A true way of gaging a students progress is by asking question in the simplest form and see if you get feedback or not. Student that are studing and staying focused on the course will give feedback and those not studying will not.
Rick,
I think you will like the feedback and insight you get from using the cards. They are simple to use and highly effective in results.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Our school has 6 week modules and administration gives an overall student evaluation on the last week. This includes every aspect of the school. It addresses Instructor perfomance, financial aid issues, placement issues, equipment issues, and any other comments the students would like to make.
But I really like the idea of having some greater input from the students during the 6 weeks of class.
Perhaps 3 x 5 cards of their assessment of the academic instruction coupled with their machine project activity. This intrigues me.
Rosemary,
We need to have a system of regular student input and feedback for the reasons you state. This is how we improve our instructional expertise and communication.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Feedback from students helps to keep focus on students because it tells us where our strengths and our weaknesses are, and therefore allows us to identify areas of opportunity. For example, a DOE can use student classroom evaluations (surveys) along with other material such as attrition rates, and observation tools to conduct individual instructor coaching sessions.
George,
How do you do this?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
you can make the needed changes to make them better understand.
Rebecca,
I think you are as well. I congratulate you in your effort to help them realize that if they love their field and are dedicated to preparing to enter it then they have made the right choice not matter the perceived status of that field by others. Keep up your work to encourage and support. You are making a difference in their lives.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Recently a group of students let me know that due to their choice in feild they felt less important than those who choose one of the other programs. The other program is where the bulk of our students are, and they were feeling neglected. Without this feedback I would never have had the chance to let them know just how important their career field was. I assumed they choose this field because they understood how important they were. I belive i have empowered them with the knowledge and the confidence that they too, are important.
Mark,
These letters are why we keep coming back to the classroom year after year. Knowing we have impacted lives and helped our students create a future for themselves is worth all of the challenges that come with our work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Jessica,
This is a great way to engage students while getting valuable feedback. I am sure the students get a lot of valuable insight form writing in their journals and reflecting on how far they have come since the beginning of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Throughout the years I have had several students write me letters describing how much I helped them learn the material and prepare them to work in the field. When my batteries get low, I pull out those letters and read all of them again. This really helps me to refocus on my current students and to continue guiding them like I have other students in the past.
Regularly throughout the quarter, I have my students complete a journal entry where they reflect on particular assignments. I ask them questions about what assignments they feel the most confident in and which they feel the least confident in and why. I then use their comments to edit the way I present my lectures and instructions for their next writing assignment (I'm an English teacher).
Jessica,
Good point and one we need to remember as we do our instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Melody,
Student feedback is an important part of teacher growth and improvement. They really help us to step up our game and become better.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Student feedback is like constructive criticism. They are the customers.
Student feedback is a critical part of ensuring success for both instructors and students. Feedback enables students and instructors to collaborate in efforts to remediate and tackle down areas of challenges. This requires consistent feedback, a plan of action and modification. And of course, student recognitions are just as important to celebrate students' success!
Feedback from students it's extremely important because it provides the instructor the opportunity to reassess teaching techniques based on the feedback and therefore allow maximum student success.
Marc,
I do the same thing and the results really help me to adapt and/or modify my instructional delivery if needed. I value student feedback to help me become a better instructor.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I ask students mid way through the course and towards the end on what they thought about the course and the presentation. Some of their responses are very constructive and have helped change some of my teaching methods.
