1. Describe how you think your teaching has changed during this practicum experience? What do you consider your strengths to be now? What was good about the way the students responded to you as the teacher?
a. When I first taught, I had no idea how to manage my students or how to control a situation once it got out of hand. I have learned a few management techniques from my teachers and peers. I also found my own methods to manage my class that work best for me. I think I have a better understanding of how lessons will work in a classroom. I also learned that teaching a whole class verse teaching small groups is different. There were moments where we gathered all the students together for the hook or the closure portion of a lesson.
b. I would say that I have become better with adapting my lessons on the hop. Every group I taught I had to tweak my lesson plan
c. There are many things I need to work on, but I do have a couple of strengths that are appropriate for an elementary classroom. I can be very animated and goofy, I see these as strengths because it keeps the students engaged. In my opinion, keeping the students engaged and focused helps them gain or learn something out of the lesson. The students seemed to respect what I asked of them, for the most part there were some cases where I needed help. 2. How do you know students learned something? a. When I am teaching a lesson, I listen and observe their reactions. If they are engaged and giving appropriate responses to the material than I know that I am teaching them something. For example I know a student has learned something when I ask them questions about the topic after we have covered the material when they are eager to answer. Most of the time when we are discussing the topic after-the-fact, the ones that have learned something speak more and want to be heard. I call it the light bulb affect when teaching is being done you observe the light bulb turning on. The light bulb affect is my favorite reaction to helping know that they have learned something. 3. What do you consider you still need to work on as far as teaching science? a. …show more content…
I still have a lot to work on as a teacher in general, but as far as teaching science I would have to say knowing the proper terms. I was always prepared with definitions for everything in my lesson, but when things veered off a bit and they began asking questions about what a certain science word meant I did not know how to answer. Sometimes I did not know how to answer because I did not know how I could explain something that was over their heads. In moments like those I wish I had a “parking lot” poster so we could look it up later. Another thing I know I need to work on as a science teacher is finding out ways to teach science topics to younger children. I had a few lessons I had to go back to make it harder or easier. Which is a remarkable thing to learn, especially for when I am a teacher. b. 4. Discuss how this teaching experience is beneficial to your future teaching career. a. This teaching experience has been beneficial to my future teaching career by showing us reality. Sitting in a classroom and hearing about how to teach and why we need to do stuff a certain way never made sense until I was actually out in
a. When I first taught, I had no idea how to manage my students or how to control a situation once it got out of hand. I have learned a few management techniques from my teachers and peers. I also found my own methods to manage my class that work best for me. I think I have a better understanding of how lessons will work in a classroom. I also learned that teaching a whole class verse teaching small groups is different. There were moments where we gathered all the students together for the hook or the closure portion of a lesson.
b. I would say that I have become better with adapting my lessons on the hop. Every group I taught I had to tweak my lesson plan
c. There are many things I need to work on, but I do have a couple of strengths that are appropriate for an elementary classroom. I can be very animated and goofy, I see these as strengths because it keeps the students engaged. In my opinion, keeping the students engaged and focused helps them gain or learn something out of the lesson. The students seemed to respect what I asked of them, for the most part there were some cases where I needed help. 2. How do you know students learned something? a. When I am teaching a lesson, I listen and observe their reactions. If they are engaged and giving appropriate responses to the material than I know that I am teaching them something. For example I know a student has learned something when I ask them questions about the topic after we have covered the material when they are eager to answer. Most of the time when we are discussing the topic after-the-fact, the ones that have learned something speak more and want to be heard. I call it the light bulb affect when teaching is being done you observe the light bulb turning on. The light bulb affect is my favorite reaction to helping know that they have learned something. 3. What do you consider you still need to work on as far as teaching science? a. …show more content…
I still have a lot to work on as a teacher in general, but as far as teaching science I would have to say knowing the proper terms. I was always prepared with definitions for everything in my lesson, but when things veered off a bit and they began asking questions about what a certain science word meant I did not know how to answer. Sometimes I did not know how to answer because I did not know how I could explain something that was over their heads. In moments like those I wish I had a “parking lot” poster so we could look it up later. Another thing I know I need to work on as a science teacher is finding out ways to teach science topics to younger children. I had a few lessons I had to go back to make it harder or easier. Which is a remarkable thing to learn, especially for when I am a teacher. b. 4. Discuss how this teaching experience is beneficial to your future teaching career. a. This teaching experience has been beneficial to my future teaching career by showing us reality. Sitting in a classroom and hearing about how to teach and why we need to do stuff a certain way never made sense until I was actually out in