Seniors Maddie Bouslog, 17, and Ari Dalamaggas, 17, both of Urbandale, work together on an enzyme lab Wednesday in Katie Bunce's biology class at Urbandale High School. / JOSHUA BOYER/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER
Urbandale teacher Katie Bunce helps students with an experiment in a biology class at the high school. / JOSHUA BOYER/PHOTOS FOR THE REGISTER
Katie Bunce’s students no longer do homework assignments. They take on quests.
The Urbandale High School teacher is one of many educators in the Urbandale school district to adopt a philosophy that allows students to take a more active role in their education.
Bunce put the quest system into effect with 130 of her students in biology and human physiology classes.
At the beginning of a school year, students used to worry about the points they needed to earn and what grade they had in the grade book, she said.
She sought to eliminate that tension and learn more about how well the students understood the material she taught.
Now, armed with ideas she learned during an education workshop a few months ago, Bunce has applied new practices to her classroom.
Instead of giving daily homework assignments to her advance placement students, she created a flow chart for each unit the class is studying. Within the unit are several quests that students can work on until they get 100 percent.
Bunce said she would rather have her students turn in quality work than turn in assignments by a deadline. If a student turns in a quest that’s not entirely accurate, the teacher sends it back with suggestions to help the student correct the errors.
“We have ongoing conversation,” Bunce said. “I feel like I have more knowledge of where my students are than I ever have before.”
Several biology students working in a lab on Wednesday agreed that they preferred the quests rather than daily homework assignments.
“It’s a lot more learn-at-your-own-pace,” said senior Kylie Pelletier, 18, of Urbandale. “They’re really helpful in understanding biology and how it’s used in real-life.”
There’s less pressure to get work done on the same day, said sophomore Mitch Wearne, 16, of Urbandale.
“The grade isn’t the focal point, rather (it’s) the learning and understanding,” Wearne said. “You can do it at your own pace and understand it at your own pace.”
Bunce has found that her students are more prepared and are less worried about grades.
“I put the ball in the students’ court all the time so they can’t blame me,” Bunce said. “They can’t be lazy.”
