I did a really interesting activity in class today. It was only five minutes long, but I somehow I think it may just have been the most important thing that I did for the whole class. The activity I did was called "Two Stars and a Wish". Basically, I gave all of the students a hand out, and they had to write two things that they like about my academic reading class (the stars), and one thing that they wish was different (the wish). I couldn't wait to read them after class, but I had a staff meeting, so I had to wait an entire hour before I could look at them. I thought they were going to burn a hole in my bag! When I finally got to my office, I focused mostly on the wishes, and this is what I learned about my class:

I want to discuss more vocabulary before we read the paragraphs in the grammar and writing books
I wish all the students were more active than this
More writing on the blackboard with examples of grammar and tenses
More vocabulary explanation. There are always more vocabs that we don’t know, and we are shy to ask
I wish the schedule could be changed
Make more explanations
A little bit more homework
more grammar and writing
post our cumulative marks
more interesting topics
more time to review in class before a quiz
bigger desks for writing (EdB 184)
I think all of those are really good wishes, and I am certainly going to do my best to help the student's wishes come true . . . I wonder if we go to the computer lab once a week instead of EdB 184, if that would help the desk issue . . .