Of the three labs I've done so far, I would say I had the least success with my demonstration.
I think I had the right concepts and tried to think boldly; However, I definitely need my big eraser for this one.
One thing I have learned through this semester thus far is the power of scripting. In the beginning of the semester and prior to I thought that it was silly. But now when I sit down and think about a lesson plan and how to move through it scripting it helps me to figure out how much time will be needed for each task, and how to give clear and concise directions. But, the one thing I forget to do is script transitions. I always assume that the teacher in me will just kick in and that will naturally happen. But it never just kicks in, it has to be fostered and thought about and then practiced. For my next lab, transitions will definitely be at the top of my list as things to improve on.
The one thing I try to avoid most is teaching with PowerPoint. I hate to create them and I hate learning through them, so I don't want to do that to my students. But rather than shutting out PowerPoint I should instead understand the benefit and purpose and how it can be utilized in my classroom. For example, my lesson was on reading a micrometer. To make things easier for my learners I should have had a micrometer blown up on the screen. If there were a visually impaired student in my classroom it would have been very difficult for them to learn from my teaching technique.
My classroom management technique is randomly calling on students. I have a difficult time gauging "wait time". So I just do popcorn style and call on students. This way all the students are engaged because they don't know who I'll call on, and I think it keeps the energy level up. But, I struggle when a student refuses to give an answer. For example, Todd likes to say I don't know or just refuses to answer the question. So I would really like some input on how to get an answer from a student that refuses to answer the question.
I do think that my classroom is well managed, however my teaching technique for today was not the quality that I can be satisfied with. But, the experience is definitely something to be applied to future lessons like this one! =D
Hey, its okay, its good to have days like these now rather than in the spring! Transitions are something that I struggle with too sometimes. For getting the student to talk, social pressure is a huge component to students in the classroom. Make sure to not as questions that can be answered yes or no. Also maybe it would make him answer if you didn't move on until he answered and made sure that he knows that not answering a question or saying I don't know is NOT an acceptable answer, he at least has to try. The rest of the students in class will get frustrated that class is not moving by him not answering the question and he will feel pressure to form a response. However, do not do this to a student with an IEP, they may not be able to handle it.
ReplyDeleteAnnette,
ReplyDeleteI think we all can agree transitions are hard to pre-plan. However, I like you felt that they would naturally fall into my lessons. WRONG!! I find myself jumping from topic to topic and failing to bring unity to them. Students who lack motivation and try to avoid answering can be tough. Two ideas, one make him get up and be involved in your lesson. I would even go as far as to say grab him before he gets to his seat and keep him active the entire time. Maybe the next class he will decide he has an answer! :) My second option, is to do what Jeanne recommended and call him out, tell him I don't know is not an acceptable answer. If it was me though I would try the first one and see if you could "improve" his attitude.
For another opinion on the Todd issue, when he doesn't answer, keep asking him questions, but of a lower knowledge level. Try to get something that he will be confident answering and maybe he will start to answer more. Keep working on your management techniques because the more you have the easier it will be to have that natural teaching to occur. You seemed a little hard on yourself, but it's okay to be critical of what you do. We are always learning, and trying to be better teachers, so keep that in mind and look forward to the next opportunity.
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up lady, you did great! While I could see some bumpy transitions and do recall you being flustered at times with facilitating the review, I still think your kick-butt teacher skills shined, and I definitely like your method of popcorn calling. However, as you admit, sometimes we don't know what proper wait time is, and maybe calling on people makes them uncomfortable if they cannot recall the answer as quickly as someone else. I agree that the use of a big blow-up micrometer would have been more helpful, but all in all, I think you did a great job. Take the feedback and move ahead being an awesome teacher and learner!! :D
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone in the rough transitions department! I also thought they would just flow out naturally, boy was I wrong! As far as the trouble with getting students to participate, my suggestion would be to ask a question and direct every student to write down their answer. Provide enough time so that they can get their thoughts together. While they are working on the answer, float around and see if you can answer questions or ask more questions to get the students thinking critically about the answer. Then once you know every student has an answer, call Todd out and ask him to share his. This will provide more time to think of the answer, and also give him the opportunity to collect his thoughts and maybe even get help from you before he has to give an answer out loud to the whole class. This will also give you time to address him alone while the other students are working if he refuses to answer. That way you do not have to correct him for the whole class to hear.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that you learned a lot from this lab! Sometimes we learn more from mistakes than from our outstanding moments! Good job!
Annette,
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out that your classroom management was under control, because I felt it was! To be honest, I really don't have any ideas for the Todd situation. You have to call on him, because he wouldn't be a student who would generally be eager to volunteer.
As far as presenting the material, having a blown up image would have been helpful. It could even be a drawing if the powerpoint is not your thing!
I think the reason that the transitions seemed so rough is because we as students changed things up when we weren't understanding some of the material. My thought is that it is impossible to script everything when you have to change your lesson a little from class feedback. Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Annette; first off great reflection! I really liked how you evaluated yourself and thought about what you could have improved. I liked your idea of blowing up a picture of a micrometer, I am glad you said that it would be able to help a student with vision impairments because I think it is good to be aware of some adaptations now so we are not blinded when we actually have our teaching experiences. As far as getting a student to answer your questions, maybe you could use a "phone a friend" procedure in class and then pick another classmate to maybe help the student who constantly says "I don't know." I also agree with Mike's idea about asking him more questions that could be at a lower knowledge level, it could be that the student really does not understand and just does not want to come out and say it. Keep up the good work and don't worry we all have bad days/lessons but the more we practice the better we will get! :)
ReplyDeleteHey girl!
ReplyDeleteWow everyone has so many great ideas and thoughts. I don't just want to repost what everyone is saying but I think transitions just come with practice and confidence in the material. I'm not sure if everyone would agree with this but sometimes I think that if I had my whole unit done for the lab lesson it would just help me have a better overall picture of what I wanted the students to know and that might help me with questioning during the class. (Don't get any ideas Laura or Foster) It seems like your lab friends are doing a great job and I look forward to more thoughts on how you find the best ways to handle certain students. Keep up the good work!
Annette,
ReplyDeleteGirl you are relay being hard on yourself I watched your lab it was not as bad as you think and we only get better with practice that's why we are all here! Next, thing is with the power point thing you have to remember that just because we don't like them doesn't mean that they wont bring farther clarity to your topic for students that learn differently from our selves (I'm not saying you need one every day or use it the whole time). Keep up the good work :)
Hey Annette,
ReplyDeleteI remember at the beginning of the semester when we got into a disagreement about scripting. I thought it was stupid, but after these last few weeks, FLC, I have come to like them myself. One of the main reasons is due to the translation parts. Like you said it doesnt just come to mind. Just remember that you need a way to go from one thing to another. As far as getting a student to answer a question, that is hard. I would maybe just continue to call on him until they answer you without any problems.
Annette, reading your blog is potentially a highlight of my weekend! You hit a ton of points that you can improve upon and I think that marks a great educator. Your are striving for perfection and are planning your next move to reach it, which is awesome! Keep up the awesome work!
ReplyDeleteGood job Annette! It happens all the time where we aren't satisfied but you just have to learn and move on. As for the scripting part, I too have learned that is really important, but I also feel that sometimes its ok if you stray from that a little bit because that is when usually if its in a good way at least, people show more emotion because it is coming from their heart. As for the student not answering, I don't think it will be this bad in real life, but I would learn to try and call on the student when it is something that he is interested in because that is when he will be paying the closest attention and possibly be willing to share. You could even go out of your way to put a spin on questions that are relatable to that student. I to have to work on PowerPoint's because I agree with you and don't like creating them or learning from them depending how dry they are.
ReplyDelete