Online Reflection #1: Getting to Know My Students

This semester is starting out like most other semesters in the education program for me; I am beginning a new placement at a new school, I am getting to know a new CT and students, and am preparing a unit to teach entirely on my own! 

To begin the semester, my CT is gradually allowing me the opportunity to work with students which allows them to become more comfortable with me and get to know me, while at the same time seeing how I teach and allowing me to better understand the students and the classroom environment she has already created. She began by having me take over the bell work activities that begin each class. Each afternoon before I leave, I pose two philosophical questions/statements (one for English 2 and another for Honors English 2) for students to respond to when they enter the classroom. This has been a challenge for me at times, but has also been a great way for me to get know the students. It has allowed me to interact with students at the beginning of each class period, and because of this I feel as though I am getting to know more about each student so I can have an idea of what to expect when I begin teaching full lessons. It has also helped me become more comfortable around students and I have begun forming habits for when I will take control of the entire class.

After bell work, my CT has been taking control of the class while I observe her teaching styles, see how students respond, and occasionally answer students’ questions. There has been several student-led small group discussions where students review their study guide questions together and my CT gives points for the number of times a student contributes to the discussion (Smagorinsky 42). The students respond well to this, as it gives them a chance to discuss their ideas with a group before coming together as a class and reviewing the information. 

When the students have talked about all or most of the questions from their study guide, usually after about 10 minutes, my CT will call the class back to order and begin discussing the importance of each question with the class as a whole. This usually consists of her going through each question and explaining the answer in more detail. While this is happening, some students will add to their own answers while others sit back and listen. 

Although I have not had an opportunity to teach a mini or full lesson to a class just yet, I am beginning to prepare a mini lesson with the help of my CT so that students will continue gaining that confidence when I am in charge. This will also serve as a good practice for me so that I can gain a better insight to how students respond outside of bell work and small group discussions. I look forward to this opportunity this week and am hoping for the best!

Genre Reflection #2: Learning

I learned how to read from my parents.

I learned how to write from my teachers.

I learned how to express myself from my peers.

I teach how to write by demonstrating.

I teach how to read by speaking.

I teach how to express by listening.

Learning is a process.

Learning is not a one-speed process.

Learning takes time.

Teaching students is a process.

Teaching students takes hours of preparation.

Teaching students is one of the greatest rewards I have experienced.

One does not teach without learning.

One does not learn without guidance.

One does not grow without understanding.

I have taught my students.

I have learned from my students.

I have grown because of my students.

Online Reflection #3: Knowing When Students Are Learning

As the semester begins to wrap up, I am feeling the pressure to make sure that my students learn as much information as possible. Being in a Language! class, I am able to see their progress and mastery of concepts more easily than if I were in another English class. One concept that I continue struggling with is: how do I get my students more engaged in the lessons and not just read the information to them?

During my lessons, my CT has been helpful in showing me how to get the students more engaged in the lessons. I have developed a tendency to take total control of the activities, and my CT has been helpful in keeping the lessons student focused. 

While I plan my lessons, I think about what information is going to be most beneficial to the students, and how I will know they are understanding the concepts. Since the lessons come pre-made through the Language! Program, my job has become manipulating the slides to fit the needs of the students and to maximize the amount learned. This is more difficult than I had realized, trying to redesign the lessons to promote maximum learning in the students (250). Using the SmartBoard, I have been able to bring students to the front of the class and manipulate the slides, thus increasing retention by ensuring that each student is following along in their text and getting the most out of the day’s lesson.

This semester has been one of the most difficult in my career as a student. I have not mastered how to get concepts across to students, or how to tell when students understand concepts. I have learned that while I am leading a class, I can come across as monotone or unsure of myself. My CT this semester has been great about trying to help me break out of my shell and explore new strategies while I plan my lessons. I am learning when students need the physical act of writing things in their workbooks, versus the interaction of being at the Smartboard and manipulating activities as a group rather than individually. This is beneficial when I review concepts, as well as introduce new ones to students. By knowing when students understand, I can tell when they are ready to move forward as a class.

Bomer, Randy. "Teaching Toward Participation in Digital Culture." Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print.

KATE Conference: Learning from Professionals & Finding New Techniques

The first day of the KATE Conference went better than I had anticipated. When I first learned about the conference, I was somewhat turned-off about walking around to tables and listening to people reflect on their experiences as teachers. However, after the first few sessions, I became excited to implement things into a practice of my own.

In the session The Power of Discourse: Engaging Students by Activating Their Voices, I received several suggestions for how to implement student voices into class lessons. One suggestion that I found interesting was how to help students move to critical analysis of a text in class. The presenter suggested to have students discuss opinions of their interpretation of the text and move towards a more critical understanding. By allowing students to discuss their ideas, they gain valuable insights into others perspectives and learn how to hold discussions about differentiating view points.

Another session I attended was called Making It Stick: Communication. During this session, I learned different strategies that help students recall information from class. The presenters said that presentations/ lessons had to be memorable so that they stick with students after class, and they also stated that statistics turn students off to the lesson. These are not memorable, and students see these as boring and often forget them quickly. Another key concept is remembering teachers Curse of Knowledge. As a teacher, although we may find concepts simple, we must remember that students are only just being introduced to these concepts. This makes it difficult for teachers to simplify information, since we are "removed from the state of ignorance".

On Friday, I attended a session called "Control & Conquer Your Classroom". During this session, the presenters emphasized being proactive in the classroom- nobody's perfect and we will get 2nd chances. They stated that "kid's don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Teachers should not be feared, but seen as allies. When students know that they are valued, they "will walk through fire" for teachers. I also learned that without student/teacher relationships, the classroom will rebel. As teachers, we can no longer assume students know how to behave at school- they must be taught the proper behaviors. When we teach students behaviors in at the beginning of the year, we must also show students the wrong behaviors- this prevents students having any grey areas. 

Overall, this experience was a great chance for me to learn some new techniques and teaching styles. I am excited to implement the new techniques in the classroom and see them put to work!

Genre Reflection #1: My Time

I am sitting alone in the back of the classroom.

I am sitting alone, with no space of my own.

I am sitting alone, unable to make connections.

I am sitting alone, struggling to find my own place.

Will I ever feel welcomed?

Will there be a day when I can take total control?

Will anyone take me seriously?

Will they participate?

Will they stare off into space and fail to provide even monotone responses?

When I take charge, everything will work perfectly!

When I take charge, not one pupil will respond.

When I take charge, each student will demonstrate enthusiasm in participation.

When I take charge, no one will approach the board.

This is my time!

This is my chance to prove that I can be a teacher!

This is my opportunity to create lessons that students will remember!

This is my interval to capture the students and change the world!

This is my time to make a difference.

Lesson #1: T2 Language! Linguists!

As I continue my observations, I have had the opportunity to teach pieces of lessons. Although I was incredibly nervous, and for some time was convinced that this was not the career meant for me, I have come to learn from this experience and am working diligently to improve my teaching style, and learn from my CT.

In my placement, the freshmen class is a T2 Language! course where the main focus is on grammar and sentence structure. As described in chapter 15 of Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classroom by Bomer, this class feels more "like a battle between races, generations, and levels of privilege" (266). Although the course has a strict outline that is meant to be followed by teachers, my CT has noted what her students struggle with the most based on their placement exams prior to high school, and will often tweak steps based on what her students need more focus on during class.

When I took my place in front of the class for my lesson, I could feel my nerves getting the best of me, and it wasn't long before I was stumbling over the material and hiding behind the podium, hoping to disappear as I realized how confusing I was sounding to the students. It did not take long before my CT jumped in and took control of the class, hoping to salvage the lesson that I had bombed.

As I work to plan my next unit with my CT, I plan to print out the slides prior to class beginning, allowing myself a quick reference of upcoming slides if my nerves kick in and I begin forgetting what is coming up in the lesson. This happened during my first lesson, and I jumped forward to a point that I was not ready for with the students, thinking for some unfathomable reason that it had been left off the slides.

I hope that my future lessons will be more successful and that I can regain my confidence in myself that was shattered during this first lesson attempt of the semester. I hope that with more work and communication with my CT and US, I will be successful with my lessons in the future, and will learn from this experience, rather than live in remorse from it.



Works Cited:
Bomer, R. (2011). "Making More of Grammar: Studying Language Like Linguists". Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classroom (pp. 265-278). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.