My metaphor of a teacher being like a shepherd seemed to hold up rather well in my field experience this semester. I was able to set my students (sheep) in the right direction and watch over them as they completed their tasks individually or while working in groups. I tried not to interrupt students too much if they were headed in the right direction. But if one of the students seemed to be wandering off in the wrong direction, I was able to catch that and steer them back on the right path before they wandered too far. I never let them go too far in the wrong direction; I was there to offer feedback and guidance when needed.
Overall, I think my initial metaphor fit in nicely with my teaching style and proved to be rather effective in the classroom. Hopefully the metaphor will be applicable to my future teaching situations.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Post-Assessment
Christen and I were unable to administer the post-assessment ourselves because of scheduling. We would have had to give the test a whole week after the last lesson/review. Instead, we decided giving the teacher the test to administer would be in the students' best interest.
Christen went to pick up the tests at the end of last week. I haven't actually been able to see the tests, but from what I hear, the students did really well! There were many 100s and the few who missed questions only missed one or two. Overall, it seems as though the students really grasped the material and were able to apply their learning on the test. We were both happy with the results because we included many questions (or modified questions) from previous SOLs. They should be well-prepared for this section on the science SOL coming up!
Christen went to pick up the tests at the end of last week. I haven't actually been able to see the tests, but from what I hear, the students did really well! There were many 100s and the few who missed questions only missed one or two. Overall, it seems as though the students really grasped the material and were able to apply their learning on the test. We were both happy with the results because we included many questions (or modified questions) from previous SOLs. They should be well-prepared for this section on the science SOL coming up!
Last Teaching Day - Resources & Review
Christen and I came together to teach the last lesson of the unit. It was nice being back together to finish up, since we had been teaching separately for the rest of the unit. Our last class we taught had been exactly a week ago, so it was nice to see the kids again, too.
We covered resources, recycling, and renewal to finish up on content. The students then broke into groups to do a "trash bag sort." This entailed each group of third-graders picking through trash bags that Christen and I had put together. Their job was to sort through and pick out items that could be recycled and those that couldn't - they recorded their answers on a worksheet. If they were unsure of an item, they could put it down the middle on the line or put it on one side or the other and provide an explanation. The kids seemed to really enjoy going through all the garbage and had some great conversations and pulled in personal experiences ("My mom recycles these!"). However, at the end when reviewing the answers, we were unsure where to put some items. Some items could be recycled, but they had to be taken to a special recycling center (ex - batteries, computers, etc.). After going through the answers I realized I had some questions of my own. I should have done more research to show them where they can recycle certain items locally.
After the recycling sort, we moved to review for the upcoming test. We played a Jeopardy game to help with the review. The kids knew most of the answers and we went over the ones that they were unsure of. At the end of the class, we handed out a review worksheet for them to work on to help them study.
This was the lesson Jen observed. During our post-ob we talked about the power of language. Christen and I both realized that we needed to use more explicit language when giving the students directions in order to make sure they do the task and also that they understand it. It was something that I had not given much thought to because we didn't have any behavioral issues in the class, but it was an eye-opener to see how it could potentially backfire to be vague. We have been told to exercise our teaching voice by using them on our friends and boyfriend (hubby in Christen's case).
We covered resources, recycling, and renewal to finish up on content. The students then broke into groups to do a "trash bag sort." This entailed each group of third-graders picking through trash bags that Christen and I had put together. Their job was to sort through and pick out items that could be recycled and those that couldn't - they recorded their answers on a worksheet. If they were unsure of an item, they could put it down the middle on the line or put it on one side or the other and provide an explanation. The kids seemed to really enjoy going through all the garbage and had some great conversations and pulled in personal experiences ("My mom recycles these!"). However, at the end when reviewing the answers, we were unsure where to put some items. Some items could be recycled, but they had to be taken to a special recycling center (ex - batteries, computers, etc.). After going through the answers I realized I had some questions of my own. I should have done more research to show them where they can recycle certain items locally.
After the recycling sort, we moved to review for the upcoming test. We played a Jeopardy game to help with the review. The kids knew most of the answers and we went over the ones that they were unsure of. At the end of the class, we handed out a review worksheet for them to work on to help them study.
This was the lesson Jen observed. During our post-ob we talked about the power of language. Christen and I both realized that we needed to use more explicit language when giving the students directions in order to make sure they do the task and also that they understand it. It was something that I had not given much thought to because we didn't have any behavioral issues in the class, but it was an eye-opener to see how it could potentially backfire to be vague. We have been told to exercise our teaching voice by using them on our friends and boyfriend (hubby in Christen's case).
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Day 4, Interdependency of Plants and Animals
Today was a much better day than yesterday. There was a short PowerPoint to introduce the information and then the students worked in groups of 3-4 on a "Chain of Effects" project. This showed that the students really understood the concept we have been talking about throughout the unit. They were given a food chain and a scenario (natural event (flood, fire) or a human effect (pollution, building cities) and had to explain (in words and pictures) what would happen to the food chain as a result of the given scenario. Ms. S told me she was really surprised with how well they did, so that made me feel more confident. The students had a lot of fun working with their peers and everyone had a chance to contribute to the group. Overall, it was a lot of fun seeing the kids apply their knowledge and share their projects with the class. It seemed like an effective lesson.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Day 3, Human Effects on the Environment
Today, I started by reintroducing myself and had the students introduce themselves. I then had them tell me about what they had previously learned with C. A PowerPoint presentation was used to introduce the new information on how humans affect the environment. They then had to fill out a "Cause and Effect" worksheet we had been using throughout the entire lesson. After that they had a journal prompt in which they had to recall a time they saw humans affecting the environment. The journal prompt turned out to be a bit of a flop; it should have been more specific so the students had more direction.
Overall, the lesson seemed to get the main points across. However, it was not a really exciting lesson. That was when a realization hit me: not all lessons can be mind-blowing and super-engaging when you are teaching everyday. There are bound to be lay-low days. I was a little worried that the students weren't understanding it because there wasn't as much engagement as I thought there might be. But after looking at their responses, most seemed to have a good grasp on the material.
Overall, the lesson seemed to get the main points across. However, it was not a really exciting lesson. That was when a realization hit me: not all lessons can be mind-blowing and super-engaging when you are teaching everyday. There are bound to be lay-low days. I was a little worried that the students weren't understanding it because there wasn't as much engagement as I thought there might be. But after looking at their responses, most seemed to have a good grasp on the material.
Note About Teaching Unit
My schedule and my partner's schedule did not allow for us to team teach the unit in a timely manner. Therefore, we decided that C would teach Lesson 1 and 2 on Monday and Wednesday and I would teach Lesson 3 and 4 on Thursday and Friday. We would then team teach our final lesson the following Thursday in order to provide a comprehensive review before the post-assessment.
Preassessment
C and I went to give our four item constructed response preassessment to our class. The students took between 10-15 minutes to complete it. Overall, most students knew a little bit about each question, except for "What is erosion?" which seemed to confuse many. The preassessment gave us a good idea of where the students were in their understanding of the unit topics in order to guide our instruction. We knew that most students had some prior knowledge to call on but that they lacked complete understanding on the topics.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Observation 2
My partner (C) and I came into the classroom and started chatting with Ms. S for a little bit about our upcoming preassessment. We worked out when we would administer it and also if she had a format preference. She said that she normally gave multiple choice tests at the end of units to get the students ready for the format of the SOLs. Ms. S is always so helpful and accommodating, which makes this placement so worthwhile. She always answers our questions, gives advice when needed, and is extremely flexible. C and I were discussing how lucky we felt to be involved with such a neat teacher and great classroom!
Today we each took two students and worked on a word study lesson. Both groups were working on making words plural. My two students did alright using the rules, but were having trouble committing the rules to memory. I was not really concerned because this was just their first exposure to the concept. They understood how to evaluate the ending of the word and apply the correct rule. Overall, both groups of students did well.
C and I went back into the classroom and observed guided reading and independent reading time. All of the students were engaged, except a few who drifted off near the end of the time. I was really amazed at how much the students got into reading. The guided reading groups were having lively discussions and even making physical movements to make a point from the text. It was refreshing to see all of the students so involved in reading.
All in all, it was a rather laid-back visit. Next visit = preassessment time!
Today we each took two students and worked on a word study lesson. Both groups were working on making words plural. My two students did alright using the rules, but were having trouble committing the rules to memory. I was not really concerned because this was just their first exposure to the concept. They understood how to evaluate the ending of the word and apply the correct rule. Overall, both groups of students did well.
C and I went back into the classroom and observed guided reading and independent reading time. All of the students were engaged, except a few who drifted off near the end of the time. I was really amazed at how much the students got into reading. The guided reading groups were having lively discussions and even making physical movements to make a point from the text. It was refreshing to see all of the students so involved in reading.
All in all, it was a rather laid-back visit. Next visit = preassessment time!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Observation 1
Today’s experience in the classroom definitely reinforced my teaching metaphor of a shepherd guiding her flock. Ms. S began the language arts block by meeting with guided reading groups at the conference table in the back of the room while the rest of the class worked quietly on reading various books at their desks. In all of the guided reading groups she introduced a book and had the students discuss the topic and make predictions. The students then took turns reading out loud. After reading, Ms. S got the students engaged in discussing characters, plot, and other issues that arose. During the meeting times, a few students not currently in a meeting had questions to ask the teacher. She quietly provided them answers without interrupting the guided reading group. Ms. S provided scaffolding for discussion of the books so that she did not dominate the entire discussion which allowed the students to talk about their thoughts and ideas.
Ms. S began the science lesson with a brief review of what they talked about last class (which had been Monday). She had students recall as much as they could and then introduced the new task. They were split into groups to work on drawing different habitats on huge pieces of paper. She pointed them to reference books at the back of the classroom. The students grabbed pieces of paper, pencils, crayons, and the books to complete the task. Ms. S went around the room from group to group to give assistance when needed and also to push students in the right direction.
Overall, Ms. S ran her classroom similar to my teaching metaphor of a shepherd guiding her flock. She did very little whole group lecture and more individual and group work in which she could give better feedback and instruction. For example, instead of lecturing about habitats for all of science, she gave a brief review and set the students on their own to complete the task. The students were able to use what they remembered and also learn new information from the books provided. Also, they knew Ms. S was nearby if they had any questions or needed help.
Ms. S began the science lesson with a brief review of what they talked about last class (which had been Monday). She had students recall as much as they could and then introduced the new task. They were split into groups to work on drawing different habitats on huge pieces of paper. She pointed them to reference books at the back of the classroom. The students grabbed pieces of paper, pencils, crayons, and the books to complete the task. Ms. S went around the room from group to group to give assistance when needed and also to push students in the right direction.
Overall, Ms. S ran her classroom similar to my teaching metaphor of a shepherd guiding her flock. She did very little whole group lecture and more individual and group work in which she could give better feedback and instruction. For example, instead of lecturing about habitats for all of science, she gave a brief review and set the students on their own to complete the task. The students were able to use what they remembered and also learn new information from the books provided. Also, they knew Ms. S was nearby if they had any questions or needed help.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Initial Teaching Metaphor
The teaching metaphor that best aligns with my teaching philosophy is a shepherd watching over her flock, which I also see as the “guide on the side” metaphor. It will be my duty to lead my students towards deeper learning and guide them in a general direction. However, they will not need to all arrive there in the same way or at the exact same time. The flock moves towards the same goals but can attain them in different ways. As the shepherd it will be my job to guide them in the correct direction and provide necessary assistance and feedback.
The students need some guidance and some pushing to know which way to go and what needs to be learned. You do not want your students scattered throughout the classroom without any sense of direction or purpose. The flock is not meant, in any way, to convey a sense of everyone is doing exactly the same thing. There can be differentiation and uniqueness in how students move within the flock towards the big learning goals.
The teacher, or shepherd, is supposed to guide her flock. The students will take a cue from the teacher as to how to begin, but will move towards their goals in their own way. The teacher will never be too far away to offer support.
Students can learn a great deal in this metaphor because they are given a general direction and the necessary supervision to get the task done. Students need to be able to take a direction and go with it and explore on their own, but with a framework that provides help and guidance.
Overall, the shepherd watching over her flock seems appealing to me as a teaching metaphor because it seems a nice mix of goal-directed learning and teacher support and also allows room for students to wander and discover, as long as they are not straying off too far. And when it is necessary, a shepherd can gather her flock all together.
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