Exam post mortem

So last week was mid year exams. It is a very interest process to watch as you see how different students cope and react with the stress and pressure that come hand in hand with exams. When it came to marking them I was very pleased with the of all three classes. The all pretty much fitted a perfect bell curve. I had my low and my high marks, all of which was expected. There are a number of disappointed students and and number of were pleasantly surprised.

Each  student did a post exam reflection which asked them to reflect and amount and quality of their revision, if they were happy with there marks, the areas they struggled and how the could improve with and a few other questions. The answers from the students were really pleasing and showed that they were taken the whole process quiet seriously and were all wanting to improve throughout the rest of the year and things to work on form finals.  It was a wake up call of some and highlighted clearly that what they are currently doing is not working and the need either a new approach or to take studying a lot more seriously whereas for others it was a validation that what they are doing is working for them and is bring them success.

Inspiration Lost

So over the last few weeks I have lost all inspiration for my new approach.  I do admittedly have an obsessive personality and I do lose interest in thing easily if I am not constantly inspired or engaged I get bored and forget about it.  This has happened to me this term. It started off with a hiss and a roar and has fizzled out over the past few weeks. Exams in the middle of the term did not help nor did writing reports and new topics. In hind sight the writing of a new Yr 8 topic should of given me plenty of inspiration and new ideas and I has. My year 8 topic was investigation based, lots of student driven activities and work. they were taking charge of the the learning in the topic with scaffolding from. This has been very fun and the students were engaged and having a good time. I endeavour to make junior science as fun and as engaging as possible and I am finding the students are really responsive to that style of teaching.

The Yr 10 on the other hand are getting old school me talking at them. I have lost inspiration for new ideas in teaching this class. The investigation inquiry based learning disappeared, I started being the focus of the lesson again and I really don't like it at all. I have ran out of ideas for the topic we have just finished. I have just started a new topic and in writing this blog I am slowly regaining the inspiration, I desperately need an injection of new ideas and ways to present the topic I have just started. I could teach this topic in my sleep, which should mean I should have heaps of new exciting ideas but I just don't.  Teaching plant and human reproduction isn't the most exciting topic for the students, and I want to find exciting ways to approach it.  I am then finishing up with genetics,  one of my fields of expertise and a great love of mine. I have always approached this topic as enquiry based using case studies and heaps of real life examples.

So I would love some new ideas of teaching plant and human reproduction as inquiry based. Any help would be greatly appreciated.