I'm in a quandry. Test 2 did not go nearly as well as Test 1. I know I'm going to get pleas for extra credit because of this, and I really don't want to do extra credit. Either your work warranted the grade, or it doesn't. I've got a pretty good bell curve going, mostly B's, some A's and C's, and a couple D's. And one person flunking, but she hasn't shown up since week two. I don't feel responsible for her.
And that's where my quandry lies. I feel responsible for all these kids. Or maybe not responsible: parts of me feel like the kids who are getting A's are doing it all on their own, and the ones who aren't doing well aren't doing well because I'm not teaching it well enough. I know it's a little bit of both. This is college, and all I'm supposed to do is present the material and make sure I'm available to answer questions. These kids don't ask questions so much, so it's difficult to gauge how well they understand until we get to a graded assignment. I'm constantly reverting to the TKD teaching mantra that I picked up from Randal: "Does that make sense?" Sometimes I get a couple nods, but mostly non-committal faces. I have to look for blank looks, and I don't see many, but that could be inexperience, too.
At any rate, most of them will be disappointed in their grades, because I am, too. There was one question in particular that disappointed me, because 90% of the class didn't read the question that was asked. [rolleyes] I will definitely be going over Word Problems 101 this evening. I told them it was going to be a difficult test, and I let them have cheat sheets on index cards, and I gave them a study guide with the topics on the test. Number one clue that it's going to be a difficult test is that you get a cheat sheet. You know that what's on the cheat sheet is not what you're going to be tested on. It's your ability to use what's on the cheat sheet. Better they learn that now, I guess.
God, I'm glad this class is almost over.
posted by Amanda @ 3:09 PM
7 Antiphon:
You do know that a B is still above average right? A C is average. that is what level a curve is going to asssume most kids are at. Why are you so upset? They mostly got B's a couple are getting A's, (all above average) A few are getting C's (Average!) And a couple are getting D's. Why is that your problem? They got a cheat sheet! for cryin out loud. Cheat Sheets are just a sneaky way of getting people to study anyway. By the time you MAKE the thing you have gone over the material, figured out what was important enough to write down, and are familiar with it. If you get less than a B on a cheat sheet test, then you didnt put in anytime on making the sheet in the first place so it wouldnt have helped much on the test anyway. Dont be so hard on yourself! They're in college. They need to know how to study for a test by now, and they should be able to take responsilblity for the effort they have put in. Even if you do offer extra credit, the people who will actually DO It are probably NOT the people who NEED it anyway. It'll be the people who are already doing fine.
Is that why I ask if they understand all the time? I didn't realize I might have stolen it.
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Could it be that the students were slacking off because the first test was easier than expected? It doesn't matter if you tell them the next test will be harder because they will remember the first exam and take everything you say with a grain of salt.
You have bent over backwards to help these kids and some still won't get it. This reminds me of an exam I gave. I pasted out the test with the answer key staple to the back of each test. I didn't catch the error until all the test were handed in and graded. I still had people who failed! Even with the answer to a multiple choice test right in front of them I still had people who could not break the 50 percent mark!
You can't save them all. You can be the best teacher in the universe and you will still have student that fail. Don't take it personally.
My experience is that even if you spoonfeed some students, they will not give you what you want when you test them. That's the way it is. If you were clear about your expectations and know that you covered all the information needed to do well on the test, then you are not at fault. The only time I have realized that my teaching was at fault was when nearly every student failed one portion of a test. I threw out that part, retaught it and tested it again. But usually I know that how they do is a reflection of their work and not mine.
Even so, I often tell my students that when they do badly on a test that nobody feels worse about it than I do!
I have that same feeling about responsiblity and disappointment and on and on.
Teaching is hard.
And for what it is worth, I felt bad in the end because 90% of my class got in the A range and I started thinking I didn't challenge them enough. While still wondering if I somehow failed the two students in the D/F range.
I'm insane.
For some reason blogger wouldn't let me comment until now but I just wanted to say that, dude - those results look perfectly good to me!
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