https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d Module 1b, Choice 2 en-us 2022-02-23 13:19:32 UTC 2022-02-23 19:37:22 UTC hello@padlet.com oppers1 https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2062590404 I am a student teacher in a 6^th grade class at Randall Middle School in the Cortland Enlarged City School District. Today it was determined that my first observation has to either be next week (2/7 – 2/11) or the week after (2/14 – 2/18) before the winter break. I am hoping to do it earlier rather than later because I’d like to get it done with and receive feedback so that I can plan and apply changes to future teaching as soon as possible. I know that regardless of which week/day I record my first observation, it will be during a math class because next week I start teaching both math classes by myself. This is relieving because math is the subject I am most comfortable with. My CT, Molly, has been great with letting me teach and giving me feedback after class. Since she knows the students best, she sometimes co-teaches with me to show the students another method that some students understand better. We actually co-teach successfully together. ]]> 2022-02-23 13:39:06 UTC https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2062590404 oppers1 https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063250266 My observation will have to be next week (2/14 – 2/18) because I just discovered that I need to have release forms signed by the students’ parents/guardians in order to legally record the students. After talking to the principal of the school, the release form is something New Paltz has to provide, so I just have to wait for my supervisor to send it to me and then I or my CT can make copies to give to the students. I am also preparing a letter to the parents/guardians to introduce myself as the student teacher in their child’s classroom. I just hope that the students actually give their parents/guardians the release forms to sign and remember to bring them back to school in the next few days so that I am not left to postpone my observation. Now that I know the week that I will be recording my first observation, I can determine which day it will be based on the content that has to be taught each day. I want to make sure that the material is engaging for both the students and me so that watching the observation is also (hopefully) engaging. ]]> 2022-02-23 19:23:51 UTC https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063250266 oppers1 https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063254890 I gave out the release forms and letters to the students today. As long as a majority of them get the forms signed by their parents/guardians in the next week, I should be able to record my first observation on Thursday, February 17^th. Molly has given the students an incentive to bring the signed release forms back tomorrow by offering them the opportunity to choose something from her prize box if they return the slip the next day. I hope a good number of students actually take advantage of this incentive because having a majority of the student release forms is my biggest concern right now. Since there are two classes that are taught by the same two teachers (one for math and science and the other for ELA and social studies) and they switch during the day, if half of the students in each class bring in the signed release form, we can switch the students’ math and ELA classes for the day without any student missing instruction. I am hoping to not have to do this because each class has their established dynamic, but I am relieved that there is an alternative if needed. ]]> 2022-02-23 19:26:31 UTC https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063254890 oppers1 https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063259479 The lesson I will be teaching is titled “Lesson 19: Substituting to Evaluate Addition and Subtraction Expressions” and is the second lesson about the same topic. I think that will be a good thing because the students will have already had some experience and practice with the topic before Thursday. Most of the students in the second math class (the class I will be recording for my observation) have returned the release form, which allows me to focus more fully on preparing for the lesson. Because the district I am in has a set curriculum that they follow, the lesson is laid out for me in the workbook. My preparation for the lesson and observation includes preparing problems for the morning warm-up, which are problems that review past topics. The topic that several students have struggled with recently is the distributive property, so the warm-up problems that I create (called “Number Talks”) include problems on factoring and expanding expressions using the GCF and distributive property. From the warm-up, we will dive into the lesson itself. I make sure that I have gone through the lesson, acquainted myself with all of the information, and answered all of the questions well ahead of time so that I understand the lesson in the ways that I expect my students to. By the time I teach the lesson, there is nothing to surprise me, except student responses. The lesson will be a discussion between the students and me instead of a lecture, because student input and engagement is of utmost importance in learning. I will do some problems, we will do some together, and then they will do some alone so that I can teach them through the use of Gradual Release of Responsibility. After the whole-class 30-40 minute lesson, the students will be broken up into pairs to work on problems in the book together. Some students will be pulled for Tier-2 small groups so that they can receive more focused instruction on the material. I will monitor the students who are in the pairs to make sure they are on task, offer assistance, and check their answers and work to ensure their understanding.   ]]> 2022-02-23 19:29:23 UTC https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063259479 oppers1 https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063268438 My first observation was today during the second math class of the day, which is also the last academic class of the day. Only one student from that class did not have the release form, so he was placed in the other class for math and ELA. I went into the observation nervous, not because of the observation, but because the students in the first math class were misbehaved and I was afraid that the second class would be just as misbehaved. Thankfully, the second class was very calm and focused, though they were quieter than usual, probably because they were very aware of the recording that was in progress. I am hoping that the next time I record an observation, both the students and I are more comfortable. The observation, in my opinion, was successful, and I felt proud of myself once it ended. There are some things that I definitely need to improve in my teaching, but I think that I started in a good place. I need to work on my classroom management because the students are not always responsive to the same management attempts. Sometimes all I have to do is ask them to settle down, other times I have to threaten to or actually take time away from recess, and other times they need an incentive to settle down. I just need more tools, which I am confident I will gain more of in the weeks ahead. I also want to make math class more engaging with activities, something else I have to learn more about. Most of the students dislike math and are vocal about their dislike, but I want to find a way to make math fun. I have to see if I can find a way to do that while keeping with the carefully planned curriculum.  ]]> 2022-02-23 19:34:39 UTC https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063268438 oppers1 https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063269268 My supervisor, Professor Giglietta, and I briefly discussed my observation earlier today. She said that I did a great job for my first observation, which is wonderful to hear because I feel like I did a good job. I don’t always feel confident after being observed doing something, but I did last Thursday. There were some main points that she observed that I have to work on for my next observation. The main one was that I have to be more of a teacher and less of a facilitator. Because of my nervousness and my students’ sudden reluctance to respond, I ended up talking more during the lesson than intended. Usually the students are more vocal and I intend to make sure that I ask them for responses and engagement going forward so that mine is not the main or only voice. The other point was that I needed an ending place for my observation, complete with some assessment. The lesson in the observation just ended, even though the class did not end. The students broke into pairs and went into their Tier-2 small groups, and I monitored and helped them from there. If I decide to put them in pairs for my next observation, I will bring the iPad around with me so that Professor Giglietta can view how the lesson continues and ultimately ends. If I do not separate them into groups, I might have them complete an exit ticket as a form of assessment so that she can see that natural end.    ]]> 2022-02-23 19:34:57 UTC https://padlet.com/oppers1/mu3646u9wk0gnt4d/wish/2063269268