End of Semester - The Coop

As the semester comes to a close, I am surprised by what I am spending my evening doing.  I am putting marks into Mastergrade, which is something I NEVER would have guessed would be happening at the end of our semester together in the coop.  I am hoping to use these grades as a starting place for our interviews - please come to your interview prepared with evidence of your learning - this is your chance to show me that you have learned more than the quiz or assignment showed at the time.  However, my fear is that your marks from the computer ARE an appropriate measure of the amount that you have learned over the semester.  Many of you have incomplete assignments, and poor marks on quizzes and tests because you were unprepared.  You did not take ownership of your learning.  There are no make-up quizzes or bonus marks.  All semester long I have emphasized the importance of the things we are learning - and now, it comes down to you and I in your exit interview.  If you have not done the work all year, if you have not learned the information, if you have nothing to show that you are proud of and that you worked hard on, you have not been successful in your courses.  I am sad about the number of poor grades in a traditional sense (from the computer & Mastergrade) because it means that you did not buy in to what this semester was supposed to be about - you didn't do the work because it wasn't for "marks".  I have not entered marks into Mastergrade for 3 years and I feel like I am taking a step backwards in my assessment and teaching.  I do not believe that our best learning comes from completing worksheets because we need to hand them in for marks.  That doesn't sound like learning at all.  Copying answers from other students blogs and worksheets, cutting and pasting from the internet when your assignment is to "be curious" - what are you learning?  Nothing.  You are trying to win at playing "the game" of school.  The habits that you form in this classroom of trying to find the easy way out will stick with you.  Is that who you want to be?  You are forming habits.  These habits will start to define who you are as a person if you are not careful.

So think about it.  When were you surprised by the way something actually works?  When did you have a "lightbulb" moment, when something really made sense?  When did learning about a topic end up giving you more unanswered questions?  When did you feel amazed?  When did you work away at something until it started to make sense to you?  These feelings are what learning is.  And who is the one person who can make this learning happen?  Your teacher?  Your friends?  Nope.  It's you.

Today in class I will give you your interview guidelines - complete this and come to your interview prepared.  If you would like a later interview time, please have a look at the schedule - there are interview times available all next week as well.