Are they even listening?

Last week all our students went to see The Neverending Story at Young People's Theatre. The play fits into our Pathway on Courage, which is all about reading comprehension and understanding texts. Prior to going to the theatre we worked on pulling out the main details from a text and we also reviewed what to pay attention to during the production. After the play we summarized the performance as a class and then we moved into their assignment: writing a play review. Students were given organizers that gave them the specific questions to answer in their play reviews. We went over the rubric, made an anchor chart, reviewed instructions during each lesson and worked one on one to complete the task. Despite it all they just weren't getting it. They decided within the first 5 minutes of the movie that they didn't like it, so they stopped paying attention. They decided that they hated the play and instead of backing up their opinions with supporting facts, as per the assignment instructions, the majority of one class wrote rants. They wrote opinion pieces and/or summaries of the play and ignored their organizers and assignment instructions almost entirely. I've spent this whole week working with them and the result is that they haven't been paying attention. Or they've opted not to listen.

Reading their play reviews was a very frustrating task for me. I had moments of thinking that I've failed as a teacher because the majority of the class bombed the assignment. But then I marked my other two classes and for the most part their reviews were great. The issue, and I've come to learn that many teachers have the same issue with this class, is that they have poor listening skills and don't follow directions well. They are outspoken and opinionated but can't follow through on assignments. Nevertheless, I know that I can improve my own practice. If I have a class like that again I would make sure that they hand their organizers in with their assignments, so that they are more accountable and on task. I will also follow their progress even more closely so I know that they are on task and can't nip problems in the bud. Ultimately though, there is only so many times I can repeat myself, or give clear instructions.

Next week my students in that class will be redoing their assignment in class. They will receive their assignment with a mark and assess where they went wrong. Then, in class, the students will fill in their organizer all over again. There will be no shortcuts, no "I'll do it a home" or "I know what I'm gonna write." They will redo it in detail and hand it in with their assignment. Then they will have one period to re-write the assignment by hand and submit it at the end of class. The new mark will be averaged with the old. In part I am being generous by providing them with the opportunity to get a better grade. However, I believe it is important to reign in their attitude and lack of listening skills and demonstrate that following instructions is important. Miss Williams is disappointed.