Probability Lesson &
University Supervisor's Observation
Reading Tutor Lessons
Apple Fraction Story and Math Centers
Videotape of the Lesson &
University Supervisor's Observation
Solids and Liquids Lesson &
University Supervisor's Observation
Science Circus on Electricity
First Grade Science Seed Lesson

Throughout my experience in the School of Education I have developed my ability to teach. In all of the curriculum courses, I learned how to plan lessons that focus on specific and explicit learning objectives. I also ensured that I was prepared to teach the class by having my materials ready and organized for the day to eliminate distractions for students during transitions. One particular lesson that involved a lot of materials that had to be set up prior to instruction was a math lesson on probability. Students were heavily engaged in hands on learning centers that involved a variety of manipulatives, including foam animals, and colored cubes, as well as hand outs, pencils, and crayons. I modeled lesson activities while giving directions and provided directions of how students would know to rotate and which way to rotate. My supervisor’s observation of the lesson indicates that I was good at communicating with my students and was able to break concepts down and use terms that they could comprehend, which is essential for effective teaching.

During my experience, I also learned ways to provide for individual differences in learning styles in order to engage students in learning. Through my Language Arts and Reading Curriculum and Instruction course, I became a tutor to one of the struggling readers in my class. I worked to plan instructional reading and writing activities that kept him engaged and interested in reading a variety of texts.

Providing students with motivational strategies to promote learning is another important skill that I developed during my teaching experiences. In order to keep students working on task, following the rules, and participating in classroom activities, I used a system of rewards. Students each have a shape on the classroom door that has their name or picture on it. The shapes are sticker charts, and students are given stickers for returning their Monday folders on Tuesday morning, filling out baggie book sheets correctly, following directions, and behaving in resources and the cafeteria.

   

Students are also motivated by the work of the week bulletin board that I put up to display selections of student work.  Additionally, students are motivated to behave by the daily colored dots that are recorded in their agendas for parents to sign.  At the end of the week, students who were on green all week are entered into a random name picker drawing for prizes.

My student teaching experience gave me many opportunities to provide students with learner-centered activities. Through the use of language arts, math, and science centers, I provided my students with a variety of lessons that gave them multiple opportunities to respond to tasks and maintained their interest. One particular lesson that involves active learning was a lesson on fractions. This lesson involved a read aloud story called Apple Fractions, a whole group lesson on fractions, and centers focused on various fraction activities. My supervisor's observation shows that she recognized my skill at planning and delivering this lesson when she viewed the videotape.  The tape of the lesson also provides insight on how I provide multiple opportunities for students to respond to questions and participate in the lesson.

Through my Science Curriculum and Instruction course, I was taught to use a variety of of teaching strategies in the classroom. With questioning strategies, I learned to guide students through creating and testing their own hypothesis. The Science Circus on electricity used with a fourth grade classroom is a good example of how students were given materials, asked to make predictions, and record observations. Additionally, students in my first grade class also worked to use inquiry based learning with activities in their matter unit. Students conducted experiments by mixing solids and liquids to see if the matter would dissolve. This was my first formal observation by my university supervisor and the notes I received regarding planning rotations and clarifying directions for when and how to predict by modeling helped me improve my teaching abilities.

Finally, I worked to monitor student learning. When introducing and teaching a lesson, I constantly ask my students questions about the topic. I use questions to gauge student understanding and to review material at the end of a lesson. One lesson that I taught that focused heavily on questioning and monitoring was a lesson on seed sorting and dissection. Students were given a small cup of seed and had the task of sorting the seeds into groups based on the seeds’ attributes. While students sorted their seeds, I walked around the room to ask students how they were sorting their seeds and why. By checking for student understanding, I was able to see that the majority of the class was able to sort their seeds by the type of plant it came from, by the shape of the seed, or by the color of the seed.