Student Teaching Video 1
The following link will take you to a copy of the lesson plan that I taught in the video:
Video 1 Lesson Plan
Student Teaching Video 1 Reflection
1. What are my strengths?
Watching the video, the relationship that I have with the
students was immediately noticeable. As
the class entered the classroom, we bantered about the cookies that I had
promised to bake for one of the students.
This has become an ongoing joke in the classroom and is brought up
before every class. The atmosphere in
the classroom was very casual and comfortable and I think the relationship
between the students and myself contributed to this environment.
Another one of my strengths is the implementation of
technology into the classroom. I
consciously try to do this in my lesson plans, but its success in the lesson
was obvious in the video. Using the
projector to display images and videos was helpful because it was engaging and
fun. After watching the video, I
realized that I could have given a lecture or had the students complete
worksheets about the American Dream. The
use of technology broke up the class into different segments, which kept the
students on their toes and engaged.
Finally, I thought that I scaffolded the lesson
well. In a previous lesson, we discussed
the American Dream and it became apparent that their idea was a very rigid,
fixed image. For the purposes of The Great Gatsby, their idea of the
American Dream needed to be more abstract
and fluid. Therefore, by recalling their
definition of the American Dream and then having them critique the use of the
American Dream in media, they were able to create their own definitions
independently. And these ideas were much
more suited toward our future discussion in The
Great Gatsby.
2. In what areas do I need to improve my
instructional delivery?
I realized after watching the video that the majority of
class discussion focused on call and response discussion. There was little structure to the discussion
and so some students answered far more frequently than others, which did not
provide a classroom of students that were entirely engaged. Implementing more structured discussion would
have ensured that all students were given an opportunity to speak and engage in
the lesson, not just those that are more open to talking.
During the bell activity, which centers around different
parts of sentences, I remained at the front of the room. I think this was successful in focusing the
students and keeping them on task, but I think it would have been more
successful if I had moved around the room and checked their work as they were
working. This would have focused them
quicker and been more successful. I
would have also been more of a presence in the classroom instead of
disappearing at the front.
I also think that my use of class time was a bit
stretched. Granted, we did have to wrap
up the lesson from the previous day which took some time, but it was still a
rushed lesson. The use of two songs also
took up a great amount of time. Next
time, it would be helpful to block out lengths of time for the discussions so
that we wouldn’t have to rush parts of class.
3. How will I improve my teaching effectiveness?
Next time, when planning my lesson, I want to be sure to
block out amounts of time for the different parts of class. For instance, managing the amount of time per
slide would have been helpful. This was
more an oversight than anything, and in my future lesson plans, I will be sure
to indicate how long each section of the class should take.
Additionally, I will create more structured
discussion. I could provide them with a
list of questions and then divide them into groups or pairs and have them come
up with answers to the question. Then,
using a discussion format, such as Pair/Share or Save the Last Word for Me or
Numbered Heads Together, I could have the students share their responses.
Also, I will work on moving around the classroom to see
how they are progressing with their student work. This would also help monitor what students
are struggling, such as the student at the back of the room who was unable to
provide an example. Moving around the
class would also tell me when students were done with their work and to ensure
that they were on task and not wasting time.
In my future classes, I will move around the room and check with the
students to make sure they are getting the most out of the bell work lesson.
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