In chapter 4 of Classrooom Instruction That Works, I found a solution to a problem I've been having with a group of my top students. They have increasingly put less and less effort into their study, and it has been showing in their performance. I put up a rubric on effort and we discussed it. Then I gave them the chart that is shown here. Each week they have to rate themselves on their effort, and I give them a performance score that relates to their work for the week. Then we discuss any discrepancy and what needs to be done as far as effort to get them where they should be. I've only been doing this for two weeks, but it seems to be making a difference.
I'm interested to hear how this works for you after a few weeks. I started doing something along the same lines for my 5th grade students when we do Literature Circles. One of the biggest problems I had was students not completing the reading on time or coming to group discussions unprepared. I started using a self rating chart that they would keep over the course of a 3-week period. It didn't completely eliminate the problems, but it has been better. I feel like I have a better handle on my students progress too.
ReplyDeleteWow, hope this idea worked for you. Great idea! Let us know how it worked!
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