Week 7: October 11th - 15th
Planning and Preparation:
This week I was able to plan and prepare much better than the
previous week. I had much more time to focus on school which led
to much better lesson plans, which then led to much better
lessons as an outcome. I felt more comfortable teaching the
material since I had plenty of time to review it and plan out
fun activities for the students. We started a new unit in
knowledge which was exciting because I really enjoy teaching
this material about Greek civilizations. I was able to
incorporate more technology and interactive materials for
students to use this week which resulted in a higher level of
participation.
Classroom Environment:
Classroom routines have been going extremely smoothly this week
and I feel more comfortable disciplining the students as time
goes on. I feel that I am a real teacher in the classroom and
the students respect me as such. This week I was able to work
out several conflicts among students in the class. I still keep
a warm and friendly demeanor with all students and try to make
the classroom environment feel like a safe space for all
students to share fun stories while still learning.
Instructional Delivery:
As for my instructional delivery I feel that I have become much
more comfortable and clearly stating the purpose of the lesson
before and after it is taught. I have learned this is a crucial
step especially with the younger students because it really
drills and the purpose of each lesson and what they should be
taking from it. During my lessons I have had plenty of time to
cover the material that I plan to teach, and even when I do run
over we are still able to keep on schedule for the day. I have
really been trying to involve the lower-level learners more in
my lessons by interacting with them and asking them questions to
provoke their thinking. I feel this keeps them more focused and
involved as well as letting other students know they will not
get off the hook by simply not raising their hand to
participate.
Professionalism:
I feel that my professionalism has improved ever since I was
honest with myself, my mentor teacher, and my supervisor about
having a rough time the past few weeks staying on top of my
schedule. Since then I have had candid conversations with my
mentor teacher about my stress due to family issues and keeping
myself focused while I am in school. Although I feel that I've
always remained professional this week I really feel I put my
best foot forward and had all my lessons handed in on time and
was able to have some interesting conversations with multiple
staff members as well as my mentor about issues going on in the
school regarding testing and data.
