The majority of my feelings stay the same about the current material that we are covering. I am trying to have a positive attitude about why we are even taking this course, but still don't understand WHY we are taking this course. It isn't to say that I am not aware of how this could be used…but just because it can be, doesn't mean that I will be. When in the world am I actually going to use this stuff?
When our group originally met for our weekly guided practice, we were quite stumped about using a z-score table. However, with persistence, we did figure it out and got through the work. That definitely made me feel better about being able to get the stuff done. However, I still have to go back to, if I only understood how this would be used or where I would use it, it might make it easier to actually understand. I try to get my students to connect to what we are doing by pulling in real examples that they may see, or analogies so that they can compare and put into perspective, what we are talking about. I don't mean to be rude or harsh about the instruction. I think the removal of pressure to have the week's work perfect for our grade is very nice and helps me stay more calm about what I need to do, but just because the scores relate to a spelling test, doesn't help me see where that works into my brain and classroom.
