Summary of Results
As I have mentioned throughout this assignment, my main goal was to increase student motivation to complete and turn in homework assignments on a regular basis. The difference between this unit, and the unit preceding it, for example, was the amount of student engagement in each lesson. Something else that was different about this unit compared to previous units done in Algebra I was the amount of worksheets given in place of practice problems in the book. For some lessons, all I did was type out the practice problems and assign those as homework, when they were the exact same problem set that would have been assigned from the book. The results below indicate the increase in homework-completion from chapter 7 (which primarily contained bookwork) to chapter 8 (the unit which contained these 3 lessons).
Chapter 7
Homework Assignment Total:
9 assignments x 41 students = 369 total homework assignments
Homework Assignments Turned In:
1st hour: 104
6th hour: 144
Total: 248 assignments turned in
Percentage of total homework assignments turned in: 67.2% turn-in rate
Chapter 8
Homework Assignment Total:
11 assignments x 41 students = 451 total homework assignments
Homework Assignments Turned In:
1st hour: 182
6th hour: 206
Total: 388 assignments turned in
Percentage of total homework assignments turned in: 86% turn-in rate
By using worksheets and engaging lessons and homework, students increased their homework turn-in rate by nearly 19%! This was all over the course of only 2 units. Now that my mentor has taken over one of these classes after lead teach has concluded, I have seen the homework rate drop in that particular class. I believe this to be the level of engagement in the assignments, and the fact that the assignments are from the book, rather than on a worksheet.
As I looked across all three of the lessons, I was very happy with the level of engagement, and ultimately the motivation of my students because of this. However, I feel that the mathematical content of each lesson could be improved upon. Especially during the zombie activity, the theme of the lesson seemed to trump the mathematical goals that day. However, I feel so much more confident and ready to do this lesson again in a future classroom, and much more prepared to increase the mathematical output of my students, as well as their engagement and motivation.