At this point in the semester, I fear my students are tuning me out. I mean it's been sixteen weeks, and we have one more to go. Week by week, I have introduced one new component of college-level writing after another. Many of students didn't know what to expect, some are completely overwhelmed, and more than a few just don't want to hear my voice anymore. They give me that blank look, like they are staring forward at an elevator door.
I'm writing this to encourage them to STAY FOCUSED on their ACADEMIC GOAL – To Pass this Class, Earn the Grade They Want, and Move On to the Next Level. In the remaining seven days we have left together, they will need to find their POSITIVE MINDSET. There is no time to waste. The clock is ticking. There will be NO extension of any deadlines. When do we procrastinate the most? When we’re in a bad mood! But, why should anyone be in a bad mood? WE ARE SO CLOSE. Our Journey is Nearing its End.
Thursday, June 1, is our last day of the regular semester – ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY.
Tuesday, June 6, will be our FINAL EXAM DAY.
In the remaining time we have left together, I plan to offer the help my students need to succeed. On Thursday, we will discuss ACADEMIC RESOLUTIONS that may help them reach their destination.
A resolution, as defined by Google, is a “firm decision to do or not to do something.” Resolving to do something good or quit something unhealthy is admirable, but a resolution is nothing without an actual goal: a specific target, or the “aim or desired result,” according to Google. A goal should be specific, realistic, and measurable. But just like a resolution without a goal, a goal without a plan is nothing. You must also be able to outline specific steps that will help you achieve your goal. In this class we have focused on academic/learning related resolutions. Our goal from the beginning of the semester was to produce a college-level academic research paper.
For our next class, I ask my students to bring in their COMPLETED RESEARCH PROJECT BINDERS. I plan for them to discuss their projects in small groups- Their Final Exam Project will require them to speak for THREE to FIVE MINUTES about their sixties topics – Let's PRACTICE!
On the right, I share Erika D's Sixties Mind Map for her research paper on Alcatraz (I hope that's COOL with you Erika!)
- Erika will be asked to share her Mind Map with the students in her class.
- Will she be able to speak with clarity and confidence about her topic?
- Could she speak ONE minute about each of her ideas presented on her Mind Map: Maximum Security Prison; Al Capone; Escape Attempts; National Park…
- Of course, she will decide what she wants to talk about -THREE MINUTES!
- I'm hoping that the project Mind Map will provide each student with a visual outline to ACE his/her FINAL EXAM PROJECT
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JAY'S THINGS TO THINK ABOUT – SHORT TERM – and LONG-TERM GOALS: |
On Final Exam Day, June 6, we will meet on the library patio. We will share our research projects. I call it a STUDENT PRESS CONFERENCE. My goal IS to provide an exciting, non-threatening collaborative atmosphere to reinforce our semester learning and motivate us for the next semester. We should all walk away from Final Exam Day feeling good about our efforts this semester. Students LISTENING to the presentations will also be PARTICIPATING in the presentations – See themselves as REPORTERS – I will grade them on the QUALITY of your QUESTIONS.
This Student News Conference idea came to me at the beginning of the Trump presidency, from watching news clips of Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Sara Saunders, Rod Rosenstein, presenting important information to a roomful of reporters. And taking questions! I though what a great format designed to generate and perpetuate student engagement at semester's end. We bring in a professional podium. We reserve a large screen for students to support their discussion with meaningful visuals. In a brief three to five minutes, they highlight the most interesting aspects of their writing projects and writing experience. At the end of their "talk," they tookquestions from the audience. This semester we HAVE set our writing bar high. We look forward to engage. All students in the class have developed 5-6 page MLA style research paper based on a sixties topic. At the end of their "talk," they take questions from the audience.
I ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO PREPARE SPECIFIC THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTIONS THAT MAY ELICIT THOUGHTFUL RESPONSES. Like:
- What did they finally convict Al Capone for: Murder? Drug Smuggling? Prostitution? Gambling?
- What was so WEIRD and/or Memorable about the Jimi Hendrix performance at Woodstock?
- Why do people often say that the Birth Control Pill was one of the inventions that decisively shaped the 20th century?
- Who would have the means and motivation to murder Martin Luther King? If James Earl Ray was a "Patsy," who is really responsible for MLK's death?
- How close were we to NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- How was Ted Bundy able to GET AWAY WITH MURDER for so long before he was finally captured.
- When they say Muhammed Ali was the GREATEST, what do you think was the GREATEST thing he ever did?
- What MOTIVATED Gloria Steinem to begin THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT – What was the STARTING POINT?
- How did the synthesizer change the way the Beatles wrote and played their music?
I suppose we can call it a tradition now. I order pizza from Papa Johns. I bring drinks and treats from Mexicali. My students and I hang out a little bit. We talk about literature, life and music. This is going to be GREAT. You will SEE.
Paz,
JL
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