Algebra 2 Test and Reflections on the Last Chapter

I gave a test on Thursday this week in Algebra II. My fourth hour class didn’t do so great. I wonder if some of it was the test – I weighted the problems so that ones with more steps are worth more points, and I’m not sure if that benefits students or not. But mostly I think I need to provide more structure in that class. (My seventh hour class did much better on the same test.) I thought almost all afternoon and night on Thursday about how to deal with their poor test grades. I decided to let them correct the tests and give them 25% back. I also wanted to have a conversation with them about how we can improve their learning. I offered up things I am going to change: homework due the next day, going over homework, and notebook quizzes. I didn’t tell them that I am thinking of changing the way I present material to them. I also them what I would like to see from them: taking notes, paying attention in class, doing homework, asking questions, and using resources like me, Mr. Turner, their book, and the internet. I was planning on going more in depth in this conversation by having them think about what I could do to improve and sharing it, as well as writing down that they could do to improve their learning for the next chapter. They didn’t seem to need much more discussion, though, so I only gave them my little spiel. Then I offered the test corrections and they seemed satisfied with that. I spent way too much time re-grading so I will have to work that out for the future, but I think some of them learned more material from doing the corrections, so I like how that worked.

I am concerned about how much time it’s going to take me to rethink how I teach this class. How to set up the homework and quiz system. How to provide more structure in my presentations. How to present topics more directly and at their level. I am also looking forward to trying something this new system. I had been kind of going along at the same pace for a while, and I’m glad to have something new to try. I feel like there are still a lot of things I missed that I could have learned from teaching this chapter and from how the test went. I have a long ways to go, but I am slowly learning what students need to help them succeed.