Actually Teaching

Actually Teaching

            Just wanted to drop a little post about actually teaching a class for the first time.  I taught two classes with Caroline in an inclusion Social Studies class.  It was a great experience and I think it went well. 

We both planned the classes together and we both thought them together.  We did each focus on one culture to teach, Japanese culture and Afghani culture, but when we went to the discussion part we just both facilitated the discussion and asked question of the students.  We taught an 11^th and a 12^th grade inclusion class.  Our cooperating teacher, Ms. Simas was a great help in the preparation for this class.  Her classes are very structures as her students like it that way.  They have a routine that works for them and we planned the classes according to that routine.  That plan was a great help, it kept us on track, it kept us on topic and it help us get back when something happened that wasn’t expected.  We did know there were going to be disruptions, as we observed her class before teaching but I think we did prepare for them.  Even though we planned for them, the part where we stumbled the most was correcting the student when they did disrupt the class or were not doing what was appropriate for class.   Even though we didn’t know the students, which I think why we were not as assertive, Ms. Simas stated it would have been fine to be assertive and make the correction as soon as possible.  That is something that I am going to take with me when I do have my own class.  I think it will be easier when it is my own class and I know the students, but it is something that I will make sure I do.  Make the correction that is needed as soon as possible and just be more assertive with the students.  The other think I really took from this class was get the students involved.  We had great discussions about the similarities and differences between the cultures.  The students were really involved with the discussions, answering the questions the posed and even talking to each other about how cultures really might be more similar than we first thought.  Al in all in was a great lesson.

Just wanted to post this to share my experience and want to say thanks for Caroline with the co-teaching.  It really was a great experience.

 

Teacher Walk

Teacher Walk

            Just a quick note on what we saw last class.  I really did learn a lot form going out on the walk

 with the other teachers to observe different classrooms.  Seeing how other teachers rate their peers

was eye-opening.  It was also eye-opening seeing how a rating system, the chart that the groups used

 that ranged from not seen to 4, was flawed even though it was designed by teachers and I am

assuming the administration.

            Going out and observing was nothing new for us as we have been doing this all semester. 

Going out with other teachers, observing different teachers and then essentially grading those

teachers we observed was different.  For the most part we observed a room for about ten to fifteen

minutes then went into the hallway and graded them on certain items.  The teacher I was with pointed

 out that the system can be flawed and I saw that first hand.  One question asked about relating to a

previous lesson.  The teachers I was with did not see anything and the teacher would have received a

low score.  However I did see and hear the teacher going over with a student, in a far area of the

room, a previous lesson on how to draw in a grid, this was an art class.  If I had not heard this teacher,

 who was doing an excellent job, she would not have done well at least on this part of the

observation.  This showed the frustration that some of teachers have.  They are doing the job, doing it

well, and it’s not just being seen.  I know there are teachers that are not doing the work the right way,

but the ones that are doing the work are still getting hurt by the process.  I also know that statistically

it should even out, that they will be seen doing the right thing, but the operative word is should. 

            In the debriefing with the entire group I saw just a small part of the politics involved in

teaching.  They want to get the information across but they don’t want to be seen as going against

 other teachers.  It puts them the teacher involved in this process in a hard place.  They seem to be

 caught in the middle.  It just brings to light, to me at least, that the politics of teaching is just another

aspect that I must think about along with everything else.  If this process is used correctly, as a way to

 improve teaching, and not seen as a way to “get” teachers I really think it could be a good tool.  Take

the politics out and make an assessment protocol that is not as flawed and I think this process can

really help facilitate change for the better.

406 Microteaching II

Please post about how I did on my Microteaching II.  Any and all suggestions and comments welcome.  Thank you in advance.