Today the honors classes got their Document Based Question tests back and many of them were discouraged. It is a new concept for the honors students and even though Mr. Carl told them that they should come in before Enrichment for help, only two out of both classes did. However, Mr. Carl and I both felt that it was important to give students the chance to redo questions they had scored poorly on so that they could move toward more mastery learning. If a student fails a test and then you move on, they obviously did not learn anything. I am not completely sold on letting them retake the test for the exact same amount of credit, but I do think it is important that they correct mistakes and learn the material before moving on. Especially with the DBQ tests, because it is a skill that is built upon over the year until they get to where they can write five paragraph essays for a document analysis question in preparation for the AP exam.
The Feel the History class started doing research and I could tell which groups were passionate and which ones are already starting to slack off. In a class like this, it is important that there is a lot of focus and drive to get the job done, since there is a lot of independent research.
I take over teaching the regular History classes tomorrow and I am feeling pretty good about my lesson I have for the next few days. I also ran an idea by Mr. Carl about giving the honors classes a project in an upcoming unit, but leaving up how they present/display the information or skill of what they know up to them. It is an idea I am working on and based on the hypothesis that when students are given the freedom to show you what they know by being able to display it how they want to, you will get a better end result. I am looking forward to working on putting that project together and starting to teach tomorrow.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
8/28 Blue Day/Open House
I put together a bundle in My Big Campus using videos Mr. Carl's Feel the History class had made so that are students could look at the Captains of Evansville industry when we looked at Big Business. The corporation is really pushing My Big Campus and it seems to work well, however the students netbooks are unreliable. I really like how Mr. Carl brings in a lot of Evansville history whenever we look at the units for our classes. The students definitely find it more interesting if there are learning information that they can identify with places and people they know from around town. It is a skill I hope to be able to develop and master wherever I end up teaching.
At the beginning of both classes I thought it was important to go over what segregation was and the Reconstruction amendments. I felt it was important because in looking over the quizzes I noticed that it was missed by most of the class. I felt that this was a time where I could use the quiz as a formative assessment before the larger test at the end of the unit. I want to try and come up with some formative assessments throughout the units that I teach so I can see what I need to go over and build a test bank for the end of unit quiz.
Open House was a new experience, but I felt that it went well. Parents had the option to come in over a two hour period and do a meet and greet. I felt a little awkward because I was the student teacher, but I talked to most of the parents that came in. I know that at my high school the parents follow a bell schedule and go to each class for about ten minutes. I know that its easier for parents to be able to show up during a two hour window instead of a start time, but it does make it harder when parents come in to keep giving the same introduction and have more parents walk in while you are talking to a few already. The turn out was decent for a high school open house and I felt that it was a good experience.
At the beginning of both classes I thought it was important to go over what segregation was and the Reconstruction amendments. I felt it was important because in looking over the quizzes I noticed that it was missed by most of the class. I felt that this was a time where I could use the quiz as a formative assessment before the larger test at the end of the unit. I want to try and come up with some formative assessments throughout the units that I teach so I can see what I need to go over and build a test bank for the end of unit quiz.
Open House was a new experience, but I felt that it went well. Parents had the option to come in over a two hour period and do a meet and greet. I felt a little awkward because I was the student teacher, but I talked to most of the parents that came in. I know that at my high school the parents follow a bell schedule and go to each class for about ten minutes. I know that its easier for parents to be able to show up during a two hour window instead of a start time, but it does make it harder when parents come in to keep giving the same introduction and have more parents walk in while you are talking to a few already. The turn out was decent for a high school open house and I felt that it was a good experience.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
8/27 Grey Day Willard Library
I started off the beginning of the day by being able to attend a My Big Campus training during my Plan period. Even though I had stuff that I was hoping to get done I did learn a lot about MBC and I know that I will be using it in the future. It was a great experience to get some free professional development with a tool I know millions of users are adapting in K-12.
After deciding that my lesson yesterday contained too much information I decided to cut it by about half. Mr. Carl reviewed some of the reading with the class and then I picked up at working conditions and the formation of unions. Even though I cut my content in half I still was able to teach for a good portion of time as the kids stayed interested and got involved in the discussions as well as the examples. I felt a lot better about the lesson.
The Willard library trip was a lot of fun. The students were able to get a feel for the archives section and begin to look up some information on their topics. The online newspaper database that is keyword searchable will make the research a lot easier. Many of the students had a lot of fun with the old yearbooks from years past, including myself. After this class, the next part of the semester will be focused on getting together research and items for the documentaries.
In planning for my immigration lesson on Friday I decided to add a lot of content and activities, but to make a time guide for when I give the lesson. I have enough material and activities to do with the students that I know I should not have to worry about being short, however I want to make sure there is enough there for the entire period. What is nice is that I know by watching the time that I can cut out certain items of the lesson on the fly if we do not have enough time and add more if we are running faster than expected. I am excited and a little nervous to take over the class on Friday, but I think my immigration lesson will be a great start.
After deciding that my lesson yesterday contained too much information I decided to cut it by about half. Mr. Carl reviewed some of the reading with the class and then I picked up at working conditions and the formation of unions. Even though I cut my content in half I still was able to teach for a good portion of time as the kids stayed interested and got involved in the discussions as well as the examples. I felt a lot better about the lesson.
The Willard library trip was a lot of fun. The students were able to get a feel for the archives section and begin to look up some information on their topics. The online newspaper database that is keyword searchable will make the research a lot easier. Many of the students had a lot of fun with the old yearbooks from years past, including myself. After this class, the next part of the semester will be focused on getting together research and items for the documentaries.
In planning for my immigration lesson on Friday I decided to add a lot of content and activities, but to make a time guide for when I give the lesson. I have enough material and activities to do with the students that I know I should not have to worry about being short, however I want to make sure there is enough there for the entire period. What is nice is that I know by watching the time that I can cut out certain items of the lesson on the fly if we do not have enough time and add more if we are running faster than expected. I am excited and a little nervous to take over the class on Friday, but I think my immigration lesson will be a great start.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday 8/26 First observation day
Today was my first observation day and I felt that it went decently well for my first time. I spent my plan period prepping for my lesson and I think the first run through was a little rough. I had thought that I would go through my presentation during the first 45 minutes before my first class went to lunch and then they would have the video on the homestead strike when they returned. I felt that I got very worried about the time and I rushed through my presentation. I did not hit as many talking points as I wanted to and when I tried to get the class involved it did not go as well as planned. Many of the kids did not seem very interested. I stumbled over some points and I ended up ending about 10-15 minutes too early. At lunch I talked to Mr. Carl about making some more points and slowing down. He gave me some ideas on talking points and discussion starters. It was really helpful to have that trial run before my observation and perfect my lesson. I have always felt that the more I do a lesson the better it goes which can be a disservice sometimes to the beginning periods of students.
My second class during my observation went much better. I slowed down the material a lot more, made many more talking points, did a much better job involving the class and at the end I felt that I covered the material much better. However, I did find that by the end students were a little fatigued. Todays schedule was a little off to me since I was teaching for 35-40 minutes and then Mr. Carl was taking the video. I felt that I needed to teach the whole time and that I did not have enough time to teach and have a meaningful activity, but I wanted to be teaching the entire time for my observation. In reflecting on it with Mr. Carl we both came to the conclusion that it was a little long and too much information. While I did get the kids involved in some discussion and asked questions, having to be an active and engaged listener for 40 minutes is tough for anyone. I definitely had decided that I could have split my presentation up into two different presentations with more activities or breaks in the information. I was a little discouraged but at this point I know it was my first real day teaching material and I will be reflecting in order to do better next time. I want to find ways to keep the students more engaged and less time for me just talking.
Thinking about it later, I also thought that I need to include more of an emphasis on historical scope and empathy. Explaining that there is more than one way at looking at a historical event or concept. I think this is an important skill that I need to put some more time in developing with the students. Overall, however, I felt that the first observation went well and I know where I stand and where I can improve.
My second class during my observation went much better. I slowed down the material a lot more, made many more talking points, did a much better job involving the class and at the end I felt that I covered the material much better. However, I did find that by the end students were a little fatigued. Todays schedule was a little off to me since I was teaching for 35-40 minutes and then Mr. Carl was taking the video. I felt that I needed to teach the whole time and that I did not have enough time to teach and have a meaningful activity, but I wanted to be teaching the entire time for my observation. In reflecting on it with Mr. Carl we both came to the conclusion that it was a little long and too much information. While I did get the kids involved in some discussion and asked questions, having to be an active and engaged listener for 40 minutes is tough for anyone. I definitely had decided that I could have split my presentation up into two different presentations with more activities or breaks in the information. I was a little discouraged but at this point I know it was my first real day teaching material and I will be reflecting in order to do better next time. I want to find ways to keep the students more engaged and less time for me just talking.
Thinking about it later, I also thought that I need to include more of an emphasis on historical scope and empathy. Explaining that there is more than one way at looking at a historical event or concept. I think this is an important skill that I need to put some more time in developing with the students. Overall, however, I felt that the first observation went well and I know where I stand and where I can improve.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Grey Day Friday 8/23
I spent my Plan period on Friday putting together some materials for the first part of the class that I will be teaching on Monday. I spent the period putting together some materials for a Powerpoint on industrialization and the formation of labor unions. The hardest part for me is deciding what information I should be using, but referring to the standards helps to cut down on the decisions.
The first US History honors class seemed to like the activity regarding looking at pictures of industry in Evansville during the industrial revolution. Many of them became frustrated because there was not an easily identifiable right answer. It was interesting to see the students struggle, and Mr. Carl and I talked about how it is important that students sometimes struggle when trying to find the answer. So many students today have become used to the idea that they will just be given the right answer. I was also able to talk to the students about sending me an email with information about themselves in order to complete my seating chart with personal information about each student. I found in high school that teachers who took an interest in what I did outside of their classroom were always the best teachers I had.
Feel the History watched a few more documentaries and decided which topics they would use. The last class went through the same lesson plan as the first US History Honors class with the same results. The end of the day was the first pep assembly for the football game that evening. It was fun to see all of the students and teachers participate in the pep assembly. There was a lot of energy at the end of the day and I was glad to be a part of it.
The first US History honors class seemed to like the activity regarding looking at pictures of industry in Evansville during the industrial revolution. Many of them became frustrated because there was not an easily identifiable right answer. It was interesting to see the students struggle, and Mr. Carl and I talked about how it is important that students sometimes struggle when trying to find the answer. So many students today have become used to the idea that they will just be given the right answer. I was also able to talk to the students about sending me an email with information about themselves in order to complete my seating chart with personal information about each student. I found in high school that teachers who took an interest in what I did outside of their classroom were always the best teachers I had.
Feel the History watched a few more documentaries and decided which topics they would use. The last class went through the same lesson plan as the first US History Honors class with the same results. The end of the day was the first pep assembly for the football game that evening. It was fun to see all of the students and teachers participate in the pep assembly. There was a lot of energy at the end of the day and I was glad to be a part of it.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
8/22 Blue Day
I started off my day with narrowing down exactly what I would be teaching and when I would be taking over. I know that Monday I will be teaching about labor unions and working conditions during industrialization for about 30 minutes. Next, Friday I will be taking over the regular US History classes full time and I will need to be ready with lessons on urbanization and activities. Needless to say I have a busy weekend coming up.
Plan period and Enrichment consisted of me spending most of my time working on my own work and starting to make a seating chart where I put the kids interests and activities down in order to get to know who they are. I think making these connections is important to students. I also found time to volunteer to help with Homecoming and set up a time to observe a Government class since I will be licensed to teach Government as well.
There was confusion with having students email me there information so I clarified how they should email me at the beginning of the period. I received many more emails after that, but not all of them. I figured it was a very easy task that students would do immediately, but some are not interested or do not use their netbook.
I put together a quiz for the last period class on My Big Campus, instead of paper and pencil to get some practice using MBC. I was really shocked at how long it took to get kids online, signed in, and many of them did not have the netbook or it was not charged. What I hoped would take 5-10 minutes end up taking almost 45 minutes. This was a good learning experience and it was the first time using the new technology. I think from now on I will have a slide up on the board that has students log into their netbook and MBC account before the class starts.
I think I will continue to try and use technology with the netbooks, however many of them do not work well and the students do not seem to want to use them anymore. As Jon said, we have passed the technology being cool stage. Most of the students have phones in their pockets that are faster and can do more than their netbooks. I am going to find this kind of challenging, but I hope to find ways to make it more interesting in the future.
Plan period and Enrichment consisted of me spending most of my time working on my own work and starting to make a seating chart where I put the kids interests and activities down in order to get to know who they are. I think making these connections is important to students. I also found time to volunteer to help with Homecoming and set up a time to observe a Government class since I will be licensed to teach Government as well.
There was confusion with having students email me there information so I clarified how they should email me at the beginning of the period. I received many more emails after that, but not all of them. I figured it was a very easy task that students would do immediately, but some are not interested or do not use their netbook.
I put together a quiz for the last period class on My Big Campus, instead of paper and pencil to get some practice using MBC. I was really shocked at how long it took to get kids online, signed in, and many of them did not have the netbook or it was not charged. What I hoped would take 5-10 minutes end up taking almost 45 minutes. This was a good learning experience and it was the first time using the new technology. I think from now on I will have a slide up on the board that has students log into their netbook and MBC account before the class starts.
I think I will continue to try and use technology with the netbooks, however many of them do not work well and the students do not seem to want to use them anymore. As Jon said, we have passed the technology being cool stage. Most of the students have phones in their pockets that are faster and can do more than their netbooks. I am going to find this kind of challenging, but I hope to find ways to make it more interesting in the future.
8/21 Grey Day
Mr. Carl was back for the Grey Day with the honors classes and Feel the History. I told him how everything went and I felt that I handled the class pretty well with while he was gone. After talking about the tweaking I did to the lesson plan, we decided to use the crash course history video to go over Reconstruction and stop it at certain sections in the video to go over critical points. I think this was an effective strategy for the honors classes, but at the end it might have been better to have more of a follow up in order to make sure all of the key concepts had stuck. However, it did leave time for Mr. Carl to hand out the DBQ (document based questions) assignment, which is a staple of the Honors History program at Reitz. The students study documents and answer questions, eventually working towards writing five paragraph essays by the second semester.
The Feel the History class took a field trip to USI. They met the main archivist at the University and she went over the various online resources that were available as well as the archive. The new tool that was really cool is that all of the past newspapers in Indiana have been turned into digital resources from the microfilm and are searchable by keywords in an online database. That is going to make research for the documentaries a lot easier and give much more time for more editing and interviews. It was also important to see how to facilitate this type of connection and trip from the teacher standpoint and how important it is to make sure students are responsible in a class with as much freedom as being able to drive somewhere on your own.
The Feel the History class took a field trip to USI. They met the main archivist at the University and she went over the various online resources that were available as well as the archive. The new tool that was really cool is that all of the past newspapers in Indiana have been turned into digital resources from the microfilm and are searchable by keywords in an online database. That is going to make research for the documentaries a lot easier and give much more time for more editing and interviews. It was also important to see how to facilitate this type of connection and trip from the teacher standpoint and how important it is to make sure students are responsible in a class with as much freedom as being able to drive somewhere on your own.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Tuesday 8/20 Blue Day... On my own
Today started off with a bit of a shock as Mr. Carl's daughter was sick and I learned I would be taking over the class myself. There was a sub, however I did all of the teaching and work with the class. I was a bit nervous starting off, but Mr. Carl had a lesson plan ready for me as well as materials. I added the PP he was going to keep for the other class.
Homeroom went really well. All of the students were really well-behaved and I gave them my expectations when I walked in so that they knew they needed to be in a seat and have a book for Drop Everything and Read. I was able to get all of the students where they needed to go and wrote passes for the students to go see teachers. Two boys tried to get me to let them go to the bookstore together, however when I told them only one could go at a time I found that it was an effort for them to leave class together and fool around. Homeroom went off really well and I got everything done that was necessary.
The first class was split before lunch. I went over the Lincoln Assassination activity by using the Fords Theatre interactive website on the Promethean Board. I asked students questions and got some feedback, although not as much as I was hoping for. I then had the students do the central idea activity that Mr. Carl had left for them. I found later that it would be easier to just have students underline the supporting details rather than rewrite them. I then covered Reconstruction in a PP Mr. Carl had for his honors class. I did not know a lot about Reconstruction, but I did my best to get the major parts across. When the students left for lunch I really thought that I could have done better on Reconstruction. I found a video during lunch that gives a pretty entertaining 10 minute Reconstruction crash course and had the students watch it when they came back in from lunch. I was hoping that would clarify some information and help them put what we had covered in context. Next, we did the chpt 3 sec 4 summary sheet, which might have been overkill after the video. Last I gave out the quiz and it seemed to go well. I reassured the students we would not be doing so much busy work in the future, but today was a circumstantial day because Mr. Carl had to leave. I felt bad, because I think the busy work did not do a whole lot, but it was what was left for a sub. Finally, I put up a slide asking students to email me so I would have their email address and a few facts about them so I could get to know them before taking over the class. I did keep one student after because she did not put much effort into any of the work or quiz and seemed like she did not care. I approached it by asking if everything was okay and told her I wanted her to do well in this class and she was going to start digging herself into a hole if she did not do the work. She said she was okay, but I hope by letting her know I cared and not telling her I was upset with her might make her want to try harder the next time.
I felt that I covered the information a lot better in the last history class. There are less students but they love to talk to each other. I kind of enjoy the challenge because I get to practice classroom management and a lot of the students want to learn they are just social. A new seating chart might be necessary, but for now I think it is working. I feel that the second time I teach a lesson I am way better than the first. I got to go over way more information and the kids seemed to enjoy it more. However, we did not get to the quiz at the end.
I think my first day having control of the class went well and I know there are some things I need to work on. I also understood the type of preparation needed for a 90 minute class, as well as how it feels to teach for a whole 90 minutes. I am interested now to take the next step and design a 90 minute lesson that I can teach and see how it goes.
Homeroom went really well. All of the students were really well-behaved and I gave them my expectations when I walked in so that they knew they needed to be in a seat and have a book for Drop Everything and Read. I was able to get all of the students where they needed to go and wrote passes for the students to go see teachers. Two boys tried to get me to let them go to the bookstore together, however when I told them only one could go at a time I found that it was an effort for them to leave class together and fool around. Homeroom went off really well and I got everything done that was necessary.
The first class was split before lunch. I went over the Lincoln Assassination activity by using the Fords Theatre interactive website on the Promethean Board. I asked students questions and got some feedback, although not as much as I was hoping for. I then had the students do the central idea activity that Mr. Carl had left for them. I found later that it would be easier to just have students underline the supporting details rather than rewrite them. I then covered Reconstruction in a PP Mr. Carl had for his honors class. I did not know a lot about Reconstruction, but I did my best to get the major parts across. When the students left for lunch I really thought that I could have done better on Reconstruction. I found a video during lunch that gives a pretty entertaining 10 minute Reconstruction crash course and had the students watch it when they came back in from lunch. I was hoping that would clarify some information and help them put what we had covered in context. Next, we did the chpt 3 sec 4 summary sheet, which might have been overkill after the video. Last I gave out the quiz and it seemed to go well. I reassured the students we would not be doing so much busy work in the future, but today was a circumstantial day because Mr. Carl had to leave. I felt bad, because I think the busy work did not do a whole lot, but it was what was left for a sub. Finally, I put up a slide asking students to email me so I would have their email address and a few facts about them so I could get to know them before taking over the class. I did keep one student after because she did not put much effort into any of the work or quiz and seemed like she did not care. I approached it by asking if everything was okay and told her I wanted her to do well in this class and she was going to start digging herself into a hole if she did not do the work. She said she was okay, but I hope by letting her know I cared and not telling her I was upset with her might make her want to try harder the next time.
I felt that I covered the information a lot better in the last history class. There are less students but they love to talk to each other. I kind of enjoy the challenge because I get to practice classroom management and a lot of the students want to learn they are just social. A new seating chart might be necessary, but for now I think it is working. I feel that the second time I teach a lesson I am way better than the first. I got to go over way more information and the kids seemed to enjoy it more. However, we did not get to the quiz at the end.
I think my first day having control of the class went well and I know there are some things I need to work on. I also understood the type of preparation needed for a 90 minute class, as well as how it feels to teach for a whole 90 minutes. I am interested now to take the next step and design a 90 minute lesson that I can teach and see how it goes.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday 8-19 Grey Day
The first Monday of the school year got off to a great start. I was glad that the first week of students was a short one in order to get my feet wet before going an entire week. I worked on looking into topics for the Feel the History class during my Plan period. The first class was a U.S. History Honors class and the lesson Mr. Carl and I used was very similar to the one from Friday with a few more minor wrinkles. We covered the Civil War in four minutes in a little more detail and the students seemed more engaged, as well as asked more questions. I was able to lead the rewrite of the Gettysburg Address activity. I felt that the activity went really well as I split the class up into four different groups and then split the Gettysburg Address up into four parts as well. I showed the class how to try and pick out the main idea of their section and continued to walk around and help them throughout the activity. I really wanted my passion for history and for the activity to show through so I tried putting myself out there and getting really into reading the Gettysburg Address. I also demonstrated to the students how I wanted them to "bring it" when they read their rewrite and use emphasis. I feel that public speaking is something that should be practiced in every class. I think the students really fed off of my enthusiasm and excitement and we were able to have some fun when comparing the words of "conceived in liberty" to baby Liberty. Overall, I felt really good about the activity and Mr. Carl was able to pick up some of the important parts I might have missed as we taught together. The class ended with assigning the homework through My Big Campus, which was also my idea and I am interested to see how well that goes.
The Feel the History class was interesting. Mr. Carl went over how Ken Burns researches and what he puts into his documentary. There were two students that Mr. Carl and I have been worried about from day one, because in this class the students go out and meet with people of the community using Mr. Carl's name and Reitz High School. The two students in particular seem to just want to take the class so they can leave school and today they again showed these colors by being late and not paying attention at all during class. A follow up is going to have to be done with the student, Mr. Carl, and the principal on expectations and whether the class is really going to be for them. The other parts of the class went well and it was nice to start getting some feedback from the class on that topics they want to explore. It is challenging because many of the obvious topics have been done in years past, but there are some good ideas circulating on what to cover this semester. I tried to pitch the importance of a hook by using my analogy with ESPN 30 for 30 go to line, "What if I told you..." as what brings the audience in. I think the class got the idea and Mr. Carl followed me up with that in his explanation of finding what is interesting about a topic. I also was able to witness the behind the scenes of teaching when a conservative father had to pull his daughter from the class because she does not drive and he does not feel comfortable having her ride with someone else. Mr. Carl offered to drive and the female student was an asset to the class, but the complications coupled with the realization of the workload on top of her AP classes did not work. It was unfortunate, but important for me to see how the parent relationship plays a role.
The last class went even better than the first in my opinion. The students are getting tired at the end of the day, but the groups came to the main idea conclusion in the Gettysburg Address faster than the other groups. I was pleased with their effort and I want to keep building on using the excitement and passion in class to fuel students effort.
Tomorrow Mr. Carl will be covering Reconstruction and I will be assisting. I am hoping to continue to take a larger role in the teaching responsibilities of day to day until the time comes for me to take over the class completely. Tomorrow, will also be my first experience helping with APEX during enrichment, which is credit recovery for students.
The Feel the History class was interesting. Mr. Carl went over how Ken Burns researches and what he puts into his documentary. There were two students that Mr. Carl and I have been worried about from day one, because in this class the students go out and meet with people of the community using Mr. Carl's name and Reitz High School. The two students in particular seem to just want to take the class so they can leave school and today they again showed these colors by being late and not paying attention at all during class. A follow up is going to have to be done with the student, Mr. Carl, and the principal on expectations and whether the class is really going to be for them. The other parts of the class went well and it was nice to start getting some feedback from the class on that topics they want to explore. It is challenging because many of the obvious topics have been done in years past, but there are some good ideas circulating on what to cover this semester. I tried to pitch the importance of a hook by using my analogy with ESPN 30 for 30 go to line, "What if I told you..." as what brings the audience in. I think the class got the idea and Mr. Carl followed me up with that in his explanation of finding what is interesting about a topic. I also was able to witness the behind the scenes of teaching when a conservative father had to pull his daughter from the class because she does not drive and he does not feel comfortable having her ride with someone else. Mr. Carl offered to drive and the female student was an asset to the class, but the complications coupled with the realization of the workload on top of her AP classes did not work. It was unfortunate, but important for me to see how the parent relationship plays a role.
The last class went even better than the first in my opinion. The students are getting tired at the end of the day, but the groups came to the main idea conclusion in the Gettysburg Address faster than the other groups. I was pleased with their effort and I want to keep building on using the excitement and passion in class to fuel students effort.
Tomorrow Mr. Carl will be covering Reconstruction and I will be assisting. I am hoping to continue to take a larger role in the teaching responsibilities of day to day until the time comes for me to take over the class completely. Tomorrow, will also be my first experience helping with APEX during enrichment, which is credit recovery for students.
Friday, August 16, 2013
First Friday
Today was a blue day meaning I had plan, enrichment (homeroom), and then two back to back U.S. History Core 40 classes. I am start to feel that like I would rather have Plan later in the day because it seems like I have more energy at the beginning of the day than at the end. However, it is nice to be able to get some stuff done before the day officially starts and get the plan together for the rest of the day. I made it a point today to start looking at the seating charts in my various classes and remembering names.
During homeroom I worked on remembering some of the kids names and looking up some resources for when I take over the history classes. Mr. Carl and I took the kids down to the rules meeting and then I made some copies in the teacher workroom. The enrichment period went well and I think some of the kids were surprised I was remembering their names already.
The first U.S. History class went rather well. I think it is still hard to get kids as motivated during a split class. The class started out by watching some videos over the Civil War, and Mr. Car explaining some of the significances of Lincoln's Gettysburg speech. The Civil War in 4 minutes is an interesting depiction of the Civil war using battle on a map and a casualty ticker. Mr. Carl would stop the video at certain points in order to explain parts of the Civil War. After that the students looked at the Gettysburg Address and got into pairs where they tried to put it into their own terms. This exercise went pretty well, but some students did not put as much effort into it as I would have thought. Mr. Carl allowed me to put together some homework where kids would visit the Ford's Theater Virtual Tour website and do a short activity. Looking at the people on the website and John Booth's artifacts and then completing an online worksheet/activity. We did not have much time to cover the activity and there were some problems using My Big Campus.
The next class also went well. They are a much smaller class and there are a few kids who do not pay attention, but overall I enjoy the class and I think I will like the challenge. I made the suggestion that we should divide up different parts of the Gettysburg Address and have groups of students take a section. That way they could all get done with at least part and it would save some time. I am excited to take that role on my own with the Honors classes on Monday. I was stunned at the lack of knowledge the students possessed on geography when looking at the states. I think this is a point that students struggle with and definitely something that I want to try and address in my future lessons.
Overall, the day went really well and I was glad that I got to have some input in the class assignment as well as help out with the different groups. The first week of school went well and while it was only three days I am pretty tired. I am looking forward to the next week and starting to begin teaching certain parts of the class.
During homeroom I worked on remembering some of the kids names and looking up some resources for when I take over the history classes. Mr. Carl and I took the kids down to the rules meeting and then I made some copies in the teacher workroom. The enrichment period went well and I think some of the kids were surprised I was remembering their names already.
The first U.S. History class went rather well. I think it is still hard to get kids as motivated during a split class. The class started out by watching some videos over the Civil War, and Mr. Car explaining some of the significances of Lincoln's Gettysburg speech. The Civil War in 4 minutes is an interesting depiction of the Civil war using battle on a map and a casualty ticker. Mr. Carl would stop the video at certain points in order to explain parts of the Civil War. After that the students looked at the Gettysburg Address and got into pairs where they tried to put it into their own terms. This exercise went pretty well, but some students did not put as much effort into it as I would have thought. Mr. Carl allowed me to put together some homework where kids would visit the Ford's Theater Virtual Tour website and do a short activity. Looking at the people on the website and John Booth's artifacts and then completing an online worksheet/activity. We did not have much time to cover the activity and there were some problems using My Big Campus.
The next class also went well. They are a much smaller class and there are a few kids who do not pay attention, but overall I enjoy the class and I think I will like the challenge. I made the suggestion that we should divide up different parts of the Gettysburg Address and have groups of students take a section. That way they could all get done with at least part and it would save some time. I am excited to take that role on my own with the Honors classes on Monday. I was stunned at the lack of knowledge the students possessed on geography when looking at the states. I think this is a point that students struggle with and definitely something that I want to try and address in my future lessons.
Overall, the day went really well and I was glad that I got to have some input in the class assignment as well as help out with the different groups. The first week of school went well and while it was only three days I am pretty tired. I am looking forward to the next week and starting to begin teaching certain parts of the class.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
First Day of Honors History and Feel the History
My second day of teaching went very well. I was able to solidify a job working at the ticket gate for the home football games and working the chain at the scrimmage on Friday. I have been wanting to get more involved in the school and it was nice to get the chance to, while also being around football.
The first honors history class of the day went very well. Students were lined up outside the door waiting to come in before the period started. I could definitely tell that there is a bit more excitement and energy in the honors class or maybe just overall more interest in history. However, as I have learned from being one in high school, honors students also know how to "play the game" sometimes maybe making it seem like they are very interested in order to make the teacher happy. Either way, now as an educator I do appreciate the energy either way. As with yesterday, the About Me presentation went well and the students seemed to enjoy it. Instead of having a PowerPoint going over the road to the Civil War, we gave a quiz that tested some knowledge of what the students should have learned last year. Unfortunately, we recognized that many students had hardly got to the Civil War and that was the main gap in knowledge.
The Feel the History class was a new experience that I am excited about. For one, teaching juniors and seniors is a huge difference compared to freshman. Not only physically, but in maturity and demeanor, seniors are leaps ahead of high school freshman. I'm definitely going to have to work on making the transition because upper class men teaching strategies are going to differ from what works with freshman. In the introduction, for example, I did not use my PowerPoint because we needed to be brief and get down to the class. I can already tell that certain attempts at connections or stuff that I think would be cool to show students might be harder to do with upper class men because of their age. I can definitely sense a feeling of being too old or "cool" to be excited or laugh at certain things in class. I think it is actually going to be harder to connect with them than with my freshman students, even though we are closer in age. A lot of the students already have a relationship with Mr. Carl, which is another barrier for me to cross in order to hopefully connect with them. The class is extremely interesting though and I am excited to work with the students. Mr. Carl focused on expectations of the professionalism in the documentaries and explained B roll in good documentary footage by using past documentaries from other classes and an excerpt from Ken Burns. I was blown away by the former students production of the UE plane crash. Part of the following period I spent some time looking up possible topics to research for the students since the class has covered a lot of history in the past and new topics are a little difficult to come by.
The final class also went well, as it was a history honors class. Pretty much the same outcome as the first. I can definitely tell that I feel that I have more excitement and energy in the morning, which could be a challenge for my later classes.
Tomorrow is the first Friday and I believe it is the first day I will be helping out with Apex during Enrichment. I am learning a lot, but I am also feeling the need to jump in a little more and start teaching some small parts of the lesson. I like that I am feeling comfortable with the classes and I hope to keep improving on my comfort level as I go on.
The first honors history class of the day went very well. Students were lined up outside the door waiting to come in before the period started. I could definitely tell that there is a bit more excitement and energy in the honors class or maybe just overall more interest in history. However, as I have learned from being one in high school, honors students also know how to "play the game" sometimes maybe making it seem like they are very interested in order to make the teacher happy. Either way, now as an educator I do appreciate the energy either way. As with yesterday, the About Me presentation went well and the students seemed to enjoy it. Instead of having a PowerPoint going over the road to the Civil War, we gave a quiz that tested some knowledge of what the students should have learned last year. Unfortunately, we recognized that many students had hardly got to the Civil War and that was the main gap in knowledge.
The Feel the History class was a new experience that I am excited about. For one, teaching juniors and seniors is a huge difference compared to freshman. Not only physically, but in maturity and demeanor, seniors are leaps ahead of high school freshman. I'm definitely going to have to work on making the transition because upper class men teaching strategies are going to differ from what works with freshman. In the introduction, for example, I did not use my PowerPoint because we needed to be brief and get down to the class. I can already tell that certain attempts at connections or stuff that I think would be cool to show students might be harder to do with upper class men because of their age. I can definitely sense a feeling of being too old or "cool" to be excited or laugh at certain things in class. I think it is actually going to be harder to connect with them than with my freshman students, even though we are closer in age. A lot of the students already have a relationship with Mr. Carl, which is another barrier for me to cross in order to hopefully connect with them. The class is extremely interesting though and I am excited to work with the students. Mr. Carl focused on expectations of the professionalism in the documentaries and explained B roll in good documentary footage by using past documentaries from other classes and an excerpt from Ken Burns. I was blown away by the former students production of the UE plane crash. Part of the following period I spent some time looking up possible topics to research for the students since the class has covered a lot of history in the past and new topics are a little difficult to come by.
The final class also went well, as it was a history honors class. Pretty much the same outcome as the first. I can definitely tell that I feel that I have more excitement and energy in the morning, which could be a challenge for my later classes.
Tomorrow is the first Friday and I believe it is the first day I will be helping out with Apex during Enrichment. I am learning a lot, but I am also feeling the need to jump in a little more and start teaching some small parts of the lesson. I like that I am feeling comfortable with the classes and I hope to keep improving on my comfort level as I go on.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Day 3/ First Day of School
The first day of school when the students came back went very well. I was definitely a little nervous to start with all of the students back, however the day went very smoothly. The first period of the day was an extended period with Mr. Carl's sophomore homeroom. I was able to assist Mr. Carl in passing out all of the students information. The class behaved very well and it was a laid back environment that allowed the students to relax, while still getting all of the information that they needed. I was able to talk to some of the students in the class and get to know them. It was a good start to the first day that allowed me to warm up to the students and get ready for the rest of the classes.
During Plan period I went over my PowerPoint that introduced myself to the class and helped Mr. Carl get everything ready for the class. Our first class of the day is regular honors history class and the period is split. Half of the time is spent in class, then the students break for lunch, and then the students return for the final half of class. My introduction PowerPoint went well and I helped to make comments and observe Mr. Carl talk about feeling and experiencing history. The students seemed to enjoy the artifacts that Mr. Car passed around and his introduction on experiencing the history. The last half of the class was a review of the Civil War. I can tell that this period could be a little challenging based on the timing. It seems like the first half of the class a lot of the students have lunch time on their mind and nothing else. While the second part of the class some students have that "after lunch fog" about them. Focus and motivation might be a little harder in this class, but it is something I want to work on with Mr. Carl in the future. Overall though the class went very well.
The last class was also a regular freshman history class. The class was small, but I thought the students seemed even more focused on the material and I felt I made a few more personal connections with the students during my introduction presentation. The class seemed into the artifacts portion of the period and followed along well during the review.
Tomorrow, I am very interested to start with the Honors History classes and see how they differ as well as experience the higher level of understanding that can be explored. I am also very excited to start with the Feel the History documentary class. I think it is going to be a great opportunity to be a facilitator and the type of work that is done in this class is something I hope to be able to use in some way in my future classroom. I am also taking a step to getting more involved with the school by meeting with the assistant athletic director to help out during home varsity football games.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Day 2/Department Meetings
The second day of my student teaching placement involved a meeting with my department and the head of the humanities department. I was surprised that this department also contained the foreign language teachers, however it was nice to have their input, especially because the room I am teaching in is int he foreign language wing of the school and not the social studies wing.
The meeting began with discussions on receiving professional development points when coming to meetings and the logistics of have the department meetings would be taking place. There was also discussions about PLCs and using common assessments. Different teachers stepped up to head the various PLC areas, and my supervising teacher, Mr. Carl, is taking over the U.S. History PLC. There was further discussion on using a common assessment over the semester and charting improvement. The common assessments are in place in order to show growth and get a feel for what students are understanding and what topics need to be covered again.
Next, the meetings shifted to security reminders based on lock down procedures, being present in the hallways during passing periods, and a particular bathroom where smokers like to congregate and how to combat that problem this year with locking the bathroom. Cell Phones are to be left up to the teacher's discretion and netbooks are suppose to be in class everyday as a building policy.
I volunteered to help with the Veterans Day Assembly, even though I will not be there for the actual assembly in order to get more involved. It was nice to see the difference between a school wide meeting and the closer communal meetings with the department that addresses more personal issues and goals. I think the common assessments in the PLC are a really good idea and I am interested to see how they progress and what type of advantages will come from working within a PLC.
I was then able to go to lunch with the Social Studies Department and again get to know the people I would be working with better. The last part of the day was spent organizing materials for school tomorrow and beginning to brainstorm ideas for the lessons I will be teaching when I take over the class in around two weeks.
I am pretty nervous for tomorrow event though I am not taking over total control of the class. It is my goal to be an active observer and participant in the class while I get the feel of the classroom and transition into teaching. I know I do not want to be the random student teacher who sits in the back of the class while class goes on. I am hoping to put together short presentation introducing myself to the students so that I can start to build a relationship with the classes before I begin teaching.
The meeting began with discussions on receiving professional development points when coming to meetings and the logistics of have the department meetings would be taking place. There was also discussions about PLCs and using common assessments. Different teachers stepped up to head the various PLC areas, and my supervising teacher, Mr. Carl, is taking over the U.S. History PLC. There was further discussion on using a common assessment over the semester and charting improvement. The common assessments are in place in order to show growth and get a feel for what students are understanding and what topics need to be covered again.
Next, the meetings shifted to security reminders based on lock down procedures, being present in the hallways during passing periods, and a particular bathroom where smokers like to congregate and how to combat that problem this year with locking the bathroom. Cell Phones are to be left up to the teacher's discretion and netbooks are suppose to be in class everyday as a building policy.
I volunteered to help with the Veterans Day Assembly, even though I will not be there for the actual assembly in order to get more involved. It was nice to see the difference between a school wide meeting and the closer communal meetings with the department that addresses more personal issues and goals. I think the common assessments in the PLC are a really good idea and I am interested to see how they progress and what type of advantages will come from working within a PLC.
I was then able to go to lunch with the Social Studies Department and again get to know the people I would be working with better. The last part of the day was spent organizing materials for school tomorrow and beginning to brainstorm ideas for the lessons I will be teaching when I take over the class in around two weeks.
I am pretty nervous for tomorrow event though I am not taking over total control of the class. It is my goal to be an active observer and participant in the class while I get the feel of the classroom and transition into teaching. I know I do not want to be the random student teacher who sits in the back of the class while class goes on. I am hoping to put together short presentation introducing myself to the students so that I can start to build a relationship with the classes before I begin teaching.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Day 1/ Teacher Meetings
My first official day of student teaching at Reitz High School started with a group teacher meeting in the auditorium. It was interesting to see the mechanics of how the entire faculty and staff meet at the beginning of the school year to prep for the upcoming semester.
The meeting began with the principal, Mrs. Carnahan, welcoming all of the teachers back and having the twelve new teachers introduce themselves. Next, Mrs. Carnahan introduced ideas from the book Mindset by Dr. Dweck. It focuses on the idea of adopting a growth mindset where students are praised for effort not so much intelligence. The focus is on learning and an example I remembered was that if a student is very good at Math, it is not so much that they just have a great math mind, but that they must have put in effort and work to get to where they are in being so good at Math.
Next, Mrs. Carnahan reviewed the successes from last year touching on the Dress for Success, outreach Facebook accounts, PowerPoint daily bulletins, the Pledge of Allegiance every morning with a moment of silence, and last the PLCs that were started with Common Assessments. Then announcements for changes in the new year were brought up including changes in student final exemption policies and areas teachers should remember to work on. Timely reporting on the online grade book was key as well as an emphasis on positive behavioral intervention (PBIS) with students. Teachers and faculty members were also reminded of the importance to sign in, be on time, and not allow students to have food or drinks in the classroom.
Next, Mrs. Harrington the program and curriculum administrator when over changes in the diplomas regulations as well as what was important to address in homeroom on the first day. Mr. Adams the dean of discipline followed with a short speech about the rules and making the emphasis this year on what the students are expected to do and not what they cannot do. A PowerPoint slide on the rules was sent out to the teachers to be reviewed with their homeroom class. Mrs. Hagan the Athletic Director followed with a short speech on getting involved in extracurriculars, which I hope to be able to take up on and become more involved.
The meeting concluded after a rather long video from the superintendent, that had a message on being the special change in a students life. Faculty and staff members from all over the corporation were interviewed including teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, custodians, and food service people. The main focus was on collaboration of the staff and making the year about the kids. Personal stories from the video gave insight into what it means to be a teacher or staff member and how important our effort is to each student.
The meeting gave a lot of insight into the goals and aspects of the beginning of a year for a school and a corporation. It was important for me to get the experience and meet a lot of the staff members. It is my goal to get more involved with the school itself and become a useful member of the faculty even if it is a short time from a student teaching aspect.
I then was able to go to lunch with the Social Studies department, which was nice to be able to meet everyone and get to know the people I would be working with on a personal basis. The rest of the day focused on getting the pacing guide together for the semester, as well as thinking up topics for the documentary history class and brainstorming the History Treasure Hunt. I found that I would be taking over the class right before labor day weekend, starting with urbanization. I am excited to start and nervous for the first day of school, however I know it is going to be a great experience.
The meeting began with the principal, Mrs. Carnahan, welcoming all of the teachers back and having the twelve new teachers introduce themselves. Next, Mrs. Carnahan introduced ideas from the book Mindset by Dr. Dweck. It focuses on the idea of adopting a growth mindset where students are praised for effort not so much intelligence. The focus is on learning and an example I remembered was that if a student is very good at Math, it is not so much that they just have a great math mind, but that they must have put in effort and work to get to where they are in being so good at Math.
Next, Mrs. Carnahan reviewed the successes from last year touching on the Dress for Success, outreach Facebook accounts, PowerPoint daily bulletins, the Pledge of Allegiance every morning with a moment of silence, and last the PLCs that were started with Common Assessments. Then announcements for changes in the new year were brought up including changes in student final exemption policies and areas teachers should remember to work on. Timely reporting on the online grade book was key as well as an emphasis on positive behavioral intervention (PBIS) with students. Teachers and faculty members were also reminded of the importance to sign in, be on time, and not allow students to have food or drinks in the classroom.
Next, Mrs. Harrington the program and curriculum administrator when over changes in the diplomas regulations as well as what was important to address in homeroom on the first day. Mr. Adams the dean of discipline followed with a short speech about the rules and making the emphasis this year on what the students are expected to do and not what they cannot do. A PowerPoint slide on the rules was sent out to the teachers to be reviewed with their homeroom class. Mrs. Hagan the Athletic Director followed with a short speech on getting involved in extracurriculars, which I hope to be able to take up on and become more involved.
The meeting concluded after a rather long video from the superintendent, that had a message on being the special change in a students life. Faculty and staff members from all over the corporation were interviewed including teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, custodians, and food service people. The main focus was on collaboration of the staff and making the year about the kids. Personal stories from the video gave insight into what it means to be a teacher or staff member and how important our effort is to each student.
The meeting gave a lot of insight into the goals and aspects of the beginning of a year for a school and a corporation. It was important for me to get the experience and meet a lot of the staff members. It is my goal to get more involved with the school itself and become a useful member of the faculty even if it is a short time from a student teaching aspect.
I then was able to go to lunch with the Social Studies department, which was nice to be able to meet everyone and get to know the people I would be working with on a personal basis. The rest of the day focused on getting the pacing guide together for the semester, as well as thinking up topics for the documentary history class and brainstorming the History Treasure Hunt. I found that I would be taking over the class right before labor day weekend, starting with urbanization. I am excited to start and nervous for the first day of school, however I know it is going to be a great experience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)