Soph+Focus+Groups

= Focus Area One: Respect =

Statements from the My Voice Survey:

 * 1) 43% of students feel bullying is a problem
 * 2) 39% of students say they respect each other
 * 3) 52% of students respect teachers
 * 4) 50% of students feel that they are supportive of each other
 * 5) 21% have difficulty fitting in

Central Question

 * 1) What does the word respect mean to you?
 * 2) Where does respect begin in a relationship?
 * 3) What do you do to show respect to other students and your teachers?
 * 4) Describe what it looks like when students don't respect each other.
 * 5) Students have said that bullying is a problem. Tell me what you think.
 * 6) How could students and teachers address bullying?
 * 7) Do you have any ideas about what action we could take to improve respect between students?

Possible Follow up questions:
how to resolve the situation of respect-different for every student student toward student not that bad student disrespect to teachers is a huge problem how to establish the line? threats but no follow through, students take advantage of it, and office don't look at it seriously depending on the teacher and the students and the teachers relationship with the teachers, depends on the teacher and their classroom management (basically have to know their teacher) Lang is taken advantage of Courtney treats students differently (always sends boys and treats girls better, feel that she only helps the students that don't know how to do it, she helps who wants to help)

Understanding the Issue:
we could reestablish the line between joking and not joking-small school know each other really well-but teachers need to draw the line and punish students if they see they have crossed the line of disrespect and playing.
 * 1) What does the word respect mean to you? example not texting, paying attention, not talking back, doing what is asked for you, means corporation,value the other persons ideas and what they do, holding the other person above you. being nice, recognizing that persons authority
 * 2) Where does respect begin in a relationship? you have to give me respect to get it, has to be a mutual trust, the very beginning, should establish respect before anything else, teachers should be harder the first few weeks then loosen up. give respect you will get it back. always give respect because it makes you look like a better person.
 * 3) What do you do to show respect to other students and your teachers? not talking back, pay attention to what he or she is saying, be polite, listen to what they are saying, look in eye when talking, consider what they are saying,
 * 4) Describe what it looks like when students don't respect each other. saying mean things, no order in the classroom, rude, ends up like the pep rally (homecoming) fighting no one was a leader, no respect for each other trying to talk over others, don't listen to each other everyone is trying to talk and no one is listening.
 * 5) Students have said that bullying is a problem. Tell me what you think. have not seen a lot of bullying this year, there is a lot of joking in the class some may take it the wrong way, even as a whole school don't see bullying
 * 6) How could students and teachers address bullying? as a class they need to determine or reestablish the line that is playing or bullying
 * 7) Do you have any ideas about what action we could take to improve respect between students?

Ideas for improvement:
students that disrespect teachers need real punishment not just to the office and sent back what can we do as a class to get respect for each other- filter out the people that care and don't care. small group of people that impact the large group. detention is not effective at all-bring back ALC so students that are disrespectful can spend time in there. if all week students have done their work and respected each other we should get time each week to do our homework-extra credit and so on-middle school you had one class period that you could get stuff done in. if disrespectful send back to kindergarten-assign it as punishment-do all their classwork-and the kindergarten work. wouldn't get play time, would have to go to lunch with them and everything. Students would have to stand behind punishment!

Differences between boys and girls:
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= = Focus Area Two: Fun and Excitement/Risk Taking =

Statements from the My Voice Survey:

 * 1) 54% of students enjoy being at school
 * 2) 48% of students feel that teachers make school an exciting place to learn
 * 3) 31% of students are afraid to try something if "I think I might fail"
 * 4) 72% enjoy participating in class, 77% enjoy working on projects with other students, 42% of students say school is boring
 * 5) 59% of students feel teachers have fun at school

Central Question:

 * 1) How do you know teachers are having fun at school?
 * 2) What does it look like when a teacher is having fun?
 * 3) High % of students enjoy participating in class, high % enjoy working on projects, but high % say school is boring. What do you think about this?
 * 4) What makes you want to take risks in class?
 * 5) What makes you not want to take risks in class?
 * 6) Describe a challenging assignment that you've enjoyed.
 * 7) Describe a challenging assignment that you did not enjoy.
 * 8) What does fun learning look like?
 * 9) What ideas do you have for students and teachers to make learning more fun?

Possible Follow Up Questions:
Can tell they want to be here because they are up teaching the whole time, they are up moving around and helping students Teachers that don't care give packets and don't really help students, just bookwork, packets can learn in other ways. do you see risk taking as a problem-students not getting to take the risk-lots of people misunderstand never try never fail-if never try never get things done To bring book work to the teachers attention what can students do to help that issue and get the teachers attention on the issue that we don't learn from book work-do like Ms. Erwin and give post its to get everyone in the classroom discussion.

Understanding the issue:
10. what ideas do you have to get students and teachers to take more risks? give extra credit for taking risks on challenging material. There should also be time for extra credit. There could be time in class for extra credit work if you need it not just after school. students should get together as a whole and talk to the teachers about it. We can't go to the teachers. We need to go to someone higher to get something like that done.
 * 1) How do you know teachers are having fun at school? Almost all teachers look like they don't want to be here
 * 2) What does it look like when a teacher is having fun? moving around, helping all students, working on projects having fun with their classes
 * 3) High % of students enjoy participating in class, high % enjoy working on projects, but high % say school is boring. What do you think about this? way to repetitive, do the same thing in school everyday, need hands on stuff because students would learn better, some students show not responsible enough for hands on activities
 * 4) What makes you want to take risks in class? confidence in self, never try never fail
 * 5) What makes you not want to take risks in class? teacher could help and teach it to me instead of me getting a bad grade on it. If i don't get it then how are others not getting it. Thats when teacher needs to reteach it and stop. Its not from the students you will not get made fun of if you don't know the answer. Biggest problem is that feel teachers don't teach.
 * 6) Describe a challenging assignment that you've enjoyed. science projects, have not had a lot of hands on projects (learn better from hands on) something that is stopping teachers from doing those projects (one person in every group that will not try no matter what) There are always those students that don't care so everyone is getting punished because of it.
 * 7) Describe a challenging assignment that you did not enjoy. enjoy challenges but not when it is something that we have not gone over. some teachers give us assignments that we have not gone over.
 * 8) What does fun learning look like? something that is not book work. Something that is hands on and the teachers are involved. Teachers learning with us.
 * 9) What ideas do you have for students and teachers to make learning more fun? hands-on work, moving around the classroom getting up out of our sets and getting the class more involved. kind of like student teachers. NO BOOK WORK!!!!!

Ideas for improvement:
students need to push self more to show they can handle hands on activities and get the material classes should be based on skill level. students would feel awful about self-students would take advantage of it. Keep both groups going without dividing them into skill level. Diverse learning. Peer tutors if a student could pass the test. How can we fix the problem of different skill level-teachers have to enforce it-have peer tutors in class-studnets can go out and help others-students needing help have to accept it. WE need to have the options to do group work and the ones that don't want to do work can do the packets or something on own. Students can clarify and tell the teachers that we as a class don't know how to do something. We as a whole class need to tell the teacher that we don't know how to do it.