Self Evaluation
One thing I do to improve my teaching is self evaluation. After each class I make notes of what went well and what I have to improve on for the next time. I think students need to do the same thing to become better students. Today you took a test on trig topics. You should ask yourself how that went. What did you do while studying that helped you? Make note of that so you do the same thing next time. Did you study enough? What can you do for the next test that will make you even more successful? I want all my students to want more. Don’t be satisfied with minimum achievements. Reach as high as you can.
Comments
Hillary
I agree with Hillary and Mr. Dewar, I would rather understand a concept even if the grade is not what I would like it to be. There is always time to learn more and increase the grade on the next test or quiz, rather than have to learn a concept over.
Mrs. Taylor I couldn't agree with you more about reaching the highest potential. Honestly at first I thought about dropping down to level one but I reconsidered because I felt that I knew I could push myself to do better.
I think that I definitely should have studied our previous tests more. I find that I lose the most points on those questions because I focus too much on worrying that I dont know how to do what the chapter teaches us, when I dont really need to. However, I did notice that the review sheets you put on edline were a big help, as always (Thank you :]) and I thought I did well on the test overall.
~Brianna R.
I agree with what Mr. Dewar said about how understanding the concept is what is most important. I understand what is going on in math and I understand the concepts but my grade isn't as high as I would like it. This is mostly because of silly things that should not have been made. If I understand the concept then that is more important because I know that i can always improve on my tests/quizes.
I also agre with Mrs Taylor because I think that everyone should always reach to their highest potential and push themsleves to do better. Like Emma, I also thought about dropping down to a lower level in math in the beginning of the year. I decided not to because I knew that I could push myself to do better.
--Kristen
~Jacklene
Ben
I agree with Mrs. Taylor, in that, everyone should always try to reach their highest potential. Sometimes its a struggle, but getting through it gives one such a feeling of accomplishment that it is worht the extra effort. As for grades reflecting understanding, as Mr. Dewar discussed, I belive that grades and understanding can be true reflections of understanding, but in some cases, they are not. One can defintiely have a decent grade, without understanding the major concepts. I find myself in that situation in a different class, its quite frustrating because while my grade is decent, I dont understand a lot of what goes on in the class, and that is what Ill be tested on in May. So, overall, I think it depends on how the teacher weighs assignments, and how tough he/she grades. Grades are numbers assigned to skill level. Each teacher and subject is different, so a grade may be higher or lower than the student's actual understanding of the topic.
Studying for a math test for me has always been non-existant until this year. Usually I learn the lesson through the homework and classwork and do fine on the tests, this year is different however. The helpful review sheets and extra practice provided on edline make me feel like it would be wrong of me not to study. But like the discussion Mr. Dewar initiated, it is more important that i retain the imformation being taught rather than cramming the night before the test to get a good grade. -Casey:]
Personally i found the using the practice sheets that are on edline really help because the questions on the test are usually very similar. In the future i know that i need to look over my past test more carefully, because i don't usually remember the past material as well as i should.
In the long run, I don't know if this is a good or bad thing...
I look at math as (using that same analogy again) a puzzle. When I sit down and look at a test, I can reach a correct answer because the steps it takes to get there make sense. I find myself losing points over careless errors (forgetting a negative sign?); studying, in my opinion, really can't remedy that.
I don't know...I hope that didn't sound vain at all.
In regards to reaching your highest, there really is little that gets to me more than wasted potential. If you're able to do it, there really is no reason not to. People who just don't try slash just don't care really irk me. Honestly, everyone should reach to impress themselves and the people around them. There really is no better feeling than knowing you tried your hardest and succeeded as a result. Self-achievement for the win.
Wasted talent also really annoys me, not just at school, but in life. there is nothing worse than someone with the potential to do something great wasting it by being lazy or not trying. well, this blog is getting a little long, so i'll get going.
---Gil