As I sit here thinking about all that has gone on this semester, I truly cannot believe it is already the end of QUEST 2. I feel like I just received my confirmation e-mail stating I was accepted into QUEST 2. It is so surreal and I wish I had a video camera following me everywhere I went this semester so I would not forget a thing!
This semester has offered me so many different things that I can take in my journey in becoming an effective teacher. I started this semester not 100% sure of what to expect. But this semester was unlike any other. There were many struggles, but also so many victories. I have gained a stronger sense of who I am and who I want to become as an educator. I realized that who I am as a person will be emanated in my teaching, thus to my students. I realized how much I love working and simply being with students. In my first rotation I was placed with the most wonderful first graders. I was first intimidated by the difficulty since the students were so young and always in need- but I grew to really love each student. I loved working one on one with the students. I also loved simply getting to know them! They are absolutely such wonderful young minds that soak in so much. I really enjoyed just getting to know the first graders by talking to them and sharing with them and even having lunch with them. Getting to know them on a more personal basis has been so rewarding. I miss how they would run up to me and talk a mile a minute just about anything in their lives! In my second rotation, I was with wonderful fifth graders. The way they were so focused and determined to do well in everything they did. Being with them was so different than being with the first graders, but also a great experience. I overcame my fear of being with and teaching an older group of kids. I am more open to teaching an older age group. The students are independent and so eager to learn more. I absolutely loved both of my rotation teachers. One teacher has years of experience to offer. She was so sweet and we connected so well. She also was a huge help! She was very positive and helped me become more confident in my teaching. My other teacher offered such great ideas and organization! She did many various topics and ideas that were so fun. She was also so positive and was always so grateful for any help I offered- both of them were so wonderful! From them, I learned many great ideas that I can incorporate in my future classroom. From transitions to lesson plans- they are such great teachers. They reassured me that as a teacher, the learning continues.
The people that were in my cluster were absolutely awesome! I can say that my PLC and other people from the cluster really bonded through the journey of QUEST 2. Without their advice, encouragement, presence, support, collaboration, and kindness I would not have been able to go through this semester. They were all a great help! And so fun!
My methods classes helped ease and guide me through this semester. They were not what I was expecting to be, and in a good way. The classes and professors especially reassured me in my goal of wanting to be a teacher. All of them were so helpful and offered so many ideas. They really opened my mind and reminded me that I don't need to know everything in order to be a teacher. I especially loved my social education class. Debby and the class itself taught me to be more open and think outside of the box as a person and a teacher. She also challenged me to reflect more about who I am as a person. All of my professors encouraged me in this journey.
This journey continues on. I realized that in order to accomplish my goal of being an effective teacher, I had to sacrifice other aspects of my life to help me stay focused. I realized that the stress in my life affected my performance in my school life. I was not able to be an active officer in my church group as I usually am. I also had to pick studying over time with friends. This all seems like little lessons, but they all come together to helping me become a more effective teacher. And this semester, I really learned how I want to become an even more all around and knowledgeable teacher. I want to participate in other activities, read more books, and talk to more people to better myself as a teacher. I know there are many things I still need to improve on. My organization skills and punctuality have improved, but I know I can do even better. I also know I need to find my own way of keeping students more engaged and focused. I want to research more ways of keeping the classroom more manageable and efficient. I want to grow in an even more professional way as an educator. I also hope to get to know myself even more as a person in order to create more meaningful teaching for my future students. I hope through that, I will gain the greater confidence I need to grow in finding my style of teaching.
It has been an exciting semester! I look forward to what the next semester has to offer!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Inquiry #3- Module Responses
Module 1
I wonder why students seem to be off tasking at times during instruction. I decided to pursue this wondering because it is something that highly affects my teaching. If students are off task it can be because of multiple reasons and as their teacher, it is my job to find out why. Being off task may be because they are uninterested or they may find the lesson meaningless or perhaps the students may be off task because I do not implement a form of classroom management. What the cause of their behavior, it takes away time from instruction which is of course for their benefit. This is also so important to me because I want to be a more confident teacher as I am teaching and guiding them.
Reading the blogs of my PLC members as well as speaking to them, most of them were able to successfully convey their thought process when deciding their wondering. A couple of members were still unsure of what to do exactly- what to focus on, what to look for, etc. But after talking and sharing our wonderings, members who were confused were able to gain a better idea of what exactly they had to focus on. And with that, were able to find their wondering.
Module 2
I didn't realize the multiple ways one can gather data within the classroom until performing different assignments within the classroom. There are so many ways and with so many benefits! Some of the mediums that can be used to gather information within the classroom are student interviews, reading interest inventories, classroom pictures, observing them, running records, student examples of their work, meeting with fellow teachers in the same grade or experience, asking for other feedback and assistance from other peers- the list can go on! And what is the purpose of these forms of collecting data? All of these ways of gathering data enables the educator become more prepared, skilled, and aware of how to better teach his/her students. For example, pictures or video of the students during instruction time can help show parents how the student is performing at school or in a particular subject. Another example is talking to fellow peers. Teaching is not a field of work that can be done by one person. It is so important to learn and ask questions and advice from other teachers and professionals. Gaining information and advice from other professionals helps the teacher become a more effective teacher.
Module 3
As I reflect back to my wondering, I realize that I have many forms of data that I can use in my research plan. I can talk to my cooperating teachers, read over evaluation forms filled out by my cooperating teachers from previous lessons, look over student work, reflect over the lesson itself, talk to PLC member who was videotaping me as I taught the lesson, and of course watching the video of my lesson. All of these ways of gathering data are available to me. It is simply up to me to use my resources their full advantage. Gathering these pieces of data can be done over a period of time so it is not so overwhelming.
Module 4
After looking over my data, I have created my theory. For students to remain on task during an activity or lesson, the content of the lesson must be meaningful and engaging to the students. If behavior becomes inconsistent, I believe it is because they have lost interesting in participating because of the lack of purpose within the assignment itself.
Module 5
My Inquiry #3 can be found on my portfolio. My PLC members and I have also shared feedback and thoughts during our meeting.
Josephine's Working Portfolio
I wonder why students seem to be off tasking at times during instruction. I decided to pursue this wondering because it is something that highly affects my teaching. If students are off task it can be because of multiple reasons and as their teacher, it is my job to find out why. Being off task may be because they are uninterested or they may find the lesson meaningless or perhaps the students may be off task because I do not implement a form of classroom management. What the cause of their behavior, it takes away time from instruction which is of course for their benefit. This is also so important to me because I want to be a more confident teacher as I am teaching and guiding them.
Reading the blogs of my PLC members as well as speaking to them, most of them were able to successfully convey their thought process when deciding their wondering. A couple of members were still unsure of what to do exactly- what to focus on, what to look for, etc. But after talking and sharing our wonderings, members who were confused were able to gain a better idea of what exactly they had to focus on. And with that, were able to find their wondering.
Module 2
I didn't realize the multiple ways one can gather data within the classroom until performing different assignments within the classroom. There are so many ways and with so many benefits! Some of the mediums that can be used to gather information within the classroom are student interviews, reading interest inventories, classroom pictures, observing them, running records, student examples of their work, meeting with fellow teachers in the same grade or experience, asking for other feedback and assistance from other peers- the list can go on! And what is the purpose of these forms of collecting data? All of these ways of gathering data enables the educator become more prepared, skilled, and aware of how to better teach his/her students. For example, pictures or video of the students during instruction time can help show parents how the student is performing at school or in a particular subject. Another example is talking to fellow peers. Teaching is not a field of work that can be done by one person. It is so important to learn and ask questions and advice from other teachers and professionals. Gaining information and advice from other professionals helps the teacher become a more effective teacher.
Module 3
As I reflect back to my wondering, I realize that I have many forms of data that I can use in my research plan. I can talk to my cooperating teachers, read over evaluation forms filled out by my cooperating teachers from previous lessons, look over student work, reflect over the lesson itself, talk to PLC member who was videotaping me as I taught the lesson, and of course watching the video of my lesson. All of these ways of gathering data are available to me. It is simply up to me to use my resources their full advantage. Gathering these pieces of data can be done over a period of time so it is not so overwhelming.
Module 4
After looking over my data, I have created my theory. For students to remain on task during an activity or lesson, the content of the lesson must be meaningful and engaging to the students. If behavior becomes inconsistent, I believe it is because they have lost interesting in participating because of the lack of purpose within the assignment itself.
Module 5
My Inquiry #3 can be found on my portfolio. My PLC members and I have also shared feedback and thoughts during our meeting.
Josephine's Working Portfolio
Assignment: Edited Teaching Video Reflections
Pre-Reflection- November 9, 2009
In this lesson, I hope for the students to be very interested and excited about the topic. I will be teaching a lesson on landfills and the importance of the 3 R's- reduce, reuse, and recycle. I have been talking with my cooperating teacher, making sure that all the supplies will be ready. She informed me that she would take care of buying all of the supplies. The lesson involves an activity having the students create their own landfill in small groups. I am feeling nervous though. This lesson was suggested and provided to me by my cooperating teacher, so I hope that I deliver this lesson effectively.
In preparing for the lesson, I want to make sure that during the lesson I keep a close track of time. This lesson should take about an hour, but there are so many steps involved. I hope that I keep a strong grip on keeping within the time frame. I know the students will be excited about making this landfill (and later eating it!), so I do expect that they will be more loud than usual.
I expect that the students will have an enjoyable time learning about landfills by doing this interactive activity.
Post-Reflection- November 12, 2009
Wow! That was quite an experience! Earlier this afternoon, I taught my observed and video taped lesson over landfills. I was so nervous! The idea of me being video taped is dreadful enough, but I was also nervous about the lesson going just right. There are many different steps during the activity portion and I wanted it to go smoothly.
After teaching the lesson, I felt relieved. I think it went well. I feel good about what and how I taught, but I also feel like there are so many things I could have done better on. For example, there were many instances when the students got too loud. I found myself being a little flustered on how to get them to quiet down. The excitement of having so many different visitors in there, as well as being video taped, and the activity got them all very excited- which was great! The enthusiasm encouraged me. But I feel like I let my nerves get the best of me. But there were many great things as well. The students were so interested in the topic. I think they have gained a better understanding of what exactly a landfill is. I especially enjoyed how the lesson was so interactive and hands on, and I think the students really enjoyed that as well. Their participation was great and they all had their own role in making their group's landfill.
Even though I feel I could have done a better job in some areas, overall, I feel really great with the way I taught this lesson. And I think the students did as well.
Post-Editing- Reflection- December 4, 2009
I have finished viewing, editing, and reflecting on my observed lesson video. It was quite interesting! It took me awhile to gather the courage to watch the video. But I did so and watched the different clips of my lesson over and over in order to edit it just right. The video allowed me to really see how the classroom really was during my lesson. The video demonstrated my lack of having consistent control of the classroom. At times the students were off task when I thought they were completing a portion of the activity. Also, my methods of keeping students engaged lack firmness and confidence. The video helped me realize that I need to become more confident in myself and when I teach. Remembering back to the day I taught the lesson, I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed and flustered when trying to get the class back on track. I realize now that I need to find some way that works for me. Prior to the video, I thought that I had a strong way of keeping students engaged and on task, but it seems like it is not as consistent as I would like for it to be. So editing and watching this video has pushed me more in trying to find a better way of managing the classroom in such a way that goes along with my teaching style. Whether it is positive discipline or being more firm- I really am determined to find ways that works for me and ways I am confident in.
I realized that I really have to believe in myself and what I am teaching. If I lack confidence, that affects the way I carry myself and the way I handle any mishaps during the classroom. It has been a beneficial and insightful assignment.
In this lesson, I hope for the students to be very interested and excited about the topic. I will be teaching a lesson on landfills and the importance of the 3 R's- reduce, reuse, and recycle. I have been talking with my cooperating teacher, making sure that all the supplies will be ready. She informed me that she would take care of buying all of the supplies. The lesson involves an activity having the students create their own landfill in small groups. I am feeling nervous though. This lesson was suggested and provided to me by my cooperating teacher, so I hope that I deliver this lesson effectively.
In preparing for the lesson, I want to make sure that during the lesson I keep a close track of time. This lesson should take about an hour, but there are so many steps involved. I hope that I keep a strong grip on keeping within the time frame. I know the students will be excited about making this landfill (and later eating it!), so I do expect that they will be more loud than usual.
I expect that the students will have an enjoyable time learning about landfills by doing this interactive activity.
Post-Reflection- November 12, 2009
Wow! That was quite an experience! Earlier this afternoon, I taught my observed and video taped lesson over landfills. I was so nervous! The idea of me being video taped is dreadful enough, but I was also nervous about the lesson going just right. There are many different steps during the activity portion and I wanted it to go smoothly.
After teaching the lesson, I felt relieved. I think it went well. I feel good about what and how I taught, but I also feel like there are so many things I could have done better on. For example, there were many instances when the students got too loud. I found myself being a little flustered on how to get them to quiet down. The excitement of having so many different visitors in there, as well as being video taped, and the activity got them all very excited- which was great! The enthusiasm encouraged me. But I feel like I let my nerves get the best of me. But there were many great things as well. The students were so interested in the topic. I think they have gained a better understanding of what exactly a landfill is. I especially enjoyed how the lesson was so interactive and hands on, and I think the students really enjoyed that as well. Their participation was great and they all had their own role in making their group's landfill.
Even though I feel I could have done a better job in some areas, overall, I feel really great with the way I taught this lesson. And I think the students did as well.
Post-Editing- Reflection- December 4, 2009
I have finished viewing, editing, and reflecting on my observed lesson video. It was quite interesting! It took me awhile to gather the courage to watch the video. But I did so and watched the different clips of my lesson over and over in order to edit it just right. The video allowed me to really see how the classroom really was during my lesson. The video demonstrated my lack of having consistent control of the classroom. At times the students were off task when I thought they were completing a portion of the activity. Also, my methods of keeping students engaged lack firmness and confidence. The video helped me realize that I need to become more confident in myself and when I teach. Remembering back to the day I taught the lesson, I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed and flustered when trying to get the class back on track. I realize now that I need to find some way that works for me. Prior to the video, I thought that I had a strong way of keeping students engaged and on task, but it seems like it is not as consistent as I would like for it to be. So editing and watching this video has pushed me more in trying to find a better way of managing the classroom in such a way that goes along with my teaching style. Whether it is positive discipline or being more firm- I really am determined to find ways that works for me and ways I am confident in.
I realized that I really have to believe in myself and what I am teaching. If I lack confidence, that affects the way I carry myself and the way I handle any mishaps during the classroom. It has been a beneficial and insightful assignment.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
