So in math, I have been having trouble getting the students to transition quickly. They move from one class to another, and then they take a while to get settled in. By the time I get them transitioned to the carpet, ten minutes have gone by, taking time from the lesson. So, to give me some ideas to combat this, I took notes on how other teachers transitioned.
In the science classroom, some of the things that the teacher did to transition the kids was say thank you to those who ready. This positive reinforcement worked, and got several other students to quickly get ready. Then, after the students were ready, she told the students what they would do. As she was discussing the goals, she was also passing out papers, killing to birds with one stone. At the end of the lesson, she got out the timer, and timed the students lining up. This worked well, too. The kids were in line in seven seconds. I think this worked because they were challenged.
In math, the instructions were given before the students entered the class. They were told to bring their bodies to the carpet. This worked well, too. The students knew the expectation before they got into the room.
The math teacher also told the students that she was waiting for silence, and counted back for attention. These routines helped the students to get on task quickly. When they were finished with the lesson, they were timed to get back into line again.
Overall, I think that these ideas are really good ones. I have tried timing the students before, but they do not line up as quickly for me. I think that perhaps having an actual timer so I can give them their exact time might help them to challenge them. I had been using the class clock, but it is more difficult to get exact seconds using that. I have not tried giving the students the expectations before they go into the next class, though. I think that this would be very helpful. I want to try it out on Monday and see how it works.
So my goal for the students is to get them to transition in less that two minutes. Hopefully, I can motivate them to accomplish this goal.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
My very late reflection
As I was teaching the very first lesson in my TWS, there were several things that went differently than I had planned. First, as I was teaching, I introduced the students to the term mass, and was surprised at the responses that I got from students. When I asked what they thought it meant, several students referred to a Bill Nye movie that they had seen, and gave a very close definition of mass. I had planned on doing a discussion of these terms, but the students' responses made me realize that I needed to move it in a different direction. I still discussed the same things, but I could see that the students did not need me to spend quite so much time on this since they already knew some things about it.
Also, as I was teaching, I left out several aspects of the lesson that I had planned to include. There was supposed to have been a discussion about why we weigh, and what it means when something is light and when it is heavy. These discussions would have been helpful to the students in understanding my essential question. Also, it would have helped those who didn't understand already to discover that heavy and light relate to each other. This would have helped the English Language Learners in my class. However, I, in looking at my lesson plan, missed that portion of the lesson, and forgot to have it.
Also, when I was having the student discuss the scales that they had looked at in their groups, I realized that we were starting to run out of time, and the final portion of the lesson was one that needed to happen. I ended up rushing through this section of my lesson. I think this was okay, because the students still got the information they needed, but I would have liked to have spent a little more time on it.
Overall, I felt good about this lesson. I would have liked to spend a little more time on it, but I only had an hour. In the future, I think I might give these concepts more time. Also, I should have included the conversations that would have supported my essential question. It would have helped the students understand why we were doing what we were doing. I did end up having it later in the unit, but it should have been in this first lesson. However, I do think I was clear in sharing my purpose for the activities that the students were doing, and what they were to be thinking about as they did them. I also feel that the students gained experience with the things that I wanted them to experience. Overall, I felt that this lesson was a large improvement from the previous math lessons I had taught.
Also, as I was teaching, I left out several aspects of the lesson that I had planned to include. There was supposed to have been a discussion about why we weigh, and what it means when something is light and when it is heavy. These discussions would have been helpful to the students in understanding my essential question. Also, it would have helped those who didn't understand already to discover that heavy and light relate to each other. This would have helped the English Language Learners in my class. However, I, in looking at my lesson plan, missed that portion of the lesson, and forgot to have it.
Also, when I was having the student discuss the scales that they had looked at in their groups, I realized that we were starting to run out of time, and the final portion of the lesson was one that needed to happen. I ended up rushing through this section of my lesson. I think this was okay, because the students still got the information they needed, but I would have liked to have spent a little more time on it.
Overall, I felt good about this lesson. I would have liked to spend a little more time on it, but I only had an hour. In the future, I think I might give these concepts more time. Also, I should have included the conversations that would have supported my essential question. It would have helped the students understand why we were doing what we were doing. I did end up having it later in the unit, but it should have been in this first lesson. However, I do think I was clear in sharing my purpose for the activities that the students were doing, and what they were to be thinking about as they did them. I also feel that the students gained experience with the things that I wanted them to experience. Overall, I felt that this lesson was a large improvement from the previous math lessons I had taught.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Reflections on my TWS
So I have finished teaching all of the lessons for my TWS. The only thing that is left is the post-assessment, which the students will be taking tomorrow morning. I am very relieved to be finished with it.
Overall, it went well. There were a few things that I missed during specific lessons as I was teaching. I forgot to include certain conversations that were needed. Eventually, I did go back to them and have them, but they should have been earlier. However, I believe the students have been mostly successful with all of my learning goals. According to my formative assessment data, the students have mostly been performing well.
I tested out the GLAD attention getter strategy. I really love this. The students are now able to define mass and weight, and it was a convenient way for my to get their attention. I have tried several different attention getters this quarter, and so far, this is the one that works best for me. I feel like we are accomplishing something while I am getting their attention, and the kids are engaged in it. Also, it ensures that all students have their hands free and have a few seconds to really give me their full attention. I really love this strategy, and will continue to use it in my classroom.
Also, after talking with Carole and Joanne about the things that I am forgetting to touch on in my lesson plans, it was decided that I should start making a checklist/outline of things to cover that I had written about. The "big ideas" of the plan. I hadn't started this until my last lesson, but it was incredibly helpful to me. As I was teaching my lesson, I was just able to look at the list, and see if I had forgotten anything, and then, if I had, I could go back and talk about it. It was much more helpful to me than trying to read through my seven page lesson plan, and try to figure out where I was and what I might have missed. Lesson plans are great, but, like with our phone calls home, students don't always respond in the way that we think they will, so having it scripted out is helpful in planning, but confuses me as I am trying to teach. Having an ouline is much easier for me to follow. I will continue to distill my plans into an outline, since it is so helpful to me. (On a side note, I do think the Literacy format that we have learned, with the Who, what, when, where, why, I do, we do, you do elements, helps me to focus on what is important a little more.)
One issue that has kind of been a challenge still is timing. It always seems to take me longer to teach than I want it to, and it takes the students longer to do the activities that I plan for. I think that I need to become more concise with what I want to cover, and also, I think that getting to know how quickly kids learn things will help me with this.
There are still some minor things that I need to work on at times. I feel that I really need to stop side talk as soon as it starts happening. I am much better at this than I used to be, but I need to keep working on it. Sometimes, I feel like it would be a bigger distraction to address it than the chatter is, but it doesn't take long for that to escalate, and I don't want the class to be out of control.
One issue that came up that gave me some food for thought was, how do I get assessment data using interviews and anecdotal notes while students are working with others? With one group in particular, I chose a student for my sample, and each time I would ask her a question, another student in her group would blurt out the answer. It is great that he knows that, but how can I help him to support his group without just telling them what they need to know?
Also, how can I be more efficient with my conferring, so I provide help to all of the students who need it, rather than just a few?
Overall, it went well. There were a few things that I missed during specific lessons as I was teaching. I forgot to include certain conversations that were needed. Eventually, I did go back to them and have them, but they should have been earlier. However, I believe the students have been mostly successful with all of my learning goals. According to my formative assessment data, the students have mostly been performing well.
I tested out the GLAD attention getter strategy. I really love this. The students are now able to define mass and weight, and it was a convenient way for my to get their attention. I have tried several different attention getters this quarter, and so far, this is the one that works best for me. I feel like we are accomplishing something while I am getting their attention, and the kids are engaged in it. Also, it ensures that all students have their hands free and have a few seconds to really give me their full attention. I really love this strategy, and will continue to use it in my classroom.
Also, after talking with Carole and Joanne about the things that I am forgetting to touch on in my lesson plans, it was decided that I should start making a checklist/outline of things to cover that I had written about. The "big ideas" of the plan. I hadn't started this until my last lesson, but it was incredibly helpful to me. As I was teaching my lesson, I was just able to look at the list, and see if I had forgotten anything, and then, if I had, I could go back and talk about it. It was much more helpful to me than trying to read through my seven page lesson plan, and try to figure out where I was and what I might have missed. Lesson plans are great, but, like with our phone calls home, students don't always respond in the way that we think they will, so having it scripted out is helpful in planning, but confuses me as I am trying to teach. Having an ouline is much easier for me to follow. I will continue to distill my plans into an outline, since it is so helpful to me. (On a side note, I do think the Literacy format that we have learned, with the Who, what, when, where, why, I do, we do, you do elements, helps me to focus on what is important a little more.)
One issue that has kind of been a challenge still is timing. It always seems to take me longer to teach than I want it to, and it takes the students longer to do the activities that I plan for. I think that I need to become more concise with what I want to cover, and also, I think that getting to know how quickly kids learn things will help me with this.
There are still some minor things that I need to work on at times. I feel that I really need to stop side talk as soon as it starts happening. I am much better at this than I used to be, but I need to keep working on it. Sometimes, I feel like it would be a bigger distraction to address it than the chatter is, but it doesn't take long for that to escalate, and I don't want the class to be out of control.
One issue that came up that gave me some food for thought was, how do I get assessment data using interviews and anecdotal notes while students are working with others? With one group in particular, I chose a student for my sample, and each time I would ask her a question, another student in her group would blurt out the answer. It is great that he knows that, but how can I help him to support his group without just telling them what they need to know?
Also, how can I be more efficient with my conferring, so I provide help to all of the students who need it, rather than just a few?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Advice?
I am hoping to get some advice from all of you. I have noticed that the students in my class come up to me and ask me for help all of the time. Usually, it is with very minor things, like "I finished my story, what do I do" or "I don't know what this means." I want to help these students, but usually, they can ask others and figure it out. And usually, when they approach me, I am working with someone else. How can I discourage this overly dependent behavior? They are fourth graders, and I don't want them to be asking me every time they have a small question. Also, it is unfair to the student I am working with at that moment. Do any of you have any suggestions?
A new day, an new lesson
Today, I taught the second of my three lessons on fluency. These are the lessons that I am basing on my case study students that I am assessing for 497. I am doing this project on two kids, instead of one, and with both students (average fourth grade readers, I believe) struggled to read fluently. My CT and I figured that all of my class could probably benefit from some lessons on fluency, so I have been teaching these lessons to the whole class.
Today, we focused on trying to say words like what they might sound like, because it would help us understand the text better. I read a poem and had them listen for words I emphasized, and then we did another together. Then, after we worked as a whole group, I had them go off and work together in partnerships. They all practiced reading the poem, and then shared in the last 10 minutes of Lit. I hadn't originally planned to have them work together on this, and I also hadn't planned on having them perform. However, both of these choices were good ones, I felt. I felt that several students needed the extra support of working with a partner for this activity. Also, because so many students worked so hard on it, I felt that they would really enjoy sharing. I only had them share one line, but it worked out really well.
Tomorrow, we are going to work on speaking like characters, and will be doing some reader's theater. I am very excited about this, and so are the students. I passed out their scripts today, and I feel that it will go well. Also, I am trying to work a little more on the equity piece for this project. I am having three students who are quiet and don't contribute that much be "facilitators." They will fill the "director" role for their group, in addition to reading their own parts. I feel that this will give these students the opportunity to really get involved, and will help them seem more capable to their peers.
There were some minor management issues today with a few students. During my lesson, there was a group of about four students who were whispering to each other. At first, I was kept reminding them that while I was speaking, they needed to be listening. This worked for a moment, but then they would start it up again. Finally, I moved over to sit near them and continued my lesson from a few feet away. It worked, and they stopped chatting. Two of these students were also chatty during the partner time. I was conferring with other groups, so I didn't deal as effectively with them at that time, but when I went over to work with them, they did get back on task, although I think they got off again later.
I also started to use the facilitator role in the daily language today. We have been trying to get the students familiar with these roles in math and literacy, and facilitator is relatively new. I had the students talk in their groups about the work, and then the facilitator shared. It worked out very well. The students were much more engaged. Also, I think students who don't usually contribute shared in their groups.
I also provided an adaptation for a student during writing as well. This was the first time I had ever really done this. This particular student is usually pulled for literacy, but today, the students were writing stories in the afternoon. All of the students had an outline to help them plan for their stories, but this particular student was not really getting started even on that. I went and talked with her, and tried to get her started, but she didn't want to do it. I went around and helped a few others, and then came back to her. Instead of having her fill out her outline, I asked her questions, and filled it out for her. It worked out very well. She had lots of ideas, but just hadn't written them down. After we finished her outline, I got her the paper to write her story on, and then told her I would come back, and she got started on the story right away. It really worked well. This student regularly has behavior issues, and she did later in the day, but I felt that, for that period of time, I helped her feel like she could succeed. It was a wonderful feeling.
So, overall, a great day!
Today, we focused on trying to say words like what they might sound like, because it would help us understand the text better. I read a poem and had them listen for words I emphasized, and then we did another together. Then, after we worked as a whole group, I had them go off and work together in partnerships. They all practiced reading the poem, and then shared in the last 10 minutes of Lit. I hadn't originally planned to have them work together on this, and I also hadn't planned on having them perform. However, both of these choices were good ones, I felt. I felt that several students needed the extra support of working with a partner for this activity. Also, because so many students worked so hard on it, I felt that they would really enjoy sharing. I only had them share one line, but it worked out really well.
Tomorrow, we are going to work on speaking like characters, and will be doing some reader's theater. I am very excited about this, and so are the students. I passed out their scripts today, and I feel that it will go well. Also, I am trying to work a little more on the equity piece for this project. I am having three students who are quiet and don't contribute that much be "facilitators." They will fill the "director" role for their group, in addition to reading their own parts. I feel that this will give these students the opportunity to really get involved, and will help them seem more capable to their peers.
There were some minor management issues today with a few students. During my lesson, there was a group of about four students who were whispering to each other. At first, I was kept reminding them that while I was speaking, they needed to be listening. This worked for a moment, but then they would start it up again. Finally, I moved over to sit near them and continued my lesson from a few feet away. It worked, and they stopped chatting. Two of these students were also chatty during the partner time. I was conferring with other groups, so I didn't deal as effectively with them at that time, but when I went over to work with them, they did get back on task, although I think they got off again later.
I also started to use the facilitator role in the daily language today. We have been trying to get the students familiar with these roles in math and literacy, and facilitator is relatively new. I had the students talk in their groups about the work, and then the facilitator shared. It worked out very well. The students were much more engaged. Also, I think students who don't usually contribute shared in their groups.
I also provided an adaptation for a student during writing as well. This was the first time I had ever really done this. This particular student is usually pulled for literacy, but today, the students were writing stories in the afternoon. All of the students had an outline to help them plan for their stories, but this particular student was not really getting started even on that. I went and talked with her, and tried to get her started, but she didn't want to do it. I went around and helped a few others, and then came back to her. Instead of having her fill out her outline, I asked her questions, and filled it out for her. It worked out very well. She had lots of ideas, but just hadn't written them down. After we finished her outline, I got her the paper to write her story on, and then told her I would come back, and she got started on the story right away. It really worked well. This student regularly has behavior issues, and she did later in the day, but I felt that, for that period of time, I helped her feel like she could succeed. It was a wonderful feeling.
So, overall, a great day!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Literacy and other news
So I taught a lesson in literacy today. It went really well. It was one of my mini-lessons based on what I discovered during my literacy assessments. The teaching point was paying attention to conventions when reading because they tell us how the writer wants us to read the page. I read a book to the kids, and had them think about what I did, and then we read it together a couple of times.
The kids did an awesome job with it. They were really engaged in it, and they had a lot of fun with the story, I think. I originally hadn't chosen this story, but then, after remembering that it was on my bookshelf, I looked at it, and thought it would be a good one because it was very repetitive, and is also Halloween themed. The text was pretty easy for the kids, so they didn't really struggle to decode the words. The only problem with it was an abundance of capitalized words, so I had to project my voice quite a bit while we were reading together. My throat started hurting, so I must have been pretty loud. (Poor neighbors, LOL.)
The choral reading took a little longer than I had intended, but I was still able to confer with a few students. However, if I were to do this lesson again, I might try to take a little more time with it so I could get around to more people.
Also, though the kids were pretty engaged, I felt like I didn't really get to pay much attention to them, because I was trying too hard to be the lead voice. My eyes were pretty glued to the book. In the future, I would like to be able to look around a little more.
I am also teaching on fluency again on Wednesday and Thursday. I am excited. This lesson went really well, and the other ones are even more fun, so I think the kids will be even more engaged.
YAY!!
The kids did an awesome job with it. They were really engaged in it, and they had a lot of fun with the story, I think. I originally hadn't chosen this story, but then, after remembering that it was on my bookshelf, I looked at it, and thought it would be a good one because it was very repetitive, and is also Halloween themed. The text was pretty easy for the kids, so they didn't really struggle to decode the words. The only problem with it was an abundance of capitalized words, so I had to project my voice quite a bit while we were reading together. My throat started hurting, so I must have been pretty loud. (Poor neighbors, LOL.)
The choral reading took a little longer than I had intended, but I was still able to confer with a few students. However, if I were to do this lesson again, I might try to take a little more time with it so I could get around to more people.
Also, though the kids were pretty engaged, I felt like I didn't really get to pay much attention to them, because I was trying too hard to be the lead voice. My eyes were pretty glued to the book. In the future, I would like to be able to look around a little more.
I am also teaching on fluency again on Wednesday and Thursday. I am excited. This lesson went really well, and the other ones are even more fun, so I think the kids will be even more engaged.
YAY!!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Videotaping
I just finished watching a video of myself teaching. I noticed quite a few things that made me very happy. First of all, you could hear me the whole time. I had been concerned about that, because I have often been told I mumble, but I was projecting, so it seems I have improved in that.
Also, as I was watching this, I was thinking about the first time I ever videotaped myself teaching, and I must say, I feel I have improved a lot. When I first started teaching during practicums, I seemed so meek and scared. It was no wonder I had management problems that quarter. While I still feel like I can get better at managing the class, at least I don't look like the kids are going to eat me alive anymore. I feel like I have become a lot more confident than I was in the past.
Also, I remembered, as I was watching the video, something that I did during a discussion time. One of the students in the class frequently takes over every discussion, and does all of the work for every activity. Yesterday, while he was think-pair-sharing with his partner, I listened in, and then directed the focus to his partner. This helped to equalize what was happening between the two of them, I think.
One thing that I noticed was that I tend to call on the same kids a lot. I think this happens because they are often the ones who are raising their hands. I think I want to start a new system so I don't call on the same people all the time. I have heard from some teachers that they have a can filled with sticks that have the kids names on them, and these teachers just pull from that when they are asking questions. I like this idea because it promotes equity, however, I am concerned about using it in times that the student might not know the answer. He/she might feel intimidated by having to share.
I also feel like I am doing a good job of focusing on the students when they are sharing their ideas. This makes me happy, although I know that I also need to pay attention to other things. I really want the kids to know that I respect them and value what they have to say, and showing that I am listening to them is really important. I feel that I have been good at doing that.
Also, as I was watching this, I was thinking about the first time I ever videotaped myself teaching, and I must say, I feel I have improved a lot. When I first started teaching during practicums, I seemed so meek and scared. It was no wonder I had management problems that quarter. While I still feel like I can get better at managing the class, at least I don't look like the kids are going to eat me alive anymore. I feel like I have become a lot more confident than I was in the past.
Also, I remembered, as I was watching the video, something that I did during a discussion time. One of the students in the class frequently takes over every discussion, and does all of the work for every activity. Yesterday, while he was think-pair-sharing with his partner, I listened in, and then directed the focus to his partner. This helped to equalize what was happening between the two of them, I think.
One thing that I noticed was that I tend to call on the same kids a lot. I think this happens because they are often the ones who are raising their hands. I think I want to start a new system so I don't call on the same people all the time. I have heard from some teachers that they have a can filled with sticks that have the kids names on them, and these teachers just pull from that when they are asking questions. I like this idea because it promotes equity, however, I am concerned about using it in times that the student might not know the answer. He/she might feel intimidated by having to share.
I also feel like I am doing a good job of focusing on the students when they are sharing their ideas. This makes me happy, although I know that I also need to pay attention to other things. I really want the kids to know that I respect them and value what they have to say, and showing that I am listening to them is really important. I feel that I have been good at doing that.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Today
So, I taught the last of what would have been my TWS if I hadn't bombed the first one today. It went well. I felt weird teaching it though. I had planned on something else, but when I was planning, I just never felt right about my teaching point. This morning, I talked with Carole, and she pointed out that I still hadn't taught them some of the things that were required for my assessment. So right before my lesson, I changed my teaching point. That is sort of what happened in my first two lessons, as well, but those ones were not successful.
So what was different? I think my internalization of the objective. I really felt like today, and yesterday, I really knew what I wanted the students to learn. I also didn't let the students take me on any digressions. I stayed on my teaching point. There was one point when the students wanted to discuss something other than the lesson, but I stuck with it, and told them we weren't going to talk about that yet.
I also think that bringing up my goal to the students repeatedly really helped me as well. I said it several times to the students, and that really helped to keep me focused as well. The students knew what I wanted, and because I kept saying it, I feel that I kept being reminded of it.
Hurray, I was successful today!
So what was different? I think my internalization of the objective. I really felt like today, and yesterday, I really knew what I wanted the students to learn. I also didn't let the students take me on any digressions. I stayed on my teaching point. There was one point when the students wanted to discuss something other than the lesson, but I stuck with it, and told them we weren't going to talk about that yet.
I also think that bringing up my goal to the students repeatedly really helped me as well. I said it several times to the students, and that really helped to keep me focused as well. The students knew what I wanted, and because I kept saying it, I feel that I kept being reminded of it.
Hurray, I was successful today!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A Change to my Teaching Point
So, when I was trying to solidify my teaching point this evening for this blog, I was really debating between the one in my original post, and visualizing what is happening in the problems that they are solving. I had put comparing the numbers that they are using to one another to see how they are the same and how they are different. However, I don't feel any longer that that would be all that helpful to the students. What I am actually going to have them do is really focus on picturing what is happening in the problem. I want them to really think about what is going on in the problem. Several of the problems are multi-step problems. Others are money problems. I really want to see the students thinking about what is happening in these problems. My teaching point is going to be that the students really visualize what is happening in the problem. What is going on? I want them to picture it in their minds so they understand it. Some ways that I am going to support them in this is through drawings, place value blocks, and numberlines. I really want the students to think about what is going on, and I think these representations will help them do that.
Third time is sort of the charm
So I taught my third math lesson today. It went much better than all of my other lessons that I taught today. I felt much better about it. Lots of things were improved.
What went well?
First, I was really solid on my teaching point, and I stuck to it throughout the entire lesson. I stated it right off the bat at the start of the lesson, and addressed it several times during the discussion. Even after I had sent the students off to work independently, I still brought up my teaching point to individuals, reminding them that they needed to think about the similarities and differences. I think this helped them to refocus.
I also felt that I did a good job of assessing and monitoring the students' understandings with my teaching point in mind. As I was wandering around the room, observing what students were doing, I knew that very few, if any, of the students were actually starting the problems the way I wanted them to. Knowing that few students had the start that I needed, I was able to think about what I needed to do.
I improved in selecting and sequencing who I had discuss their ideas as well. At first, when I asked the students who had used the first starter problem to solve their main problem, I did call on some people that I shouldn't have called on. One students raised her hand saying she had solved her problem that way, but she hadn't, and I called on her. It did cause us to digress a little. But with the other students that I called on, I conferred with them before I had them come up, and was really clear about what they were thinking. I also was really thinking about which of the two students I chose had an easier idea for the class to understand. I still need to work on this, but I do feel like I am getting better.
When I was conferring with individuals, I felt that I did a really good job of not spending too much time with one student. I didn't confer a whole lot with my focus students, but I moved to lots of groups that were really struggling, and tried to refocus them. This wandering of the class really helped me to know who was doing what, and what the students were understanding.
Management was better overall. There were still some students who were bored, and I didn't feel that I provided them with enough checks for understanding. However, there weren't as many problems with students getting up to go to the bathroom, or whispering to their neighbor, although some of that did still happen.
What would I do differently?
If I were to teach this lesson again tomorrow, I think that I would be more cautious about who I called on to share their ideas about the strategy. I called on one student without checking what she had done, and I think it caused her to be unsuccessful. I want to really focus on not calling on individuals who I have not talked with. I have no idea what they will say, and that confuses me and the students.
I would also do more checks for understanding if I were going teach this again. Throughout the lesson, many students were confused and bored. I really want to be sure that they are engaged, so I need to think of more ways to engage them. I have those engagements written in my lesson plans, but when I am teaching, I tend to forget where they were. I need to work on letting go and letting the students share their ideas with each other. This will help them to be more engaged.
Where will I take the students tomorrow?
My teaching point for tomorrow is going to be really thinking about the differences between the numbers that they are using. I really want these students to focus on the numbers that they are using. I want them to think about what they are doing to these numbers. One of the activities that they will be playing will be Which is Farther? How Much Farther? For this activity, the students will really need to be thinking about what is similar and what is different about the two numbers that they are using. I want them, much like they did today, to really think about what is the same, and what is different in the numbers that they choose. I want them to be compare the numbers that they see in front of them. So, in kid language, my teaching point will be, I want you to think about the numbers that you are using, and see how they are the same, and how they are different.
My questions
How can you tell which idea should be shared first? Which one is easiest to understand? Which one will naturally build into another?
What went well?
First, I was really solid on my teaching point, and I stuck to it throughout the entire lesson. I stated it right off the bat at the start of the lesson, and addressed it several times during the discussion. Even after I had sent the students off to work independently, I still brought up my teaching point to individuals, reminding them that they needed to think about the similarities and differences. I think this helped them to refocus.
I also felt that I did a good job of assessing and monitoring the students' understandings with my teaching point in mind. As I was wandering around the room, observing what students were doing, I knew that very few, if any, of the students were actually starting the problems the way I wanted them to. Knowing that few students had the start that I needed, I was able to think about what I needed to do.
I improved in selecting and sequencing who I had discuss their ideas as well. At first, when I asked the students who had used the first starter problem to solve their main problem, I did call on some people that I shouldn't have called on. One students raised her hand saying she had solved her problem that way, but she hadn't, and I called on her. It did cause us to digress a little. But with the other students that I called on, I conferred with them before I had them come up, and was really clear about what they were thinking. I also was really thinking about which of the two students I chose had an easier idea for the class to understand. I still need to work on this, but I do feel like I am getting better.
When I was conferring with individuals, I felt that I did a really good job of not spending too much time with one student. I didn't confer a whole lot with my focus students, but I moved to lots of groups that were really struggling, and tried to refocus them. This wandering of the class really helped me to know who was doing what, and what the students were understanding.
Management was better overall. There were still some students who were bored, and I didn't feel that I provided them with enough checks for understanding. However, there weren't as many problems with students getting up to go to the bathroom, or whispering to their neighbor, although some of that did still happen.
What would I do differently?
If I were to teach this lesson again tomorrow, I think that I would be more cautious about who I called on to share their ideas about the strategy. I called on one student without checking what she had done, and I think it caused her to be unsuccessful. I want to really focus on not calling on individuals who I have not talked with. I have no idea what they will say, and that confuses me and the students.
I would also do more checks for understanding if I were going teach this again. Throughout the lesson, many students were confused and bored. I really want to be sure that they are engaged, so I need to think of more ways to engage them. I have those engagements written in my lesson plans, but when I am teaching, I tend to forget where they were. I need to work on letting go and letting the students share their ideas with each other. This will help them to be more engaged.
Where will I take the students tomorrow?
My teaching point for tomorrow is going to be really thinking about the differences between the numbers that they are using. I really want these students to focus on the numbers that they are using. I want them to think about what they are doing to these numbers. One of the activities that they will be playing will be Which is Farther? How Much Farther? For this activity, the students will really need to be thinking about what is similar and what is different about the two numbers that they are using. I want them, much like they did today, to really think about what is the same, and what is different in the numbers that they choose. I want them to be compare the numbers that they see in front of them. So, in kid language, my teaching point will be, I want you to think about the numbers that you are using, and see how they are the same, and how they are different.
My questions
How can you tell which idea should be shared first? Which one is easiest to understand? Which one will naturally build into another?
Monday, October 20, 2008
TWS day two
So Carole asked me to respond to a few questions in this blog, so I will answer those, and then move on to the rest of my thoughts about today.
Question 1--How am I going to make sure the students and I are more successful in the next lesson I teach for my TWS?
So there are several things that I plan on doing to make my future lessons more successful. First, I am really going to stick to my teaching point. I keep straying from it, and then I don't end up hitting the material that needs to be hit. I don't think I am quite ready to stray from my lesson plans yet, so I really need to stay on my one teaching point.
I also plan on thinking more about the order that I want to choose student responses in. So far, I have been thinking about what I want to see from the students in a general way, but have not really thought about what I want to see first. Some strategies may be easier for students to understand or may help set up students to understand future concepts. I really want to start thinking about which of those ideas might come first to set up their understanding. So in my planning, I am going to start deciding what I want to see and discuss with the students first.
Also, I need to work on talking to the students a little more before I have them explain their thinking. I have just been calling students up based on what I have seen them do, but some of them do not understand what they are doing fully. For example, several students are using the traditional algorithm for subtraction, but very few of them actually understand how it works. And this is evident when I try to call on them, and they cannot explain how to borrow.
One thing that I have been getting better at and want to continue doing to help students be successful is to check for understanding. Some of my lessons have gone much longer than they should have, but when I do checks for understanding, the students are more engaged. I did this today, and the students seemed more interested, and I want to keep doing this.
I also want to start watching my time a little better. Today, I know that I went over my time limit, and I let myself, however, I want to start drawing the line at going over. When I have the students up on the rug for too long, they get tired and bored, and I lose their attention. They can't be successful if they are not paying attention. So this is an area for improvement.
Question 2--Specifically, what is my plan for taking over more teaching duties?
So there are several things that I need to start doing to prepare myself for next quarter. First, I need to start teaching more lessons in the literacy classroom. At this point, I am really only doing read alouds and Daily Language Review. I have also been doing assessments with certain students. My teacher and I have discussed me teaching a poetry unit, and I am planning on starting this in the middle of November. I will be teaching lit. each day that I am at Sumas. I feel that this will help me to be ready to take over this part of the day.
I am also going to start doing some individual work with certain students. One student in particular needs extra help with spelling and such, and I am planning on working with her on word sorts and things. I believe I am going to take on two or three students as my special "case" students to try and support them in literacy. My teacher and I have not talked about this really deeply yet, but I am thinking that I might start preparing activities that these students can do at home or extra things to help out during the day.
In Social Studies, I am going to start teaching a little more as well. My teacher and I are going to discuss what I will be doing in that class on Monday, but I am thinking that I will start taking over a few lessons here and there in the next unit. My goal is to start teaching this at least once each week by the end of the quarter.
Math is an area that I really need to step up in. Until my TWS, I had only taught one of the lessons from the curriculum. I had been teaching Calendar Math and kind of working on some of the WASL release items and things. However, I hadn't really been using curriculum for that. And I never really have before. Throughout my time at Western, I have really only been asked to teach random lessons about whatever I want to teach. There have been times when I have been asked to teach units and things, but most of the time, it has been on whatever I wanted to plan. This, while helpful, is most likely not what I will be doing in the future. Most schools will require that I use a curriculum, and I really need to learn how to work with one. I need to learn how to adapt lessons that are already given to me. I think that my lack of experience in this area is what is contributing to my TWS difficulties. (Yes, I have had more difficulties since Thursday.) I think the only way to get better at this is to practice. My goal is to be teaching this at least twice each week by the time that December rolls around. This is not including the time that I will be spending teaching my TWS.
As for science, I have not spent much time with fourth grade in that classroom. Science only takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and when I am at Sumas on these days, I have been meeting with other people during this period. I have only been able to be in the science classroom once or twice this quarter. My goal is to start going with the students to Science each Wednesday and Thursday. I need to be familiar with the routines and curriculum if I am going to take this class over. By the end of the quarter, I want to have taught at least two science lessons.
In all of the subjects, I need to become more familiar with where the students need to be by the end of the year. I am familiar with the standards, but I do not know a whole lot about what happens at my school to meet those standards. I need to get a more wholistic picture of the curriculum in each of the disciplines. I will be looking at this more in the next few weeks.
Question 3--What do I think it takes to be a good teacher?
So I believe that practice, like with almost anything, is what it takes to be a good teacher. I think you will have bad days. Sometimes, lessons will not go as planned, and students will not understand what they were supposed to have learned. However, it is our job as teachers to keep trying. We need to keep reflecting, and thinking about what we can do better next time.
I also think that genuine concern for the students is necessary to be good at teaching. You really need to think about the students and what their needs are. You need to know your students, and know what they need from you to learn. Caring about students, listening to them, and doing your best to meet their needs will make you a good teacher.
So now my raving--
Okay, so once again, my lesson did not go as planned. I struggled with staying on my teaching point. I do feel that I had more control over where the lesson went this time than last time. At least this time, my decision to stray from the planned activities was deliberate.
My plan for today was to really work on thinking about which strategy for subtraction would be best for a certain problem. I was planning on asking students how they started to solve the problem, and then use their strategy with the other students to solve the problems. I wanted the rest of the students to use the original start, and solve the problem with that strategy.
Everything started out well. I got several different starts for problems. However, once we started to take those starts to the next step, things started to fall apart. The first strategy that I started to cover required the students to borrow. Most of the students were very confused by this idea, and had no clue what to do. Two students kept trying to explain it, but they had not used that strategy, and were confusing everyone with the traditional algorithm, which most students were not ready to attempt. We spent more than 20 minutes trying to figure out this strategy.
Since so many students were confused, I decided to use the place value blocks to try and explain it. However, the students were still not able to figure out that they needed to borrow. So, rather than having them work on what I had planned, I had them go to work on some problems using the place value blocks. They needed to borrow for each problem. While the students worked on that, I conferred with groups.
After I had sent the students off to work on this concept, I realized that I should have simply told the students that this was a difficult strategy, so maybe it would be best to try a new one, and then moved on to a different start for our problem. Most of the strategies that the students are using do not even require borrowing, so why did I spend so much time on the concept? If I had done this, I could have hit my third learning goal, which requires the students to look at what the problem is asking in choosing their strategy for solving the problem. It would have been much more effective, I think.
So todays lesson was not perfect, either. Once again, I feel like I did not even touch my learning goals. However, I do feel more optimistic about this one. Yes, it wasn't perfect, however, at least I was more in control of what the activities were. I didn't stay on my teaching point, but I did stick with something that the students needed to learn. It wasn't wonderful, but I will keep practicing and getting better.
Question 1--How am I going to make sure the students and I are more successful in the next lesson I teach for my TWS?
So there are several things that I plan on doing to make my future lessons more successful. First, I am really going to stick to my teaching point. I keep straying from it, and then I don't end up hitting the material that needs to be hit. I don't think I am quite ready to stray from my lesson plans yet, so I really need to stay on my one teaching point.
I also plan on thinking more about the order that I want to choose student responses in. So far, I have been thinking about what I want to see from the students in a general way, but have not really thought about what I want to see first. Some strategies may be easier for students to understand or may help set up students to understand future concepts. I really want to start thinking about which of those ideas might come first to set up their understanding. So in my planning, I am going to start deciding what I want to see and discuss with the students first.
Also, I need to work on talking to the students a little more before I have them explain their thinking. I have just been calling students up based on what I have seen them do, but some of them do not understand what they are doing fully. For example, several students are using the traditional algorithm for subtraction, but very few of them actually understand how it works. And this is evident when I try to call on them, and they cannot explain how to borrow.
One thing that I have been getting better at and want to continue doing to help students be successful is to check for understanding. Some of my lessons have gone much longer than they should have, but when I do checks for understanding, the students are more engaged. I did this today, and the students seemed more interested, and I want to keep doing this.
I also want to start watching my time a little better. Today, I know that I went over my time limit, and I let myself, however, I want to start drawing the line at going over. When I have the students up on the rug for too long, they get tired and bored, and I lose their attention. They can't be successful if they are not paying attention. So this is an area for improvement.
Question 2--Specifically, what is my plan for taking over more teaching duties?
So there are several things that I need to start doing to prepare myself for next quarter. First, I need to start teaching more lessons in the literacy classroom. At this point, I am really only doing read alouds and Daily Language Review. I have also been doing assessments with certain students. My teacher and I have discussed me teaching a poetry unit, and I am planning on starting this in the middle of November. I will be teaching lit. each day that I am at Sumas. I feel that this will help me to be ready to take over this part of the day.
I am also going to start doing some individual work with certain students. One student in particular needs extra help with spelling and such, and I am planning on working with her on word sorts and things. I believe I am going to take on two or three students as my special "case" students to try and support them in literacy. My teacher and I have not talked about this really deeply yet, but I am thinking that I might start preparing activities that these students can do at home or extra things to help out during the day.
In Social Studies, I am going to start teaching a little more as well. My teacher and I are going to discuss what I will be doing in that class on Monday, but I am thinking that I will start taking over a few lessons here and there in the next unit. My goal is to start teaching this at least once each week by the end of the quarter.
Math is an area that I really need to step up in. Until my TWS, I had only taught one of the lessons from the curriculum. I had been teaching Calendar Math and kind of working on some of the WASL release items and things. However, I hadn't really been using curriculum for that. And I never really have before. Throughout my time at Western, I have really only been asked to teach random lessons about whatever I want to teach. There have been times when I have been asked to teach units and things, but most of the time, it has been on whatever I wanted to plan. This, while helpful, is most likely not what I will be doing in the future. Most schools will require that I use a curriculum, and I really need to learn how to work with one. I need to learn how to adapt lessons that are already given to me. I think that my lack of experience in this area is what is contributing to my TWS difficulties. (Yes, I have had more difficulties since Thursday.) I think the only way to get better at this is to practice. My goal is to be teaching this at least twice each week by the time that December rolls around. This is not including the time that I will be spending teaching my TWS.
As for science, I have not spent much time with fourth grade in that classroom. Science only takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and when I am at Sumas on these days, I have been meeting with other people during this period. I have only been able to be in the science classroom once or twice this quarter. My goal is to start going with the students to Science each Wednesday and Thursday. I need to be familiar with the routines and curriculum if I am going to take this class over. By the end of the quarter, I want to have taught at least two science lessons.
In all of the subjects, I need to become more familiar with where the students need to be by the end of the year. I am familiar with the standards, but I do not know a whole lot about what happens at my school to meet those standards. I need to get a more wholistic picture of the curriculum in each of the disciplines. I will be looking at this more in the next few weeks.
Question 3--What do I think it takes to be a good teacher?
So I believe that practice, like with almost anything, is what it takes to be a good teacher. I think you will have bad days. Sometimes, lessons will not go as planned, and students will not understand what they were supposed to have learned. However, it is our job as teachers to keep trying. We need to keep reflecting, and thinking about what we can do better next time.
I also think that genuine concern for the students is necessary to be good at teaching. You really need to think about the students and what their needs are. You need to know your students, and know what they need from you to learn. Caring about students, listening to them, and doing your best to meet their needs will make you a good teacher.
So now my raving--
Okay, so once again, my lesson did not go as planned. I struggled with staying on my teaching point. I do feel that I had more control over where the lesson went this time than last time. At least this time, my decision to stray from the planned activities was deliberate.
My plan for today was to really work on thinking about which strategy for subtraction would be best for a certain problem. I was planning on asking students how they started to solve the problem, and then use their strategy with the other students to solve the problems. I wanted the rest of the students to use the original start, and solve the problem with that strategy.
Everything started out well. I got several different starts for problems. However, once we started to take those starts to the next step, things started to fall apart. The first strategy that I started to cover required the students to borrow. Most of the students were very confused by this idea, and had no clue what to do. Two students kept trying to explain it, but they had not used that strategy, and were confusing everyone with the traditional algorithm, which most students were not ready to attempt. We spent more than 20 minutes trying to figure out this strategy.
Since so many students were confused, I decided to use the place value blocks to try and explain it. However, the students were still not able to figure out that they needed to borrow. So, rather than having them work on what I had planned, I had them go to work on some problems using the place value blocks. They needed to borrow for each problem. While the students worked on that, I conferred with groups.
After I had sent the students off to work on this concept, I realized that I should have simply told the students that this was a difficult strategy, so maybe it would be best to try a new one, and then moved on to a different start for our problem. Most of the strategies that the students are using do not even require borrowing, so why did I spend so much time on the concept? If I had done this, I could have hit my third learning goal, which requires the students to look at what the problem is asking in choosing their strategy for solving the problem. It would have been much more effective, I think.
So todays lesson was not perfect, either. Once again, I feel like I did not even touch my learning goals. However, I do feel more optimistic about this one. Yes, it wasn't perfect, however, at least I was more in control of what the activities were. I didn't stay on my teaching point, but I did stick with something that the students needed to learn. It wasn't wonderful, but I will keep practicing and getting better.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Some days are just bad.
So I felt like today was the absolute worst lesson that I had ever taught. Everything went terribly. I had a lesson planned, and then when I started teaching, I got confused and completely threw it out. And the result was not pretty. There was so much that went wrong, I don't really know where to start.
First of all, I got a misrepresentation from the students about who had solved the problem that they were supposed to have solved the day before. It was supposed to be the basis for our discussion for today. Only about three kids raised their hand to say they had solved it. The rest said that they hadn't. So I had the kids solve it during the discussion time so that we could actually discuss the strategies that they were using for subtraction. However, more of them had solved it than they claimed. Lots had already finished it. So there were a lot of bored students, which set me up for management problems.
I also felt like I wasn't really clear on what I was going to have the students do. I feel like I should have focused more on their outcomes. I felt like I stated my objective clearly a few times, but I still don't feel like I was very clear on it myself. I know what I told them, and they did do what they were supposed to, but I also feel like they didn't practice the objective in as many ways as I wanted them too. I had planned on them playing Close to 1,000 and working on different worksheets. However, after finding so many students hadn't finished their work from the day before, I just kind of forgot about my activities plan. I suppose, however, that the students did still practice what I wanted them to, just not in the way I had intended.
The discussion went terrible, though. I felt really scatter brained. What was supposed to have happened was the students and I were to have discussed a problem that they had solved. We were supposed to go through all of the different strategies for solving subtraction problems. I wanted the kids who aren't as strong to get an idea of what the different strategies looked like. Then the students were supposed to pick a strategy that they are working on and practice it.
None of this worked. First of all, when I asked the students to solve the problem, most of them had not solved it correctly. Very few students actually had the strategies I was looking for. Some students were adding, some had the wrong answers. It was very difficult to find students who had their strategy understood well enough to share it with the whole class. So I ended up calling on all of the high achievers in the class. I don't really like to do this, because I think sometimes their thinking is more complex than the other students are ready for. And there is also the whole status issue.
While these students were sharing their strategies, most of the other students were checked out. I think several students were very bored, and almost none were actually paying attention. It was only when the add to subtract strategy was explained that there was actual discussion and and contribution from the other students.
I think that part of the problem may have been that I was directing so much of the conversation through me. If I had let more of the students talk, or had made the lesson more engaging through partner shares, things may have gone better. More students might have been paying attention.
Because the students were so bored, management was a huge issue. While we were discussing, I think about 7 different students went to the restroom. I am not sure why so many students left. I have a hard time believing that they all needed to go to the bathroom that badly. One student even went twice in a one hour time block. And I am not positive, but I believe that the students are not even allowed to leave to go the the bathroom during discussion time. Finally, after so many students had gotten up, I told everyone that they needed to stay put because too many people were going to the bathroom.
Finally, the lesson was finished, and it was time to move on the the activity. This went a little bit better, but not much. I know that there were still several students who were up and wandering around. I did try and send them back to their seats to get started. There was a lot of procrastination on their parts.
I was able to confer with all of my target students, however. I was really good about monitoring the clock to be sure that I wasn't spending too much time with one particular student. I was also able to get a deeper understanding of their thinking. My conferring form really helped me to stay on target and get the information I needed. It was good to plan what information I wanted to get from the kids before I talked to them. And one student is on the brink of understanding the add to subtract strategy, so I am excited about that. And another student was able to see the connection between add to subtract and subtracting back. So I guess the lesson wasn't all terrible.
So, some things I need to work on.
-Being more aware of what is happening in the classroom. I think I tend to ignore the first one or two students that act out, and then before I know it, five have done something they aren't supposed to be doing. One way I am thinking I might be able to work on this is to get a timer and set it to go off at two minute intervals. At each interval, I can look up and scan the classroom, that way I am noticing more of what is going on. This can help me get into the habit of monitoring my classroom better. This monitoring will also help me to make sure I am not spending too much time conferring with one student.
-Breaking up long lessons with checks for understanding to make it more interesting. I should be doing more think pair shares and involving more students in the discussing so I don't have a lot of bored students. Also, I am not positive, but I think I may just be hearing from the same six or seven students all of the time. I am going to bring a check list with all of the students' names so that I make sure I am not leaving anyone out.
-Being really clear on what I want to happen throughout the lesson, so I actually accomplish what I set out to do.
-Taking a step back, and letting the students talk.
-Getting more familiar with how curriculum works. I feel like so far, this is the first unit I have actually taught based on a curriculum. I have planned units before, but I haven't taught them a whole lot. Most of what I have done has been more like random lessons that I teach here and there. I feel like I need to get more of a feel for how lessons should flow together so I don't try to pack so much in. The students don't need to and won't learn everything in one lesson. I can break it up more.
-Also, I think I just need to start teaching more. I have been doing small things throughout the day, like calendar and read alouds and morning work. However, I think I need to start teaching more than that so I can get a feel for how things should be going. I do have more things planned for the rest of the quarter, but I think I might need to start doing even more. Practice is the best way to get better.
*Ugghhh, tomorrow is a different day, and I can always get better.* :p
First of all, I got a misrepresentation from the students about who had solved the problem that they were supposed to have solved the day before. It was supposed to be the basis for our discussion for today. Only about three kids raised their hand to say they had solved it. The rest said that they hadn't. So I had the kids solve it during the discussion time so that we could actually discuss the strategies that they were using for subtraction. However, more of them had solved it than they claimed. Lots had already finished it. So there were a lot of bored students, which set me up for management problems.
I also felt like I wasn't really clear on what I was going to have the students do. I feel like I should have focused more on their outcomes. I felt like I stated my objective clearly a few times, but I still don't feel like I was very clear on it myself. I know what I told them, and they did do what they were supposed to, but I also feel like they didn't practice the objective in as many ways as I wanted them too. I had planned on them playing Close to 1,000 and working on different worksheets. However, after finding so many students hadn't finished their work from the day before, I just kind of forgot about my activities plan. I suppose, however, that the students did still practice what I wanted them to, just not in the way I had intended.
The discussion went terrible, though. I felt really scatter brained. What was supposed to have happened was the students and I were to have discussed a problem that they had solved. We were supposed to go through all of the different strategies for solving subtraction problems. I wanted the kids who aren't as strong to get an idea of what the different strategies looked like. Then the students were supposed to pick a strategy that they are working on and practice it.
None of this worked. First of all, when I asked the students to solve the problem, most of them had not solved it correctly. Very few students actually had the strategies I was looking for. Some students were adding, some had the wrong answers. It was very difficult to find students who had their strategy understood well enough to share it with the whole class. So I ended up calling on all of the high achievers in the class. I don't really like to do this, because I think sometimes their thinking is more complex than the other students are ready for. And there is also the whole status issue.
While these students were sharing their strategies, most of the other students were checked out. I think several students were very bored, and almost none were actually paying attention. It was only when the add to subtract strategy was explained that there was actual discussion and and contribution from the other students.
I think that part of the problem may have been that I was directing so much of the conversation through me. If I had let more of the students talk, or had made the lesson more engaging through partner shares, things may have gone better. More students might have been paying attention.
Because the students were so bored, management was a huge issue. While we were discussing, I think about 7 different students went to the restroom. I am not sure why so many students left. I have a hard time believing that they all needed to go to the bathroom that badly. One student even went twice in a one hour time block. And I am not positive, but I believe that the students are not even allowed to leave to go the the bathroom during discussion time. Finally, after so many students had gotten up, I told everyone that they needed to stay put because too many people were going to the bathroom.
Finally, the lesson was finished, and it was time to move on the the activity. This went a little bit better, but not much. I know that there were still several students who were up and wandering around. I did try and send them back to their seats to get started. There was a lot of procrastination on their parts.
I was able to confer with all of my target students, however. I was really good about monitoring the clock to be sure that I wasn't spending too much time with one particular student. I was also able to get a deeper understanding of their thinking. My conferring form really helped me to stay on target and get the information I needed. It was good to plan what information I wanted to get from the kids before I talked to them. And one student is on the brink of understanding the add to subtract strategy, so I am excited about that. And another student was able to see the connection between add to subtract and subtracting back. So I guess the lesson wasn't all terrible.
So, some things I need to work on.
-Being more aware of what is happening in the classroom. I think I tend to ignore the first one or two students that act out, and then before I know it, five have done something they aren't supposed to be doing. One way I am thinking I might be able to work on this is to get a timer and set it to go off at two minute intervals. At each interval, I can look up and scan the classroom, that way I am noticing more of what is going on. This can help me get into the habit of monitoring my classroom better. This monitoring will also help me to make sure I am not spending too much time conferring with one student.
-Breaking up long lessons with checks for understanding to make it more interesting. I should be doing more think pair shares and involving more students in the discussing so I don't have a lot of bored students. Also, I am not positive, but I think I may just be hearing from the same six or seven students all of the time. I am going to bring a check list with all of the students' names so that I make sure I am not leaving anyone out.
-Being really clear on what I want to happen throughout the lesson, so I actually accomplish what I set out to do.
-Taking a step back, and letting the students talk.
-Getting more familiar with how curriculum works. I feel like so far, this is the first unit I have actually taught based on a curriculum. I have planned units before, but I haven't taught them a whole lot. Most of what I have done has been more like random lessons that I teach here and there. I feel like I need to get more of a feel for how lessons should flow together so I don't try to pack so much in. The students don't need to and won't learn everything in one lesson. I can break it up more.
-Also, I think I just need to start teaching more. I have been doing small things throughout the day, like calendar and read alouds and morning work. However, I think I need to start teaching more than that so I can get a feel for how things should be going. I do have more things planned for the rest of the quarter, but I think I might need to start doing even more. Practice is the best way to get better.
*Ugghhh, tomorrow is a different day, and I can always get better.* :p
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Any advice?
Hello All,
Yesterday, while I was teaching, there was a "situation" with two students who were sitting next to each other. One students was doodling, and the other student kept trying to take away that student's drawing supplies. The student was not supposed to be drawing. It was during a lesson discussion. I pulled the students aside and told them that that was not acceptable, and asked for suggestions of what they could do to help each other learn. One student was contributing, but the other made no effort to come up with suggestions. I came up with them for this student. What is it that all of you do if you encounter a student who will not respond to more positive and collaborative discipline?
Yesterday, while I was teaching, there was a "situation" with two students who were sitting next to each other. One students was doodling, and the other student kept trying to take away that student's drawing supplies. The student was not supposed to be drawing. It was during a lesson discussion. I pulled the students aside and told them that that was not acceptable, and asked for suggestions of what they could do to help each other learn. One student was contributing, but the other made no effort to come up with suggestions. I came up with them for this student. What is it that all of you do if you encounter a student who will not respond to more positive and collaborative discipline?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Hello All
Hi Everyone,
I have just set up my new blog. Welcome to it. I hope you enjoy reading about my internship experiences.
Love,
Bobbi Jo
I have just set up my new blog. Welcome to it. I hope you enjoy reading about my internship experiences.
Love,
Bobbi Jo
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