Intentional Precision

For the past few weeks I've been wrestling with trying to name, describe, explain and teach a strategy that successful student use.  Today in 3rd period, the name finally came to me.  I was so excited, I quickly wrote it on the white board at the front of the room and asked my students if the name made sense to them... they agreed.  The strategy I've been wrestling with is INTENTIONAL PRECISION.

THIS IS SUCH A BIG IDEA!

I can teach my student how to do all of the problems in a chapter and they can even learn how to do all the problem (I know... it is not teaching unless they are learning!!), but they still can do poorly on a test unless they also learn how to do the problems with INTENTIONAL PRECISION.  This is the place where a successful student: defers... listens... hears... ; follows directions completely; takes and uses effectives notes; learns from their mistakes quickly; practices with intensity and develops habits, beliefs, strategies, systems, routines to ensure they do the problems correctly.  They know they can mess up and so they do all they can to create habits and routines to eliminate and catch ALL MISTAKES.

I've talked about this over the past few blogs but it is very weird trying to explain and teach a concept I can't even name.

Here are some student examples to make my point of the importance of Intentional Precision;

Sara is a student that is pretty sharp.  She quickly understands a new concept taught but routinely gets problems wrong in practice because the most important thing to her, when doing her practice, is getting done.  She lacks Intentional Precision.  I have been pounding away at getting her to improve on being more and more Intentionally Precise.  She is at the place now of admitting that she needs to improve.  I need to be patient and kind regardless of how long it takes for her to show real improvement in this area.

Gandalf is not as sharp as Sara but he is still very capable.  He doesn't do a very good job of listening, so he also struggles with following directions.  When he does his practice he routinely makes mistakes because his notes are incomplete and/or he doesn't use them.  He seems unaware of the possibility that he may get the problem wrong, so he does not do anything to double check his work or avoid mistakes.  I keep pointing out to Gandalf where he could improve.  I can't change him.  I need to love him right where he is, but I need to continually encourage, challenge, exhort, motivate and hold up a mirror to him to help bring him to the place where he will change.

The most important thing for my students to learn is:  I CARE ABOUT THEM.  For a few really troubled students... this may be all they learn from me because they are often absent and are dramatically impacted by their life situation and/or poor personal decisions.

Sam was a student I had last year.  He transferred into my class half way through second semester.  He showed up about once a week.  He failed miserably.  He was totally lost when he was in class but I focused on trying to make him feel welcome when he did show up.  He had no chance of passing because of his absenteeism.  He was a student I was only going to get to teach one thing to... and that was that I cared for him.  Life is only about relationships.  Everything is just stuff.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Day16