Should DBAs be 5, 10 or 30 minutes?
When I started at FLVS my DBAs were almost one hour. Then, of course, I realized: * Students probably would hate me by the end of the course. * I couldn’t afford to have DBAs so long with so many students. Then, I decided, “OK, let’s cut DBAs to 10 minutes.” So, if a student would call me and they seemed clueless, I would just tell them: I am going to send you some resources for you to study and we will retake it, ok? How awesome that solution was, until…. Well, I did not feel good about it. Isn’t my job to teach and help others? If they are clueless, shouldn’t I help them by guiding and reviewing some material with them? But what do to? Going back to 30 minutes DBA with everyone? 😬 Or just letting them go and be just like a modern doctor… I only have 5 minutes for you, my next client is coming… That’s when I discovered the super magical DBA reviews done by a genius who put all the basic information on one single page ( I am not a person who can summarize my ideas into a page…). Using this as a guide, I help students understand first where to find information about what and then I guide and review with them while asking questions, most personal questions. Some of my DBAs are 5 minutes, some are 10 and some are still close to 20 to 25 minutes. But I know that for us, the ones that take 20 minutes can be more rewarding than the 5-minute ones. You know you are helping a student who needs that help. So how do I do? For the most struggling ones, I ask them to come to my virtual class. They have the module overview handout, but I also have the handout right there on my page and we review the topics, so for example, if I am doing Module 3 about family, for the low-level students I do the following:
Find out what I like and don’t like, etc. Now, I feel when low-level students leave the DBA they know how to use their notes, they were able to have a conversation and practice Spanish with me, they feel more confident and they know their strengths and weaknesses to go ahead and review and study. Then, if needed, I can still reschedule DBAs after review, asking them to go ahead and study more, and sending some videos and resources I have. But most of the time, these DBAs with guided questioning and reviewing are enough for them to get their 70% and get ready to get a better grade on their exam. The goal is to help the least needed and let them get better at it as time goes.
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AuthorI love teaching and I believe that teaching and having fun is as possible as learning and having fun. I try to incorporate games and stories on my lessons to make it fun and comprehensible to students. ArchivesCategories |
Ana Siqueira
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