Taking a step back to move two steps forward
I am in class now that is challenging and very rewarding. My classroom consisted of a few students that are very intelligent, a few students struggling with the English language, a couple students with learning disabilities that have requested my assistance and a handful of students that are very disrupting to the class. The remaining few students are quiet and getting lost in the chaos.
It didn't take long to recognize I needed help. The first quiz scores reinforced the sense of urgency and need for change. Half the class earned 100%, the other half were lucky if they scored 20%.
I am a new instructor and have yet to get constructive feedback on my decision to restructure the classroom environment. I carefully paired up students with a partner and asked them to work together as a team. Every few days I changed the teams and solicited honest feedback from everyone.
A couple weeks into the course, a death in the family forced me to cancel class the day before a midterm exam. Instead of complaining about the horrible timing of my family emergency, my students made the best of the situation and decided to review for the midterm without an instructor. Every student showed up to class and actively participated in the review session. In addition to their superior teamwork and positive attitude, they enforced my 10 minute break rule and were mindful of not disturbing other classes.
However, I did choose to eliminate a few lecture topics in hopes of accomplishing the above results.
What are your thoughts regarding my decision? With the little information you have, how would a more experienced instructor have handled this differently? Am I justified in my decision or did I make a rooky mistake?
There are some times in which deciding which topics to remove from a course is very difficult. If the course you teach is a prerequisite course, you need to make sure the students get to a certain point, and it's even more challenging when there are different programs that need different parts of the course for future classes.
I had a class a few years ago that - in general - was slow in grasping the material for the math class I was teaching. However, I had to make sure I got to a specific point by the end of the term, because if I did not, I would be putting the instructor of the next course they took behind the proverbial 8-ball (this course was the 2nd of 4 consecutive courses). Since math is certainly a stepping-stone type of course, skipping one section could lead to problems with sections down the line, and the snowball effect could take place there just as easily as if you were to push forward.
When put in a situation like this - where the following course assumes a student has the knowledge up to "point x" and you either have to fall short of that point, or cut corners to get the students there - which is the so-called lesser of the two evils?
Angela,
I often take topics out of the course content in order to make sure the foundation exercises were understood. It would not make much sense to push forward; it would be confusing for you and for the students.
Hi Angela - Wow! I am amazed at how well you dealt with a really difficult class composition to begin with. I would not have handled the situation any differently. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
