Senior Review Periods

Early on, the Seniors didn't really take the review seriously. When I started with the activity of the POs on the boards at each of the groups, their work was sub-standard (except maybe Bia). The POs they turned in and shared with each other were better, but the biggest improvement took place after they took their first (paper 3) mock. I decided, after that mock, that the POs would be more beneficial to them if - instead working on them in class - they finished their POs before the period and present them to their peers during class time.


I felt that - because of the large amount of POs - my Senior class did not read the POs created by everyone. And, since people weren't using them, my classmates had a reason to slack off. But this year, by having the Seniors present to each other, I feel like I'm making them more accountable for their studying (and that of their peers as well). Also, by watching the presentations, students will learn how to construct more effective POs - include everything they have to, elaborate on analysis and historiography, and incorporate sufficient detail - which will hopefully increase their essay scores. And, finally, the individuals cover more content with the presentations because they are being given more exposure than they would have if they were to do, simply, a response to one prompt for each unit.

Time Management

Ai! I was really frustrated yesterday morning for my first lesson with the Seniors. I was told I was being "too ambitious", trying to fit too many things in a 50-minute period. I guess it's not such a bad problem (although I am glad Tolley pointed that out) because I think it's something I can adjust relatively fast. 


I was looking over my plans with the Juniors, and I still think I'm not being too ambitious (time-wise). =) But I still really want to get a second opinion on it - just in case. With the Juniors, though, I'm not as worried as I am with the Seniors. I feel really responsible for their results on the IB... I don't want any of the review periods to go badly because they're so time pressured!


I feel sometimes - when I'm frustrated like this - that I focus on the problem too much rather than figuring out a solution. I know I don't do it as much as others do, but I do recognize that it's something I should work on.


But again, like I said, this isn't something that I'm freaking out about (time management). I think I'll get the hang of it soon enough. I just thought it's something meaningful to write about because it frustrated me yesterday (even if only temporarily) and I could've probably handled it better.