Pro Teaching

How I thought the class was neither reinforced positively or negatively.

When we went into the control class, it was the second time that we stood up in front of a class and thought a particular topic.  We learnt from our previous mistakes that we made in the negatively reinforced class, so we became better prepared and we had a very detailed class plan that had everything that we were going to teach and what job a person had.  The main reason on how this class turned out to be our control, was due to the fact that we weren’t as enthuastic as we should’ve been, this made the class somewhat negatively reinforced at that time, but we correct it by responding to the students answers – even if they got them wrong, we hinted at the right answer, also when a student got an answer correct we congratulated and praised them.  This made the class positive, which cancelled out the negative reinforcement, which in turn cancelled out the positive reinforcement.  So therefore the control class was neither over – positively or over negatively reinforced, it was in the middle.  The main reason on why this class differed so much than the negative class was the fact that we didn’t try to cover as much of the chapter than we did in the negatively reinforced class.  So, we had more time to explain the topics more clearly and more efficiently.   

                            During the entire class we didn’t stick to the book, we only referred to the specific chapter on separation in it.  Instead of the book, we used posters that we had redone to explain the meaning of the terms and they had diagrams of the experiments that the students would be doing.  They illustrated the things that we were explaining.  We also asked the students questions after we explained a meaning; we also made them guess at a few questions.  While explaining about filtration, we had filtration and chromatography paper and we made them guess at what it does and let them see what they look like.   At the end of the class we gave them out sheets, that had all of the different ways of separation, so that in the future they can use them for revision.                     

How I personally thought of our own lesson for the negative class.

When I went into the class to teach them using negative reinforcement, I was very nerves due to the fact that I had to stand up in front of a whole class and teach them a particular topic for a single class period.  When both of us went into the class to teach, due to the nerves at the start we were disorganised and we would keep fumbling things.  Also, one of the main things that we did to make this class negative was to cover too much of the topic in a single class period, thus we barely explained the topic.

                            We started off the class being negative, because we said that we will start off with them doing a before test - (See appendix ii.)  When they were finished, we immediately explained what a mixture is and we gave a few examples.  I thought that we didn’t explain ‘’what a mixture is’’ clearly and understandable for the students, I think that we didn’t explain it correctly because we kept on asking ourselves in our minds‘’is that right?’; we kept on second doubting ourselves due to the fact that we weren’t used to going into a class and teaching them. 

                              After we explained what a mixture was we started off explaining to them different ways of separating mixture, we explained the experiments that they would do.  I thought that we again didn’t explain the different techniques clearly, because we didn’t refer to things that every student knew about.  Also, because we went into too much detail, we were talking about things that weren’t even in their book, because it was too advanced for a first year - which made the topic seem more difficult than it already was.  Also, we made the students read aloud from the book, and we thought that once a person read the explanation out loud that we only had to explain about the different technique a little bit.  Also, due to the fact that we used the book more than we should, most of the students were inclined to ‘’doodle’’ on their books, look at the pictures/diagrams and read on, than listen to both of us explaining the means of terms.  We had created posters to use in this class, but they didn’t stand out and we not explained clearly enough.  During the class we didn’t have any group work, thus making the students uninterested in the class, also, because we didn’t have any group work in the class I thought that it added to the student’s perception of the level of difficulty the topic was.  During the class we didn’t keep constant eye contact, also we weren’t enthuastic about the topic that we were teaching, and therefore I think that it made the class boring and the class seemed to ‘’drag along.’’ 

                             Although there were many aspects in this class that would immediately make it negatively reinforced, I personally think the main contributing thing that made our class really negatively reinforced was that we didn’t respond positively to the students answers – either if they got the answer completely wrong or were completely right and deserved a prize!

How the class was reinforced positively.

At the being of the positive class, we made the class start out negatively reinforced by saying that we are going to start with a test, the students immediate response was to groan and complain.  But, we corrected it quickly by saying that it didn’t really matter to them personally, and it was for our own benefit and that no one will see the results. 

                             As we began, we sounded enthuastic and confident about the topic that we were going to teach.  We explained clearly what a mixture was and gave a few examples and then we asked the students what they thought mixtures were.  Although, we did get one or two wrong answers, we responded positively and hinted at the correct answer, thus letting them finish off the answer.  When students got an answer completely right we again responded positively and gave them praise.

                             When we began explaining about filtration, we had filter paper with us, that we showed to the students, explaining what it was and how it is used in an experiment.  We used our illustrated posters with the information shortened and simplified, instead of using the book that would distract and confuse the students if they read on.  We also asked the students questions, such as ‘‘what mixture could be filtered.’’  Also, during the explanation of filtration we related to things that the students would know more about.

                             When we began explaining about chromatography, we had two pieces of chromatography paper – one had just a drop of ink on in, while the other one had a drop of ink that had become separated by the water.  We showed the two strips of paper to the students and clearly explained what chromatography does.  We passed the two pieces of paper around to the students, so that they could visible see up close what chromatography does.  During the explanation of chromatography we constantly used the poster or the printed out diagram.  Also, we covered up the meaning of chromatography and asked the students if they could tell us in their own words what chromatography is.  We did this to ensure that the students understood the class.  We constantly asking the students during the class period do they understand what is going on. 

                             Near the end of the class one of us had to talk to the randomly picked focus group and ask them questions, outside the door.  While that was going on, then the other person told the class to get into groups and that they are going to get a little quiz to see if they were listening and that they understood the class.  Also, the students were informed that the group with the most questions correct questions would receive a prize.

Review.

The teaching experience was one I’ll always remember for the rest of my life.  I found I enjoyed it a lot and would be interested in returning to it in the future.

Experiment 1:

Negative Reinforcement:

For this class we were not well prepared.  We came with a general outline of a class plan, and not really sure what we were getting ourselves into.

We began our class with a test, which from a students point of view, is always a bad thing. 

We were not very clear in our instructions to the students, (we gave out a test without fully explaining what we were doing in their classroom in the first place not to mind why we were giving then a test for…. and tests are one of the worst things in the world to students; take it from me!!!)

In this class we read straight out of the book.

We tried to teach the class an entire chapter. But by the end of the class we found that this was not a good idea as there was too much information in one chapter for us, untrained teachers, to communicate successfully across to the class in a way they would understand.
 
We disconnected ourselves from the class by staying at the top of the classroom and not travelling around the room. This would have made then more comfortable and willing to participate in the lesion.

We did not ask the class if they understood the information we were trying to teach them in the correct way. (we asked things like, ‘’is that okay?’’, which all students will answer ‘’yes’’ to, even if they don’t understand you at all… while we should have asked things like, ‘’can you explain what I just said in your own words?’’, so they would have had to answer with a full statement not just a single word.)  

We did not time our class well and had to cram in some information at the end so the students would have sufficient knowledge to fill in our test at the end of the class.

Experiment 2:

Positive Reinforcement:

In this experiment we improved on all aspects.

We began by writing up a more detailed class plan with a time frame for each topic we would be covering accounted for.

We did not use the book at all.

We condensed the class.  We decided to teach only two topics in the chapter instead of the full chapter which contains five topics for the students to learn.

 We made poster the students to look at, brought examples of some of the apparatus for the experiments related to the topics we were teaching.

As with the previous class, we began on a bad footing with a test. (This test was necessary for the experiment, or we would not have given it to the students.)  We tried to make it sound as positive as possible. But there is nothing positive about tests for students.

We tried to travel around the classroom so as to make the students more comfortable in the class.

We tried to ask the students to answer the questions we asked them in their own words so there would not be pressure for them to get the answer word perfect. It also helps us see if the student actually fully understood the information we are teaching them.

We praised the students constantly.

We showed the class apparatus for experiments which related the topics we were teaching. (e.g. filter paper and chromatography paper.)

We tried not to talk down to the students. We tried to be as positive about the topics as possible and really tried to engage the students.

We timed our class with more care for this experiment. Having an exact time frame for each point we were making during the class.

Experiment 3:

Control:

For this experiment we could not be too positive or too negative, as it was the control. We tried to engage the students in the class without being to overly positive.

We, once again, began our class with our before test. This is not a good way to start a class but as i have stated is necessary.

This experiment was very like the previous in that we used the same class plan, posters and showed them the same apparatus examples.

Where it differed is that we tried to be positive while not too positive. Personally this class was the most difficult in that i had to constantly check myself so as not to go over board.

Results

From the positive class: 15 students

Before test:

The results were very clear. The questions on the student’s previous knowledge were answered as best the students could answer them. Some students made silly mistakes which could be fixed by an hour revision. There are the results:
Q 1: 73% got it right.
 Q 2: 33% got it right.  
Q 3: 0 got it right.
Q 4: 0 got it right.
Q 5: 40% got it right.                                  

On the questions we put in relation it the topics we were going to try to teach the class, not one student guessed the correct answer. This was to be expected as the students had never seen this chapter before.

After test:

There is a huge increase in the number of questions answered correctly. For the majority of the questions over 50% of the students got the correct answer, except in question six and seven where some students found it difficult to find the correct answers.

The two questions that we put in both the before and after test were answered much better in the after test. As I said earlier on one in the class got the correct answers to these questions in the before test. In the after test 73% or 11 of the students answered the first of the two questions correctly, the question was ‘’what is the insoluble solid left behind in filtration?’’ and 53% or 8 of the students got the second question correct, the question was ‘’what is a mixture?’’. This showed that the students did take in the information during the class. The students also learnt a lot of other information during the class which the results of the after test show. Here are the results:
 Q 1: 80% got it right.
Q 2: 53% got it right.
Q 3: 53% got it right.
Q 4: 87% got it right.
 Q 5: 80% got it right.
Q 6: 47% got it right.
Q 8: 73% got it right.
 Q 9: 53% got it right.
Q 11: 60% got it right.
I personally think these are very good results.

Students’ personal opinions:

In the before test we gave the students choice questions for them to fill in. Here are the results:
‘’what do you prefer in class?’’
20%, or 3 students, prefer to read from the book in class.
33%, or 5 students, prefer to listen to others reading in class.
47%, or 7 students, prefer to watch a DVD with the information for the class on it.
From this I found that students are not so keen to read for themselves but are more willing to listen to others read or watch a DVD of the information being taught and they think they learn better this way.

The second question:
‘’What helps you study?’’
20%, or 3 students, chose listening to music is what helps them study.
0% of the students chose studying in groups.
73%, or 11 students, chose studying in silence at home.
7%, or 1 student, chose other. She went on to explain that she studies best at home in a comfortable place e.g. a couch or bed.
This showed that vast majority of the students study in a quiet place at home. I personally thought that a lot more students would have chosen, listening to music, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite refreshing to see how many students answered, in silence at home.

At the end of our class on our after test we asked the students what they thought of our class. The majority of which said ‘’GOOD’’ to be exact 67%, or10 students, said this. While others gave little comments. One student wrote that our posters helped her understand the information a little bit. Another said that it was interesting to have students as teachers and that she enjoyed the class. Another called the class ‘’FUN’’. Over all the students seemed to take something for the class and participated well at the time.

Focus group:

Our focus group was a group of six randomly selected students. We gave them a question sheet on which they could answer questions on their opinion of the class. As these students are randomly selected they are of different abilities. Each student in the class got a number between one and fifteen. The students selected for the focus group were numbers: 1, 2, and 8,11,12,13. When speaking of each student in the focus group I will call them by number.

Student number 1:

This student got all of her previous knowledge questions right.  She prefers to read from books in class and studies best in silence at home.  In the before test, of the two questions on the topics we would be teaching in our class she answered none of the questions correctly. In the after test of the same two questions she answered one correct. Over all, in the after test, she only got two wrong answers, and found the class was ‘’good’’.
From the focus group question sheet she answered:
 Q 1: she did learn a lot in our class about the topics we were covering.
 Q 2: she thought our teaching was ‘’good’’.
Q 3: she did enjoy the class.    
 Q 4: she did not think there was anything missing from our class, but also stated that she had ‘’never done chemistry before’’.

Student number 2:

  This student got one of her previous knowledge questions right.  She prefers to listen to others reading from books in class and studies best listening to music.  In the before test, of the two questions on the topics we would be teaching in our class she answered none of the questions correctly. In the after test of the same two questions she answered none correct. Over all, in the after test, she only got four wrong answers, and found the class was ‘’alright’’.
From the focus group question sheet she answered:
 Q 1: she ‘’sort of’’ learnt in our class about the topics we were covering.
Q 2: she thought our teaching was ‘’alright’’.
 Q 3: she did ‘’not really’’ enjoy the class.     
Q 4: she did not think there was anything missing from our class.

Student number 8:

  This student got none of her previous knowledge questions right.  She prefers to watch a DVD with the information on it in class and studies best (own opinion) ‘’sitting someplace comfortable e.g. a couch or bed’’.  In the before test, of the two questions on the topics we would be teaching in our class she answered none of the questions correctly. In the after test of the same two questions she answered one correct. Over all, in the after test, she only got three wrong answers, and found the class was ‘’good’’ and that ‘’our posters helped us we used helped her understand our class’’.
From the focus group question sheet she answered:
 Q 1:  she did learn a lot in our class about the topics we were covering.
 Q 2: she thought our teaching was ‘’good’’ and also said the ‘’the girl with the brown hair was more distinctive with her teaching but over all (the class) was brilliant’’.
 Q 3: she did enjoy the class, saying ‘’it was interesting’’.
Q 4: she did not think there was anything missing from our class.

Student number 11:

  This student got all of her previous knowledge questions right.  She prefers to watch a DVD with the information on it in class and studies best in silence at home.  In the before test, of the two questions on the topics we would be teaching in our class she answered none of the questions correctly. In the after test of the same two questions she answered one correct. Over all, in the after test, she only got three wrong answers, and found the class was ‘’good’’.
From the focus group question sheet she answered:
Q 1:  she did learn a lot in our class about the topics we were covering.
Q 2: she thought our teaching was ‘’good’’.
Q 3: she did enjoy the class.   
 Q 4: she did not think there was anything missing from our class.

Student number 12:

This student got all of her previous knowledge questions right.  She prefers to read from the book in class and studies best in silence at home.  In the before test, of the two questions on the topics we would be teaching in our class she answered none of the questions correctly. In the after test of the same two questions she answered both correct. Over all, in the after test, she only got two wrong answers, and found the class was ‘’fun’’.
From the focus group question sheet she answered:
 Q 1:  she did learn a lot in our class about the topics we were covering.
 Q 2: she thought our teaching was ‘’ok but not excellent’’.
Q 3: she did enjoy the class.   
 Q 4: she did not think there was anything missing from our class.

Student number 13:

This student got two of her previous knowledge questions right.  She prefers to watch a DVD with the information on it in class and studies best in silence at home.  In the before test, of the two questions on the topics we would be teaching in our class she answered none of the questions correctly. In the after test of the same two questions she answered both correct. Over all, in the after test, she only got two wrong answers, and found the class was ‘’ok, it was good and interesting’’.
From the focus group question sheet she answered: Q 1:  she did learn a lot in our class about the topics we were covering. Q 2: she thought our teaching was ‘’enjoyable and easy to learn’’. Q 3: she did enjoy the class, saying ‘’it was good’’.     Q 4: she did not think there was anything missing from our class, saying ‘’it was fine’’.

Over all there was a variety of opinions and views from the focus group. All of which were interesting to hear. The class were very good to us and cooperated well.

CONTROL

Before test

Q 1: 73% got it right.       Q 3: 0 got it right.                            Q 6: a = 20%                      Q 7: a = 20%               other = 7% (1 student)

Q 2: 33% got it right.       Q 4: 0 got it right.                                    b = 33%                               b = 0%

Q 5: 40% got it right.                                                                           c = 47%                               c = 73%

After test

Q 1: 80% got it right.       Q 3: 53% got it right.       Q 5: 80% got it right.       Q 11: 60% got it right.     Q 8: 73% got it right.           Q 10: 67% said our class was good.

Q 2: 53% got it right.       Q 4: 87% got it right.       Q 6: 47% got it right.                                                    Q 9: 53% got it right.                      The rest in grid.

Review.

The teaching experience was one I’ll always remember for the rest of my life.  I found I enjoyed it a lot and would be interested in returning to it in the future.

Experiment 1:

Negative reinforcement.

For this class we were not well prepared.  We came with a general outline of a class plan, and not really sure what we were getting ourselves into.

We began our class with a test, which from a students point of view, is always a bad thing. 

We were not very clear in our instructions to the students, (we gave out a test without fully explaining what we were doing in their classroom in the first place not to mind why we were giving then a test for…. and tests are one of the worst things in the world to students; take it from me!!!)

We tried to teach the class an entire chapter. But by the end of the class we found that this was not a good idea as there was too much information in one chapter for us, untrained teachers, to communicate successfully across to the class in a way they would understand.
 
We disconnected ourselves from the class by staying at the top of the classroom and not travelling around the room. This would have made then more comfortable and willing to participate in the lesion.

We did not ask the class if they understood the information we were trying to teach them in the correct way. (we asked things like, ‘’is that okay?’’, which all students will answer ‘’yes’’ to, even if they don’t understand you at all… while we should have asked things like, ‘’can you explain what I just said in your own words?’’, so they would have had to answer with a full statement not just a single word.)  

We did not time our class well and had to cram in some information at the end so the students would have sufficient knowledge to fill in our test at the end of the class.