Ida Case 3
From TeacherWiki
Overview:
- I recognized a need for something to help organize my students' written work.
- Instituted a policy of using an ASSISTment worksheet. Each student used one worksheet for each problem set and then put it in a pile on my desk under a cover sheet.
- After two days of using the ASSISTment cover sheet I switched to using notebook paper. Most of my students were able to use this method.
Contents |
Day 1
It was our first day in the computer lab. I had prepared my teacher account and made all my classes. Then I had all my students log in and make student accounts. Before the students started to work, I handed out half sheets of paper and told them to record the ASSISTment number so that I could go back and look at their work if I wanted.
Well, I got a lot of scrap paper back when I collected the students' work. In Figure 1 you can see an example of the type of work I got. Student 2 did a nice job following directions, but she was the only student who did this and she forgot to put her name on her paper. Student 1 just scratched out her work (there were a lot of papers like this) and Student 3 just wrote the ASSISTment numbers and did not show much work.
Figure 1
This haphazard method of having kids do their work is going to have to change. I need to teach my students to organize their work. There are two main reasons I need their work to be organized:
- Many of the problems on the ASSISTments are complicated and need to be solved by writing steps down on paper. I know many of my students think that since they are in the computer lab they do not need to write things down. I want to teach them that they will be more successful if they put pencil to paper.
- I want to be able to quickly look at their work when I study the item report. This will help me better understand their misconceptions and their solution strategies.
Day 2
I decided to use the ASSISTment worksheet (see the appendix). I wanted to start out by being incredibly organized; I figured I could let up later if I wanted. So I had them use one sheet for each Problem set. When they finished a problem set they got up, put the sheet in a pile on the table and got a new sheet for the next problem set. On the table I put a cover sheet that had the name of the class and the problem set name as well as the number that corresponds to my students' problem set list. One added bonus was that the students could get up and stretch their legs between problem sets.
I was very pleased with the results. Figure 2 shows an example of a typical worksheet that was turned in.
Figure 2
Day 3
I continued to use the ASSISTment worksheets and I continued to collect work under a cover sheet. I did notice that this system took a lot of copying on my part and we are limited at my school on how many copies we can make each year. I think I will try having the students use their notebook paper next time.
Day 4
I had the students use their notebook paper today and it worked great. You can see some typical work in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Many of the students drew in the boxes themselves. I really like that they now have lines to write on and that if they need more room than is in the box they have it. I think that using the ASSISTment worksheets helped my students understand my expectations and now they can follow through on their own on notebook paper. I will keep using the worksheets with some students who are still having a hard time organizing their work. I will use this as a way to teach them to be more organized.
Figure 3
Figure 4
I am still using the cover sheet since I like to have the work organized and together so I can reference it if I want to while I look at the item reports.
Conclusion
After the first day of class I found I really needed to get my students to be more organized. Here is what I did.
- Day1: I asked the students to show their work but I got a lot of scratches.
- Day 2: I used the ASSISTment worksheet and organized my collections with a coversheet.
- Day 3: I continued to use the ASSISTment worksheet and the cover sheet.
- Day 4: I am now having my students use notebook paper but they are instructed to keep it organized and list the problem set and the ASSISTment number. I am also still using the cover sheet.
