Hi Catherine,
I am just finishing up Chapter 10 on research ethics so I will make my post by the weekend but I wanted to give you a little snapshot of my survey results. I created a 10 questions survey related to Lunch Bunch and how students felt about it and added 2 open ended questions at the end. Overall, the students responded very favourably to the questions and I had 57 respondents. The next time I design a survey I will use either agree or disagree or yes or no. I had a middle number which I termed neutral and I think this may have skewed my data a little.
I have noticed a slight drop in attendance this week as a result of the beautiful weather and the students wanting to get outdoors. The regulars still continued to come on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The students want to have Lunch Bunch continue next year. One piece of data that I found to be encouraging was that 55% of the students like to come school more because of lunch bunch.
My favorite part of the data collection was reading their responses to the open questions. Children are very insightful and honest. Many commented that they enjoy the time to just hang out with their friends. They enjoy making new friends, everyone gets along, the games are fun. They also love the teacher who supervises so this is helpful. Several students indicated that more technology would be beneficial. Others commented that a bigger room with more space would make lunch bunch better. I agree with this as they are somewhat cramped together.
I was chatting with Matt, from your school, last week about what you do at lunch time at your school. I would love to hear more about the different clubs you have for students.
I hope you are getting through the pile of work you are most likely facing. Have you registered for any courses for intersession? If so, please let me know and hopefully we might be in one together. I am enrolled in 2...yes I know I am completely insane!
Enjoy the beauty of the day,
Sheila
Hello again, my friend,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that you received some good information from your Lunch Bunch survey and some ideas that may improve it for students. Since this club appears to be valued by the students, I think it will be a good idea to listen to their suggestions especially since they will benefit from these. I wonder how much the supervising teacher, who you indicate they love, influences the number of students who attend? Greatly, I would think, although I'm sure this isn't the only reason students go to it.
Yes, my school has many lunch time clubs, most of which are instigated by the students themselves and supervised by a teacher. I know this has definitely been a benefit to alleviating playground issues as well as providing leadership opportunities to students, some of whom have been marginalized for some reason or another.
Must get going on the piles of things I have to do. Have a fabulous day and I know we'll talk soon.
Catherine
Sheila, your "Lunch Bunch" project sounds terrific. There are so many things I have not thought about--the need to create activities for lunch time, for example. Schools have become much more complex.
DeletePatricia.
Hi Catherine
ReplyDeleteWould you be able to tell me the name of some of the clubs you have organized. I like how you mentioned that the clubs allow for leadership for the students. This is very important for students and sometimes we forgot about this in the craziness of our day.
As for the supervising teacher for Lunch Club she is indeed very popular and one of the big reasons why the students enjoy coming. Kids catch on quickly if you truly care about them!
Keep your chin up - the semester is coming to a close...
Sheila
Hello again,
ReplyDeleteThe clubs are anything the students come up with. They range from the Hello Kitty Club to the Snow Football club. Students must fill out a proposal form which is okay by the principal. Few are refused.If you would like a list, I am sure I can get one for you.
Enjoy some "me" time this weekend.
Catherine
P.S. Without a doubt, children know almost instantly whether one cares about them. They are extremely intuitive people.