Students know what they want to know...

I had a very interesting experience with some of my students recently. This particular group of Yr 10's have had some challenges in their learning of maths over the years, and in my current role I am assigned to do whatever I can to improve their maths skills and get them more engaged with their learning.

It has not been easy I can tell you! It is so sad to hear them talk about themselves so poorly, so I find that I am constantly looking for ways to boost their esteem and find ways to get them interested in attempting tasks that are not too hard for them, yet not seen as tasks designed for much younger students.

Our work is very hands on, and it is difficult to keep them focussed on a task for any length of time. I go into every session with a plan in mind, lots of stand by activities and always expecting the unexpected.

So it was with some surprise last week when we were half way through our session, and I was just managing to get them to complete at least some work, when one of them stopped doing everything, looked at me seriously and said "Sir, I really don't get fractions. Would you teach me about them?" And then another stopped and said "Yes, me too. And I'd like to know how to do algebra". I asked the other student in the group if there was anything he'd like to cover, and his reply was "I just need to know about everything"

First of all, I said "Please don't call me Sir!!!" They are just so accustomed to doing it, whereas I'm so unaccustomed to hearing it after so many years of 'Hey Mr K'!

Secondly, their sudden honesty and openness just floored me, but it made me realise that perhaps I was starting to get them a bit more engaged with, and aware of their learning. Maybe all of those sessions where I felt we did not achieve much at all had in fact achieved a lot, just not something readily tangible.

What followed was a very open discussion about how they had been taught fractions in the past, and why they felt they had not understood them. I put forward some ideas as to how I'd teach fractions with them, and to be able to talk collaboratively with students about how they felt they would learn most effectively was just such a special moment. The fact that they had a voice in the planning of the work made them feel valued, and for the first time I could see them viewing themselves in a much more positive light.

Fast forward to last night and I'm at the supermarket purchasing blocks of chocolate, M&M's and jelly snakes for some lessons on fractions that are going to be noisy, possibly messy, and somewhat tasty!!

I was so keen to get to their school today that I had everything packed in the car last night.

I woke up with a tight lower back ( I hurt it badly twice last year at my old school loading pigs into a truck, and then again taking loads of sheep to the market!) and it looked to have flared up again.

I went to my first school for the morning session, but it quickly worsened, and I couldn't make it to the next school and these students for the afternoon session, so I headed home and to the doctor.

I'm due at their school again on Thursday, so stay tuned for how the session goes.

So, what I'm saying here is that we must always listen to the students in our care, and really hear what they have to say. They have every right to be heard, and while some of my students come out with things that I wish I'd never heard, last week I was fortunate enough to be in a moment where what I heard could have a long lasting effect on these students.