Hello fellow student teachers! I want to start by saying congratulations to all of us because we officially have 3 and a half weeks left until we're done with student teaching and we become Shippensburg graduates! I hope everyone has a good last few weeks and makes it through PSSA's in one piece (yayyy).
Now on to my week. I did write a post about my observation on Wednesday but I'd like to start by revisiting Tuesday. On Tuesday I did a lesson with my students on MLA and works cited. I believe that my students understood but my co-op recommended that when I'm using guided notes that I should really engage the students more and to find a way to create a good activating strategy. On Wednesday I did a lesson on thesis statements and I tried to incorporate more discussion throughout the guided notes and both my co-op and I thought that I did a better job than the day before. He still suggested that I work on my activating strategy but he provided me with some examples of ones he uses and I think that will help as I move forward. Wednesday's 4th period was also one of my hardest classroom mangagement days. I was using an article that talked about getting off of school for holidays of minority religions such as Islam and Judaism. It was specific to their district and in fact had been written by a student from a few years ago. The first three classes were not a problem so I didn't expect 4th period to be a problem either but they got into a more hotly contested debate about the issue which made it hard for them to focus on what I was teaching them. I didn't want to make any student feel like their opinion was't important and I really hope that they didn't feel this way. Afterward Mr. G and I talked about setting specific guidelines for discussions like those. 8th grade is a tough age to teach. They have a lot of energy, questions, emotions, and some of them are offended very easily. I hate to think that I could accidentally make anyone feel bad.
Thursday was my field trip with the students. We went to Washington D.C. and took a group of 8 students (along with my co-op and a parent chaparone) around the monuments and the Smithsonian. Overall it went well and the students seemed to have a good time. The ride home was very loud but it was an interested experience. I'm officially scared for more field trips though.... On Friday we watched Dances With Wolves as part of something for history class. All in all it was a pretty low key week.
While I was considering all the feedback that I recieved this week, and feeling a little overwhelmed at points, I came to the realization that there aren't many other professions that require their professionals to take as much feedback as we do. I enjoy recieving feedback so I can improve my teaching but sometimes I have to tell myself to not get upset because it can be very heavy. I think that this week felt a little overwhelming and as it gets down to the end all of this is coming up. I hope that I can always take the feedback and turn it into something positive and improve my teaching.
On an uplifting note to a very long post, I'd like to leave you all with a quote for our last few weeks, "So be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to great places! Today is your day!Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Ellen,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that the article you chose for the thesis introduction sparked some interest and debate in your students. I always try to welcome these "relevant" debates into my own classrooms, but your co-op is quite right to suggest laying down some protocols for how these type of discussions should be handled by your students. Oftentimes we assume that our students can "handle" discussion on their own, but I've found that setting up specific guidelines and even allowing students to set their own parameters and guidelines is helpful for structuring a successful discussion. Don't forget to scaffold! The best discussions usually begin (in my experience) with thoughtful independent writing that transitions into small group sharing and then finally large group sharing. This eliminates much of the "so what did you think?" alongside the "blank-stare" responses that often happen when we forget to scaffold. With sensitive topics in particular, it's important that students understand the "rules of engagement"--respect classmates' point of views, ask thoughtful questions, avoid "killer" statements like "that's so stupid" or "you have no idea what you're talking about", agree to disagree, etc.
Also, try not to be too hard on yourself regarding the constructive criticism. Your co-op has a very practical approach in his feedback that quickly identifies your strengths and weaknesses. I've found him to be very perceptive and articulate in his observations. Try to listen more openly. Allow yourself time to digest what is being said, instead of reacting immediately with justifications. Step away from the feedback for a day or two, and then come back to it. I know it's hard to have everyone throwing in their two cents all the time. Listen. Digest. Consider what you will discard and what you will take with you as you begin the transition into your own classroom :)