Reflection
Seven
Week Seven Reflection
Leigha Tracey – BSU Student Intern
For the week of September 30- October 4
Participation/Observation
(5)
I
didn’t spend much time observing this week. I did, however,
have the opportunity to evaluate six-week grades with my mentor
teacher. We looked through each class and discussed certain students
and their performance. Mark wanted to make sure that we agreed
on the final grades the students were given- that they truly reflected
the work they had put in. We did a few adjustments and I think
that this consulting session was beneficial for both of us.
I
interviewed Deb Davis about discipline procedures during her essential
skills class. She has as strong personality, which I can relate
to. I wanted to speak with her about setting expectations, which
she does very well and what she does to keep order in her class.
By nature I am very laid back, but when I have something to say,
I can be very direct. I am not angry, but the switch in personality
can be abrupt. I wanted to get another point of view on how this
affects students. According to Deb, students are pretty quick
to figure out personalities. This made me feel better, as I was
concerned. So I will take this new information and the feedback
from Mark about being too polite and hopefully come up with a
strong and effective approach to discipline. An interesting fact
came up when running average percentages from all of the classes.
First, Second and Eighth period have lower percentages. Because
the curriculum is the same and the classes are at opposite sides
of the day, it was very interesting. This evaluation allowed us
to see that the information and teaching is consistent throughout
the day.
I have also been watching mark closely for ideas on effective
ways to give directions. He does really well with timing. That
is all I can say. I think this is where I am messing up a bit.
I give a directive and I wait for a few beats. Apparently, this
is a big mistake! Mark simply states directives back to back and
it is like the kids automatically move to task. I will practice
this - then master it!
I
also created a letter to the parents regarding the weekly current
events assignment. It is an easy way for the students to build
points and it has a bigger mission that learning how to dissect
leads. The extra credit, worth five points, is for students to
discuss current events with their parents. This dialogue is so
valuable for the students and also gives parents an avenue to
discuss important issues with their kids. The letter outlines
the weekly assignment and the how the students can receive extra
credit.
Teaching
(30)
I
have been spending a lot of time teaching this week. The yearbook
classes were given a PowerPoint presentation on design. I used
a worksheet to test prior knowledge before beginning the lesson.
After viewing the last batch of projects, I felt that this particular
group needed more direction. I feel that the presentation, discussion
and examples have helped the students focus on design elements
and have given them a clear picture of what is expected. I am
hopeful that their final products will reflect learning and synthesizing.
My
newspaper unit is coming along well. I am starting to see a few
students and at least one team floundering. One student was out
with a camera for the entire period. When he got back, I asked
him if he had an understanding of how long he should have been
gone. He didn’t. So, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Having all yearbook classes and only one newspaper class I sometimes
get confused on what I have told each class. They are similar
in many ways, so I think it would be helpful for me to come up
with a set of lessons and expectations to present to future classes.
One of my teams had a problem with a team member not participating.
I discussed the situation with Mark, then with the team. I wanted
to get them on track. I took the student aside and talked to him
about why he hadn’t completed his work. He seemed pretty
upset and said that he didn’t understand that it was due.
Instead of embarrassing him or punishing him, I asked him if he
needed more direction. He said yes and looked relieved. I gave
him a chapter on how to write a news story from the text. I told
him to read the chapter and use the model provided in the book
to outline his own story. I also asked that he bring the outline
and his rough draft on Monday. It felt good to work with him and
I felt that he might, and I stress the word might, come back on
Monday with completed work.
One
thing that I have been thinking about a lot the past few days
is how to remove myself from the learning process without leaving
the kids feeling abandon. I don’t want them to become to
dependent on my instruction because I want them to critically
think through problems and apply prior and new knowledge. The
more comfortable the kids get with me the more they seem to need
me. I am not sure if I perpetuate this or if it is natural for
them to seek my help. I do know that hearing my name called over
and over, every second is a downside to these small group rotations.
I suppose that I will get used to it again.
I
am also realizing that next week is my last full week with my
classes. I am excited to move on to the special education program
and then to the high school, but at the same time I will miss
these kids. Having worked as a teacher in a private school and
a counselor, I know that I will miss them collectively and not
necessarily as individuals. It is the energy that they produce
as a group that is appealing.
Notes
- Completed
discipline interview
- Asked
site director to organize study hall supervision and curriculum
meeting
- Giving
complete directions saves time and energy
