Nearly Two Months On

I have been thinking for sometime about keeping a journal for myself about my class. This blog never came to be used for its primary purpose as most of my students lack home computers and internet access. To that end, I will continue this Blog with much of the primary purpose still in mind, but with more of an emphasis on allowing me to reflect on what has occured in class. And goodness what has occured:

Yesterday, I discovered that my Thursday work group class (3rd Period) LOVE debate. Every class begins the same way: I put a quote on the board and the students tell me what it means. The point is to develop critical thinking skills, but the students showed me that and more. Certainly they've been developing over the last month and a half good habits of critical thinking, but would never have predicted the reaction. Practically every student in the class participated in the discussion that ensued. I moderated as usual, throwing questions to keep the dialogue flowing, but the students took the class in the direction they wanted to go. And what a paradise they sailed to!

The Thursday work group is the "problem" work group at school. The other teachers have reported the most problems with these students and I have experienced the general apathy as well, but what a transformation with the debate! Their work could stand a similar transformation, but I will, as their teacher, continue to have to seek out what that transformation might look like and how it might occur. Sadly, time will probably be the only cure for apathy about homework - time and report cards, which come out in two weeks.

The Tuesday Work Group continues to surge ahead. Today, they completed 1/4 of the chart concerning the Iron Age civilizations (Celts, Assyrians, Israelites/Hebrews, Phoenicians) and loved the discussion about the Celts - but they usually take to the history minutiae better than the other three classes. I'm having my doubts about the presentations I made them give on their outlines. They didn't seem to understand outlining at all and the lack of a textbook that they can work on outside of class only adds to the difficulty. I hope the textbooks I ordered arrive soon.