Category Archives: Assignment Reporting & Teacher Feedback

Help for students struggling with math: “guided” v “independent” practice

At the A+ Club we often hear from parents that their child is struggling in math.

Sometimes it’s, “she never does well in math” or “he does his math homework but scores poorly on quizzes and tests.”

Why students struggle in math: guided v independent practice empowered by feedback from The A+ Club on Vimeo.

Guided practice” is when the teacher shows or “teaches” a new topic or skill.

Independent practice” is when the student engages it by him or herself.

Effective teaching develops learning through a deliberate combination of guided and independent practice, where each builds upon the other. However, if the two are disconnected b an absence of effective and direct teacher to student feedback, then learning doesn’t happen.

This is why kids often say, “I get it when my teacher explains it, but I can’t do it on my own.” When your child complains that he or she “doesn’t test well,” it’s because your child is not receiving effective feedback to empower the independent practice required for learning.

This process is the same for all courses and subjects, but it more frequently manifests in math classes because math learning is not as easily processed through “guided practice” as other subjects.

In our A+ Club academic program, we engage students in effective learning techniques and provide guidance and direct math tutoring and in all subjects for overall academic success.

– Michael

How teachers can use WordPress blogging to enhance student engagement

Every teacher’s goal is student engagement, both in and out of class

Strong Stuff
Strong Stuff

The more our students act on our lessons and expectations outside of class, the better they function in class. Nothing new there.

And the difficulty to achieve it in part explains the annual Professional Development (PD) flogging with the latest, greatest solution to student engagement: “Differentiated Learning,” “Flipped Classrooms,” “Student-Centered Learning,” “Cooperative Learning,” and so on, that attempt to trick students into suddenly caring about our lessons and classrooms.

I’ve tried them all, and I know you have, too. Continue reading

Scaffolding students out of procrastination: teacher interview with Mike Cahir

Scaffolding students out of procrastination: teacher interview with Mike Cahir

Student Success Podcast No. 16
Feb. 10, 2014, recorded Feb 8, 2014

Today’s Guest: Mike Cahir, Teacher and Department Chair, English Department, Archbishop Carroll High School, Washington, DC

In this interview, Mike rejoins us to discuss procrastination from the point of view of a high school teacher. I ask him about his take on procrastination, and then I review some of the ideas that we are learning from Dr. Pychyl of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University. Mike processes this new information through delivers his own experiences and offers ideas and advice for both students and teachers. Continue reading

Agenda books and schools: making good little secretaries

agenda-book_msclipartWhy are we teaching kids to use 1970s technology?

Ever hear of Day Timer? Yes, the personal agenda book still exists, but only for a few old school types. Except in schools, where the kids are supposed to use agenda books, and it’s all their damned fault if they don’t.

Seriously. At the A+ Club, we hear from teachers all the time that Johnny “just needs to do what all the other students do and write down the assignments in his agenda book.”

If it were up to me, every kid would have exchange email and  Outlook working seamlessly on their computers, tablets, and phones, and everything they need to do would be posted there automatically. Continue reading

Feeding back: constant, comprehensive & positive feedback

Feeding back: constant, comprehensive & positive feedback

Student Success Podcast No. 7, Nov. 6, 2013

Today’s Guest: none

Bromley discusses the essential process of feedback. Feedback is simple human interaction. And these interactions so define the teacher-student relationship.  Students will benefit from understanding their role in this relationship. And teachers, too, need to maintain positive, effective interactions with students.

Feedback, being communicating teacher expectations and assessments, is a critical part of teaching and learning, and the more constant, comprehensive, and positive it is the better students will responds. By positive we don’t mean only good news: but bad news needs to be delivered in a constructive, positive manner that engages student improvement rather than cutting it down.

Bromley reviews strategies and ideas for teacher feedback and how students and parents can engage this process.

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Topics Discussed

  • Feedback = human interactions
    • Feedback is constant
    • Every time teachers and students see each other there is feedback
    • Students and teachers need to engage in positive relationships
    • working on saying hello in the morning
  • Goal setting as driving force for positive interactions
    • information flow important for focus on goals
    • Positive feedback drives goal-setting
        • Positive feedback not necessarily about positive things
        • student choices based on good information
        • student choices rational not emotional
    • Raising student awareness
    • Setting expectations
    • Assessments as feedback
    • Effective feedback is constant and positive
    • Assignment reporting
    • Learning Process: learning is not grades!
      • grades measure something, but not necessarily learning

Additional Resources and Links

  • Learning Process Flowchart
    • Where do grades come from?
    • Learning = teacher expectations + student internalization of new knowledge
    • Grades = a measurement of something
      • the best grading measures learning
      • grading does not always measure learning (such as putting your name on the paper, etc.)

Credits

Host: Michael L. Bromley
Original Music by Christopher Bromley (copyright 2011, 2013)
Background snoring: by Stella
Best Dogs Ever: by Puck & Stella

Puck the hunting dog!
Puck the hunting dog!

 Here for Puck & Stella slideshow

The A+ Club from School4Schools.com LLC, based in Arlington, VA, is dedicated to helping students across the U.S.A. meet their goals and find the academic success the want and deserve. Contact us here or call now  to (703) 271-5334 to see how we can help.