I was sitting in Vinaka Coffee Shop in Carlsbad about twenty years ago reading a book on classroom management, when I stumbled across a gem that I have held on to ever since--magic cards! No, these cards have nothing to do with card tricks or Yu-gi-Oh. Instead, they are a great way to get honest feedback from your students that can help you be a better teacher I really wish I could give credit to the author of the book, but even after searching the internet, I could find nothing about these cards or what book they came from!
We just wrapped up the fifth week of school, so I felt students had enough information about me and my class to give me some honest feedback. I had students pack up all of their things except a pen or pencil and passed out a square of paper to each student. I told them that they should not write their names on the card but that they would be handing me the sheet of paper as they walked out the door. On one side of the card they were asked to write a "plus" sign and on the other side a "minus" side. I then asked them to jot down any positives they could think of about the classroom, teacher, activities, procedures, etc on the plus side and any negatives on the minus side. I encouraged them to write things on the minus side that I could actually change or do something about. In the past I have had students write things such as writing and reading on the minus side! HAHA! Wanting to make this as painless as possible, I told them that they could use bullet points.
When students leave, I read every single card. Although it is sometimes hard to hear negative feedback, it is valuable if you are willing to listen and do something about it if possible. For example, many years ago a few students wrote that they thought I had favorites! I was devastated. Yet, when I took an honest look at myself, I was able to see how they might have thought that. There were a few students in the class that I joked around with frequently. I probably paid more attention to these students than the others because they were sillier and more outgoing. Since then, I have made a huge effort to do all that I can to assure my students that they are all equally loved and adored!
One of the negatives I heard this week was that I should pick some better Article of the Weeks. Although we have only had one, some students obviously were not interested in the topic. I thought about this over the weekend and decided that I will allow students to choose their own Article of the Week at least once a month! Why not? My favorite negative was "I sit in the back, and the tissue box is in the front. I have to walk all the way across the room to get a tissue." I guess if that's his biggest complaint, I'm doing okay! HAHA! However, I will be adding an additional Kleenex box to the back of the room .
Of course, there were lots of positives, and those are always a joy to hear. I just want to encourage teachers to try magic cards. Students seem to love knowing they have a voice and that someone is listening. I will be debriefing with my students tomorrow!
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| Who Doesn't Like Positives? |
We just wrapped up the fifth week of school, so I felt students had enough information about me and my class to give me some honest feedback. I had students pack up all of their things except a pen or pencil and passed out a square of paper to each student. I told them that they should not write their names on the card but that they would be handing me the sheet of paper as they walked out the door. On one side of the card they were asked to write a "plus" sign and on the other side a "minus" side. I then asked them to jot down any positives they could think of about the classroom, teacher, activities, procedures, etc on the plus side and any negatives on the minus side. I encouraged them to write things on the minus side that I could actually change or do something about. In the past I have had students write things such as writing and reading on the minus side! HAHA! Wanting to make this as painless as possible, I told them that they could use bullet points.
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| I Can Compromise! |
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| This is what's important to a middle-schooler! |
When students leave, I read every single card. Although it is sometimes hard to hear negative feedback, it is valuable if you are willing to listen and do something about it if possible. For example, many years ago a few students wrote that they thought I had favorites! I was devastated. Yet, when I took an honest look at myself, I was able to see how they might have thought that. There were a few students in the class that I joked around with frequently. I probably paid more attention to these students than the others because they were sillier and more outgoing. Since then, I have made a huge effort to do all that I can to assure my students that they are all equally loved and adored!
One of the negatives I heard this week was that I should pick some better Article of the Weeks. Although we have only had one, some students obviously were not interested in the topic. I thought about this over the weekend and decided that I will allow students to choose their own Article of the Week at least once a month! Why not? My favorite negative was "I sit in the back, and the tissue box is in the front. I have to walk all the way across the room to get a tissue." I guess if that's his biggest complaint, I'm doing okay! HAHA! However, I will be adding an additional Kleenex box to the back of the room .
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| First World Problems (and yes, I want to correct the error) |
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| Awwww! |
Of course, there were lots of positives, and those are always a joy to hear. I just want to encourage teachers to try magic cards. Students seem to love knowing they have a voice and that someone is listening. I will be debriefing with my students tomorrow!
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