I guess my best memory of Akins will be the people that i met. Matt is a really good guy that i hope i will have a continued friendshp with after the class. I enjoyed bouncing ideas off of him, and we could always joke about anything that either one of us saw. We shared ideas and he helped critique me on some projects. He stepped in a helped remind me of some things i had forgot on my video teach. Having Matt around has definately made this class more exciting and fun for me because we always seemed to be able to joke about anything which lightened the load and passed the time. I am afraid that the only thing i have helped matt with is giving him the playbooks from my cooperating teacher. Although this is a huge asset i dont feel like this is enough for every thing he has helped me with. Matt is definately someone that i hope i will have a continued friendship with and maybe even be colleagues at the same school. I appreciateeverything he has done for me and i hope that someday i can return the favor.
Getting Excited
I am starting to get really excited about studnet teaching. I think that this next video teach should be very good experience for me. I think that i am ready for the daily challenges of teaching and dealing with the students. i am very ready for some responsibility, and i know that sounds weird because that is my main professional goal, but i believe that i am ready. When i am tyring to hold myself accountable i know that i sometimes struggle. but i think that having to be responsible for my students and being accountable to them will help me.
Sharing
I know that this is a little different from what was meant by asking other teachers for help. But my cooperative teacher is the defensive coordinator, and he has several playbooks from different teams around the country. As a coach these are very valueable asssets. I am very thankful that he has shared his wealth of information with me, and i can definately use this in the future. I will also be more than willing to share this information with other coaches. He has given me the confidence to just ask teachers for help. I keep hearing that everyone is willing to share but this blew me away.
Thank you
Thank you for having Mrs. Z come talk to us. I am really nervous about student teaching and the first year, but now after hearing her experiences i think i can better deal with it. One thing i realized is that i need to have my lessson plan well thought out. this will only help me in the class room and hopefully it will add to the lesson by helping students comprehend. I also realized that it doesnt matter what the students think of me or my lesson. if i think i am doing a good job then most likely i am. and finally i know that i am to proud. I know that sometimes i need help but i wont ask for it. Hopefully i will take her advice and not be afraid to ask other teachers for help. She told us that teachers are always willing to help so i know i need to use every resource available.
New idea About Seating Arrangment and Cooperative Learning
Description: During the lesson we were talking cooperative learning and how to get into groups and I had a new idea about seating arrangement. My room arrangement already allows for group work but what if i already had the students grouped correctly by the seating chart. It would be a little different but i think i could some up with enough combonations to cover all types of groups. My desks are kind of set in groups of 4, and by placing and advanced, two moderate, and a struggling student together i think i could use the arrangement to help with all kinds of cooperative learning activities.
Analysis: If an activity requires partners there are three possible combonations. If it requires groups of four then i already have a heterogeneous mix and can just state the directions. Also i Would need to have alternate seating plans to adapt for other combinations of students for different projects. But I think this is a great way to get a good mixture in the class room and try to seperate problem areas such as friends sitting to close together.
Reflection: I think this is a good idea and it would take alot of prep time to analyze students and then place them into these groups but in the long school year i think this will help facilitate a comfortable classroom environment, and turn out better projects and group work.
English Language Learner
Description: Today we did a small activity called one stay one stray. In this activity it helped me to think deeper into the ELL articles. I understand the strategies that it was advocating but now i am thinking about how it would help certain students.
Analysis: In varying whole class response it is easy to see that this is a warm- up or guided practice activity to check for understanding. But now i see how it helps ELL by relieveing the stress of the usual class involvement. Instead of spot picking students and putting them one the spot, which usually flusters and makes ELL’s uncomfortable, the teacher could easily Use hand signals from the entire class to check for understanding. ELL’s would have less stress and begining Elnglish speakers would feel more comfortable in interacting with the class.
Reflection:
Classroom Arrangement
Description: Monday I observed a Math Class, that I thought was very intresting. In every math class i have ever been to there have been long straight rows facing an overhead. Well in this class monday i saw an almost perfect arrangement. The desks were set up in an ampitheatre kind of arrangement. It was a block of ten deskd at the front with a walk way around them, then it wa a radial arrangment in the back. It was the perfect set up for almost any class. It allowed for group work, and teacher proximity. There was not a bad seat in the classroom, every one had a direct veiw of the overhead.
Analysis: This classroom arrangenment will help with classroom management, it allows the teacher to be in direct eye contact with all students. It also allows the teacher to walk around the room and monitor students. The only thing i would like to change about this arrangement is the block of ten desks at the front of the room. The teacher also commented on changing this but due to the number of studnets has beeen unable to. THe teacher and i agree that if you take the middle two desks out of the block of ten and make it two blocks of four, it would allow even more walk space for proximity and teacher availability.
Reflection: As a beginning teacher i believe that this is the best arrangement i have seen, to this point. It is very creative and lends itself well to many different class functions. Group work and pairs are easy to get to, and lectures and power point are easily seen from every seat. I really enjoyed watching this teacher but i believe i have found my class room arrangement.
Physical Education
Description: Unfortunatly i believe that PE is like this everywhere. There is a complete neglect on the part of the teachers and a total lack of motivation by the students. PE coaches are tired of beating their heads against the wall. They are tired of students not participating so they have given up on even trying to teach them or keep them active. Students don’t want to do the same activities everyday so they get bored. They stop participating and they don’t care about being active.
Analysis: I believe that you can’t blame either side for this problem but it must be fixed on the coaches side first. As a PE teacher you must vary the activities for your students. it is not enough to roll out a basket full of balls and tell them to play. You must teach them how to play different sports. Not everyone knows how to shoot a basketball. If a student doesn’t know how to shoot a basketball or even dribble how long do you think that student is going to participate. Students need to show more of a willingness to be active. they need to be willing to learn different activities. the problem now is that when you ask them how to shoot a basket ball they light tell you its “B” on the xbox controller. Students need to be more active.
Reflection:
First Attepmt
Description: Recently one of the assignments for class was to set a proffessional goal to improve on as the semester progresses. My goal was to become more responible. Lately i have been very lazy and irresponsible as far as school is concerned. I don’t know why but i am having a very hard time doing the homework. It really is not that hard, i just have not sat down to do it. What makes this worst is that i know that i am not being responsible and i know i can do better, i just can’t seem to get motivated.
Analysis: What i need to learn to do is do my homework when it is assigned. I know i am a procrastinator, so i need to quit putting things off and do what is asked of me when it is asked.
Reflection: I know one of the keys to being an effective teacher is being confident. I know that to be confident you need to be prepared. to be prepared i need to take the responsibility and do what is asked of me. I know i can do more i just need to do it. I feel like having last semsester off really hurt my academic motivation.
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