...another taping of me teaching. It was okay I guess. I'm still saying "okay" at the end of almost every sentence! One student was absent the day I recorded so I am only teaching to one student. The lesson was effective - notes and practice on arithmetic (not the easiest word to say 50 times in an hour by the way...) sequences and series. However, it definitely wasn't interesting and I wasn't very energetic. It would have been helpful to vary up the activities a little more. One thing I think I have been doing well is asking questions. I always have the students explain why they give me a certain answer. Through my questions I have the students discover math.
It will be hard to adjust to having 30-35 students as opposed to 2. I will probably spend most of the period walking around the room and keeping an eye on all of the students. There are so many benefits to building in independent work for the students. It will definitely help me with informal assessments and give me a break from lecturing from the front of the room. I just have to be careful not to spend too much time helping one student or one group. I need to expect the students to be able to learn without me looking over their shoulder the whole time.
featuring...yours truly haha
I hate watching myself on video, but it is helpful to see the areas where I need to improve. I taped my "Intro to Algebra" lesson and in the middle of explaining variables, I realized I had confused myself. My kids tried to understand the muddy picture I painted for them, but I am sure it was not easy to see. One thing that really bothered me was the "okay?" or "alright?" I added to the end of every sentence. Hopefully now I'll be more conscious of this.
I absolutely hate closing. I see the importance of summarizing what was learned during the period, but I just have a mental block against actually doing it. At first, I simply didn't pay attention to the time and the bell rang before I even thought to close. However, by the time I taped this lesson I knew when there were 5 or 6 minutes left in the period and I refused to pause the procedures and start my closure. I know this won't pass when I am being formally evaluated so I guess I'm going to have to find some way to break down the blockade at T-5.
