Redefining ready - A visit to Junior AVID elective.

October was Redefining Ready month.  With that in mind, I had the opportunity to spend some time visiting classes so that I could showcase some of the amazing things happening at RMHS.  Thank you to all of the teachers that welcomed me into their classes!  We have a hard working staff doing so many outstanding things for our students.

Today I wanted to highlight one visit that still has me thinking.  On October 13th, I visited the AVID Junior elective class.  This particular class was broken down into two parts.  During the first half of class,the students worked on reviewing SAT questions that they had previously taken.  Using materials provided by the College Board, students went through various practice tests.  They also used an APP, provided by the College Board, that enabled the students to scan their answers (off of a provided bubble form) and get immediate feedback.  One of the goals of this practice time was not only to point out areas where they may need more support, but to have a conversation about how the SAT is different than other standardized tests these students may have taken in the past.  

An interesting reflection from the students was noticing that several of the questions on the English test build off of one another.  For example, after a question is answered, the following question asks for evidence that supports the previous answer.  Students commented that this would require them to truly understand their answer and also allow for them to go back and make changes to an answer if they could not find evidence to support it.

For more information on the tests that the college board offers, as well as information about the APP that supports these materials, visit this link.

The second half of class was dedicated to working on their tutorials, or TRFs (Tutorial Request Form).  During tutorials, the students get into their assigned groups and work with an AVID tutor.  

Problems brought to the tutorials are those in HW or tests/quizzes that students struggled on.   

During the tutorial process Students asked themselves:

• What was my point of confusion?

• What did I learned about my point of confusion?

• I gained greater understanding about my point of confusion when?

• This learning is important because it connects to my previous learning, myself, my world in the following way….

• What I found meaningful about today’s tutorial session is….

This process is taught to the students during their freshman year of their AVID elective and continues every year.  I witnessed, that by junior year, the students understand the process and know how to get themselves into their groups and get started.  As these students become more and more prepared for life in college, the goal is to have seniors run their own study sessions, a skill they can take with them to college.  

I had several take-aways from my time spent with each group during tutorials.  First, it is not always about getting the answer right; it is the process!  How often are we presented with a problem that we do not know the answer to?  I found myself wanting to just help and give the answer.  Instead, I had to step back, let the kids lead the conversation, and just try to ask good leading questions.  This is NOT an easy task.  It is clear to me why this process needs to be taught and practiced.  Building on this new revelation, I also learned that it is easier to run/participate in a tutorial if you are NOT a content expert on the topic.  It forces you to think outside of the box and look at the thinking process instead of just the solution.  The third thing that I learned (well I already new this, it was just confirmed) is that our students are AWESOME!  They ask great questions, are very supportive, and genuinely want to help each other out.

Would you like to learn more about AVID or AVID tutorials?  I encourage you to have a conversation with your AVID students.  They are very articulate and always willing to share.  You can also talk with our wonderful AVID teachers or anyone on our site team.  Also, here is a link to a website with more information.