My team teacher, Elizabeth, has been an attentive, helpful mentor this July. Three things she persistently teaches me are:
1.) to keep up with my warnings. I received this tip on nearly all my informal evals, and it caught up with me on formal eval #3. Finally, today, I cracked down in the beginning minutes of class and listed names on the board, and it made a HUGE difference. As a result, today was one of my most enjoyable classes to teach of the whole summer. Issuing more than one warning and not giving a deserved writing assignment, or worse, actually issuing a writing assignment verbally, then not issuing it physically, make me feel sick. So, I think I finally accepted Mrs. Y's advice for what it was worth: pure gold.
2.) to use Q & A within the instructional and modeling time-frame is not only unnecessary, but counter-productive. For instance, 5 minutes of pure instructin, followed by guided or group practice, is usually best. I am so inclined to teach by asking students questions, when really what they need is to be TAUGHT first of all, less they'll feel stupid when I ask them to tell me something I haven't taught them. My most effective lessons are marked by the clarity of my instructional time; my haphazard, too-packed, stressful lessons usually involve me catapulting clumsily into questioning strategies prematurely. Best to hold my horses for just a bit! It's true, when I think about it: my favorite teachers TAUGHT me something. They TALKED. They gave me CONTENT, substance, to work from. They didn't rely on me (as a student) to give awhat meager amount I had as the basis of the lesson.
3.) to integrate state testing questions, for bellringers and formal evaluation material. This is actually pretty easy, plus it wil warm students up to the test, so that they don't clam up when it's in front of them. The more used to it they get, the better I am serving them as their teacher! (though I will sawy, some of those questions even perplex me.)
July has been such a month of growth. I could write more here. I cannot wait to apply what I have learned in August. I am nervous for breaking into the schoolyear, but endlessly excited about getting into the swing of things. Today was such a great day of teaching, and I really do believe it was on account of lesson #1 (listed above).
1.) to keep up with my warnings. I received this tip on nearly all my informal evals, and it caught up with me on formal eval #3. Finally, today, I cracked down in the beginning minutes of class and listed names on the board, and it made a HUGE difference. As a result, today was one of my most enjoyable classes to teach of the whole summer. Issuing more than one warning and not giving a deserved writing assignment, or worse, actually issuing a writing assignment verbally, then not issuing it physically, make me feel sick. So, I think I finally accepted Mrs. Y's advice for what it was worth: pure gold.
2.) to use Q & A within the instructional and modeling time-frame is not only unnecessary, but counter-productive. For instance, 5 minutes of pure instructin, followed by guided or group practice, is usually best. I am so inclined to teach by asking students questions, when really what they need is to be TAUGHT first of all, less they'll feel stupid when I ask them to tell me something I haven't taught them. My most effective lessons are marked by the clarity of my instructional time; my haphazard, too-packed, stressful lessons usually involve me catapulting clumsily into questioning strategies prematurely. Best to hold my horses for just a bit! It's true, when I think about it: my favorite teachers TAUGHT me something. They TALKED. They gave me CONTENT, substance, to work from. They didn't rely on me (as a student) to give awhat meager amount I had as the basis of the lesson.
3.) to integrate state testing questions, for bellringers and formal evaluation material. This is actually pretty easy, plus it wil warm students up to the test, so that they don't clam up when it's in front of them. The more used to it they get, the better I am serving them as their teacher! (though I will sawy, some of those questions even perplex me.)
July has been such a month of growth. I could write more here. I cannot wait to apply what I have learned in August. I am nervous for breaking into the schoolyear, but endlessly excited about getting into the swing of things. Today was such a great day of teaching, and I really do believe it was on account of lesson #1 (listed above).
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