This has been a very productive week. I've started offically teaching and I feel very comfortable in front of my classes. I'm getting to the students and I'm learning a lot about them. It's weird that I feel so different between my second week at my first placement and my second week at my second placement. I feel like my lesson plans are very solid and I think I'm better at differentiated instruction now too.
One thing that I am still worried about is classroom management because I have two classes where I have more disruptive behavior - yelling out or just not doing work. And this reminds me - what do you do with students who do nothing?
My biggest lesson has been planning and teaching for 50 minutes. I was very accustomed to having block scheduling. In the block, I had tons of time to open with a fun activity, to teach, to explore, to push farther, and to close. However, this is pretty much impossible with 50 minutes. But then I realized that the students are used to having assignments run over into the next day. I've also gotten used to working up to the bell.
The other huge difference is the level of students' knowledge. At Gettysburg I had a more "advanced" class and an IEP class, but their levels of learning weren't completely different - the IEP class just needed scaffolding and more instruction. However, I have three classes of 9th graders and I almost have to make a different lesson plan for the one class because they are at a very low level compared to the other two classes. So, I've learned a lot already about how to change lesson plans on my feet.
Overall, I'm still learning! And I'm enjoying the hunting, fourwheeling, and "twang" conversations. (Side note - "Twang" is a club where they all go to listen to country music and line dance - very cool... or so I'm told.)
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Jenna,
ReplyDeleteTwang (full name Tractor Twang) is a fun place. I've been there several times. As for the students who do nothing that is hard but here is my suggestion for dealing with them. I had a problem like this at my 1st placement. I think you should pull them aside and talk to them. Explain that you want them to participate and that you want them to succeed. Ask if there is a reason they aren't doing their work and try to find out if something is going on, or if they just don't want to do it. Unfortunately, nothing you do will get every single student to particpate and do their work. Some never really will. You're right about 50 minute lesson plans ... it is hard to plan for them in terms of having a very completed "lesson plan" lesson. You learn to adapt quickly. Good luck next week. Glad to hear things are going well.