Almost all of my students completed a quick teacher evaluation after their finals today (I have three more classes on Monday). There were quite a few common themes that I thought I'd share in case anyone else is curious what kids notice in a TPRS classroom.
Some quotes about how I showed them I care:
"You wanted us to try and kept pushing us."
"You are always very kind and accepting of mistakes." (I want to know which teachers aren't accepting of mistakes)
"You were really involved with me and the class."
"You helped me even when I didn't say I needed help."
"You slowed down and made sure we were following along and seemed to genuinely care when we talked.
"You talked to me" (again, what teachers aren't talking to their students?!)
About the best thing we did in the classroom:
"Mafia" (thanks Martina Bex!)
"made it a fun environment, easy to make friends, talk to people, learn"
"You made up stories with us in French that were fun and easy."
"You hung up vocabulary posters for us to refer to if necessary. It was very convenient and aided me a handful of times."
"You always included parts of the real world into class."
"Being repetitive on words and phrases."
How to improve for next year:
"Have desks"
"Kick kids out when they stop us from learning"
"Crack down on kids breaking rules"
"Give more worksheets and vocabulary lists so we can study."
"Teach us more words."
This is my 3rd year with these kids, so I'm not sure why they are still asking for worksheets! I feel like a do a pretty good job of explaining my teaching philosophy and SLA research, but maybe not... Thoughts?
Salut! Are you going to keep up with the no desks format next year? I'm planning on ditching my desks (actually moving them to the perimeter) next year and I'm excited, but also worried. I saw that mentioned on your list. I expect a lot of kids to hate it because they are used to desks, but it seems like it would be a good way to get them to connect better with me and not be distracted.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am going to continue without desks. It's just too good to have the flexibility and room in my class.
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