Overall, I was very impressed with my classmates' lessons, especially for being everyone's first time teaching a lesson. Everyone had a lesson that commanded the student's participation. Everyone displayed the four parts of direct instruction and asked questions that rose on Bloom's levels of taxonomy. Most of teachers accomadated their lessons well for time, as 15- 20 minutes is much shorter than the average class time. It is difficult to reach objectives intended and practice direct instruction in a short time frame. Everyone modified their lessons well and most came within the time limit.
A notable strength that I saw in two of my classmates was their presentation skills. All of us spoke loud and clearly however, two classmates looked as though they were seasoned professionals in how they spoke! They incorporated proper intonation when it was necessary and captured the students' attention with their tone of voice.
Something to work on for next time would be making sure the board and the teacher are visible for all students. I was blocked a few times by the computer monitor that was not being used. I could not see the examples on the slideshow and could hardly see the teacher's face. This could be an issue when trying to show students examples on the board. The teacher should always make sure they are visible to every student, and every student to them for both engagement and behavior reasons.
Another area of improvement would be getting over the fear of being in front of the room. We were all nervous, however we were in a comfortable environment with peers who are our classmates. When we are in front of 20+ adolescences we cannot show nerves or fear. When we are professionals we do not have the advantage to request hitting the stop button and starting over because we are not feeling the first 5 minutes of our lesson and want to start off differently. I was surprised when this occurred. An important technique to have as a teacher is to improvise. It is like a play where the show must go on, no matter what may be going on in your head. We will have to teach lessons on days when a million things from the outside are running through our minds. We have to learn how to turn all of that off and just focus on the now, what is happening and what you want to happen during the lesson. We have to make the best of our situations even if that means we come up with things off the cuff. We have to be ready to improvise and move on.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Expectations at CFHS
What were your expectations for CFHS?
When I first discovered I would be going to Central Falls for my SED class I was both nervous and excited. I was excited to have the advantage of observing classrooms, but nervous because I was unsure of what to really expect. The only thing I really expected was some type of security at the door because of gang violence that has occurred in Central Falls in the past.
I am somewhat familiar with Central Falls and the Central Falls school department. I was expecting some type of security at the door because of gang violence that has occurred in Central Falls in the past. When I was in high school, I volunteered as a tutor at Ella Risk Elementary School. During this time, I became familiar with the demographics and challenges in this area. I was aware that teacher demographics did not mirror students demographics however, I was surprised when I heard about the teacher demographics in Central Falls High School. At the elementary level, the teacher and teacher's aide in the first grade classroom were both of Latino descent. I assumed that the teacher demographics in the high school would represent multiculturalism slightly more than Mr. Laplante had shared with us. I can see how such demographics could become a problem in the classroom. I expected a large ESL population and I was pleasantly surprised to hear how strictly the administration is enforcing ESL learning for teachers at the school. I am glad to see that administration is really taking the students into consideration. By doing so, teachers will be aware of better methods that will improve student learning.
When looking around the school hallways I expected to see bilingual signs which such a high Hispanic demographic in the town. The sign in front of the school is in both english and spanish and I figured that would be the case inside as well. Although there are a many different ethnicities, I feel as though signs positing rules would be more beneficial to be in spanish and english, the two majority languages.
I also expected to see more emphasis on college and academic success. There were a few posters stating dates of college fairs. It may very well be due to timing, as it is only September, however I expected to see more posters. As someone who works at Rhode Island College, I have dealt with many students from Central Falls who receive grants and scholarships to come to RIC as well as Central Falls students who participate in our college prep summer programs. I was expecting to see more of a Rhode Island College presence in the school. I did see a flyer for scholarship opportunities which I felt was extremely important. I know when I was looking at colleges price was a major factor. Financial aid can be a difficult to obtain, especially for students with parents who do not speak English. Advertising scholarships opportunities provides students with another incentive and reminder that furthering their education is possible.
Overall I was presently surprised. The staff members who spoke to the SED class were passionate about their jobs, their students, and learning in general. On the "warrior board," there were a few pictures of students and information about what they liked best at CFHS. Many of the them stated they liked the teachers at CFHS. In high school the student and teacher dynamic shifts and students are not always so fond of any form of authority. It was nice to see that the students feel as though their teachers are having a positive impact on their lives.
When I first discovered I would be going to Central Falls for my SED class I was both nervous and excited. I was excited to have the advantage of observing classrooms, but nervous because I was unsure of what to really expect. The only thing I really expected was some type of security at the door because of gang violence that has occurred in Central Falls in the past.
I am somewhat familiar with Central Falls and the Central Falls school department. I was expecting some type of security at the door because of gang violence that has occurred in Central Falls in the past. When I was in high school, I volunteered as a tutor at Ella Risk Elementary School. During this time, I became familiar with the demographics and challenges in this area. I was aware that teacher demographics did not mirror students demographics however, I was surprised when I heard about the teacher demographics in Central Falls High School. At the elementary level, the teacher and teacher's aide in the first grade classroom were both of Latino descent. I assumed that the teacher demographics in the high school would represent multiculturalism slightly more than Mr. Laplante had shared with us. I can see how such demographics could become a problem in the classroom. I expected a large ESL population and I was pleasantly surprised to hear how strictly the administration is enforcing ESL learning for teachers at the school. I am glad to see that administration is really taking the students into consideration. By doing so, teachers will be aware of better methods that will improve student learning.
When looking around the school hallways I expected to see bilingual signs which such a high Hispanic demographic in the town. The sign in front of the school is in both english and spanish and I figured that would be the case inside as well. Although there are a many different ethnicities, I feel as though signs positing rules would be more beneficial to be in spanish and english, the two majority languages.
I also expected to see more emphasis on college and academic success. There were a few posters stating dates of college fairs. It may very well be due to timing, as it is only September, however I expected to see more posters. As someone who works at Rhode Island College, I have dealt with many students from Central Falls who receive grants and scholarships to come to RIC as well as Central Falls students who participate in our college prep summer programs. I was expecting to see more of a Rhode Island College presence in the school. I did see a flyer for scholarship opportunities which I felt was extremely important. I know when I was looking at colleges price was a major factor. Financial aid can be a difficult to obtain, especially for students with parents who do not speak English. Advertising scholarships opportunities provides students with another incentive and reminder that furthering their education is possible.
Overall I was presently surprised. The staff members who spoke to the SED class were passionate about their jobs, their students, and learning in general. On the "warrior board," there were a few pictures of students and information about what they liked best at CFHS. Many of the them stated they liked the teachers at CFHS. In high school the student and teacher dynamic shifts and students are not always so fond of any form of authority. It was nice to see that the students feel as though their teachers are having a positive impact on their lives.
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