Reflection 11

Well this last week we have just been planning for teaching the sixth graders and getting that all ready to go. But I also went over the final exam for this class. WOW!!! There is a lot of stuff on there that I didn't know. But looking over the books I have already read this semester it made me think about how if students are just given books to read then they don't really get as much out of the book unless they are given things to look for. I know in college we must try to get all we can out of things. But now I understand why in High school we were given worksheets that go along with the readings. It helps you recall information at that moment and not have to recall at a later time where it would be longer since reading it. So now experiencing how hard it has been to study for this final I will incorporate things to help my students know the information better. And it is true I could have filled out the final exam as I went along but I guess since it is called the final exam it always feels like it is so far away and it will never come. Another lesson learned.

Reflection 10

Teaching Elementary


This past week we were put into groups to form a lesson plan that we will use to teach a sixth grade class here in Provo. We have to teach something that goes along with one of the standards used by the district for 6th graders. At first I thought it would be easy to decide on something because we all seemed to be agreeing on the same ideas. Then after we talked about one idea for a while and seemed to be on track for picking the particular area to focus on, then the criticism and comments started. It was frustrating because some people didn't think that the idea was easy enough for 6th graders and that they wouldn't want to learn it. We sat and argues for a good hour on what we should do. Finally, Geoff came in and gave us an idea and I think most of us were sick of just sitting there going back and forth that we just took the idea and ran with it. So now we are going to teach about innovation and the steps it takes to fix a problem.

After all this back and forth stuff with wondering if the students will want to learn it or not, I have decided that you can teach anyone anything as long as we make it interesting. When I was younger, I would have never asked to learn anything about math or science because that did not interest me at all but I have teachers who made it interesting for me and so when they were teaching it I wasn't thinking I don't want to learn this. I did because they made it that way. I think that as teachers, not every student is going to want to learn everything we teach but that we have to try to get everyone involved in our lesson. That is a big challenge for teachers and I believe if we put forth effort and learn from our mistakes then we will be able to do that.

Reflection 9

This Week......


So we have been assigned to read the last text book for this class. This book have been hard for me to read for the last week. At first it was hard for me to keep all the researches straight and who did what and who found what. But as I kept reading I really liked how the book emphasized how important the teachers are and not just the school. But the teachers can make a difference.

Another thing that stuck out to me was other factors outside the school and the teacher that can affect the students before they even step into the classroom. Such as family life, social economic status and living environment. As I think about my own childhood, I feel very grateful for the family that I was raised in. For 7 years of my young life I was raised in a single parent home where my mom worked two jobs. But I never felt like we were disadvantaged. I am one of the lucky ones who had a parent who encouraged us to do our best even though her situation was hard at the time. She wanted us to have a better life and pushed us to do so. But I know that many kids who could be in my situation or other ones that could be worse don't have that support from their parents or aren't encouraged to do their best.

As a teacher, I will have to recognize that I need to be able to teach and encourage every student no matter what background they may come from. And understand that everyone is different and so their situation. I learn each week that teaching is so much more than just standing up in front of a class and relaying information. It is helping these kids become better and to help them reach their potential, even those who are disadvantaged and don't have support from home.

Reflection 8

Well this week i have been able to watch others as they Teach their STLs. I find it very interesting and I learn a lot about different ways of teaching and how my teaching style is different of similar to others. One thing that was interesting for me was the difference between people who did not do activities to those who did. I think it is is important to have a formal teaching time where information is given in the traditional way where the teacher talks and the students participate either by answering questions or taking notes. But I also believe it is very important to do some sort of activity to bring the information to life.

Like today when Greg was teaching and talking about the pre manufactured homes. I wasn't that interested at first but when we did the activity it made me excited and the activity had a purpose to show how different materials matter when building certain things and it its more efficient to have all the pieces ready to go. I think this really helped his lesson and help us as his students see the point he was trying to get across.

I think activities have their purpose and their place in a class. It shouldn't be all activities but it also shouldn't be all lecture and note taking. It really can help the students enjoy a class more and remember the information taught.