Copy

I have written about 'Sara' in blogs 85, 88, 90 and 103.  She just sticks out to me.  She is such a challenge and a form of a litmus to me... meaning if I can get her to be successful and maintain it, I will have really succeeded.

Well, she got in the 70s on ch 7 test but since then she has really struggle in ch 8.  She was absent a few days and then she spent a few days not taking any notes or looking like she was trying.  Lately, she has been 'trying' as far as she is concerned... but without any success because she is failing quizzes miserably.  In lab, we practice questions during the period and they can use their notes when they take their quiz.  The questions on the quiz are similar to the ones we practiced during the period.  The quiz 'should' be easy.  Sara failed it miserably today.  When I talked to her about how poorly she did, she told me she had taken lots of notes.  She had but she was not doing the problems like I had been showing for almost 2 weeks now.  I told her that her notes were obviously not doing her any good.  She needs to simply follow directions.  It is so weird how the students that struggle, struggle with following directions and they can't even see it.  They think they are trying when they are doing something.  I want to see result not just effort.

Why is it so hard for some of these struggling students to simply copy what they see?

The Learning Skill Sara really needs to develop is effective note taking.  She doesn't do it right now and it is making it hard for her to be successful.  I had her and all of my student pair up and take notes on doing the different types of factoring.  I told Sara to ask her neighbor to make sure she was doing each correctly.  I told her that if she wouldn't listen to me, maybe she could listen to her neighbor.  I was frustrated with her and I wanted her to know it.  I also wanted her to get the help she needed and learn.  I'll find out how it went tomorrow.

Day 106