Another math teacher at my school came up with the idea of the Perfect Test. Meaning, all students either get 100% on the test or they get a 0%. The test is tough but only has 4 or 5 problems. Their work has to be perfect and their answers have to be correct. They have until the end of the semester to be perfect. They can learn from their mistakes and keep retaking similar tests.
I tweaked his idea. I told my students that no grade would be put in the computer until after the 3rd week. In the computer, it counted as a 50 point test, not 100 points. I also told my students that when all of them reached perfection, I would bring in DONUTS for everybody. At this point in the year, I had on my poster for Heart and Head, Believe 100% Commit 100% and Desire 100%. It was amazing what this test did to my classes.
About half of my students were perfect on the test the first time. By the end of the second week there were only a handful of students that still needed to be perfect. Each time they took a different but similar test. The students rooted for each other. They encouraged and asked for and gave help to each other. The last few students, in each class, experienced positive peer pressure. When I would give a student a test, others in the class would quietly whisper words of encouragement to their classmate. When they passed, they would be congratulated and 'high fived' by their classmate. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
When a student passed they would rip off a piece of tape and proudly walk to the back of the room and tape up their test on the wall in the back of the room. They are all there still. The last few kids were not humiliated but were loved, encouraged, exhorted, challenged and instructed. I believed they all could do it and they did!
The day after the last student passed, I brought in donuts. It was so cool. ALL OF THEM WERE PERFECT ON A TOUGH 4 PROBLEM TEST. In one class, as they were all eating their donut, one student spoke up. He told me that I needed to add '100% achieve' to the poster. I smiled and agreed and climbed up on a desk and wrote on my poster 100% ACHIEVE. Then in the very next class, as they were eating their donut, another student spoke up and said that I needed to add '100% CONFIDENCE to the poster. Smiling, I agreed and climbed up on a desk again and wrote '100% CONFIDENCE' on the poster.
Up to this point, I was asking my students to believe they could be perfect. NOW, THEY KNEW THEY COULD BECAUSE THEY ALL HAD. They closed the circle. Because they had achieve 100%, they now could have 100% confidence. This could help them to believe 100% about future tests. Then commit 100% and desire 100%.
I plan to do this every quarter. I will come up with a tough 4 to 5 problem test and expect perfection from them. Because of their past achievements, I am 100% confident they will all make it.
'I can teach ALL students through Christ who strengthen me.'
Day 23
That other math teacher must be a pretty brilliant guy! ;)
ReplyDeleteI still have 7 kids to go on my perfect-test. I'll get them in January! I love the idea of the party - it surely encouraged the positive peer pressure.