It was nice to be back to high school observations after three weeks off. Kindness Week at the elementary went well, but I still know I'd rather be in a high school classroom. This week was a bit rough, because the Calculus students started a new unit right after I left, and they were reviewing for their final test this week. I knew the material, but since I was a bit fuzzy on it I had to really think on my feet as I was going through the concepts with students. On the whole, however, it went well and I definitely know they benefited from my intervention. More and more, I grow to enjoy sketching pictures on the board and explaining the most minute concepts so that the students not only know how to use theorems, but they know WHY they work in each situation. My biggest struggle is convincing the students to write out all their work, draw pictures, don't skip steps, etc. They often just work too fast or give up too soon, so I've been working at trying to get students to take the time so they can get it right the first time. The ones who have responded to my feedback do seem to be improving in their ability to learn on their own.
Additionally, a large portion of the students' review was AP packets, filled with questions from the tests of previous years that have been released. This prepares the students for the complex applications of their knowledge for the actual AP Test. This is another case where Mr. Gmerek and I try to get the students to explain their thoughts and understanding, because we know how they should work in order to get a 5 on the AP Test. They're progressing well and adapting to the AP style, so I think they'll be fine, but I definitely want to push them to "just write more, it won't hurt". They'll begin a new unit next week, which will be the culmination of everything they've learned this year. There will be a lot of struggles with students picturing the concepts as we move in to applying calculus to volumes and surface areas of shapes. I'm excited to see how it goes!
Additionally, a large portion of the students' review was AP packets, filled with questions from the tests of previous years that have been released. This prepares the students for the complex applications of their knowledge for the actual AP Test. This is another case where Mr. Gmerek and I try to get the students to explain their thoughts and understanding, because we know how they should work in order to get a 5 on the AP Test. They're progressing well and adapting to the AP style, so I think they'll be fine, but I definitely want to push them to "just write more, it won't hurt". They'll begin a new unit next week, which will be the culmination of everything they've learned this year. There will be a lot of struggles with students picturing the concepts as we move in to applying calculus to volumes and surface areas of shapes. I'm excited to see how it goes!