Act I: Reflecting on Reflection.
My lesson was on Thursday from 9-10 (even though it ended up being 9:15-10:00...), which is whole group reading time. I taught a lesson on shades of meaning, which pulled from their prior knowledge of synonyms, and fit nicely into their word meaning and context clue unit that they began earlier in the week.
Act II: The Good.
I recently observed a few parent-teacher conferences, and my CT told me to always start with some positive comments before diving into more negative things. So we will start with the good first!Considering that I am a sophomore, and this is the very first, formal, whole group lesson I've ever taught, the lesson was an overall success! There were some parts of the lesson that went well, and some that I thought went better than I expected them too!
The first part of my lesson was very structured, it included a whole group discussion at their desks, and then transitioning onto the carpet for more discussion, a read aloud, and filling out shades of meaning scales as a group. This part went SO SO SO well!!! I had concerns about their level of engagement during whole group discussions and the read aloud, as the class is very chatty and certain students tend to zone-out. But, they were completely engaged the entire time! Some more specific things I thought that I did really well were utilizing and encouraging table group discussion during our chat about synonyms, and giving different instructions for each turn-and-talk (whisper to your table group, use your hands to show the difference between small, tiny, and puny, etc). This made the discussion interesting and engaging, as opposed to just asking a question and calling on students who had their hands raised. The transition to the carpet was also really smooth, and they were all very attentive during the read aloud. I like how I segmented the read aloud--every couple pages I had a word marked. We stopped reading the book, turned our bodies towards the anchor chart and had a whole group discussion to model the thinking surrounding shades of meaning. I think this structure minimized any room for behavior issues, as we were constantly moving our focus between the book and the scales. They also had strong connections to the book I chose, as they are currently learning about Kenya in social studies. So, I think the combination of a high-interest book, and segmenting the read aloud with whole group discussion made the first part of my lesson so successful.
I also like how I fostered community in the classroom by asking students to reiterate what others have said, doing whole group claps and snaps to applaud students who shared out the whole group (thanks, Dr. Baker!), and enforcing the expectation of respecting others in the class. When I called on one student to answer my question, or if after a turn-and-talk, I would ask the partnership to share out, I would usually then ask a different student or partnership to reexplain what the previous answer was. Then I would ask if another person had different thoughts. This honored all thoughts instead of saying that there is only one way to think about shades of meaning. The snaps and claps engaged students and forced them to listen to me, as I would change the pattern each time (give 2 snaps and 2 claps to Kaitlyn, give a snap, a clap, and a snap to DJ). I also had students come up to the scale poster and write the word that we discussed and agreed upon as a whole group. This was another engaging aspect of the first part of the lesson.
While the second part definitely had more pieces for me to work on than the first, it still contained some positive aspects that deserve to be recognized. In terms of the lesson being UDL, the second part of the lesson really provided multiple means of engagement and expression. I provided three different graphic organizers (ranging in simplicity) that I put out buffet-style for students to choose. I also gave every student the same tools such as a word bank and access to their computers to use the online thesaurus. The students also loved writing on paint chips as it was more engaging than just filling out a worksheet.
Act III: The Not so Good.
There were only a few critiques I could give myself for the first half of my lesson. I wish I could have switched up the partners the students talked to during the turn-and-talks because it felt like they were talking to the same people for most of the lesson. In order to build-in more opportunities for social interaction, I could have somehow switched the partners up, or shuffled their seating arrangement. I also wish that I would have incorporated more movement into the lesson. They were seated for the majority of the hour, except during transitions. These minor changes would have made the first half of my lesson even more engaging.
Most of my critiques are for the second half of my lesson. There were some structural problems that need to be addressed first. After finishing the read aloud, I gave them too many steps to complete independently. Instead of telling them about the entire activity, I should have given them step by step instructions, or provided a check list for them to follow either on paper in front of them, or on the white board. This would have lessened the confusion that spread throughout most of the students. I was also a little off with my thinking that the third graders would all be able to do the independent work right after our whole group time. Thinking about shades of meaning and generating their own scale was a little too difficult for most of them. This was a mistake on my part, as I just assumed that after we modeled it whole group, that they would be able to do it on their own. To combat this, I should have transitioned the students back to their desks, and we should have done one graphic organizer and one paint chip together as a class. This would have been a very thorough explanation, and they would have learned the process of the activity by doing, instead of by listening to my explanation. Then, I could have given them the remainder to the lesson to do one graphic organizer and one paint chip by themselves. If I would have made these changes, the students would have know exactly what to do, and how to do it.
Another piece of my lesson that may have been more detrimental is giving the student's tools, such as access to their computers, to complete the activity. My intention was to have them use their brains to do the activity, and then reference the word bank I provided, and then use the computers as a last resort. Instead, most of them hopped right onto their laptops, and did not actually think about the activity. While I know there are students in the class that definitely needed those laptops to be successful, and I know that part of UDL is providing all students with the same supports, I wonder if the lesson would have gone better if computers were not an option.
During the independent work time, I think I should have stepped in sooner to clarify the directions. I was hoping they would be able to get started, but a lot of them just kind of sat there and looked around. Instead of going student to student, as I planned to, I should have stopped everyone and reiterated the directions to the whole group. At this moment, I should have not stuck to my original plan. I eventually stopped the entire class and reexplained everything, which seemed to help a bit.
A big problem during the second half of my lesson was the presence and input of my CT. She is the SWEETEST lady, but as a teacher she is extremely sassy and critical towards the students. She was out of the room for the first half of my lesson, and just as I started explaining the independent work, she came back to the room, and immediately starting correcting, reprimanding, and yelling at the students. Not only did this distract everyone, it also made me very nervous. I felt like I was managing the class very well until she came in, and then once she started disciplining, I felt like I was not doing a good enough job at classroom management. I felt less like the teacher, and more like the helper, which was stressful and frustrating. I did have control of the class, but after further reflection, I think our difference in style is what made the dynamic difficult to navigate.
During the beginning of the independent work, when the directions needed to be clarified, my CT went around and yelled at the kids for not knowing what they were doing. This made me feel guilty because it really was my fault that they did not know exactly what to do. I also do not believe in publicly shaming students, so that made taking control really difficult. She ultimately had more authority than me, so I felt uncomfortable taking the reigns back from her. I wish I could have told her to let me handle it, but I did not want to come off as controlling, or disrespectful.
The last critique I can give myself was that I never gave any closure to the lesson because we ran out of time, and had to transition to math intervention. I was planning on doing one last whole group discussion about shades of meaning. This was really needed because I feel like some of my students needed the closure in order to completely understand the concepts. Part of this was due to us starting the lesson 15 minutes late, and part of it was due to the independent work taking longer than I expected it to.
There were only a few critiques I could give myself for the first half of my lesson. I wish I could have switched up the partners the students talked to during the turn-and-talks because it felt like they were talking to the same people for most of the lesson. In order to build-in more opportunities for social interaction, I could have somehow switched the partners up, or shuffled their seating arrangement. I also wish that I would have incorporated more movement into the lesson. They were seated for the majority of the hour, except during transitions. These minor changes would have made the first half of my lesson even more engaging.
Most of my critiques are for the second half of my lesson. There were some structural problems that need to be addressed first. After finishing the read aloud, I gave them too many steps to complete independently. Instead of telling them about the entire activity, I should have given them step by step instructions, or provided a check list for them to follow either on paper in front of them, or on the white board. This would have lessened the confusion that spread throughout most of the students. I was also a little off with my thinking that the third graders would all be able to do the independent work right after our whole group time. Thinking about shades of meaning and generating their own scale was a little too difficult for most of them. This was a mistake on my part, as I just assumed that after we modeled it whole group, that they would be able to do it on their own. To combat this, I should have transitioned the students back to their desks, and we should have done one graphic organizer and one paint chip together as a class. This would have been a very thorough explanation, and they would have learned the process of the activity by doing, instead of by listening to my explanation. Then, I could have given them the remainder to the lesson to do one graphic organizer and one paint chip by themselves. If I would have made these changes, the students would have know exactly what to do, and how to do it.
Another piece of my lesson that may have been more detrimental is giving the student's tools, such as access to their computers, to complete the activity. My intention was to have them use their brains to do the activity, and then reference the word bank I provided, and then use the computers as a last resort. Instead, most of them hopped right onto their laptops, and did not actually think about the activity. While I know there are students in the class that definitely needed those laptops to be successful, and I know that part of UDL is providing all students with the same supports, I wonder if the lesson would have gone better if computers were not an option.During the independent work time, I think I should have stepped in sooner to clarify the directions. I was hoping they would be able to get started, but a lot of them just kind of sat there and looked around. Instead of going student to student, as I planned to, I should have stopped everyone and reiterated the directions to the whole group. At this moment, I should have not stuck to my original plan. I eventually stopped the entire class and reexplained everything, which seemed to help a bit.
A big problem during the second half of my lesson was the presence and input of my CT. She is the SWEETEST lady, but as a teacher she is extremely sassy and critical towards the students. She was out of the room for the first half of my lesson, and just as I started explaining the independent work, she came back to the room, and immediately starting correcting, reprimanding, and yelling at the students. Not only did this distract everyone, it also made me very nervous. I felt like I was managing the class very well until she came in, and then once she started disciplining, I felt like I was not doing a good enough job at classroom management. I felt less like the teacher, and more like the helper, which was stressful and frustrating. I did have control of the class, but after further reflection, I think our difference in style is what made the dynamic difficult to navigate.
During the beginning of the independent work, when the directions needed to be clarified, my CT went around and yelled at the kids for not knowing what they were doing. This made me feel guilty because it really was my fault that they did not know exactly what to do. I also do not believe in publicly shaming students, so that made taking control really difficult. She ultimately had more authority than me, so I felt uncomfortable taking the reigns back from her. I wish I could have told her to let me handle it, but I did not want to come off as controlling, or disrespectful.
The last critique I can give myself was that I never gave any closure to the lesson because we ran out of time, and had to transition to math intervention. I was planning on doing one last whole group discussion about shades of meaning. This was really needed because I feel like some of my students needed the closure in order to completely understand the concepts. Part of this was due to us starting the lesson 15 minutes late, and part of it was due to the independent work taking longer than I expected it to.
Epilogue.
This post was LONG (sorry, Dani!), but much needed in order for me to process everything that happened before, during, and after my lesson. I have to keep reminding myself to stop overanalyzing everything, and that it's pretty commendable that I took this leap as a sophomore and taught a whole group lesson, when I could have easily vouched to teach a small group lesson. The lesson left me feeling charged with all the work that needs to be done to improve my teaching practices, but I do understand that this work will never be done. Teachers continue to grow and evolve, which is one of the many many many reasons I love education, and truly believe it is the perfect field for me.
This post was LONG (sorry, Dani!), but much needed in order for me to process everything that happened before, during, and after my lesson. I have to keep reminding myself to stop overanalyzing everything, and that it's pretty commendable that I took this leap as a sophomore and taught a whole group lesson, when I could have easily vouched to teach a small group lesson. The lesson left me feeling charged with all the work that needs to be done to improve my teaching practices, but I do understand that this work will never be done. Teachers continue to grow and evolve, which is one of the many many many reasons I love education, and truly believe it is the perfect field for me.
Comments
Post a Comment