My Shortcomings
No this will not be a list. Just one thing.
I’ve often wondered why my students tend to do poorly on tests. I know it’s a high-stress situation. I know there’s a lot of material. But I give lots of quizzes as well. It’s not as if I dump a ton of material on them and then suddenly test them. I give plenty (usually a week) of advanced warning. We review the equations and variables and main ideas the day before the test. What’s the problem?
Well, since I don’t want to put all the onus on me, I have to say that my students definitely do not even try to study. Not even an attempt. I have students come in to a test not even knowing what the variables in an equation mean. If you’ve gotten to the test not know that basic knowledge, I can’t help you and I’m not responsible for your confusion.
The flip-side of this is that I don’t know how to study either. I barely ever studied for tests. However, I definitely paid attention in class. I knew the material from listening (I’m an auditory learner) to the teacher so I didn’t really have to do much studying. When I did study, I just read over my notes a few times or went over some example problems. That’s it.
My students aren’t like that unfortunately. Many do not pay attention in class (difference between honors and regular?) and do not take (good) notes. In my mind it isn’t that difficult. Pay attention in class and then you’ll know what you’re doing. I take most of the questions out of homework or quizzes or class examples. So how do I help them study?
