Winter Term - Week 1 - First Week Back!

As I reflect on my first week back student teaching, there are definitely several things I would do differently in my classes. All throughout Monday I caught myself doing what I just learned NOT to do. Such as not giving clear and concise directions, giving too many verbal directions and not enough visual, and not fully explaining the “Why” of my lessons. As a result of this, I have been spending more time on my directions and making sure I have posted them either on the whiteboard or doc cam for my visual learners. I also made sure to clear up any questions about the directions given by asking “What questions can I answer” or “What is unclear about the directions”. This past week I have also worked hard to post objectives and goals for each day’s lesson and to go over those with my students. This seems much more formal than has been done in the past, however I am sure once I am more comfortable in the class and my students are more comfortable with me, that it will flow together more nicely. 

I was most surprised that between both of my classes, there was zero tension and refusal to participate unlike what I had faced at different times in the fall. This was very unexpected! A select few students in my 6^th period class that were extremely quiet in the fall, have really impressed me this past week by their level of engagement and positive attitudes! This coming week, I want to discretely drop them a note telling them how impressed I am. I believe this small act on my part will go a long ways with each of these students and help to build more rapport with them. I also started with a new class that I had not previously worked with in the fall. I felt no resistance to change but more excitement and positive energy. This was also unexpected but was VERY encouraging for me as this is my EdTPA class. 

I have also been working hard to implement Bell Ringers at the beginning of both of my classes. The first couple of days I had many questions such as “What is a bell ringer” and “How do we do this”. In the fall, my cooperating teacher gave students in all classes a “Daily Journal”, which students answered in their Ag notebooks. This week I have had students answer their bell ringers on a note card or post-it note, but I would like to use a different method for this. I have been wondering if I should have students create a Bell Ringer Book or have them write them in their Ag notebooks. This is something I plan to talk about more with my cooperating teacher. My student’s answers to all of the bell ringer questions have more than impressed me, but encourage me that they are learning the information I am teaching. Covering Parliamentary Procedure and Parts of Plants can be a lot to take in. 

Overall, I feel really good about my first back teaching! I am working hard to stay organized and find methods that work well for me. And I feel ready to pick up a third class this coming week!