It has been a while since I’ve blogged and I have a stack of notes/thoughts I’ve been wanting to post on here but there never seems to be enough time in a day to get on here. This weekend will be my catchup weekend and to definitely reflect on the review session, exam, and pod activity.
But for now I wanted to reflect quick on study tables. I have done the past two study sessions (last weeks with Amanda and today’s with Tonya) and feel that they have been very helpful. Last week we had four girls and they told me afterward that they got a lot out of it and like how we switch the times and days up to fit multiple peoples schedules. It was also a huge confidence builder when they asked Amanda and I if we held study sessions every week or if they could schedule times with us. Not only did I see a growth vocally in them over the study time but I feel they were beginning to think about things on a more psychological level. This I thought was huge because it was allowing them to think outside their comfort zones and even beyond class material.
Today we had five girls and one guy. It was exciting to watch them when they begin to realize they actually know more than what they initially thought. It was hard to figure out where to start at first because two of the girls were at study tables the week before so I knew what they already went over. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to start from the beginning and have a little refresher. They were very patient and helpful on bringing up points we made the week prior that they felt helped them understand it better. Discussion was going good until we hit the bio section. There were a few speed bumps in the brain and neuron topics but we thankfully pushed through them and I felt everyone had a somewhat better understanding. Tables were going so well that I finally had to leave at ten to five to go to work. Thankfully people were enjoying themselves and not in a hurry to leave. If study tables stay this size or get bigger we might need to plan a different location (noise was forming a little barrier for hearing each other also).
Good luck with review tomorrow ladies & I can’t wait to read what everyone has to say!!!
Blog catch-up will be soon!!
You nicely identify a key element–often students do not realize how much they really know and the challenge is to get them to realize that. Then the confidence grows. Glad you are seeing the results of your efforts.