Reflection
For the second half of my semester student teaching, I was in a fourth grade classroom. This experience taught me a lot about creating and grading assessments, how to use engaging technology tools, and how to best plan and prepare for more complex activities and projects.
This placement brought not only a different grade and content, but a different schedule as well. With two different classes that switched during the day, I learned the benefits of having the opportunity to teach every class twice as well as faced some of the challenges of the more rigorous schedule. Overall, I learned a lot here and am excited to see how the lessons I learned in this classroom will prepare me for the future.
This placement brought not only a different grade and content, but a different schedule as well. With two different classes that switched during the day, I learned the benefits of having the opportunity to teach every class twice as well as faced some of the challenges of the more rigorous schedule. Overall, I learned a lot here and am excited to see how the lessons I learned in this classroom will prepare me for the future.
Glows and Grows
Some Glows:
1. With creating my own table groups in class, I have loved using group points as a classroom management technique. I've seen improvement in discussions, participation, and teamwork through competing for small rewards both daily and weekly. It was so much fun watching my students get excited to earn points for their teams and work together to accomplish a goal. 2. With this placement, I have also succeeded in creating strong and meaningful relationships with my students. Coming into class, I would often find a small gift on my desk, from a cool rock to an original poem. Everyday, my students made the days fun and enjoyable and I have loved getting to know each of them individually and watch them grow over the course of my placement. Some Grows: 1. In this placement, I have learned the importance of not just planning, but over planning. Starting out, I learned very quickly that things very rarely, if ever, go exactly according to plan and having a back-up (and a back-up to your back-up) was crucial in keeping the class under control and continuing to be in a learning and growing mindset. 2. I have also learned the importance of knowing the content backwards and forwards. When I would think I had a solid understanding of the material, a student always managed to trip me up with questions that proved they wanted to learn, but I just didn't have the answers. With the desire to fuel that curiosity, I want to ensure that I am always ready for any questions. And for those really tricky questions, I want to show my students how to do their own research too. I want us to grow in our knowledge, as a class. |