My Kenan lesson for the first semester went fairly well, as I mentioned in my last post.  The feedback that I got from Craig and Pam Lovin helped me modify a few things.  The feedback I got from my students is also informing some changes in how I am handling the lesson this semester.  I am hoping that it goes a bit smoother, but I was still pleased with the overall results from last term.  I have an odd number in each class I’m teaching this semester, so I will be on at least one team in each class, which should be fun!

I missed a post in December – my mother was struggling after an extended hospital stay and I was trying to wrap up the semester – just forgot to post…but I was working on my Kenan curriculum as my first student projects were due before exams.

The main part of my Kenan lesson plan was an extension project that my students completed in teams of four.  Right off the bat there were some issues as I didn’t have any classes where my student population was divisible by four.  I ended up being a team member on several teams, which I enjoyed quite a bit and I think that I will continue to participate in this way – perhaps even more so (it gives me a different perspective into how my students are thinking and working).

The first set of projects that I graded were awesome!  Unfortunately, they were also the best of all of the projects that I graded.  A couple of students did not do their parts.  I knew about these situations ahead of time and tried to ensure that in the end that they completed what they needed to.  Neither did – one was a complete surprise being in this situation and I’m still waiting to see if I can determine why it happened (the other student was not a surprise).

The students had to do reflections as part of their projects and I think that they were pretty honest about how things went.  I ended up getting some of the normal platitudes (“I really learned a lot from this project”) and I hope they were truthful with those, but I also had several students express possible new career interests.

I also received several good ideas for tweaking the lesson plans – particularly the project.  Some students found the project a bit overwhelming – especially the rubrics.  While I’m not sure I can decrease the amount of rubrics, I know that I can spend more time addressing them.  One student told me that the project newsletter (the description of the project) was too colorful and therefore distracting.  It is busy, I admit, but I don’t see changing that aspect until I get some more feedback along those lines.

Most of the suggestions were along the line of the necessity of more time and more organization.  I will be starting the lesson plan earlier this semester and giving students more time on the project.  I will also be assigning more deadlines (or “check-in” assignments) so I can better spot potential trouble and make suggestions.  I will also be allotting some time each week to see if there are any questions or concerns.  Additionally, since many students submitted electronic files this past semester, I will be creating shared group folders through Google docs that the students can use to organize, communicate, and edit each others’ work through more effectively (these folders should also allow me to “peek” in a bit more to check on progress informally).

Overall, I am definitely pleased with how the first run-through went and I’m excited to implement the changes I’ve listed.  My mentor is already on board to come back this second semester and I’m working to get at least one other guest speaker to come as well.