Monday, October 11, 2010

#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.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

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.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

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.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

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.

Friday, September 17, 2010

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.

Monday, September 13, 2010

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.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

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.