Taking cues from the article, I designed a questionnaire using some of the suggested questions. I remember wondering, as an elementary student, what it would be like to teach, what I would want to teach and how I would teach everyone about things that mattered to me, rather than what was in a text book. Taking this into consideration, I posed to my students the following questions:
• What do you do outside of school? • What is something that you are really interested in Have you had a chance to study this in school? • Do you consider yourself to be a reader? Why or why not? • What kind of books do you like to read? • If you could teach a lesson to the class, what would you teach us about? Why?
One thing that really stood out in the responses, was the answers about what the students were interested in. While there were answers that ranged from "natural disasters" to "potatoes," I found that many of the students were interested in what they had learned in earlier grades. I got a lot of standard answers about Shakespeare (having just completed a unit on his plays) and Medieval Times (we went to a castle on a field trip earlier in the year), perhaps the best answer from one girl reads, "I am quite interested in the many mysteries of parts of speech in writing. I like this because I really notice the difference in my writing when I use them. Yes, I have learned this to a degree, but hope to learn more."
I also found out a lot about how the students identify themselves as readers. There were a few "no" answers, based on the fact that they do not like to read. Many students expressed themselves the most on this question, detailing the size of the books they've read and how they immerse themselves in the stories while they're reading. One student said that they do not consider themselves to be a reader because they have dyslexia. This tells me that, even though he does read in class and has the ability to read on his own, he does not consider himself to be a reader because of his disability.
I found many of my students' answers to be quite interesting and informative. Though I knew most of this information about them already and found that many of their answers were reflective on what they have learned this year already, it gave me a ton of insight into their minds and they way they view themselves as students.
My students were excited to fill out a survey. We usually have a question for them to answer during their morning routine(True/False, Yes/No, Which do you prefer, type questions) on the whiteboard in the classroom. I drew some questions from the article assigned, but added some a few more:
What is one thing you enjoy about school? What is one thing you enjoy about 4th grade? When you are learning a new skill, how do you like to work? (small groups, alone, with a partner) Besides P.E. and recess, what is your favorite subject? Why? What is your favorite thing to do outside of school? What do you like to read? Name some favorite books or types of books! Do you prefer whole class instruction, small group instruction, or 1-on-1 instruction? Why? Name some characteristics of a good teacher!
I have been with the kids for the whole year now, so not that much was new to me in terms of topics they liked in school. Whenever asked the question most of them say P.E. and recess are their favorite subject so I had to adjust the question.
Many students said they enjoyed the field trips at School. Just the same many of the noted that they were disappointed they weren't more. There have been cuts made in our district, but I'm not sure if it has anything to do with our field trip budget. I wonder if it is the case.
We just made power point presentations on Earth Forces in Google so many students said their favorite subject was Science. Some even pointed out wanting to do more presentations in class. They worked in small groups for the project and that idea was reflected in the "how do you like to work when learning a new skill?"
I discovered that students like teachers who are "good listeners" and don't yell. A good teacher is also someone who is "able to admit they don't know something, and wants to learn with the class." A good teacher is someone who is also "honest." I found those to be very powerful remarks for young minds to form.
As Jake mentioned, I feel like I already know the students in my class very well. I will admit that I learn something new everyday about someone's personality and even learning style. Although I can see making this a good practice at the beginning of the year, a reflective survey like this can also be used to see how far students have come during the year, and how they might feel differently as learners and parts of the community.
For this week’s assignment, I created a survey for the students and their families to work on together. Since I am currently in a Kindergarten class, the students need help and assistance comprehending and answering the survey. So, I sent home a questionnaire for the students and families to fill out and return back 2 days later.
The questions asked were as follows:
What kinds of activities do you participate in after school/on the weekends? Who do you like to play with out of school? Who do you like to play with in school? What is your favorite part about school? Do you read with a family member every day? What is your favorite book to read?
The results of the survey varied greatly as the demographic make-up of the class varies by race, gender and socio-economic background. However, overall many of the students participate in activities after school such as organized sports and/or enrichment programs. Students mostly mentioned playing with siblings or class peers out of school. Within school, many students choose other peers in the same Kindergarten class as students they liked to work or play with. As for their favorite part about school, many students choose recess and “activity time” as the favorite part about the school day. Activity time is a 50-60 minute block of integrated play, arts and crafts and academic tasks all children must complete. The arts and crafts and academic tasks all relate to the thematic unit the class is participating in at the time. This was not a surprising data point to see on the students’ surveys because the students thoroughly enjoy and look forward to the activity block each day. When asked if the children read each day with a family member, only 73% said yes. This data point was alarming to me as each student and their family should be reading on a consistent basis in order to emerge their children in literature-based world.
Even though this survey was insightful, I feel it would be better suited administered during the first few weeks of school so teachers can get a better understanding of the child and their family. Since it is already February, many routines, schedules and relationships have already formed. For example, if this was administered in September the teacher could have sent home books for families to borrow so that a higher percentage of families could be reading every day.
I gave my survey to the class as morning work today. The students are in fourth grade and come in each morning to some sort of work sheet or activity they must complete before morning meeting. I was excited to read the answers because I just started working in the class two weeks ago so I figured it would be a great chance to learn more about my students.
These were the questions I asked: -What do you like to do when you’re not in school? -Do you belong to any clubs/teams or organizations? -Do you enjoy reading? -What is your favorite book? -What is your favorite subject in school? -What has been your favorite thing to learn about so far this year? -What’s something you find interesting that would like to learn more about? -Would you rather work on school work with a partner, a group or alone?
I received a wide range of answers back and felt like I got to know some of the students more. For example when asked what the students like to do outside of school some were very detailed, "playing outside at my dads house" and some answers were not, for example one said,"laying down" and another "video games". I found out that many of the students really enjoy math and want to learn more about things like "algebra" "geometry" and "multiplication". Many students enjoyed their previous science units on "sound" and were intrigued by all things "space". Many students responded that they loved reading. Many also listed "The Sisters Grimm" (that the classroom teacher is reading to them each day out loud during snack) as an overwhelming favorite for the students. I found this survey such a helpful tool. I now know some things about my students that I previously did not (academically and personally). I will try to be mindful of the results when planning especially during my take over.
After reading Fenton's thoughts on interest surveys, I decided I wanted to create a survey as open-ended as possible for my students. As I administered it toward the end of my second week, I wanted to give the kids a chance (one of the few they have, perhaps) to be themselves with me. Asking what they liked reading, for instance, would assume that they liked to read. I wanted to be as open-ended as possible to get as genuine a response as possible. So, I asked, "What fascinates you? Have you had a chance to study this interest in school? If so, when?"
Believe it or not, I had to explain to a couple of students (they are 4th graders) what "fascinates" means, but honestly, I think they were just uneasy about me giving them work for the first time and wanted to be sure they understood it completely.
I gave the survey for morning work, which meant that they had about 15 min to complete it. I thought this would be more than enough time, but it turned out they needed a lot of cajoling and assurance that they really COULD write about anything they wanted. One girl, T, took this a little too far by writing that she is fascinated by "donuts. I would replace math with it. They would teach about each kind of frosting and sprinkles!" To be fair, although it seems like an off-the-wall interest (and too convenient, as a kid next to her was eating a donut), it shows she has a good imagination and could use it be creative in her writing.
Other favorite responses:
*E: said "drumming." Getting E to write ANYTHING is a chore, so it was nice that he actually wrote something. He is the student who is always off task and trying to get others to be the same, and the survey coincidentally fell on the same day as their school concert, in which I learned that E really IS good at drumming! I appreciated seeing him applying himself to something he is good at and I would use this to further grab his attention in assignments.
*H: "The Universe fascinates me because it is endless. I haven't had a chance to study it." (H possesses a lot of depth for 4th grade, and I think his response captures that).
*C: 1)different places 2)no 3)no I love how C wrote her response, as it really fits her personality. She is one of the most well behaved girls in the class, and her meticulous nature is evident in this response. She is the only student who wrote the answers as 1) 2) 3)
*A: A had a very apropos response, as well. He wrote, "I am very fascinated by dodgeball. I have no done it in school, but afterschool. When? Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday." As the class is working on creative writing, I have gotten a chance to read a lot of their stories. A writes just as he thinks, and I definitely got a chuckle out of how he responded!
While the responses can be entertaining, they do offer ideas into possible lessons and teaching strategies. H wrote that she loves presidents. Social studies is a subject that is often neglected in schools, and I think using H's response could be a great way to make sure she gets social studies into her day.
I also noticed, the couple of times I've gone to the library with the kids, that they always ask, completely flummoxed, "what book should I get?" As if there is a right/wrong answer! Now, I see that there are tons of possibilities that might actually catch their attention.
As my practicum experience is in a first grade setting, I chose to send my survey home for the students to fill out with their parents. I have begun getting to know these students, but I definitely loved getting the answers back from the survey! It definitely gave me a deeper insight into these 19 students, as I have only been with this class for two weeks. I sent the survey home with a short letter introducing myself, and asking the parents to help the children answer the survey questions. As we have a lot of ELLs in my class who do not speak English at home, I used Google Translator (and my husband) to translate the letter and questions into Spanish. This definitely helped, as those students answered the questions in a more thorough manner than I expected. I asked:
What do you like to do when you're not in school? What is something you are really interested in? Have you had a chance to study this in school? what is your favorite subject? Why? If you could teach the class a lesson, what would you teach? Why? How do you like to work best in school: alone, with a partner, or in a group? Do you have any goals you'd like to achieve by the end of first grade?
I, too, received a variety of answers, and I loved it! I could tell when a parent had influenced the answer-- for goals to achieve, one had written that they would consistently follow the school core values of "Caring, responsibility, and academic achievement." Others wrote things such as, "I will love to learn how to read fluently," and "My reading goal is to get to level L." One student was fascinated by our recent move into nonfiction, and said that she is interested in kangaroos and would like to know more about how kangaroos jump and eat. Another would like to look at ladybugs, while a third student said, "I am really interested in programming, just like my dad." The books one student liked to read the most were "About elephants. An example: Never Ride your Elephant to School." Others said "Comic books and books with a little bit of pictures," "Curious George and Star Wars," and "Fairy Book because I like magic." Many love gym as their favorite subject, because they get to move, but many others said they loved math and numbers. One said that she loved writing, and aspires to become a good writer someday. Most students preferred working in groups with friends, although one said she preferred working alone, because she could best focus on her own work then. Finally, most students said they would like to teach a math lesson, because they like it (or possibly because they know it!). One student said they'd teach, "How to draw a kitchen." I'd love to know the reason why for that one! Another said she'd teach "Art, because you can draw and make your own things," and one other suggested, "I would teach the class of the core values." I'm guessing she believes there are some in the class who haven't heard it enough.
I definitely found this helpful, and plan on using these little bits of personal information throughout the semester to inform my interactions with the students!
Before reading Fenton's article about Interest Survey Questions, I never thought about how useful a survey question for my students could be. I have been with my 4th graders since the beginning of the year. I have been communicating with them each week through a weekly letter they respond to, so at this point in the year I felt like I knew them very well.
When thinking about what to ask them, I knew I wanted to do something I could learn and possible suggestions for my take over week. So I posed two questions for my students: "What is your least favorite subject?" and "What are three things you would like to see happen during that subject that would make it more enjoyable for you?"
The purpose of my question is to try to engage each and every student during every lesson, even if it was their least favorite subject. After reading the results of the survey, I saw that most of the "requests" were simple and very doable during my takeover.
One of my students who replied that math was his least favorite subject asked if we could reinstall the use of "clock buddies" when working with partners during math. Partner work is important to the students during math time. Many of the students did ask to work with partners more often. Peer to peer teaching can be very successful as along as it is monitored well.
Another student who also replied math was his least favorite subject asked if "comfy spaces" (which are only used during reading and are items like pillows, blankets and over-sized stuffed animals) could be used in math. I have noticed the students do work well and focus during reading with their comfy spaces, therefore trying with math may just work.
Lastly, another response that intrigued me was one by a student who asked to incorporate math videos into the lessons. Using technology, always engages the students. Therefore, finding a related Brainpop video or a math portion of a Bill Nye video will interest the students.
This survey was very helpful and I plan on implementing more throughout my teaching career to learn how to teach my students more suited to their needs
After reading Fenton's article, I became really curious about how the students in the combined 1st/2nd grade classroom I've been a year-long intern in would respond to a personal survey. Although I know the students well, I realized I didn't know how they’d respond to many of the questions. I struggled with the decision on whether to send the surveys home for students to fill out with their parents. One reason being the wide range of students' writing abilities in the classroom. I worried that students' limited writing vocabulary may restrict their ability to speak their minds. I decided to give the survey in class and the lead teacher and I scribed for students who struggled most with writing. The results of the survey provided some really interesting information about the students and helped me understand their perspective and feelings about what we do in school and how they learn best. For example, many students said art class was an activity they didn't like as much. Most of the students who gave this response are very artistic and really enjoy the art center lessons. Maybe they don't like being forced to do an activity during art class and prefer more freedom when making artwork. I would like to observe an art class to see what they do to gain a better understanding of why they don't enjoy it. It was also really interesting and helpful to learn which students like reading and why. The reasons were varied. A few students wrote, "It is fun." One wrote, "It is good for your brain." Showing they find reading useful and enjoyable. The students who responded positively were mainly the students who are on grade-level and can read more complex texts. One student's interesting response was "It makes me patient for things." He is a student who has trouble raising his hand to speak and often interrupts people." He also seems to get lost in his thoughts a lot and not listen well. I'd like to talk to him about his answer to hear more about this idea of reading and patience, and how he can develop more patience. The students who said they don't like to read gave reasons such as, "It's boring," and "I don't read very well." These students are below grade level in reading, and have received extra instruction and support in reading. The extra focus on the task may have made it feel like a chore. I'd like to focus on finding a way for these students to enjoy reading. I can help them pick out "just right" books during library and in the classroom for independent reading and discuss what they are reading with them more and get excited about books with them. The survey also provided me with information about the students' favorite books. Many of them wrote about the Magic Tree House series. We read a book from the series out loud to the class and many of them who can read chapter books are enjoying them on their own as well. Another popular response was Gooney Bird Greene, which was another chapter book read aloud to the class. The students really enjoy hearing chapter books read aloud. We do it during the last 15 minutes of the day, and the students really listen and enjoy the story. Many of them start acting out parts being read. It's a great way to end the day; I will definitely use this idea. It's really relaxing and enjoyable to listen to a great book being read aloud.
I really learned a lot about the students. They responded honestly and it’s given me a lot to talk to them about and see how I meet their needs and make learning fun for them. I would like to use more surveys to get to know my students and also help them formulate and express their thoughts and feelings about their own learning.
After reading the article, I realized how often we do surveys in my classroom already. As part of our morning meeting, we always have a share that either all students or three volunteering students to respond to a personal question. These questions are often along the lines of: What are you working on in writer’s workshop?, What is the title of a book you have been reading?, What are you looking forward to this week?, and How did you get to school today? to name a few. These responses are not usually recorded except for when we have a school-wide walk-ride day where we send our results of how each student got to school to the office to use in analyzing our carbon footprint as a school.
In preparation of our 100th day of school celebration on Thursday, February 9, I decided to survey our students on what type of 100 collections they were planning on bringing in. The purpose of this survey was to get the students thinking about what types of collections they could gather and bring in and also for us, as teachers, to get an understanding of how we should set up our 100th Day Museum.
I went around to the students a few days ago and asked them what they were planning on bringing in. I had a list of all of our students with a blank line next to each name. The responses I received were very individual, but I found there were some common responses that came up, such as coins, beans, and buttons. Many students were planning on bringing in collections of identical objects, such as pasta shells, pennies, and Cheerios. Others had miscellaneous objects as things to bring in.
I also asked them a follow-up question of why they decided to bring in that object. Many of them responded with, “Because my mom told me to.”, “I like money.”, or “I like food.” These responses led me to believe that students leaned towards what was around their homes and what types of food and objects they have been exposed to. One student, whom I know is from a low SES home wanted to bring in a variety of unrelated objects with most of them being McDonalds toys. This made me realize also what she has access to at home.
I feel that I have a strong knowledge of who my students are through our daily surveys during morning meeting and taking the time to individualize content to make it meaningful to them, such as our 100th Day Museum.
1. Which do you like better: working with a partner, or working on your own? 2. Which do you like better: working with a partner or working with a small group of about 4 or 5 friends? 3. Which book do you like better: Louie by Ezra Jack Keats, or Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henke? (Students have heard both books at a read aloud and will be shown the texts when asked this question. This question is included because these are two authors I am considering for the author study.) 4. Of all the stories you have written in Writer’s Workshop this year, which has been your favorite? 5. What is the hardest part about first grade?
RESULTS Question 1: I found that most students prefer to work with partners. However, some did indicate that they’d prefer to work alone. This informs how I will create my unit because I will be sure to create opportunities for students to work alone and also work in pairs. Also, I am not aware of students who would rather work alone, so I can find ways to make working with others more comfortable for them. For example, perhaps letting students choose their own partners, if appropriate. Question 2: For this question, I was interested in seeing if students were interested in working in small groups. This is something we do often in our classroom, but it’s mostly teacher led. About 2/3 of students reported they’d prefer to work in pairs, and the other 1/3 would like to work in a small group. Again, I can use this information to give each child an opportunity to work in the setting they most enjoy. It was also interesting to look at this question in conjunction with question 1. For instance, one student answered she’d rather work alone than with a partner, but would rather work in a small group than with a partner. This makes me wonder how this student feels about the social aspect of learning in our classroom, and might allow me to modify activities so I can make her as comfortable as possible. For example, during a partner activity, I might check in with her partnership more often than usual and make sure she is feeling comfortable and heard.
Question 3: This question was the most valuable for my purposes. The two books I asked the students to chose from where written by two authors I am considering for my author study. All but one student chose Chrysanthemum over Louie. I want to choose an author that meets the needs of the author study, but I want my students to feel motivated and engaged in the literature. I was surprised by the overwhelming preference, but this information will certainly inform my decision of what author to choose for the author study.
Question 4: I was hoping this question would give me an idea of what type of writing the students most enjoy or at most successful with. Luckily, every student choose a piece of writing that was a personal narrative (as opposed to a How-To or All-About book) so that bodes well for the type of unit I hope to create.
Question 5: This question was also really interesting. I wanted to find out what my students find particularly difficult so I could modify those aspects of the unit accordingly. Luckily, no one said that they found writing to be the hardest part of first grade! I was happy about this because it tells me that my students feel relatively confident about their writing ability. Some students mentioned that “sitting quietly” or “concentrating” were very difficult parts of first grade, so I will keep this in mind for this unit and allow opportunities for movement breaks and try to incorporate kinesthetic learning into the lessons.
I interviewed my 22 second-grade students in an informal way – during lunch, when they are most likely to want to chat and always like for me to sit at their tables anyway! I asked them the following questions, with some impromptu follow-ups as necessary: What do you like to do when you're not in school? Is there a subject you would like to learn more about/talk about in school? Do you like to read? What do you like to read the most? What is your favorite subject? What is your least favorite subject?
I was surprised by how many students had similar likes and dislikes. The majority listed technology-related activities as what they prefer to do at home, including video games, watching TV and using a Wii. Very few mentioned outdoor activities or anything sports-related, though three students went on about skiing, hiking and soccer. That wasn't very surprising, as they are always the most energetic and health-conscious in school (for example, one of the boys, a hiking enthusiast, also told me he just became a vegetarian on his own because he heard that meat causes cancer).
All of the students said they consider themselves voracious readers, though several said they never read outside of school. One child made me particularly sad. She said she has absolutely no books at home, her parents never read to her (I asked if they ever read her bedtime stories, and she said no), and she couldn't remember a time she ever saw her parents reading books of their own. Conversely, another student who can barely read and struggles with even the simplest sentences, said she loves reading. I was really surprised because I honestly feel like she would be totally justified in hating reading based on how difficult it is for her. It made me so happy to know that she hasn't given up on herself and still manages to enjoy reading.
I found out something else about that student in this survey that shocked me. Her parents are divorced, and her mother works until 10 p.m. Her father picks her up from school every day, and her mother picks her up from her father's house at night. Because it's so late and she then wants to spend time with her mother, the girl said she doesn't get to bed until between midnight and 1 a.m. This girl is eight years old and she goes to sleep later than I do, and I'm tired a lot of the time. I can't imagine how she must feel, and it makes me much more sympathetic to her constant moodiness and anger management issues.
There was one across-the-board answer that wasn't unexpected, but is still disappointing. Almost the entire class said their least-favorite subject is Writing Workshop because it's too hard for them to think of ideas. From what I've seen so far, we give the kids very little direction for writing. The idea is that they should be able to write about what interests them, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. But the fact is, most of them waste half of their writing time complaining that they have nothing to write about. I try to prompt them with questions like, “What did you do this weekend?”, “What did you do for your last birthday?” and “Who was your last play-date with?” but they usually shrug and say, “I don't know” no matter what the question. The survey has definitely made me realize that they need more structure and guidance during Writing Workshop, or maybe straight-out instruction. If the whole class is given a topic they have to write about, this particular problem may be eliminated.
I am embarrassed to admit that I had never thought of issuing a written interest survey to children in order to get to know them better and to thus to teach them more effectively. After reading the article, here were more thoughts: Brilliant and simple. Then I wondered how many teachers actually employ such a survey. I certainly do not remember being given even one while growing up. In any event, I was off and running on crafting my survey. I took questions from the article, but also scoured the web for other ideas – marrying them to my own. The result was a series of questions that I believe were age appropriate and whose answers would give me important insight into my students.
I learned some interesting things after this experience.
1. Be careful with your questions. For example, I asked what their favorite TV show was but realized, after reading the answers, that I had no idea what the shows were about. Were they educational in nature or age-appropriate? I wish I had asked something more measurable /quantitative such as “Do you watch TV every day?” and “Do you watch TV before school?” and “Do you watch TV after school?”. That would give me a better idea as to how much TV was a focal point in their lives.
2. You will be surprised by their answers. This was the fun part. Some of my assumptions about students were correct . For example, I expected the poorest reader in the class would be the only child who would respond with a “NO” to my first three questions regarding reading and that ended up being true. However, one of my best students, who excels in all subjects, and who doesn’t appear particularly coordinated, listed “gym” as her favorite subject. Another child said she would like to be a “dog sledder” when she grows up. Several students listed fluency with a foreign language that surprised me. Another notable take-away was that all the girls listed several kids as their best friends (and ALL were female) and nearly all the boys only listed one or two kids (and ALL were boys).
3. Don’t assume answers will be honest. Even 1st and 2nd graders are self-conscious that their answers might not be what a teacher wants to hear. For example, two students did not want to tell me what they do when they get home. When I told one that it didn’t matter what it was - that I didn’t care what it was - reading, watching TV, sleeping, doing chores – whatever, she sheepishly said that she watched TV. The other one still refused to tell me after I tried reassuring her in the same way.
4. Kids can be very literal. When I asked the question about what the first thing is that they do when they get home, one student said that she says “hi” to her mom, another said that he takes off his backpack and a third said that she takes off her shoes and hangs up her coat.
Overall, I am glad to have been made aware of such a simple tool to glean the interests of my students and to just get to know them better overall. Obviously, such a survey would be better suited to be given at the start of the year but it would also be fun to administer it both a the start and towards the end. It would be interesting/fun to see how/if their responses changed (especially regarding their favorite subjects).
Taking cues from the article, I designed a questionnaire using some of the suggested questions. I remember wondering, as an elementary student, what it would be like to teach, what I would want to teach and how I would teach everyone about things that mattered to me, rather than what was in a text book. Taking this into consideration, I posed to my students the following questions:
ReplyDelete• What do you do outside of school?
• What is something that you are really interested in Have you had a chance to study this in school?
• Do you consider yourself to be a reader? Why or why not?
• What kind of books do you like to read?
• If you could teach a lesson to the class, what would you teach us about? Why?
One thing that really stood out in the responses, was the answers about what the students were interested in. While there were answers that ranged from "natural disasters" to "potatoes," I found that many of the students were interested in what they had learned in earlier grades. I got a lot of standard answers about Shakespeare (having just completed a unit on his plays) and Medieval Times (we went to a castle on a field trip earlier in the year), perhaps the best answer from one girl reads, "I am quite interested in the many mysteries of parts of speech in writing. I like this because I really notice the difference in my writing when I use them. Yes, I have learned this to a degree, but hope to learn more."
I also found out a lot about how the students identify themselves as readers. There were a few "no" answers, based on the fact that they do not like to read. Many students expressed themselves the most on this question, detailing the size of the books they've read and how they immerse themselves in the stories while they're reading. One student said that they do not consider themselves to be a reader because they have dyslexia. This tells me that, even though he does read in class and has the ability to read on his own, he does not consider himself to be a reader because of his disability.
I found many of my students' answers to be quite interesting and informative. Though I knew most of this information about them already and found that many of their answers were reflective on what they have learned this year already, it gave me a ton of insight into their minds and they way they view themselves as students.
My students were excited to fill out a survey. We usually have a question for them to answer during their morning routine(True/False, Yes/No, Which do you prefer, type questions) on the whiteboard in the classroom. I drew some questions from the article assigned, but added some a few more:
ReplyDeleteWhat is one thing you enjoy about school?
What is one thing you enjoy about 4th grade?
When you are learning a new skill, how do you like to work? (small groups, alone, with a partner)
Besides P.E. and recess, what is your favorite subject? Why?
What is your favorite thing to do outside of school?
What do you like to read? Name some favorite books or types of books!
Do you prefer whole class instruction, small group instruction, or 1-on-1 instruction? Why?
Name some characteristics of a good teacher!
I have been with the kids for the whole year now, so not that much was new to me in terms of topics they liked in school. Whenever asked the question most of them say P.E. and recess are their favorite subject so I had to adjust the question.
Many students said they enjoyed the field trips at School. Just the same many of the noted that they were disappointed they weren't more. There have been cuts made in our district, but I'm not sure if it has anything to do with our field trip budget. I wonder if it is the case.
We just made power point presentations on Earth Forces in Google so many students said their favorite subject was Science. Some even pointed out wanting to do more presentations in class. They worked in small groups for the project and that idea was reflected in the "how do you like to work when learning a new skill?"
I discovered that students like teachers who are "good listeners" and don't yell. A good teacher is also someone who is "able to admit they don't know something, and wants to learn with the class." A good teacher is someone who is also "honest." I found those to be very powerful remarks for young minds to form.
As Jake mentioned, I feel like I already know the students in my class very well. I will admit that I learn something new everyday about someone's personality and even learning style. Although I can see making this a good practice at the beginning of the year, a reflective survey like this can also be used to see how far students have come during the year, and how they might feel differently as learners and parts of the community.
For this week’s assignment, I created a survey for the students and their families to work on together. Since I am currently in a Kindergarten class, the students need help and assistance comprehending and answering the survey. So, I sent home a questionnaire for the students and families to fill out and return back 2 days later.
ReplyDeleteThe questions asked were as follows:
What kinds of activities do you participate in after school/on the weekends?
Who do you like to play with out of school?
Who do you like to play with in school?
What is your favorite part about school?
Do you read with a family member every day?
What is your favorite book to read?
The results of the survey varied greatly as the demographic make-up of the class varies by race, gender and socio-economic background. However, overall many of the students participate in activities after school such as organized sports and/or enrichment programs. Students mostly mentioned playing with siblings or class peers out of school. Within school, many students choose other peers in the same Kindergarten class as students they liked to work or play with. As for their favorite part about school, many students choose recess and “activity time” as the favorite part about the school day. Activity time is a 50-60 minute block of integrated play, arts and crafts and academic tasks all children must complete. The arts and crafts and academic tasks all relate to the thematic unit the class is participating in at the time. This was not a surprising data point to see on the students’ surveys because the students thoroughly enjoy and look forward to the activity block each day.
When asked if the children read each day with a family member, only 73% said yes. This data point was alarming to me as each student and their family should be reading on a consistent basis in order to emerge their children in literature-based world.
Even though this survey was insightful, I feel it would be better suited administered during the first few weeks of school so teachers can get a better understanding of the child and their family. Since it is already February, many routines, schedules and relationships have already formed. For example, if this was administered in September the teacher could have sent home books for families to borrow so that a higher percentage of families could be reading every day.
I gave my survey to the class as morning work today. The students are in fourth grade and come in each morning to some sort of work sheet or activity they must complete before morning meeting. I was excited to read the answers because I just started working in the class two weeks ago so I figured it would be a great chance to learn more about my students.
ReplyDeleteThese were the questions I asked:
-What do you like to do when you’re not in school?
-Do you belong to any clubs/teams or organizations?
-Do you enjoy reading?
-What is your favorite book?
-What is your favorite subject in school?
-What has been your favorite thing to learn about so far this year?
-What’s something you find interesting that would like to learn more about?
-Would you rather work on school work with a partner, a group or alone?
I received a wide range of answers back and felt like I got to know some of the students more. For example when asked what the students like to do outside of school some were very detailed, "playing outside at my dads house" and some answers were not, for example one said,"laying down" and another "video games".
I found out that many of the students really enjoy math and want to learn more about things like "algebra" "geometry" and "multiplication". Many students enjoyed their previous science units on "sound" and were intrigued by all things "space". Many students responded that they loved reading. Many also listed "The Sisters Grimm" (that the classroom teacher is reading to them each day out loud during snack) as an overwhelming favorite for the students.
I found this survey such a helpful tool. I now know some things about my students that I previously did not (academically and personally). I will try to be mindful of the results when planning especially during my take over.
After reading Fenton's thoughts on interest surveys, I decided I wanted to create a survey as open-ended as possible for my students. As I administered it toward the end of my second week, I wanted to give the kids a chance (one of the few they have, perhaps) to be themselves with me. Asking what they liked reading, for instance, would assume that they liked to read. I wanted to be as open-ended as possible to get as genuine a response as possible. So, I asked, "What fascinates you? Have you had a chance to study this interest in school? If so, when?"
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I had to explain to a couple of students (they are 4th graders) what "fascinates" means, but honestly, I think they were just uneasy about me giving them work for the first time and wanted to be sure they understood it completely.
I gave the survey for morning work, which meant that they had about 15 min to complete it. I thought this would be more than enough time, but it turned out they needed a lot of cajoling and assurance that they really COULD write about anything they wanted. One girl, T, took this a little too far by writing that she is fascinated by "donuts. I would replace math with it. They would teach about each kind of frosting and sprinkles!" To be fair, although it seems like an off-the-wall interest (and too convenient, as a kid next to her was eating a donut), it shows she has a good imagination and could use it be creative in her writing.
Other favorite responses:
*E: said "drumming." Getting E to write ANYTHING is a chore, so it was nice that he actually wrote something. He is the student who is always off task and trying to get others to be the same, and the survey coincidentally fell on the same day as their school concert, in which I learned that E really IS good at drumming! I appreciated seeing him applying himself to something he is good at and I would use this to further grab his attention in assignments.
*H: "The Universe fascinates me because it is endless. I haven't had a chance to study it." (H possesses a lot of depth for 4th grade, and I think his response captures that).
*C: 1)different places 2)no 3)no
I love how C wrote her response, as it really fits her personality. She is one of the most well behaved girls in the class, and her meticulous nature is evident in this response. She is the only student who wrote the answers as 1) 2) 3)
*A: A had a very apropos response, as well. He wrote, "I am very fascinated by dodgeball. I have no done it in school, but afterschool. When? Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday." As the class is working on creative writing, I have gotten a chance to read a lot of their stories. A writes just as he thinks, and I definitely got a chuckle out of how he responded!
While the responses can be entertaining, they do offer ideas into possible lessons and teaching strategies. H wrote that she loves presidents. Social studies is a subject that is often neglected in schools, and I think using H's response could be a great way to make sure she gets social studies into her day.
I also noticed, the couple of times I've gone to the library with the kids, that they always ask, completely flummoxed, "what book should I get?" As if there is a right/wrong answer! Now, I see that there are tons of possibilities that might actually catch their attention.
-Lauren
As my practicum experience is in a first grade setting, I chose to send my survey home for the students to fill out with their parents. I have begun getting to know these students, but I definitely loved getting the answers back from the survey! It definitely gave me a deeper insight into these 19 students, as I have only been with this class for two weeks. I sent the survey home with a short letter introducing myself, and asking the parents to help the children answer the survey questions. As we have a lot of ELLs in my class who do not speak English at home, I used Google Translator (and my husband) to translate the letter and questions into Spanish. This definitely helped, as those students answered the questions in a more thorough manner than I expected.
ReplyDeleteI asked:
What do you like to do when you're not in school?
What is something you are really interested in? Have you had a chance to study this in school?
what is your favorite subject? Why?
If you could teach the class a lesson, what would you teach? Why?
How do you like to work best in school: alone, with a partner, or in a group?
Do you have any goals you'd like to achieve by the end of first grade?
I, too, received a variety of answers, and I loved it! I could tell when a parent had influenced the answer-- for goals to achieve, one had written that they would consistently follow the school core values of "Caring, responsibility, and academic achievement." Others wrote things such as, "I will love to learn how to read fluently," and "My reading goal is to get to level L." One student was fascinated by our recent move into nonfiction, and said that she is interested in kangaroos and would like to know more about how kangaroos jump and eat. Another would like to look at ladybugs, while a third student said, "I am really interested in programming, just like my dad."
The books one student liked to read the most were "About elephants. An example: Never Ride your Elephant to School." Others said "Comic books and books with a little bit of pictures," "Curious George and Star Wars," and "Fairy Book because I like magic."
Many love gym as their favorite subject, because they get to move, but many others said they loved math and numbers. One said that she loved writing, and aspires to become a good writer someday.
Most students preferred working in groups with friends, although one said she preferred working alone, because she could best focus on her own work then.
Finally, most students said they would like to teach a math lesson, because they like it (or possibly because they know it!). One student said they'd teach, "How to draw a kitchen." I'd love to know the reason why for that one! Another said she'd teach "Art, because you can draw and make your own things," and one other suggested, "I would teach the class of the core values." I'm guessing she believes there are some in the class who haven't heard it enough.
I definitely found this helpful, and plan on using these little bits of personal information throughout the semester to inform my interactions with the students!
Before reading Fenton's article about Interest Survey Questions, I never thought about how useful a survey question for my students could be. I have been with my 4th graders since the beginning of the year. I have been communicating with them each week through a weekly letter they respond to, so at this point in the year I felt like I knew them very well.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking about what to ask them, I knew I wanted to do something I could learn and possible suggestions for my take over week. So I posed two questions for my students: "What is your least favorite subject?" and "What are three things you would like to see happen during that subject that would make it more enjoyable for you?"
The purpose of my question is to try to engage each and every student during every lesson, even if it was their least favorite subject. After reading the results of the survey, I saw that most of the "requests" were simple and very doable during my takeover.
One of my students who replied that math was his least favorite subject asked if we could reinstall the use of "clock buddies" when working with partners during math. Partner work is important to the students during math time. Many of the students did ask to work with partners more often. Peer to peer teaching can be very successful as along as it is monitored well.
Another student who also replied math was his least favorite subject asked if "comfy spaces" (which are only used during reading and are items like pillows, blankets and over-sized stuffed animals) could be used in math. I have noticed the students do work well and focus during reading with their comfy spaces, therefore trying with math may just work.
Lastly, another response that intrigued me was one by a student who asked to incorporate math videos into the lessons. Using technology, always engages the students. Therefore, finding a related Brainpop video or a math portion of a Bill Nye video will interest the students.
This survey was very helpful and I plan on implementing more throughout my teaching career to learn how to teach my students more suited to their needs
After reading Fenton's article, I became really curious about how the students in the combined 1st/2nd grade classroom I've been a year-long intern in would respond to a personal survey. Although I know the students well, I realized I didn't know how they’d respond to many of the questions. I struggled with the decision on whether to send the surveys home for students to fill out with their parents. One reason being the wide range of students' writing abilities in the classroom. I worried that students' limited writing vocabulary may restrict their ability to speak their minds. I decided to give the survey in class and the lead teacher and I scribed for students who struggled most with writing.
ReplyDeleteThe results of the survey provided some really interesting information about the students and helped me understand their perspective and feelings about what we do in school and how they learn best. For example, many students said art class was an activity they didn't like as much. Most of the students who gave this response are very artistic and really enjoy the art center lessons. Maybe they don't like being forced to do an activity during art class and prefer more freedom when making artwork. I would like to observe an art class to see what they do to gain a better understanding of why they don't enjoy it.
It was also really interesting and helpful to learn which students like reading and why. The reasons were varied. A few students wrote, "It is fun." One wrote, "It is good for your brain." Showing they find reading useful and enjoyable. The students who responded positively were mainly the students who are on grade-level and can read more complex texts. One student's interesting response was "It makes me patient for things." He is a student who has trouble raising his hand to speak and often interrupts people." He also seems to get lost in his thoughts a lot and not listen well. I'd like to talk to him about his answer to hear more about this idea of reading and patience, and how he can develop more patience.
The students who said they don't like to read gave reasons such as, "It's boring," and "I don't read very well." These students are below grade level in reading, and have received extra instruction and support in reading. The extra focus on the task may have made it feel like a chore. I'd like to focus on finding a way for these students to enjoy reading. I can help them pick out "just right" books during library and in the classroom for independent reading and discuss what they are reading with them more and get excited about books with them.
The survey also provided me with information about the students' favorite books. Many of them wrote about the Magic Tree House series. We read a book from the series out loud to the class and many of them who can read chapter books are enjoying them on their own as well. Another popular response was Gooney Bird Greene, which was another chapter book read aloud to the class. The students really enjoy hearing chapter books read aloud. We do it during the last 15 minutes of the day, and the students really listen and enjoy the story. Many of them start acting out parts being read. It's a great way to end the day; I will definitely use this idea. It's really relaxing and enjoyable to listen to a great book being read aloud.
I really learned a lot about the students. They responded honestly and it’s given me a lot to talk to them about and see how I meet their needs and make learning fun for them. I would like to use more surveys to get to know my students and also help them formulate and express their thoughts and feelings about their own learning.
After reading the article, I realized how often we do surveys in my classroom already. As part of our morning meeting, we always have a share that either all students or three volunteering students to respond to a personal question. These questions are often along the lines of: What are you working on in writer’s workshop?, What is the title of a book you have been reading?, What are you looking forward to this week?, and How did you get to school today? to name a few. These responses are not usually recorded except for when we have a school-wide walk-ride day where we send our results of how each student got to school to the office to use in analyzing our carbon footprint as a school.
ReplyDeleteIn preparation of our 100th day of school celebration on Thursday, February 9, I decided to survey our students on what type of 100 collections they were planning on bringing in. The purpose of this survey was to get the students thinking about what types of collections they could gather and bring in and also for us, as teachers, to get an understanding of how we should set up our 100th Day Museum.
I went around to the students a few days ago and asked them what they were planning on bringing in. I had a list of all of our students with a blank line next to each name. The responses I received were very individual, but I found there were some common responses that came up, such as coins, beans, and buttons. Many students were planning on bringing in collections of identical objects, such as pasta shells, pennies, and Cheerios. Others had miscellaneous objects as things to bring in.
I also asked them a follow-up question of why they decided to bring in that object. Many of them responded with, “Because my mom told me to.”, “I like money.”, or “I like food.” These responses led me to believe that students leaned towards what was around their homes and what types of food and objects they have been exposed to. One student, whom I know is from a low SES home wanted to bring in a variety of unrelated objects with most of them being McDonalds toys. This made me realize also what she has access to at home.
I feel that I have a strong knowledge of who my students are through our daily surveys during morning meeting and taking the time to individualize content to make it meaningful to them, such as our 100th Day Museum.
1. Which do you like better: working with a partner, or working on your own?
ReplyDelete2. Which do you like better: working with a partner or working with a small group of about 4 or 5 friends?
3. Which book do you like better: Louie by Ezra Jack Keats, or Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henke? (Students have heard both books at a read aloud and will be shown the texts when asked this question. This question is included because these are two authors I am considering for the author study.)
4. Of all the stories you have written in Writer’s Workshop this year, which has been your favorite?
5. What is the hardest part about first grade?
RESULTS
Question 1:
I found that most students prefer to work with partners. However, some did indicate that they’d prefer to work alone. This informs how I will create my unit because I will be sure to create opportunities for students to work alone and also work in pairs. Also, I am not aware of students who would rather work alone, so I can find ways to make working with others more comfortable for them. For example, perhaps letting students choose their own partners, if appropriate.
Question 2:
For this question, I was interested in seeing if students were interested in working in small groups. This is something we do often in our classroom, but it’s mostly teacher led. About 2/3 of students reported they’d prefer to work in pairs, and the other 1/3 would like to work in a small group. Again, I can use this information to give each child an opportunity to work in the setting they most enjoy. It was also interesting to look at this question in conjunction with question 1. For instance, one student answered she’d rather work alone than with a partner, but would rather work in a small group than with a partner. This makes me wonder how this student feels about the social aspect of learning in our classroom, and might allow me to modify activities so I can make her as comfortable as possible. For example, during a partner activity, I might check in with her partnership more often than usual and make sure she is feeling comfortable and heard.
Question 3:
This question was the most valuable for my purposes. The two books I asked the students to chose from where written by two authors I am considering for my author study. All but one student chose Chrysanthemum over Louie. I want to choose an author that meets the needs of the author study, but I want my students to feel motivated and engaged in the literature. I was surprised by the overwhelming preference, but this information will certainly inform my decision of what author to choose for the author study.
Question 4:
I was hoping this question would give me an idea of what type of writing the students most enjoy or at most successful with. Luckily, every student choose a piece of writing that was a personal narrative (as opposed to a How-To or All-About book) so that bodes well for the type of unit I hope to create.
Question 5:
This question was also really interesting. I wanted to find out what my students find particularly difficult so I could modify those aspects of the unit accordingly. Luckily, no one said that they found writing to be the hardest part of first grade! I was happy about this because it tells me that my students feel relatively confident about their writing ability. Some students mentioned that “sitting quietly” or “concentrating” were very difficult parts of first grade, so I will keep this in mind for this unit and allow opportunities for movement breaks and try to incorporate kinesthetic learning into the lessons.
I interviewed my 22 second-grade students in an informal way – during lunch, when they are most likely to want to chat and always like for me to sit at their tables anyway! I asked them the following questions, with some impromptu follow-ups as necessary:
ReplyDeleteWhat do you like to do when you're not in school?
Is there a subject you would like to learn more about/talk about in school?
Do you like to read?
What do you like to read the most?
What is your favorite subject?
What is your least favorite subject?
I was surprised by how many students had similar likes and dislikes. The majority listed technology-related activities as what they prefer to do at home, including video games, watching TV and using a Wii. Very few mentioned outdoor activities or anything sports-related, though three students went on about skiing, hiking and soccer. That wasn't very surprising, as they are always the most energetic and health-conscious in school (for example, one of the boys, a hiking enthusiast, also told me he just became a vegetarian on his own because he heard that meat causes cancer).
All of the students said they consider themselves voracious readers, though several said they never read outside of school. One child made me particularly sad. She said she has absolutely no books at home, her parents never read to her (I asked if they ever read her bedtime stories, and she said no), and she couldn't remember a time she ever saw her parents reading books of their own. Conversely, another student who can barely read and struggles with even the simplest sentences, said she loves reading. I was really surprised because I honestly feel like she would be totally justified in hating reading based on how difficult it is for her. It made me so happy to know that she hasn't given up on herself and still manages to enjoy reading.
I found out something else about that student in this survey that shocked me. Her parents are divorced, and her mother works until 10 p.m. Her father picks her up from school every day, and her mother picks her up from her father's house at night. Because it's so late and she then wants to spend time with her mother, the girl said she doesn't get to bed until between midnight and 1 a.m. This girl is eight years old and she goes to sleep later than I do, and I'm tired a lot of the time. I can't imagine how she must feel, and it makes me much more sympathetic to her constant moodiness and anger management issues.
There was one across-the-board answer that wasn't unexpected, but is still disappointing. Almost the entire class said their least-favorite subject is Writing Workshop because it's too hard for them to think of ideas. From what I've seen so far, we give the kids very little direction for writing. The idea is that they should be able to write about what interests them, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. But the fact is, most of them waste half of their writing time complaining that they have nothing to write about. I try to prompt them with questions like, “What did you do this weekend?”, “What did you do for your last birthday?” and “Who was your last play-date with?” but they usually shrug and say, “I don't know” no matter what the question. The survey has definitely made me realize that they need more structure and guidance during Writing Workshop, or maybe straight-out instruction. If the whole class is given a topic they have to write about, this particular problem may be eliminated.
I am embarrassed to admit that I had never thought of issuing a written interest survey to children in order to get to know them better and to thus to teach them more effectively. After reading the article, here were more thoughts: Brilliant and simple. Then I wondered how many teachers actually employ such a survey. I certainly do not remember being given even one while growing up. In any event, I was off and running on crafting my survey. I took questions from the article, but also scoured the web for other ideas – marrying them to my own. The result was a series of questions that I believe were age appropriate and whose answers would give me important insight into my students.
ReplyDeleteI learned some interesting things after this experience.
1. Be careful with your questions. For example, I asked what their favorite TV show was but realized, after reading the answers, that I had no idea what the shows were about. Were they educational in nature or age-appropriate? I wish I had asked something more measurable /quantitative such as “Do you watch TV every day?” and “Do you watch TV before school?” and “Do you watch TV after school?”. That would give me a better idea as to how much TV was a focal point in their lives.
2. You will be surprised by their answers. This was the fun part. Some of my assumptions about students were correct . For example, I expected the poorest reader in the class would be the only child who would respond with a “NO” to my first three questions regarding reading and that ended up being true. However, one of my best students, who excels in all subjects, and who doesn’t appear particularly coordinated, listed “gym” as her favorite subject. Another child said she would like to be a “dog sledder” when she grows up. Several students listed fluency with a foreign language that surprised me. Another notable take-away was that all the girls listed several kids as their best friends (and ALL were female) and nearly all the boys only listed one or two kids (and ALL were boys).
3. Don’t assume answers will be honest. Even 1st and 2nd graders are self-conscious that their answers might not be what a teacher wants to hear. For example, two students did not want to tell me what they do when they get home. When I told one that it didn’t matter what it was - that I didn’t care what it was - reading, watching TV, sleeping, doing chores – whatever, she sheepishly said that she watched TV. The other one still refused to tell me after I tried reassuring her in the same way.
4. Kids can be very literal. When I asked the question about what the first thing is that they do when they get home, one student said that she says “hi” to her mom, another said that he takes off his backpack and a third said that she takes off her shoes and hangs up her coat.
Overall, I am glad to have been made aware of such a simple tool to glean the interests of my students and to just get to know them better overall. Obviously, such a survey would be better suited to be given at the start of the year but it would also be fun to administer it both a the start and towards the end. It would be interesting/fun to see how/if their responses changed (especially regarding their favorite subjects).