In the midst of final project conferences with my Women in Lit kids. Am loving the ideas they have: we're going to end up with children's books and videos and life-size paper mache Barbies.
What I'm loving most, however, is the ten or so minutes I get with each student. In talking to them about their projects I'm reaping the side benefit of getting to know each of them better. I wish I had done this sooner.
I'm getting amazing thoughts from students who are usually quiet. I'm having to cull down Ph.D. level goals for my overachievers. I'm learning even more deeply how each of my kids thinks--and figuring out different ways to deal with that.
I basically feel more connected with them all, and am considering ways to meet with all of my students in similar, quick, touch-base kind of ways from the very beginning. It takes up a lot of time on my part, but I feel so much better about both my relationship with each student and my ability to teach them in the best way possible.
Perhaps a quarter and mid quarter conference would work. The first meeting could be to lay it on the line: how are you as a student? What do I need to know about you? What are your strengths and weaknesses? We could also set concrete goals at that time, and put together a document for their folder. At mid quarter we'd check on those goals and add some progress notes on their goal sheet. Same for the rest of the meetings.
So that would be 4-5 meetings for semester courses and 8-10 for the year.
Teachers, what do you think? Or even non-teachers, for that matter--too much? Ideas?
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I like that idea. It's always a great thing to get to know teachers too as more than just the person who will ultimately set your grade for the course; we get to see them as people. Some of my favorite people have been my teachers and I love being able to talk about non-school related things and get to know teachers and my professors as well. I think having meetings are a great way to get to know someone, especially when everyone's schedules are so crazy that people tend to forget to sit down and just talk for a while. Those are the times I value most and the times I will always remember even if I forget what grade I got on my last paper or what a certain book was about. =)
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent idea. It inculcates the importance of goal-setting and communication, while also encouraging the students to obtain a greater self-awareness. If you think about what we have to do now as working adults: endless meetings, progress reports, and employee evaluations. You're teaching them how to work effectively, at a much younger age. I feel as if Iolani had thoroughly prepared me for college, but here, you are exceeding the collegiate and venturing to the professional.
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