This past week one of the most surprising things
happened in class. I am sure it wasn't a sudden change, but I paused for a
moment during class while the students were in groups to observe what was going
on and was pleasantly surprised. All of the groups for the first time all
semester were actually focused and working on their assignment. Typically I am
going around to each group that is goofing around to check their progress and
encourage them to get back on task. It could be due to the fact that they are
more interested in the current project or that they have finally gotten into
the routine of being back at school. Whatever the reason, it was great to see
each group being productive without being constantly reminded to get back to
work. They have been almost more productive in class the past week than the
past two weeks! I believe it proves that if you can find a way to make the work
more relatable to what interests the students, then they will put fourth their
best efforts on the assignment. This project of creating a music video also is
the first video where they get to be fully creative and follow a less
restricted project outline.
This is very good news to read. I know with my classes, a lot of the students actually interact more now, perhaps because of the routine like you said. They give more feedback voluntarily now. They show more emotional connections into the things I do differently.
ReplyDeleteI try to show videos from YouTube or TeacherTube that are engaging and actually funny. What I have found is that the students have been responding a lot more. My last class of the day always laughs out loud at even the weakest of jokes from whatever they are watching. This has made me more confident in how I deliver my material and I know it’s making a difference!