computerdisc-l: your classroom and mine

["Dane Conrad" <dane@firstbaptistchurch.org>]

Hello,

I too had noticed the lag in conversation and
was wondering if something had gone wrong
with the listserv. Glad to hear from Cynthia and
the writer/teacher at Abwms68@aol.com.

Let me add that it sounds like you have been
in my classroom, except my Horizons books are
not falling apart. I noticed that the way I was allowing
the students to work while doing word processing was
not benefitting them as much as I would like. I slowed
down the process for spreadsheets and it seems to
be helping.

 I could not have expressed any better
the sentiments by Cynthia and Abwms68@aol.com.
I have students who can read the instructions, do the steps,
and grasp why they are doing what they are doing. Then the
majority can't as easily; they need me to restate it (I usually just
ask questions about what it says until they "believe" that what
they needed was right there in front of them). Then the other
group, the students who can go through the lesson about
using formulas and produce an correct spreadsheet at the end
of the instructions, but then don't know how to "calculate" even
a simple situation needing addition by using a formula.
I am no Bell Curve expert, but it certainly does seem to fall
out that way in the general population of my class.

Hoping today is less frustrating and more fun than yesterday,
Dane
North Forrest Jr. High