D75: Who gets it

Disclaimer here - I always bemoan the fact that teachers complain about students who don't "get" the content.  It is literally a teacher's job to make sure students "get" the content.  Teachers need to meet students where they are at, but at the same time the student does have a responsibility to follow along to a certain extent.

To put this in images of cute animals... a student cannot be doing this:

But honestly most my students who don't get it are more like this:

... just a tinge distracted.  Honestly, if I could find a dog staring at a SmartPhone, that would probably be the best representation of why my students struggle.  I try to crack down on smart phones, but with laptops out, it is SUPER easy to hide them... ugh... another rant for another day...

BUT...

Here's what happened today.

AP CSA: 
Students took a test on ArrayLists.  I think I over-prepared them a tinge for the test.  I think next year I want to re-examine the multiple choice test and make it a bit more rigorous.  Overall students did well which was a good thing.

It is interesting that I have some students who had slid off the A train earlier in the year and now are getting back on.  I really attribute that to the work THEY have done though.  They took it in their own hands to use other resources available to them.  I am trying to figure out how I keep everyone on the train to begin with.  I think I could slow down more in the beginning.  That would be a benefit for everyone.  I think more frequent quizzes would also help in the beginning.

For those students who are still not "getting it", I am not really sure what to do.  Another AP CSA teacher I collaborate with says that the course isn't for everyone.  If a student is going to wait for the teacher to tell them exactly what to do, no learning is going to happen.  I do agree with that to a certain extent.  I can tell them what code to write, but they will not learn how to actually program... they need to do some thinking at some point. I need to be a bit more transparent about that with students.  I think back to the list of what does participation look like? in a harkness classroom... I wonder if developing a list like that for CSA would be helpful for students (and probably myself too).

AP CSP
I am glad we are taking time to do this mini project.  I need to go back and reinforce the idea that the computer only shows information that is stored in the computer.  What I mean by that, is that we need to talk about variables, why we use them, how scope works, what does it mean to initialize vs. update a variable... all of that.   Next year I think I need to do more unplugged worksheets/activities around this.

It is fascinating to see students who "get it" grow in confidence.  I can't really describe it, but it just "clicks" for some students - their thinking is spot on.  They can break down problems into smaller problems.  They try stuff.  My biggest issue in this class is students who "don't get it", try stuff, and then erase it.   It is so hard to be able to see what is going on in their heads without any evidence.

I also need to have a conversation with students about helping others.  Some of the "get it" students are "helping" others by giving them their code.  Uhhh... not helpful.

I would love to have a TA in this class.  With 41 students, I think having one other person to help troubleshoot in a productive way would be amazing.

Concepts
Well, our test didn't go well.  I gave it back to students to review with a partner.  That went well.

One Good Thing
I realize that I have a "concepts" class which suggests leveling, but I am thankful our school doesn't have more of that.  We don't have honors and concepts every thing.  This is a win for students and teachers.