Reflection 7

In order to be a good teacher, we must assess the students knowledge. Testing is an essential part of good classroom management. If the student knows he won't be tested on anything that the teacher presents, he won't listen, thus creating an environment that in not conducive to learning. I know that a good teacher tests while he is teaching, and also at the end. Testing also shows what the students are learning if one student gets a question wrong then that was his fault for not listening, but if the whole class gets it wrong then that was my fault as a teacher and i either didn't present it well enough or forgot to include in in the lecture. Testing and assessment are essential.

Reflection 12

This week we taught the students in the 6th grade class. Overall I think it went very well. Everyone in our group was well prepared and our lesson went on without a hitch. I learned from this experience a number of different things. First off you have to tailor your lesson to each individual student. We had some students in which English wasn't' their first language, so they didn't participate as much as the other students. There were the obvious smart students that knew the answer to everything and would be very involved, there were the outgoing students that wanted to participate but didn't always know the answer, then there was the shy students who would hardly participate. WE had to make sure all the students were actively learning. Also while I was teaching I understood about group work and good classroom management. Overall these student were well behaved and listened to what we had to say. I thought it was an enjoyable experience, but i will still be teaching highschool. :)

Reflection 11

This week since we didn't have class due to the other groups teaching at the elementary schools, our group met to finalize our lesson plan. We will be teaching the day after we get back from Thanksgiving break so we needed to make sure everything was in order. We worked together then broke up into our individual groups we would be teaching with. i taught with Ashley and we prepared our worksheet that told the kids what to look for while doing their assignment of producing a commercial about their idea to innovate an idea to improve the school. We also went over our slides and how we would present them effectively so that all the students would be able to understand. I think that we needed this extra time to get everything together. I know understand how much preparation goes into each individual lesson.

Relection 10

For this week in class we came together as our groups for teaching the 6th grade class. In our group we were assigned to come up with an idea to teach the students. This proved to be harder than I thought. With 8 people in our group, each being very different and having different opinions, we couldn't agree on an idea. Everyone thought their idea was best, or would shoot down the others ideas without providing an alternative. I learned from this activity how important a leader is in group work, not only in the learning environment but in the professional world. In the end Geoff had to come and talk us through, he became the leader, and everyone finally agreed on the topic. We then broke up into smaller groups, giving the freedom to each group to teach their individual topic how they would like. I learned that you need to give people assignment and take control or else nothing will ever get done. Working together as a group is something we will be teaching and we need to know how to do it ourselves, so that we in turn can explain and help the students that will be in our groups and emphasize the importance of a leader in the group. Also the other students need to be helpful and positive.

Reflection 9

Today in class we had several more student teach the STL's. I learned the following about becoming a better teacher based on their instructional methods:
Write new vocab on the board - everyone won't know how to spell it or remember what it means
Be specific with activities and times - sometimes activities take longer that you expect, tell them and make sure they stay on task.
Don't let them form own groups - kids form clicks and some kids don't have friends.
Mass confusion - no one will want to form groups with people they don't know
Have enough worksheets - if someone doesn't get a worksheet they won't know what to do
Don't have distractions on slides like a dinosaur unrelated
Data - be specific on numbers, be accurate, don't exaggerate facts
Make sure everyone understands the terms used.
Body language
Set up activity
Don't be too quick with responses
Double teaching, class room management

I think that I can improve on all of these thing which in turn will make me a better teacher.

Reflection 8

While in class watching the other students teach, I noticed most people lectured rather than taught. We talked about the difference. We learned that we shouldn't treat students as empty vessels, we should assume they already know something, and build on previous knowledge. But we also need to be careful not to go to fast, just because, one student or even half the students know something, it doesn't mean that the students that didn't raise their hands know. We should ask who knows, then make sure to have them or you explain what they already know. If they already know it, you shouldn't spend too much time on it.

Reflection 6

This week, I took notes while Geoff gave the people that presented their STL's in class. I wrote down everything that I thought I could do better, then today when I taught my STL on manufacturing I tried to integrate these things. I feel that my teaching experience went better than I've previously done. One additional thing I could have done was to tell the class what the game plan was. So that they knew better what we were doing. More details. These are the things I tried to do in my teaching:

When teaching
use media, board, hand outs for everyone. Involve class
Have a purpose, what am I supposed to learn
Test by asking questions
Have the goal on ppt.
Positive reinforcement praise
Why am I supposed to know this? This is why you guys need to know this. Today I want you to do this in order to do this.
Anticipatory set. the catch
Assessment test at end and through out

Why is this important?
Examples
Life with out this

Draw of previous experiences.. Who's done this
Walk around
Have class stand up and stretch at beginning if teaching last.

#5

This week we went to another high school to observe. We went to Salem Hills and observed the multimedia class. The classroom was very nice and every student had an imac. when we came in everyone was working on their own assignments. They were using a computer program that taught them multimedia. The teacher didn't do any teaching besides classroom management. The whole class the students did their individual jobs. They worked together to make the morning announcements. The students basically knew what they were doing at this point so he must have taught them well before. They asked simple questions occasionally, in which he would answer them or have them figure it out on their own. The class was disciplined and had all the equipment to make a quality production. I enjoyed seeing how a classroom works on a day to day basis.

Capture/Reflection 4

I attended Oquirrh Hills Middle School this week and watched Ms. Allsop's classes. It was a 7th grade technology class. All the students were at their own computer and since the teacher had previously explained the assignment, they all worked quietly throughout the class period. They were to complete an advertisement. The class seemed very disciplined and organized. She showed great classroom management, and the little teaching she did do, she asked questions for understanding, calling on certain student that would answer the question and the whole class would listen and understand. I liked that when we walked into the class even before the class had started the students were hard at work. Her teaching style was first to lecture, then give the students time to learn on their own, then she gave an assessment which was in the form of an assignment or exercise. I felt like this was a good learning environment, the students would learn by doing. She used one teaching technique, that she called the word of the day, she would show the students the word of the day on the projector and have them write it down, on index cards which they would later be able to use on a quiz. I felt like this was both good and bad for the students. They were able to learn the word but I doubt they will remember it.Overall she was a good teacher, I feel like I could apply a lot of the things she does in my own teaching pedagogy.

My teaching experience

I went to Lakeridege middle high school. I helped and observed Mr. Meeks teach. We also go to observe Brian while he was doing his student teaching. I got to see how students worked in the computer lab and how the teacher taught in that environment. I also got to see the teacher teach in a classroom setting, while he taught on safety. He used a smart board which was a traditional yet new way of teaching. I learned that students don't always behave and that they are all different. Some students stay on task while others need help. Overall it was a good experience to see how the class room was managed and how the teacher taught.

Teach something 2

Today I taught our small group of Evan, Emily, Ashley, Jami, and Gregg how to strip a wire properly. I feel like I did a fairly good job. I explained how to do the task, then showed them with a visual aid. I also explained why this was important, and when we would use this task in everyday or professional life. I kept with in the 12 minute time frame which was my biggest concern, especially since everyone in the group went over time. I let each student strip their own wire and checked for understanding. If it had been a real class each student would have their own pair of wire strippers and a piece of wire to practice the new skill. Next class i would test for understanding, and have an activity or race to see who could do it the fastest. This relates to our major because in any job you will be required to do things fast, because time is money. Over all I know I can always improve.

Reflection 2

I’ve learned a lot so far. I especially liked when we learned about the various people. I liked Howard Gardner’s way of teaching. He says that since there are multiple intelligences, there are several different ways to demonstrate intellectual ability. He gave us seven. The first was Visual learning or Spatial learning, since I am a very visual learner I can relate and support this teaching method. The next is Verbal or linguistic, I agree that this is essential to the learning process but it alone wouldn’t help me personally, I would need at least one of the other to go along with it. Next, Logical or mathematical again I struggle in this aspect and would need a supporting process. Bodily or kinesthetic is another one that helps me learn. Musical, inter personal or group activities and then intrapersonal or people who work alone conclude the list. I think that this is a great way to teach. I learned that in a class there will always be at least four represented and that we need to design our lessons accordingly.
We also learned what a good teacher looks like. I feel that this is valuable knowledge, considering my goal is to become a good teacher. A good teacher knows the content, you can’t teach something you don’t know. He is objective based, without objectives there wouldn’t be any order. He expects more. If we don’t have something to reach for we never grow. He needs to present an engaging environment. Students need to feel comfortable in the classroom environment. He must have a high trust in the students. He also needs to use assessment and evaluation which means testing. Lessons also need to be question based.
There is a lot more that I’ve learned but this is what has impacted me the most so far.

Teach Something 1

For my first teaching opportunity, I taught how to tie a figure eight follow through climbing knot. I thought I prepared well. First I bought some cord, which is basically very skinny rope and cut it into foot long pieces so everyone in the class could all have a piece and be able to practice the knot, while I taught it to the class. I had media support in the form of a website which showed us step by step instructions on how to tie the knot. I then gave a live demonstration in front of the class. I had the students that understood the knot help the students that didn't get it the first time, and by doing this both students gained a better understanding of the knot. I could have walked around the class and helped individuals as well, if I had the time to do so. I assigned homework, to practice the knot and told them that I would check next time to see if they got it. I let the students keep the rope, which would help them remember the knot and be able to practice it in the future. I think that overall my first teaching experience went well, and that the students understood the concept. I could have maybe shown the application of the knot a little better, but time constraints restricted my lesson plan.

Reflection 1

The definition of “learn” is the acquisition of knowledge of a skill by study, instruction or experience. It is gaining wisdom and values. The definition of “teach” is to impart knowledge of a skill, or give instruction to. I believe that both the teacher and the student should benefit in the learning process. The teacher needs to be prepared and knowledgeable about the subject being taught. But to merely know the material being presented doesn’t make one a good teacher. A teacher must know how to convene his/her knowledge of the subject to the student well enough that, that student could in turn be a teacher of that subject. They should also be able to give the students a way to acquire the knowledge on their own. Students should be presented the problem, shown how to solve that problem and then left on their own to figure out the whole solution to the problem. They need to discover, create, and construct the solution. If we as teachers, who obviously know the answer to the problem, simply give them answers, there is no learning present. I believe that kids can figure it out, it may take some longer than others and they will have to struggle but only by doing can they learn. We need to be an example and a model to the students. They will do and copy us in our manors, speech and actions. After the students succeed in finding the solution or answer a question correctly we should praise them. We need to support them and be there when they need help. We learned about the PRODUCT, EFFORT, and GROWTH relationship that exists between a student and a teacher. The more effort and growth results in a better product and it’s our goal to produce a good product. If we both put in the effort towards the learning experience we will both learn and grow. We need to be proficient and effective to do this. We must be organized. Also as a teacher we need to find out about the students. As teachers we are to impact the lives of our students.