Well, my first try at being a teacher for the week is over. Now I get to try again after my break in two weeks. I say try because if it was perfect then I wouldn't be student teaching... or even teaching for that matter. I would probably be out there lecturing and writing books making a lot more money than I am now.
Anyway, my first week overall went pretty well. I had my good moments and bad. And I learned a lot more during that one week than during the whole time already there. My biggest lesson was to always, always, always be prepared for something to not go the way you expect. During my spelling test on Friday I had the three lists made out for the three different groups. I had post-it's on the paper of the names of the students and I was going to tell them their groups color i.e. approaching was red, on level was blue etc. Well, I lost the paper. As soon as I took a second to look around while giving instructions to the class "please turn your desks so that you can't see others papers, write your name and 1-20.." the class started to unfold. This group seems to need a lot of structure and constant supervision. I honestly feel that I couldn't trust them if I had to leave for a minute. As soon as something changes they begin to talk or get up and move around, start going to find a book to read. Other classes I've been in seem to do fine when being told to just wait patiently for a second. Well I couldn't find the paper so I just had to wing it. I kind of remembered what the groupings were since they were the same for the reading groups. This was a new way for the students to take the tests. While one group was receiving a word the others were just supposed to wait. They were instructed to look over their words or sit quietly. This seemed to be an impossible task for them. I stopped giving the test and had them look at me. Then I told them that sometimes people make mistakes, and that I had made one. Then went on to telling them that everyone makes a mistake but we need to help each other out by doing the responsible thing when this occurs. This seemed to help the behavior and I think they understood what I meant. My week of teaching was filled with these teachable moments. Students behaviors, or lack of behaviors, need to be addressed before learning can happen. I think a lot of the times we need to stop to address an issue is often not only needed for in the classroom, but they are expectations for the real world.. i.e. don't talk when someone else is talking, pay attention, time management etc.
I took two ideas from the last seminar. One was to have a mystery student. The class seemed to really enjoy this idea. Since I only had Thursday and Friday to try it out I chose a student each day who I knew would do a great job. Then as the reward they were able to go home before the rest of the class. The students loved this idea because we have often had to sit back down after lining up because they can't form a '1' line. The student that got the reward was able to by pass this and just go home. When I start back up after break I will have a whole class reward for the first 3 or 4 days for the mystery student then we will have 1 or two days of an individual reward. The other idea I took was to have an answer notebook. I have two students who are above average and always want to answer the questions I ask. Then either they are bouncing in their seats to get my attention (and disrupt those around them) or they get really upset if they are not called on. I gave each of them a notebook and assigned them to sit towards the back of the class. (this is so when they are writing it's not distracting to the students around them) Then when I ask a question they can write the answer down, and then once it's written I may call on them if no one else has the answer. I told both girls that I want to hear from them for each question, but this would be unfair for the other students. Then I told them that they can write in the notebook and I will check it after class and read their answers. Both of them seemed to really enjoy this idea an I did see them writing in it. I think it's a great extension for them as well because they would be able to write more down while other students are answering my questions and I am able to give them more support as well when I respond in the journals. One teacher commented that it is a lot more work for the teacher. Yea, but isn't it part of our job to meet each students needs?
Daniell,
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you talk about some of the teachable moments in your classroom. I feel like these happen to me all of the time, and you just have to got with it. It is awesome that you were able to step up and admit you made a mistake in front of your class. I did the same thing, but it didn't make too much of an impact. My class also wasn't too crazy at the time, either.
I also have two girls in my class that know and want to share their answers all of the time. I want to bring out the notebooks for these two girls and see what happens. I can't imagine the responses I would get from them. I don't know if they would ever put their notebooks down! I love it that our attitudes are so positive and even if it is extra work, oh well. That is exactly what we want in school, push every kid to meet their needs. If that means I have a little extra work at night, I'm ok with that because I know that I am pushing them further and further every day.
Daniell--
ReplyDeleteI was just talking to my roommate the other day about how it's frustrating sometimes to only hear about how things are going really well for people. I think, well shoot, everyone else has this all figured out, so what's wrong with me? It's really nice to hear that others struggle sometimes, too. However, you have a wonderful outlook on it and understand that those are going to come, along with huge strides, too.
I also love that you admitted to the class that you made a mistake. I do that, too. You have to. We are teachers, but we are humans, not machines. There's so much planning involved that sometimes, you might overlook something, or lose something you need. Part of our job is to be able to work with what we have.
My teacher told me that, after air traffic controllers, teachers are the ones who make the most decisions in a day. I believe it.
I'm glad that, overall, your week went pretty well!
It's part of our job to TRY and meet all the students’ needs. If you can meet every individual need then once again you should be instructing teachers or writing books and making a lot more money. To answer your question, I tried the lower "tone" tactic and that works pretty well. It's a great feeling when you have a week that you can look back on and know it went well. One thing that my supervisor told me that works well is putting the procedures on the board so the structure of the class is there and accessible. I did this for a quiz day and #4 was to be quiet. Every time a student talked I just held up a four and pointed to the board. Now my students know that rule #4 means quiet.
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