Monitoring
Betty's Improvement
Betty is a very attentive student but seems very unfocused. She has
a hard time discerning what information is important. She also has difficulty
making connections across topics. Therefore, instead of building on what
she already knows, she takes each day as a clean slate, which does not
work to her benefit. One of the reasons I believe that she has a hard time
adding on to what she has learned before is that she is a very disorganized
person.
On this test, note that she has a hard time with the conceptual problems.
Additionally, her work on the incorrect problems is rather messy while
on the problems she answers correctly she sets them up perfectly.
The trend continues on this quiz. Again, she has trouble with the concepts.
On very clear cut problems such as balancing equations and identifying
basic and acidic anhydrides, she does superbly. However, on the second
page, where she has to apply knowledge in order to predict reactions, she
struggles. I believe that this problem stems from the fact that she is
not able to go back and look over her notes because they are almost illegible.
Because she is not able to organize ideas well, she unable to get an intuitive
sense of handling these problems.
In order to get her on the right track, I spoke with Betty about some
organizational skills. I explained to her that just because it does not
come naturally does not mean that she cannot learn how to do it. I encouraged
her to rewrite her notes and to ask me questions during class or before
school if anything was unclear after she went back to it. On the single
displacement lab, you can first see her rough draft and then her final
copy. Notice the way she can organize her thoughts if she takes the time.
Betty came often before school to get her questions answered. Gradually
enough confidence was built up that she was able to participate a lot in
class. The fact that she got her questions answered right away made a huge
difference. Notice the improvement on this test. On the quiz, she was unable
to predict reactions. On the test she aced that section.
To help her become more organized, Betty develops her own system. Notice
how she writes notes to herself to help her remember to come see me. Additionally,
she writes herself reminders to do extra problems in the book to gain even
more proficiency.
Her system pays off. Not only does she do exceptionally well on the
quiz, but she is also consistent and persistent, doing excellently on the
test as well.
What really made Betty a success in the end was the fact that she created
her own success. I was merely a guide and a support on the journey; however,
she had to succeed on her own. She was self-motivated and was able to find
a method of studying that worked for her. I am proud that I was able to
encourage her along the way and that I was there to give her advice and
tutoring when she needed it. What I learned is that in order to make a
long-lasting change in a student's future, he or she has to be ready to
make a commitment. A teacher cannot create success without the student's
cooperation, willingness, and interest.