Quadrilaterals
Pros
1. The lesson was organized
2. I was prepared for the first lesson plan of that semester
3. I made sure to call on nonvolunteers
4. The notes were a connect the dots worksheet
Cons
1. There was too much information about the shapes and it made the lesson more confusing
2. The students did not fully complete the objective by the end of the lesson
3. I did not find the tangrams to be effective
4. My voice was not strong because I was sick
Potential and Kinetic Energy
Pros
1. The lesson incorporated technology
2. The students really understood the material
3. The students had fun with this lesson
4. I felt very prepared, confident, and organized
Cons
1. I had forgotten to keep track of time, luckily it was not a problem
2. I still struggle with explaining some ideas in the text, however I was prepared and it helped to read the material prior
3.I had made a typo on the power point but it was corrected
Coordinate Planes
Pros
1. I incorporated some movement which my mentor teacher enjoyed
2. The students understood the material
3. I was really familiar with this topic which made it that much easier to teach
4. I felt very ready, organized, and prepared
Cons
1. It took a considerable amount of time to make the worksheets
2. The independent pracice was too much work
3. The anticipitory set of the map seemed to not be necessary. A review of positive and negative numbers would have suited much better for this lesson
4. I was a little nervous about teaching another math lesson since math is a subject in which many struggle with
Combining Adjectives
Pros
1. The students clearly met the objective
2. I was prepared and organized
3. I was able to pull in the students attention
4. I incorporated technology through a powerpoint which the kids liked
5. The anticipitory set really seemed to help jog the memory of a previous lesson
Cons
1. I was losing track of time, but it did not create a problem
2. The students were slightly more talkative in this lesson so I kept reminding them to please keep there voices off
3. At one point in time I explained the question wrong but I was able to correct my mistake
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Interview Questions and Answers
1. Describe some teaching techniques that you have fouond effective.
I have found that calling on non-volunteers is effective to keep students on their toes and to address participation on the lesson. Another effective technique is to keep certain parts of the lesson flowing faster than others so that you do not lose the attention of the students.
2. Describe certain learning styles and how you would adjust your lessons to benefit those learning styles.
The three learning styles are auditory, visual, and kinestic. Each lesson you can incorporate these learning styles. Auditory learners could learn well with lectures, for example when taking notes be sure to explain the lesson thoroughly for the auditory learners. For visual learners one could incorporate graphs, visuals, pictures, worksheets, and allow students to look at words when teaching the lesson. Kinestetic learners are slightly harder to address depending on the age group but one could allow students to make models of what is being learned or do experiments.
3. How would you create a safe atmosphere within a classroom?
One could create a safe atmosphere in a classroom by posting inviting posters, following through with the classroom rules, and arranging the desks in a safe way in case of a fire drill. Additionally, make sure that you, yourself are inviting by adding a positive attitude for the students.
4. What kind of rules did you encounter in your mentor classroom? What techniques did they use?
My mentor classroom this year was very interesting because it did not have a classroom rules set. Instead they followed the rules provided by the school. I didn't really notice any discipline problems among the students. If they did disbehave there was a warning and the second offense the student would recieve a (BIP) Behavior Improvement Paper. Typically, the rules you may encounter is be respectful, hands to yourself, and other rules that fall near to those categories.
5. What is the best ways to assess students? How was it assessed in the mentor classroom?
Again, I believe it depends on the grade. The younger grades (K through 2) should probably not be assessed to often with paper but with the teacher checking there work and reviewing activities. When the student advances farther into their schooling it is best to assess with the guided practice, independent practice, as well as tests so that the teacher knows what the students' strengths and weaknesses are.In my mentor classroom this year they assessed student knowledge with tests, guided practice, and independent practice.
6. Describe a lesson you taught this year. Explain why it was good.
The best lesson that I taught this year was teaching the students to graph positive and negative numbers on coordinate planes. This lesson stood out to me because the guided practice included the students standing up and moving according to the movement of the point of the graph. The students were having so much fun with it and I could really identify that the students where grasping the concept.
7. Describe an outstanding teacher. What makes a teacher outstanding?
An outstanding teacher is one who listens to their students and is patient with their learning. They are flexible and willing to help the students however they can. They show respect to their students as it should be shown back in return. An outstanding teacher creates a safe environment for their students and is hopeful in aspiring to being an inspiration to their students.
8. How could you develop self-esteem in your students?
Self-esteem can be aquired when a teacher recognizes and praises the good works of her students. One can do this through praising good behavior and correct answers on an assignment or test. This can also boost a students confidence as long as one promotes a "you can do it!" atmosphere.
9. What kind of people do you find difficult to work with? Why?
I find that it is difficult to work with negative people because they contrast my positve attitude. I also find it hard to work with people who are unorganized because I am a very organized person and work best with order and structure.
10. What are your strengths?
I am a very dedicated person and give my best effort whenever possible, even when the going gets tough. I am very organized and I enjoy working with students. I am great at staying focused and being flexible according to the circumstances.
11. What are your weaknesses?
I don't always work well with others but I am able to sympathize for their situations. I also like fixing problems myself without the help of others. Sometimes I am not good with thinking of things off the top of my head but I am improving. Additionally, I am not the loudest speaker but I am able to always convey my point and I do it as clearly as I possibly can.
I have found that calling on non-volunteers is effective to keep students on their toes and to address participation on the lesson. Another effective technique is to keep certain parts of the lesson flowing faster than others so that you do not lose the attention of the students.
2. Describe certain learning styles and how you would adjust your lessons to benefit those learning styles.
The three learning styles are auditory, visual, and kinestic. Each lesson you can incorporate these learning styles. Auditory learners could learn well with lectures, for example when taking notes be sure to explain the lesson thoroughly for the auditory learners. For visual learners one could incorporate graphs, visuals, pictures, worksheets, and allow students to look at words when teaching the lesson. Kinestetic learners are slightly harder to address depending on the age group but one could allow students to make models of what is being learned or do experiments.
3. How would you create a safe atmosphere within a classroom?
One could create a safe atmosphere in a classroom by posting inviting posters, following through with the classroom rules, and arranging the desks in a safe way in case of a fire drill. Additionally, make sure that you, yourself are inviting by adding a positive attitude for the students.
4. What kind of rules did you encounter in your mentor classroom? What techniques did they use?
My mentor classroom this year was very interesting because it did not have a classroom rules set. Instead they followed the rules provided by the school. I didn't really notice any discipline problems among the students. If they did disbehave there was a warning and the second offense the student would recieve a (BIP) Behavior Improvement Paper. Typically, the rules you may encounter is be respectful, hands to yourself, and other rules that fall near to those categories.
5. What is the best ways to assess students? How was it assessed in the mentor classroom?
Again, I believe it depends on the grade. The younger grades (K through 2) should probably not be assessed to often with paper but with the teacher checking there work and reviewing activities. When the student advances farther into their schooling it is best to assess with the guided practice, independent practice, as well as tests so that the teacher knows what the students' strengths and weaknesses are.In my mentor classroom this year they assessed student knowledge with tests, guided practice, and independent practice.
6. Describe a lesson you taught this year. Explain why it was good.
The best lesson that I taught this year was teaching the students to graph positive and negative numbers on coordinate planes. This lesson stood out to me because the guided practice included the students standing up and moving according to the movement of the point of the graph. The students were having so much fun with it and I could really identify that the students where grasping the concept.
7. Describe an outstanding teacher. What makes a teacher outstanding?
An outstanding teacher is one who listens to their students and is patient with their learning. They are flexible and willing to help the students however they can. They show respect to their students as it should be shown back in return. An outstanding teacher creates a safe environment for their students and is hopeful in aspiring to being an inspiration to their students.
8. How could you develop self-esteem in your students?
Self-esteem can be aquired when a teacher recognizes and praises the good works of her students. One can do this through praising good behavior and correct answers on an assignment or test. This can also boost a students confidence as long as one promotes a "you can do it!" atmosphere.
9. What kind of people do you find difficult to work with? Why?
I find that it is difficult to work with negative people because they contrast my positve attitude. I also find it hard to work with people who are unorganized because I am a very organized person and work best with order and structure.
10. What are your strengths?
I am a very dedicated person and give my best effort whenever possible, even when the going gets tough. I am very organized and I enjoy working with students. I am great at staying focused and being flexible according to the circumstances.
11. What are your weaknesses?
I don't always work well with others but I am able to sympathize for their situations. I also like fixing problems myself without the help of others. Sometimes I am not good with thinking of things off the top of my head but I am improving. Additionally, I am not the loudest speaker but I am able to always convey my point and I do it as clearly as I possibly can.
Monday, May 7, 2012
All Day Shadowing: May 3
When I first walked into my mentor teacher's classroom that day I could tell that something was amiss. She told me that her daughter was sick and so she would not be there for the remainder of the day. There was a substitute, but she wanted me to take care of the lessons and the lesson planning. I was very honored that she trusted me enough for this task. The only part I did not do was the spelling test which was reading the words outloud. The first lesson I did was my assigned lesson. This was the language arts lesson about adjectives. The objective was to combine adjectives in sentences. My anticipitory set included the students come up to the board and identify adjectives in a sentence as a review. Next we moved onto the input when we read in the text book and I wrote down specific examples and helped guide them in the lesson. The guided practice was a power point and the students used white boards to answer the questions. For the independent practice the students worked on a worksheet and I went around to help. I am sad to admit that I did forget to do the closure which was to have the students find objects in the room and use multiple ajectives to describe them. However, a similiar concept was presented to them on the last question of the power point so a closure was not evaded completely. The next lesson was math. It was a longer lesson on volume and cube roots but the students really seemed to understand the lesson when we were done. Next, there was a group from Mexico that came to speak with the class. It was a short presentaion but very educational. Afterward, the students worked on a science test. At the end of the day, I began a science lesson. There was not enough time to finish it though. The entire day was very eventful and I am very proud of myself for stepping it up and being 'teacher' for the whole day. It was such an incredible experience and I was so confident!
Week 25 The Final Week
This week was very interesting in all of it's forms. My all day shadowing experience was on Thursday of this week. The only other day I was there was on Friday. Unfortunately, there was a substitute on those days because my mentor teacher's daughter was sick. I do wish I got to see her at the end though. On Friday, I graded spelling papers and worked with one of the students on the math. He seems to need a little more assistence than the other kids, which is ok because we will all learn at our own pace. This year has been an awesome experience and I hope to broaden my knowledge in the following years.
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