WEEK 2 of BLOCK - 4

THIS WEEK I:

• Taught 3 out of the 4 classes in my timetable for the entire week.
• Strengthened my relationship with all my students through interaction in class.
• Had time to review where I am at currently in terms of teaching practice and my own performance – STRENGTHS/LIMTATIONS/CHALLENEGES/STILL DEVELOPING.
• Continued to get to know the school and its values and integrated this into my educational philosophy.
  • Integrated into the school’s values and mission well.
• Attended/observed some Parent-Teacher Conversations.
• Focus on continuing to build rapport but at the same time this week more content focused with me managing the classroom and learning environment.

 

THIS WEEK I LEARNT:

Current Strengths

• Thorough planning for lessons and logical sequencing of content and activity – building up students for success (values and process underpinned in Backward Design / Understand by Design planning framework...
• Clear instructions to articulate expectations and requirement for lessons.
• Continued use of my ‘teacher voice’.
• Balance between authority and social responsibility of my students.
• I easily build rapport and make relationships/connections with my students
• Setting up a classroom (roughly first 10 minutes) to ensure student have success…. This is seen as an important [at of my schools context] and the student require this.
• Seeking to learn and know about students, their interests and how they learn in order to inform my planning and my teaching practices.
• Providing student with the WHY we are doing this, rather than just here is a directive, go do it.
• Explanation in a simple, clear, understandable way for different students and their levels.
• Developing my own classroom management style – hands up to show me you have completed directive.
• Use of whiteboard, to illustrate and backup my spoken instruction. – Clear and effective, neat and legible hand writing
• I am flexible and patient in dealing with the students and what goes on in the classroom.
• I understand that students have other stuff going in outside of school.
• My values surround setting student up for great achievement and success, this comes out through my classes.
• Time managing – setting limits for myself and for students to ensure we finish on time and compete all required tasks.
• Closure and conclusion to lesson to bring all themes and task together to show the common purpose and goals.
• Follow through – taking feedback and actioning to improve my practice and the experience that my students have within the classroom
• Clear and understandable questions provided for student to answer.
• Active position in the class, moving around, chatting and helping as required.
• Learning is a journey, I let students know where they are headed and where have been – link it all together.
• I use a variety of teaching strategies and instructional methods for student success and understanding.
  • Learning intentions at the start of class – what are we doing today?
  • Debrief/Recap – what did we do yesterday
  • Connecting to prior knowledge of students.
  • Make it transferable to other experience they have had in my classes, other subject and the outside world.
    • Real-life transference.
  • Repetition
  • Hands up
  • Clarification – verbal, written, one on one and via handouts.
  • Time limits – you have XXX time for this, counts down, plan on board so students know.
  • Facilitate learning – not just giving student’s answers.
  • WHY ARE WE DOING THINGS? – Questions – this is facilitating the learning and not just providing students learning.

 
Still Developing Areas

• I feel my beginning of class recaps could be stronger in order to be more effective and debrief what happened yesterday to lead in the next lesson’s work/assessment.
• I would like to get better at following up student work and not just letting it pass by the due dates.
• Need to work more with performance standards and my own understanding of them.
• Need clarification on what I can and cannot do in the drafting process.
• Knowing, if I am doing too much and expecting too much of my students – especially in Year 8 and 9.

 
New Experiences

• Opening up assessment criteria with students in order to aid there success.
• Starting in the class and then not being able to use planned activities sequence because I gauged where student are up to – they were not quiet finished, so I let them continue and then came up with an activity that is suitable with the same purpose as what was planned. Thinking on my toes, new experience but worthwhile to add to my abilities.

 
Parent Teacher Conversations
The general structure for a parent-teacher conversation used by a couple of my mentors is.

• Grades
• Performance Standards
• Show work
• Challenges
• Journey
• Any questions/comments

 
Conversations may not always focus on all of these aspects depending on the students. It is also noted that even if there are negative aspect to feedback, feedback is completed and given in a structured, positive and constructive way.
 
Teaching Standards
Reflection on Teaching Standards is presented within the Teaching Standards Tab Area (LINK HERE) – uploaded after completion of placement and documented in notebook.
 
 
NEXT WEEK I WILL:

•  Add an additional class / Year 9 Home Economics, setting girls up for practical.
• Start to develop ways to move those still developing skills to developed skills.
• Mark assessessements for 8/9 Religion, 11 Child Studies and 9 Home Ec.
• Beginning preparing final report comments and liaising with Mentor Teachers.