Sunday, February 3, 2008

So Long ...


Some of you are moving on to graduation, others will be back next year. I just wanted to share a few parting thoughts: you're capable of achieving great things when you put time, energy, and effort into it ... don't let the sky be your limit. ;-)

I'm so glad we've had this time together,

Just to have a laugh or learn some math,

Seems we've just got started and before you know it,

Comes the time we have to say, "So Long!"


So long everybody! Watch this space for pointers to new blogs for each of my classes.

Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu, and all those good bye things. ;-)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

BITTERSWEET

I'm sure everyone is thinking the same thing, "Math is FINALLY done! OH YEAH!" that's great and all but when you stop to think about it, math was really fun. I really had fun in that class, I can honestly say that it's the best class I've had ever. Math was actually fun because I had my friends and everyone else there was friendly and helpful. We worked as a class and everyone got along well. We fought in class but that was all based on math, that's how we learned. It's sweet that we don't have to worry about math now, however it's bitter because everyone made math bearable! It was like fun and math put together, didn't think that there was such a thing. Well, I'm going to miss this class the most. Good luck with you all!

-SAMUS

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Class Survey Results

The exam is over and we did a little survey in class. The results are below; 27 students participated. If you'd like to add another comment on what you see here email me or leave a comment below this post.


Without any further ado, here are the results of our class's survey. Please share your thoughts by commenting (anonymously if you wish) below .....


Classroom Environment
The questions in this section were ranked using this 5 point scale:

Strongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgreeStrongly Agree
12345


The bold numbers after each item are the average ratings given by the entire class.

1. The teacher was enthusiastic about teaching the course. 4.89

2. The teacher made students feel welcome in seeking help in/outside of class. 4.52

3. My interest in math has increased because of this course. 3.70

4. Students were encouraged to ask questions and were given meaningful answers. 4.74

5. The teacher enhanced the class through the use of humour. 4.56

6. Course materials were well understood and explained clearly by the teacher. 4.15

7. Graded materials fairly represented student understanding and effort. 4.16
(This question was answered by 26 students.)

8. The teacher showed a genuine interest in individual students. 4.19

9. I have learned something that I consider valuable. 4.48

10. The teacher normally came to class well prepared. 4.56

Overall Impression of the Course
The questions in this section were ranked using this 5 point scale:

Very PoorPoorAverageGoodVery Good
12345


1. Compared with other high school courses I have taken, I would say this course was: 4.30

2. Compared with other high school teachers I have had, I would say this teacher is: 4.78

3. As an overall rating, I would say this teacher is: 4.70

Course Characteristics

1. Course difficulty, compared to other high school courses:

Very Easy
0%
Easy
4%
Average
22%
Difficult
59%
Very Difficult
15%


2. Course workload, compared to other high school courses:

Very Easy
0%
Easy
7%
Average
48%
Difficult
37%
Very Difficult
7%


3. Hours per week required outside of class:

0 to 2
15%
2 to 3
37%
3 to 5
15%
5 to 7
26%
over 7
7%


4. Expected grade in the course:

F
11%
D
15%
C
37%
B
37%
A
0%


Specific Feedback
[Ed. Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of students, over 1, that gave the same answer.]

What was your best learning experience in this course?
Learning other things in life that involved math (3)
The Blog (16)
Workshop Classes (6)
Developing Expert Voices Project (11)
the SMARTboard (5)
flickr assignment
group work (7)
pre-tests (6)
interactive work (2)
class discussions (4)
scribes (7)
Mr. K. (2)
asking questions
the different projects we did
Mr. K's speeches


What was your worst learning experience in this course?

Developing Expert Voices Project
homework (2)
not doing homework
not asking questions
working alone (4)
late getting tests back (2)
flickr assignment
group work (3)
doing my Developing Expert Voices Project alone
nothing (3)
pop quizzes
not knowing what to do (3)
"that I learned awesome software called SMARTboard"
whenever Mr. K. was absent
not being able to answer easy questions


What changes would you suggest to improve the way this course is taught?

teach slower
teacher gets off topic and makes me lose motivation
teacher sometimes wordy explaining different concepts
bring back Go For Gold
lighten the homework load
give tests back ASAP (4)
ask and solve questions consistently; not in different ways
more group work (2)
more math jokes
more review before the exam
none (4)
start semester with a test on previous knowledge
give more notes instead of just lecturing
bring back the "Math Dictionary" (2)
bring back the del.icio.us box


Additional Student Comments

this class was the best ever
the teacher answered questions even when asked 100 times
good use of SMARTboard technology
I really enjoyed this class; it was fun and not boring
Mr. K. was extremely enthusiastic and creative about everything



It's interesting to compare the items that were considered both the worst and best learning experiences. Also, take a look at the list of worst learning experiences compared to suggestions for next year. Help me do a better job next year by commenting on what you see here ....