit their final draft.
Throughout week 6, 7 and 8 the students were able to turn things around and complete their first Level 2 English internal assessment. Out of a class of 20, 18 have passed. Reflecting on this increase in achievement, I believe that my student's respond best to the face-to-face learning. Online learning has been a part of our school for the last 10 years and I think going forward students and teachers need to buy in and engage. I also believe that my students responded well to the negotiation process as it gave them something to be accountable to and work towards. The one-on-one feedback discussions - both in person and online - was helpful for them and for myself.
#UnpackingTheData:
In Week 4 (May 4 - 8) the break down of our results looked like this:
Level 1 English
- Students with 0 Credits - 62
- Students with 3 Credits - 11
- Students with 4 Credits - 29
- Students with 6 Credits - 1
- Students with 7 Credits - 12
- Students with 10 Credits - 6
- Students with Level 1 Literacy - 34
- Students with 0 Credits - 88
- Students with 3 Credits - 11
- Students with 0 Credits - 63
- Students with 3 Credits - 4
Once this data was released it became a discussion point within our department. Unpacking the data, trying to see WHY the gap across all three levels were significant, what are the trends, what is working and not working and what can we do to support the students. Ms George and I met with each department member individually and we had a lengthy discussion around the students who were at risk of achieving. An intervention plan was put in place and we were going to monitor the progress each week.
In Week 9 (June 8 - June 12) our most recent data break down looks like this:
Level 1 English
- Students with 0 Credits - 34
- Students with 3 Credits - 14
- Students with 4 Credits - 6
- Students with 5 Credits - 1
- Students with 6 Credits - 10
- Students with 7 Credits - 22
- Students with 10 Credits - 22
- Students with 13 Credits - 3
- Students with 17 Credits - 2
- Students with Level 1 Literacy - 64
Level 2 English
- Students with 0 Credits - 45
- Students with 3 Credits - 45
- Students with 4 Credits - 1
- Students with 5 Credits - 3
- Students with 7 Credits - 1
- Students with 17 Credits - 1
Level 3 English
- Students with 0 Credits - 53
- Students with 3 Credits - 16
The trend shows that the intervention worked. The shift is noticeable and it is promising. The English Department have invested a lot of time and energy with their students, we are very grateful for this. The turn around in the last 5 weeks has been great and we are hoping to continue to build on this into term 3. There are many factors to consider but I believe that the silver lining in this is that early intervention is needed. This will help accelerate momentum, confidence and achievement. The trend shown above is the type of shift and acceleration that we would like to see for our students. Identifying trends and making an attempt to understand what is going well and what is not is important. Too often we can get caught up in what is failing that we can oversee the pockets of success.
#FinalThoughts
Our young people live in a society where the need to fit in with the 'trend', follow the 'trend' and create a 'trend' is evident. The selfie trend is one that has had a huge impact on everyone - at one stage everyone has taken a selfie. This trend is defined as "A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media." For our young people the act of taking a selfie and applying a hashtag to a saying is a normal and automatic habit that they have become accustomed to. It is ingrained in how they interact socially and at times the trend itself can have a negative influence on not just how but who they interact with. What I have learnt about trends - whether it is academic focused or a social media trend - is that behind every trend there is a story. There is something on which the trend is standing on. There is an audience and a purpose. How you use or understand the trend is entirely up to you. How you understand the trend can influence how you see it and use it.
No comments:
Post a Comment