Homework Tonight is to Study

Those words to my kids mean "Night without homework." After struggling to get my kids to study last year I realized this year....they actually have no idea how to study. We have a major district test coming up in a week and we just happened to have an extra day to review. I took the day to teach them study techniques and then let them practice. One major problem of this generation (or this generation in LAUSD) is they can't create anything. They are experts on taking in information and then spitting it back out but for them to creatively think up a concept on their own is like pulling teeth.

So after 45 minutes of teaching them techniques  (flashcards, foldables, re-writing notes, listening to notes, reading their notes, drawing pictures)...then 20 minutes of me refusing to tell them what to put on their flashcards etc. here is what they came up with...

Wish I could show you her sweet face but she decided the method she liked best was to re-write her notes.

Others chose to make flashcards and got really creative with them! This student did the word on the front and then drew a picture as a "hint" she had a separate color coded flashcard with the important information

 One of my most challenging students was totally silent and caused no behavior disruptions. When I finally went to check in on him I was so excited to see waht he came up with all on his own (I know it was all on his own because he is too disruptive to sit with anyone else so he is completely alone at his desk)!

It may not seem like much but it was a huge improvement!

Another student combined flashcards, re-writing notes and pictures

 Another decided to make his into a comic

And yet another made a foldable with the 6 major components of civilizations and specifics about Mesopotamia on the back of the flap

Easily the hardest part of my job is teaching my students to think for themselves. It's awkward and uncomfortable for them and slow and frustrating for me. But in week 7 or 40, I'm proud of their work and can't wait to see what they can create at the end of the year.