#MTBoS30: Study Guide Day

If you're like me, you love anything that is not direct instruction. I have been trying to get away from it as much as possible. I just hate talking so much and knowing I am losing them and boring them and doing the learning for them.

But I do love me some study guide day.

It's the one day I totally give up my control and talking. I hand out the study guide and then I work on something else (I think it's important to stay standing because sitting at my desk gives off the sense that I'm not engaged) or clean something or whatever. I'm present but I don't hover.

This is where I see what students really don't understand. This is where I see students get up and go across the room to help others. This is where I see students move to work with people and actually work. This is where I here a lot of discussion and questioning among students where I am not involved.

This is where it gets serious. I feel like students are more engaged because obviously there is a test the next day and they need to know what they don't know.

When I walk around and hover, I think it makes some students more clingy and want my help for every little thing. When it appears I am busy, students work together better and more and then they only come to me when they are needing some serious help.

I post answer keys on a back cabinet for students to check their work and I monitor to make sure no one is just copying them.

I don't know if students notice any of these subtleties but it makes me proud to hear them work, talk, mess up, fix mistakes, use their INBs, and just do math.

Without me.