Individual Staff approaches
All staff are individuals and have their own unique relationship with students within a department. The following list are systems that individuals have set up but are not rigid departmental policies.
I believe that strong candidates will obtain A or B grades with good subject delivery. These strategies are aimed at middle to weak students in an attempt to push them up a grade or two.
Lab partners are rotated for each practical lesson.
This prevents the more able always working together and the weaker students always working together. Hopefully the weaker students see how a more able student approaches the work and learn from it. (See example lab rota grid)
Set work is written on an OHP.
Problems arise when students claim that work was due in on any day but the day I asked for it. So the date is written in front of them. It also encourages them to write the set work down and forces the teacher to take time over setting work, and avoids it being a quick comment at the end of a lesson. The OHP is put up every lesson which also helps those students who were absent. (See example OHP in Acrobat format)
Full solutions to all worksheets are published on the Intranet.
Once work has been marked and returned a copy of either my answers or those of a student are placed in the Science Resources Centre so that students can check their corrections and mark any work which is very late themselves. We also now scan them into Acrobat and post them on the Intranet.
Markbook is kept on a database
Using a MS Access database means that students can receive a regular printout of their individual marks and compare them to the average. Students can be surprised (despite constant nagging) when they actually see how many pieces of work are missing or incomplete. These are also given to parents on parents evening and can be sent to tutors for students who are underachieving. (See example sheets in Acrobat format - This is the easiest way to get a database to print to a web page retaining the format).
Notes are written in exercise books
This was prompted by students coming for help and when I asked them to find a topic in their notes they could not. All notes which are given via the board/OHP/dictation are written in exercise books. Any notes given as hand outs are on A5 so they can be stuck in, this is encouraged to happen in lessons with glue provided. All worksheeets are on A4 and students are encouraged to staple the question sheet to the front of their work so that each piece of work is easily identifiable. I insist that students start the course using this system and give them the first two exercise books free. I then encourage students to continue and they buy them from me at cost. Most students do continue, and those that choose not to are generally the more organised and can cope with filing their notes properly.
Stress Quality Work
One of my pet phrases, this avoids mentioning specific grades and is a target for all students regardless of ability.
The 'Sinners' File
This is a simple sheet (one per student) set out as a table with three columns, date; Failure to meet expectation; Student's Reason. Whenever a student does not hand in a piece of work or I return unfinished work they have to complete the file. As usual it is few that habitually cause problems over work. The teacher is able to point out to them that the list penned in their own hand is growing and that the odd student 'forgets' the odd piece of work but the frequency and ridiculous excuses is becoming unacceptable. Some students do not like completing the file in front of their friends and so offend less often. The pages can then be photocopied for tutors, parents etc. (Officially the file is labeled 'Failure to meet student expectations' but has been nicknamed sinners) - thanks to Julie Ward of Farnborough Sixth Form College for suggesting this.
Occasional use of stamps
Students still like to see something different on their work and periodically I use excellent etc. rubber stamps and it is interesting to watch the student's reaction when the work is given out. - Remember we all like to receive praise.
Ian Yems
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