For my reflection blog I decided to write about my experience with the 15-minute mini lesson. Unfortunately, fully replicating the classroom environment is nigh impossible... especially with only six people there including myself. Not that I’m complaining, though, because classroom management typically isn’t one of my strong suits. Even so, classroom management nestled in on the situation, with DH being the main antagonizer. I used my silent checks system introduced to me by AW and believe I did a much better job of being consistent than I have in times past. Most received one or two checks, but DH worked her way up to 4, which prompted me to pull her aside during independent practice to let her know her situation and to give her a choice with her behavior; i.e., either straighten up or receive a referral.
As far as the activity goes, I really appreciated this chance to try out one of DH’s creative teaching tools. Through it, I realized that I hadn’t planned my instruction enough so that it would be obviously clear to the students what to do. Consequently, it led to a lot of talking by me that was, in reality, completely avoidable with better preparation. It made me realize that there are just too many things I take for granted when it comes to what I expect students to already know. It’s very frustrating, and I think that the frustration these situations create in me can very easily permeate itself to everyone else in the room, and make for a not-so-fun environment. Other than that, once everyone got on the same page as me concerning how to do the activity, I feel it went well. It was definitely refreshing for me to use a new method of getting information across.
Things to work on:
- Continue working on and increasing my consistency
- Prepare more on the instructions part of the lesson
Great! I am glad you were able to try this with us first, and you really did a much better job of staying consistent with the silent check system. Great job of giving me a choice when you pulled me aside also. I hope you are able to try this sometime in your class!
ReplyDeleteK-Dub! It seems that you have really taken the time to assess your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. Instruction, and the time spent on each aspect of it, is something that probably varies by class. Assuming prior knowledge is the worst thing we can do. Trust me, I've had a few lesson fail because they either haven't been exposed to the material, or they haven't made any connections between information. It's irritating because it forces you to deviate from what you took so much time to plan ahead of time. Also, I've been working on doing less talking. Hopefully I'll have a lesson soon when I only ask questions. What it'll do is allow the kids to come to their own conclusions and help each other. I'm sure you're doing fine, and are really helping your students. Hold it down at North Panola. We'll be up there Friday to beat y'all!!!
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