Spring 2015
Reflecting on my latest video recordings, it is obvious that I have grown as a teacher since the last time I have been recorded. That being said, after watching the videos it is still apparent that there are many ways that I still need to learn and grow as a teacher. For example, I know that I still need to work on the structures that I put in place during group work. Right now, I still consistently experience misbehaviors when it is time to break away from direct instruction and work with our peers in a group. In this video, you can see some of the these misbehaviors and the ways that I've tried to combat them. Since the video was recorded, I still deal with some of the same frustrations however, with the added structure my students are much better at transition into group work. Something that I realize that I have improved on from watching this video is my classroom management during direct instruction. It is clear that my students have come a long way and know my expectations when it is time to learn a new objective. The popsicle sticks that I use seem to help the students stay engaged during my lesson because they are unsure as to whether or not they will be called on to speak. Overall, I think watching these videos have helped me to see how far I have come as a teacher over the course of the year. I'm interested to see future videos and further observe my growth. |
Fall 2014
Since I was not recorded teaching at my current placement school, the video that I am reflecting on is from the summertime when I was teaching at Mastery-Simon Gratz High School. Overall, after reflecting on this video I think the delivery went well. I had decent circulation and more often than not was able to deal with misbehaviors in ways that did not create further issues. For example, when I saw a student had his head down, after giving directions to the rest of the class I went up to him and asked him quietly to pick his head up and get started. In the video you see the student picking his head up a few seconds later and begin his work after I walked away. Additionally, the way that I get all of the students engaged by randomly pulling names from Popsicle sticks seemed to be effective in increasing the level of student engagement and participation. Although I think this lesson overall went well, there were many situations that I could have handled better. It is interesting to see how my teaching strategies have improved since this time. For example, after giving directions for independent, silent work a group of three students ignored the directions completely and decided to talk instead of completing their work. No matter how many times I redirected them they ignored me and continued talking. I realize now that rather than assigning silent activities and arguing with the kids about staying silent, creating assignments where the kids can interact actually helps increase their engagement and learn more. I realize now that being creative in my assignments actually helps the students retain more because they are more interested in what they are doing in class, which causes them to pay closer attention. Another strategy that I should have implemented during this lesson was having lower students work with higher-level students. In this video, the same three kids kept raising their hands for my help and they often times had to wait for me to get there because I was busy working with someone else. When this happens now, instead of having the students wait for me to come to them I will suggest that they ask their table partner the same question to see if they can help. Overall it is intriguing to see how much I have grown as a teacher in such little time. Since I did not have as much time to get to know the students in this video as learners, I had a more difficult time figuring out what strategies would work best for them. It is clear to me now that the relationships that I have built with my students play a key role in the successfulness of my teaching practices. |