More data collection

This past week, my assistant principal observed my classroom.  We did a review activity where the class worked with individual white boards.  We met the next day to talk about what she saw.  She said that there is no doubt that there is a very high level of student engagement during my lessons.  She said that it is difficult for students to hide in my classroom.  If they don't participate in the activities, they stand out and standing out is awkward, so they choose to participate. 

I think my data definitely tells me that student engagement is extremely high in activities that involve movement.  Student engagement is still high in my classroom where movement is not a factor, but less than when it is.  It would make sense to me that if student engagement is high, learning happens.  At the same time, there are students out there that don't learn well in interactive activities that require movement, so I need to utilize other types of activities as well.

There is something to be said for students enjoying your class.  I think my students have enjoyed my class, and I credit a lot of that to the types of activities we do in class.  Students don't just sit in their seats all class period listening to me, but rather they are interacting with classmates and engaging in active activities.  I think they enjoy this, which is another reason for the level of participation I have seen. 

I would still like to do another survey asking them more questions about how they learn best and what types of activities they enjoy or don't enjoy. 

Survey Results

I have a lot of data telling me that students are very engaged during activities that involve movement, but don't have too much data telling me about student learning.  One question on the survey asked the students how well they understand the material we study in class.  57 out of the 59 surveyed, answered with "Great" or "Pretty Good."  Also, about 70% of the students surveyed said they prefer an interactive learning environment over a quiet more individual-based learning environment. 

I think overall, the majority of the students enjoy and do well in an active learning environment where they engage in many activities that incorporate movement.  There are certainly still kids that like a quiet environment where they are able to work alone at times, so I need to do a good job of balancing the types of activities I do.  I need to mix in a variety in order to reach the different learning styles if all students. 

I am pretty happy with what has transpired in my class.  I think the kids have enjoyed the activities we do in class and I truly think a high percentage of them have a strong understanding of the material.  It could just be the group of kids I have, but the class average on the last quiz and test I gave was the highest I remember in my 6 years of teaching. 

New Observations

The past few weeks, the students have been quite rowdy.  It has been more difficult to keep their attention, partly because this chapter has been prolonged due to MEA and other things, and partly because they are becoming more and more comfortable with their classmates and the environment of the class.  I promote interaction and sometimes that has its cons as they are too chatty when it is time to do some whole-group teacher-directed instruction.  This is an opportunity for me to use some "brain breaks" to give them a quick opportunity to release their energy. 

I think this also reaffirms to me that my students need active learning opportunities.  They are full of energy and I have to find a productive ways for them to use that energy.  I feel like whenever I do make my students engage in activities that involve movement, they seem more engaged.