This week has been as eventful as the rest if not more. The week started relatively normal until I observed a student for the day on Wednesday. Doing this helped me realize what is expected of a student in today's classrooms. Observing also helped bring back good high school memories of how much I enjoyed the clubs and organizations I was involved in. The student I observed was involved in band and FLA. I now realize that I want to help out with the production of musicals and shows the school puts on as well as track and cross country.
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
The most valuable aspect of this week was learning how different things are when you come back from missing a day of teaching. After missing Wednesday to observe I had to re-focus and tweak my lesson plans for the rest of the week. My co-op covered the class, however the students didn't complete the activity I had planned which made for an interesting end of the week. Another valuable aspect of the week was the heart to heart I had with my one class. The students in my one class got a little rowdy on Thursday so I had to talk with them about this. It was nice to see how well they responded to me being disappointed in their behavior. They are such a great group of young adults and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach them. I know now that they truly respect me because I had no classroom management issues today. If nothing else, this was a "wow" moment for me.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Over the past few weeks I have been getting very comfortable with teaching and my co-op. A misunderstanding occurred one day this week when I told her I put my lesson plan for Thursday and Friday in the book, however when she observed me today I realized she wrote on her notes that I did not have a lesson plan. This frustrated me because I had to then tell her that it was in her book the whole time. From now on she will see every single lesson plan when I complete it before I put it in the book. I guess the best lesson I can take from this is always be sure your co-op knows exactly what you're doing when your doing it. Communication is the key to every healthy relationship.
Hope you all had a great week seven. Good luck with week eight!
Feb 27, 2009
Feb 20, 2009
Week Six
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
I would have to say that starting to teach Accounting was the most valuable aspect of the week. Last week I was finding it more time consuming to plan for Accounting and this week I found that it is more difficult to teach as well. Another aspect of the week I found valuable was learning that just because you are comfortable teaching a group of students in one room does not mean you will be comfortable teaching them in another. Monday I took the Accounting students into the computer lab so I could show them an introductory power point on my tips for success, goals for the class, etc. I have been teaching in this room for the last five weeks and feel very comfortable. My comfort level dropped dramatically when I started teaching in the Accounting room on Tuesday. The students noticed the difference. I went from being calm to nervous in one day. This was a great learning experience and I am glad to have found this out now. Over the week, I felt my comfort level in the room and with the class increase. With my comfort level rising, I will now start to focus my attention on creating fun and more exciting ways for the students to learn Accounting. I have started brainstorming with my co-op, but would love to hear some of your ideas!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
If I were given the opportunity to start the week over I would review my Accounting lesson plans in greater detail. Teaching Computer Applications is becoming more comfortable to me now so I no longer need to review my lessons in as great of detail as I did at the beginning of the semester. Teaching these classes are very different and I have a new found respect for anyone who teaches concept classes. Overall, this week went well and I am confident that Accounting will only get better. The students seem to respect me and do their work. I just need to become more comfortable teaching them. Hope you all had a great week!
I would have to say that starting to teach Accounting was the most valuable aspect of the week. Last week I was finding it more time consuming to plan for Accounting and this week I found that it is more difficult to teach as well. Another aspect of the week I found valuable was learning that just because you are comfortable teaching a group of students in one room does not mean you will be comfortable teaching them in another. Monday I took the Accounting students into the computer lab so I could show them an introductory power point on my tips for success, goals for the class, etc. I have been teaching in this room for the last five weeks and feel very comfortable. My comfort level dropped dramatically when I started teaching in the Accounting room on Tuesday. The students noticed the difference. I went from being calm to nervous in one day. This was a great learning experience and I am glad to have found this out now. Over the week, I felt my comfort level in the room and with the class increase. With my comfort level rising, I will now start to focus my attention on creating fun and more exciting ways for the students to learn Accounting. I have started brainstorming with my co-op, but would love to hear some of your ideas!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
If I were given the opportunity to start the week over I would review my Accounting lesson plans in greater detail. Teaching Computer Applications is becoming more comfortable to me now so I no longer need to review my lessons in as great of detail as I did at the beginning of the semester. Teaching these classes are very different and I have a new found respect for anyone who teaches concept classes. Overall, this week went well and I am confident that Accounting will only get better. The students seem to respect me and do their work. I just need to become more comfortable teaching them. Hope you all had a great week!
Feb 13, 2009
Week Five
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and development. This week gave me the opportunity to learn how to deal with schedule changes due to PSSA testing. Because of the testing, I had to plan around the school's schedule which was different everyday. Dealing with this helped me realize that students are different during different hours of the day. This week I was also able to start planning for teaching Accounting I. Lesson plans for Accounting are much different than Computer Applications and so far involve much more energy and time. Just as I was starting to feel comfortable with my time management and organizational skills, I now have to do things differently. Dealing with this has been valuable because time management is key to any new teacher's future success. I am excited to take over the Accounting class and feel it will be a rewarding experience!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Unlike last week there are some things I would change if I could start over. If given the chance to start the week over I would be sure to plan fewer days in advance. I finished last week's lesson plan on Friday of last week. Although it seemed like a good idea, I found that I had to change my plans as the week progressed. This made the week somewhat confusing and hard for someone who likes things to go as planned. I also had technology difficulty this week. A few of the student's computers were not working on Wednesday so I had to switch them to different seats. I realized today that they enjoyed those seats and continued to sit there. Next week I will be sure to move them back to their original seats. This week the students tested me on several occasions, to the point where I had to give a detention. I felt bad afterwards but sometimes it is necessary. Nice Mr. Lively may soon change into grumpy Mr. Lively if the students continue to test me. You can only be nice for so long and I must stick to my 3 strike policy.
Hope all of you have had a great week, good luck with week six!
Below is a link to my teachers collaborating via technology website.
http://teacherscollaboratetechnology.ning.com/profile/Shawn
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and development. This week gave me the opportunity to learn how to deal with schedule changes due to PSSA testing. Because of the testing, I had to plan around the school's schedule which was different everyday. Dealing with this helped me realize that students are different during different hours of the day. This week I was also able to start planning for teaching Accounting I. Lesson plans for Accounting are much different than Computer Applications and so far involve much more energy and time. Just as I was starting to feel comfortable with my time management and organizational skills, I now have to do things differently. Dealing with this has been valuable because time management is key to any new teacher's future success. I am excited to take over the Accounting class and feel it will be a rewarding experience!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Unlike last week there are some things I would change if I could start over. If given the chance to start the week over I would be sure to plan fewer days in advance. I finished last week's lesson plan on Friday of last week. Although it seemed like a good idea, I found that I had to change my plans as the week progressed. This made the week somewhat confusing and hard for someone who likes things to go as planned. I also had technology difficulty this week. A few of the student's computers were not working on Wednesday so I had to switch them to different seats. I realized today that they enjoyed those seats and continued to sit there. Next week I will be sure to move them back to their original seats. This week the students tested me on several occasions, to the point where I had to give a detention. I felt bad afterwards but sometimes it is necessary. Nice Mr. Lively may soon change into grumpy Mr. Lively if the students continue to test me. You can only be nice for so long and I must stick to my 3 strike policy.
Hope all of you have had a great week, good luck with week six!
Below is a link to my teachers collaborating via technology website.
http://teacherscollaboratetechnology.ning.com/profile/Shawn
Feb 6, 2009
Week Four
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and learning. This week in all went really well! Taking over another class this week has been a great way to learn teaching the same lesson twice. I've learned that minor changes can make a good lesson, great! I was able to get to know the students in my second class by creating a classroom database in Access and playing musical chairs. The students loved getting out of their seats and entering their information in the computers around the room. They also enjoyed dancing to YMCA! All the students in both my classes danced, it was great! Overall I feel like I am starting to be able to have fun with the students because I am learning good classroom management skills.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Given the opportunity to start the week over I would start planning my lessons for Monday starting on Wednesday the week before. I believe this will work better for me because I have found my planning is usually interrupted on Thursday's and Friday's due to students coming in to do make up work. Overall I can't say I would change much about this week, it went really well.
Hope you all had a great fourth week, good luck with week five!
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and learning. This week in all went really well! Taking over another class this week has been a great way to learn teaching the same lesson twice. I've learned that minor changes can make a good lesson, great! I was able to get to know the students in my second class by creating a classroom database in Access and playing musical chairs. The students loved getting out of their seats and entering their information in the computers around the room. They also enjoyed dancing to YMCA! All the students in both my classes danced, it was great! Overall I feel like I am starting to be able to have fun with the students because I am learning good classroom management skills.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Given the opportunity to start the week over I would start planning my lessons for Monday starting on Wednesday the week before. I believe this will work better for me because I have found my planning is usually interrupted on Thursday's and Friday's due to students coming in to do make up work. Overall I can't say I would change much about this week, it went really well.
Hope you all had a great fourth week, good luck with week five!
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