So in AEE 412 Lab on Wednesday, we had quite a variety of "first day of school" lessons. Personally, I really enjoyed seeing other people's introductory methods, classroom management expectations (and how they were shared), as well as how people handled classroom management issues.
For my intro lesson, we were entering (on our first day of school) the wildlife unit of a natural resources class. While this may not always happen on the first day of school, I was thankful for the chance to practice at least the interest approach of an ACTUAL unit I will be teaching in the spring!
So here's how it happened:
~everyone came in (shaking hands with the teacher) to the sound of some pump up music
~bell work (intro questions) was done individually
~students were asked to share their interest in the class
~we led into classroom management - expectations, procedures, and consequences
~given time, would have played our name game
~jumped into the "draw any wildlife" interest approach to the new unit
This was all wonderful practice for 1) teaching the unit in the spring, 2) planning out an engaging and memorable first (exciting) day of class, 3) learning how to manage student problems (i.e. Annette... see below).
I learned that, from the difficulties some of my "role playing" students gave me, I should always be prepared to address individual student needs/issues and I should know my students' backgrounds before getting in front of the class (I didn't look over the so wonderfully provided "role playing" chart, indicating the roles my "students" were playing). For example, Annette was asked to be the "likes to share" student and was very much open and talkative (something Todd later told me fits my personality well.. so you would think I would know how to handle it!) and somewhat distracting from the lesson. So, next time I will funnel her sharing energy to helping other students who may need it or being active in the lesson (i.e. my board writer) so she is more engaged and less able to distract the class.
Additionally, I was not that comfortable with my transitions, so I realized I should consider those a bit more when planning a lesson.
A general concept I learned is that WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER and my fellow student teachers had great ideas that I will definitely use in my planning :) Some ideas were - Emily's fill in the blank classroom management policy sheet with a contract/signature at the bottom! Great accountability for the students!!
Thanks guys!! Let's keep the ball moving and the wood pile growing! Excited for next week's lab!!
Allison,
ReplyDeleteYou sure had a tricky class to handle. Annette has acting skills that I could only dream of (I wish I could tag her right now)! But like Todd said, it's probably good for you! haha Even if you felt like your transitions were a little rough, as a student, I did not notice...so that's good! Keep up the good work! :)
Todd hit the nail on the head when he described you as that Allison. I mean that in a good way of course, because like you said we are all in this together, and each share skills that will produce an amazing cohort of teachers. I really enjoyed your layout of what you did during this lab, because it helped me to understand what went on in the presentation. I think finding solutions to the problems we face is the hardest thing, but it seems you are already using our vast cohort knowledge to figure it out! We can only become better with practice, so don't worry about the transitions, they will become better with time.
ReplyDeleteAllison!
ReplyDeleteEven though you had some classroom management issues you did a great job with your first day of class. I think that the music was a great idea. Students are always trying to figure out the best way to hide their headphones in their hoodies so they can listen to music at school. So coming to the Ag room, even if its to listen to music is a great way to get more students.
You are completely right, we are all in this together! I believe that is becoming even more evident every day! Together we are going to be an awesome group of teachers! We each have so much to bring to the table individually, and these labs are helping us to see how we can take our ideas and others and really reach new heights!
ReplyDeleteAllison,
ReplyDeleteIt was really fun trying to manage the different personalities of our students during the first lab.
I think music and bell work are both good ideas. Music provides a more comfortable learning environment and the bell work will help prevent them from being distracted.
I know you read the book "Teach Like A Pirate", like me. He talks about actually connecting with your students, beyond the classroom. You mentioned that, and it is something I also think is important.
As for Emily's fill in the blank thing, that is a really good idea. One I might implement in my class.
First off, I like how your blog has stuff in it from CR!!! We love you in the cohort! Emily's "contract" thing sounds cool, ill have to check that out. Also, your draw the wildlife interest approach is neat. Difficult students is a part I struggled with as well because I am so used to students being atleast exceptable but it is hard when they are all off the hook. I cant wait to smash cell phones in my freshman classes to teach them that they need to keep their phones away!
ReplyDelete