Reflecting has never been easy for me because it provides a daunting opportunity for me to come face to face with my mistakes. I must say that upon introspect of my lesson plan, I felt that I did not do my best in terms of my executing the lesson. I had all these great ideas and even a back up plan if in case the first idea was not feasible, but I can only think that I wanted too much.
One of my weaknesses as I so rightfully noted was that my transition management is inadequate. I constantly wonder “how do I get the lesson to flow?” This was one of the major concerns I had after I had planned the lesson and I was trying to teach it to thin air before I actually taught it in the classroom. I tried to replay the lesson o many times in my head but I could never get it right, and I think my visualizing skills are kind of off.
Moreover, I consider that I don’t know when to stop. I put in too much content as well as activities that I would like the students to achieve. I think I have too many ideas and I should try to stretch them out in an effort to prevent student burn out.
Also, I think the time which I took to set up was too long but that in all wasn’t totally my fault, but I do take responsibility for it. In addition, I felt that the lesson was too long because I had originally planned for forty (40) minutes and a as result I had to reduce the lesson and the activities.
Likewise, I suppose I am too much of a perfectionist and I like to go by the book. I have a real problem trying to be flexible and I do not take into account the interruptions and minor delays. I came across this a few times in the lesson and I could not think of alternatives for these mishaps. I think I was more shocked that it happened because I did not take that into account. Also, I had a problem trying to incorporate both the reading and writing connection. It took me awhile to put to figure it out only to realize that the students were reading and writing even without those set activities.
Despite my pessimistic notions of the lesson, I must admit that I was excited to teach my lesson. I believe I had some authentic learning experiences in which the students were able to construct their own knowledge. Also I was proud of the fact that I was able to incorporate pre, during and post reading and writing activities, as this was usually a difficult thing for me since I was never really aware of its existence, and I believe that these assisted the students in making a connection with the material in the lesson.
Furthermore, I presume that one of my strengths was the fact that I prepared back up materials. Although I had heard it many times and I tried to avert it, I came to the realization that wit technology something always goes wrong, even if you plan in advance, and I still planned in advance regardless. In addition, I was able to formulate a strategy which would help me in assisting my students. It was the use of the coloured pens to indicate whether or not they needed help or clarification. I was delighted with myself for trying such a management technique as one of my problems was classroom management. Moreover, I was elated because I had spent countless days organizing my lesson and to see it put down on paper was magical and I know tht I can produce some really good lessons in the future.
Equally important is the fact that I suppose there are things that I would have done in an effort to make the lesson more effective. Firstly, I would have prepared the classroom a day in advance and then the morning of the lesson I would have come in extremely early to ensure that everything was working properly and that there were no glitches and everything was running smoothly. Secondly, I would condense my objectives and focus on one from each of the domains because I think the students had too much to cover in such as short space of time. Also, I would use the blackboard a little more in an effort to get the students to fully connect with the lesson rather than many handouts. Moreover, I would shorten the video clipping and give students homework to complete the tasks, as well as let them write in their interactive journals at home because there is not enough time allotted to the period. In addition, I would let the students create the brochure by hand which was my original plan because there is always a mishap with technology.
Charlie Batch noted that “Proper preparation prevents poor performance”, but I don’t think that it solely has to do with preparation. I believe that teachers, especially I, should be able to adapt because most times a plan will not be seen through in its entirety. I have to learn to be more flexible and be conscious of the fact that not everyone is at the same level, therefore I need to have the right amount of objectives which can be achieved in the right amount of time allotted for the lesson. I’m still trying to work out those kinks but eventually I think I will get the hang of it.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
GET RID OF THE ZOMBIE SYNDROME
QUOTE:
"We must ensure that students are not merely physically present, coasting from class to class in an unspoken agreement with adults to behave as long as the challenge remains low." p. 382
REFELECTION
Get rid of the “zombie syndrome”. Our jobs as teachers in a perfect world should be easy and stress free, however this is not the case. We do not live in a perfect world and as a result, we are faced with a myriad of personalities and can never use the same approach to teach. Students should be able to respond, react and interact with the material presented to them. They should not however be subject to robotic treatment which is monotonous and a bore. We as teachers should actively engage students in tasks which will encourage them to challenge and not just accept the concepts and information presented to them. It appears that the students have been trained in an authoritarian system where all teachers assume the role of dictator. With this attitude we as teachers are not forced to work and therefore the students are not forced to learn or even think critically.
GROUP REFELECTION
After reading the chapter, and discovering various comprehension strategies, we noted that as teachers we had only employed a few within our classrooms. We did not realize that there were so many strategies, and as a result came to the conclusion that we might have failed our students unconsciously.
We could only defend the fact that we only remembered tapping into students’ prior knowledge because we somehow felt it necessary to do so for specific topics, as well as allow them to make predictions and ask questions. We were unaware of these practices, and to top off the cake with icing we were never really given directives as to how to perform certain tasks.
We allowed them to visualize, ask questions and make connections by asking them to draw or dramatize a particular aspect of a play or novel we were studying and they would mot frequently transpose it into their everyday situations. We always provided opportunities for practice and gave demonstrations although at times we were scolded for it.
Furthermore, we believe that although we tried, we did not try hard enough. We have considered the fact that we all need to employ new teaching strategies and attempt to incorporate all the cognitive processes to enable our students to be better strategic readers and writers. As much as we suppose we have failed the students, we think that other teachers have done the same in this regard, and that new measures should be implemented in an effort to aid the students in developing the foundation for acquiring knowledge.
We could only defend the fact that we only remembered tapping into students’ prior knowledge because we somehow felt it necessary to do so for specific topics, as well as allow them to make predictions and ask questions. We were unaware of these practices, and to top off the cake with icing we were never really given directives as to how to perform certain tasks.
We allowed them to visualize, ask questions and make connections by asking them to draw or dramatize a particular aspect of a play or novel we were studying and they would mot frequently transpose it into their everyday situations. We always provided opportunities for practice and gave demonstrations although at times we were scolded for it.
Furthermore, we believe that although we tried, we did not try hard enough. We have considered the fact that we all need to employ new teaching strategies and attempt to incorporate all the cognitive processes to enable our students to be better strategic readers and writers. As much as we suppose we have failed the students, we think that other teachers have done the same in this regard, and that new measures should be implemented in an effort to aid the students in developing the foundation for acquiring knowledge.
REFLECTION #2
Am I a strategic teacher? The question, if you were to rephrase it, seeks to ask me, was I an effective teacher? After much denial, I can admit that I was NOT and probably NEVER HAVE BEEN a strategic teacher. Although at times I suppose that unconsciously, I experimented with a few minuscule strategies, most which I probably did correctly were always by way of accidents.
I FEEL BURDENED WITH THIS THOUGHT. I was never aware of ¼ of the strategies that we are currently examining, and it leaves me to ponder on a very disturbing issue:
v Have I really failed my students?
v Are they aware that I failed them?
v Do they blame me?
Because I blame myself and I can tell you I feel guilty and as a result have been bearing such a burden and this was one of the main reasons I decided to attend Teachers’ Training College.
At times I have been guilty of becoming frustrated when students did not understand a concept, however I now realize that probably I did not try hard enough. Although there were times that I had sat in other senior teachers’ classrooms to observe their practices, I must admit that none of them practiced any of these strategies although they had all been to Teachers’ Training College.
Moreover, in my frustration, I believe that I had neglected some members of the class and cast them off as lazy, and they in turn would have disturbed the class. I then realized, that it was not that they were incapable of learning, they had a mental block towards the subject, and I had to find ways which would engage them in the subject. I had to find a way and still have to find other ways to do more.
I know I was a good teacher but I never really analyzed the idea of strategic. The concepts I taught and the ways in which I did it were purposeful, but now as I reflect, they were hardly strategic. I know that I have a long journey to tread but I am persistent and confident that at one point in my teaching, I will stumble upon a great epiphany which will enlighten me and aid me in facilitating more engaging and authentic learning experiences for the diverse students who enter my classroom, which are purposeful as well as strategic.
I can imagine that every child has the potential to learn therefore we should make the concerted effort in getting them there. I do not think it should rest solely on me but it should be a collaborative effort, among teachers and teacher, teachers and parents, teachers and students and parents and students. Everyone has a part to play. In addition, there are foundations which students should have learnt in the earlier stages as supported by Chall’s in the stages of reading development. If students have not acquired a skill, why should they be sent up and allowed to continue? Teachers as well as parents need to make the initial effort. Take a stand and help them get there before they can actually get there. (If you know what I mean?)
I am truly sorry for the mixed perceptions but this idea of “strategic” is a little new to me. I’m trying and I hope I get there soon.
I FEEL BURDENED WITH THIS THOUGHT. I was never aware of ¼ of the strategies that we are currently examining, and it leaves me to ponder on a very disturbing issue:
v Have I really failed my students?
v Are they aware that I failed them?
v Do they blame me?
Because I blame myself and I can tell you I feel guilty and as a result have been bearing such a burden and this was one of the main reasons I decided to attend Teachers’ Training College.
At times I have been guilty of becoming frustrated when students did not understand a concept, however I now realize that probably I did not try hard enough. Although there were times that I had sat in other senior teachers’ classrooms to observe their practices, I must admit that none of them practiced any of these strategies although they had all been to Teachers’ Training College.
Moreover, in my frustration, I believe that I had neglected some members of the class and cast them off as lazy, and they in turn would have disturbed the class. I then realized, that it was not that they were incapable of learning, they had a mental block towards the subject, and I had to find ways which would engage them in the subject. I had to find a way and still have to find other ways to do more.
I know I was a good teacher but I never really analyzed the idea of strategic. The concepts I taught and the ways in which I did it were purposeful, but now as I reflect, they were hardly strategic. I know that I have a long journey to tread but I am persistent and confident that at one point in my teaching, I will stumble upon a great epiphany which will enlighten me and aid me in facilitating more engaging and authentic learning experiences for the diverse students who enter my classroom, which are purposeful as well as strategic.
I can imagine that every child has the potential to learn therefore we should make the concerted effort in getting them there. I do not think it should rest solely on me but it should be a collaborative effort, among teachers and teacher, teachers and parents, teachers and students and parents and students. Everyone has a part to play. In addition, there are foundations which students should have learnt in the earlier stages as supported by Chall’s in the stages of reading development. If students have not acquired a skill, why should they be sent up and allowed to continue? Teachers as well as parents need to make the initial effort. Take a stand and help them get there before they can actually get there. (If you know what I mean?)
I am truly sorry for the mixed perceptions but this idea of “strategic” is a little new to me. I’m trying and I hope I get there soon.
Friday, February 13, 2009
REFLECTION #1
I have been involved in the whole concept of teaching for most of my life but I never realized that I was actually teaching until I got a position at the Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School. It was as if a prophecy had been fulfilled. I remember vividly sitting in Mr. Felicien’s form five English language class a few weeks before CXC, when he decided to give us some advice on life. He started by categorizing students into particular fields in the world of work. Many students were destined to be doctors, and lawyers, and artists. Even authors and prime ministers, and jokingly he commented even baggers at J Q’s Supermarket. At that moment, he turned to me and said, “Not you! Walcott I have a strong feeling you are going to be a teacher!” I denied it and continued to do so all through A’ Level until 2006 when I was granted an interview and become a staff member of the Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School.
On my first day, I think I was more excited than the students because through my naïveté, I deemed that all students wanted to learn and I had a lot of information to impart. I was given the task of teaching Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and English Literature to form fours, and integrated English to the form ones. I must admit, I saw this as a new, stimulating prospect, and believed that there was not much work to it.
When I started teaching I had no idea what I was up for. I did not know what to teach or how to go about teaching it, and it made me question my purpose and value at this job. In the first term, it was sort of trial and error for me, as no workshops or guidelines were put in place for new teachers. There was no help from senior teachers or heads of the department. Everyone was too busy so I did the only thing I knew, teach as I was taught and learn from my mistakes. I even tried to observe other teachers to get a feel of what I should do, but some of them seemed more clueless than me although they were in the system for many years. In addition, I never knew how to write a lesson plan and as a result, I believe I set higher standards for the students, clearly ones that most of them were unable to reach as they had not acquired the necessary foundations such as reading.
I do not suppose I ever fully understood the theory of content area reading and writing, and if I had any clue, I am convinced that I was unconscious of it. I encountered many problems in all my classes, especially English. The prevalent one was the fact that the students did not like to read, therefore they performed poorly on assignments and during exam time. As a result of this, I employed the notion of role playing techniques where I would dress up as particular characters to get the students interested in the various topics we were about to explore, or allow them to dramatize certain chapters in groups. I found this method to be very effective, as I noted increase participation and eagerness in many students.
Also, they found it difficult to work on their own and many of them did not have their own textbook. Therefore I structured many lessons to take into account the presence of group work, and the students felt more comfortable and confident about reading and actually began to share their ideas as they were able to grasp certain concepts thus showing their level of understanding through discussion. The most memorable activity was one called “Hot from the press” whereby each group was responsible for producing a newspaper based on specific chapters, themes or characters from the novels we were studying. This approach appeared to have helped a lot as the students were able to discuss and analyze various concepts and create remarkable pieces.
Although I found teaching integrated English very challenging, and tried to make it as exciting as possible for the students, many of the teachers who refused to help in the beginning frowned upon those techniques and remarked that the students could not possibly learn in such a manner. I sometimes had arguments with teachers who believed learning should only take place in the classroom, and as a result I was forced to partake in the “old fashioned” methods of chalk and talk.
Furthermore, many teachers believed that only the English teacher was supposed to correct spelling and subject verb agreement, and as a result, classified the students as lazy, dumb and unwilling to work. Many of these teachers fail to realize that we are all products of our environments, and consequently, the students react to the stimuli furnished by the teacher. If we amend their errors they learn, however if we do not they continue to perform in the same manner, and are nonetheless distinguished as hollow. I imagine that many teachers in other schools had many of the same problems as me. There were no workshops put in place to aid in the professional development of novice teachers, lack of training and suitable resources, we all went through the trial and error method and no support was given to us from senior staff. I suppose I was unlike many of them because I tried to find solutions to many of my problems which would aid my teaching as well as students. I found innovative ways to utilize the limited resources, learnt new things in order to have a more informed and exciting class, as well as enrolled in many workshops outside of the school community, in an effort to acquire new skills.
Equally important is the fact that many teachers view the task of content area reading and writing as tedious, time consuming and frustrating, so they just do not bother with teaching it. They constantly complain about the students but hardly ever make an effort to actually help them.
Furthermore, in my first year of teaching, I found that I was constantly reevaluating myself and trying hard to discover original ways to help students understand and equip them with the tools they need. I found it necessary to empower myself by relentlessly learning in order to teach accurate content and provide authentic learning experiences. In addition, I tried to cater to the needs of all my students although at times it seemed impossible. I recognized in my second year of teaching, I was able to devise strategies which enabled me to be more organized and in the end aid students even though at times many persons were not very open to change. I observed that every set of students is different. They keep evolving and so must you if you want them to take charge of their own education and learn. Even now I am still unsure of how to write a lesson plan, yet I find myself fervent about new lessons and strategies in an effort to continue to make a difference.
On my first day, I think I was more excited than the students because through my naïveté, I deemed that all students wanted to learn and I had a lot of information to impart. I was given the task of teaching Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and English Literature to form fours, and integrated English to the form ones. I must admit, I saw this as a new, stimulating prospect, and believed that there was not much work to it.
When I started teaching I had no idea what I was up for. I did not know what to teach or how to go about teaching it, and it made me question my purpose and value at this job. In the first term, it was sort of trial and error for me, as no workshops or guidelines were put in place for new teachers. There was no help from senior teachers or heads of the department. Everyone was too busy so I did the only thing I knew, teach as I was taught and learn from my mistakes. I even tried to observe other teachers to get a feel of what I should do, but some of them seemed more clueless than me although they were in the system for many years. In addition, I never knew how to write a lesson plan and as a result, I believe I set higher standards for the students, clearly ones that most of them were unable to reach as they had not acquired the necessary foundations such as reading.
I do not suppose I ever fully understood the theory of content area reading and writing, and if I had any clue, I am convinced that I was unconscious of it. I encountered many problems in all my classes, especially English. The prevalent one was the fact that the students did not like to read, therefore they performed poorly on assignments and during exam time. As a result of this, I employed the notion of role playing techniques where I would dress up as particular characters to get the students interested in the various topics we were about to explore, or allow them to dramatize certain chapters in groups. I found this method to be very effective, as I noted increase participation and eagerness in many students.
Also, they found it difficult to work on their own and many of them did not have their own textbook. Therefore I structured many lessons to take into account the presence of group work, and the students felt more comfortable and confident about reading and actually began to share their ideas as they were able to grasp certain concepts thus showing their level of understanding through discussion. The most memorable activity was one called “Hot from the press” whereby each group was responsible for producing a newspaper based on specific chapters, themes or characters from the novels we were studying. This approach appeared to have helped a lot as the students were able to discuss and analyze various concepts and create remarkable pieces.
Although I found teaching integrated English very challenging, and tried to make it as exciting as possible for the students, many of the teachers who refused to help in the beginning frowned upon those techniques and remarked that the students could not possibly learn in such a manner. I sometimes had arguments with teachers who believed learning should only take place in the classroom, and as a result I was forced to partake in the “old fashioned” methods of chalk and talk.
Furthermore, many teachers believed that only the English teacher was supposed to correct spelling and subject verb agreement, and as a result, classified the students as lazy, dumb and unwilling to work. Many of these teachers fail to realize that we are all products of our environments, and consequently, the students react to the stimuli furnished by the teacher. If we amend their errors they learn, however if we do not they continue to perform in the same manner, and are nonetheless distinguished as hollow. I imagine that many teachers in other schools had many of the same problems as me. There were no workshops put in place to aid in the professional development of novice teachers, lack of training and suitable resources, we all went through the trial and error method and no support was given to us from senior staff. I suppose I was unlike many of them because I tried to find solutions to many of my problems which would aid my teaching as well as students. I found innovative ways to utilize the limited resources, learnt new things in order to have a more informed and exciting class, as well as enrolled in many workshops outside of the school community, in an effort to acquire new skills.
Equally important is the fact that many teachers view the task of content area reading and writing as tedious, time consuming and frustrating, so they just do not bother with teaching it. They constantly complain about the students but hardly ever make an effort to actually help them.
Furthermore, in my first year of teaching, I found that I was constantly reevaluating myself and trying hard to discover original ways to help students understand and equip them with the tools they need. I found it necessary to empower myself by relentlessly learning in order to teach accurate content and provide authentic learning experiences. In addition, I tried to cater to the needs of all my students although at times it seemed impossible. I recognized in my second year of teaching, I was able to devise strategies which enabled me to be more organized and in the end aid students even though at times many persons were not very open to change. I observed that every set of students is different. They keep evolving and so must you if you want them to take charge of their own education and learn. Even now I am still unsure of how to write a lesson plan, yet I find myself fervent about new lessons and strategies in an effort to continue to make a difference.
Hey Hey Hey
Hey guys
Welcome to Desiree's niche!
I hope you have a fun and educational learning experience throughout your journey in my blog as well as our other colleagues.I know it is probabvly a little late to be giving a welcome but I think it is necessary.
Here, we will be able to discuss issues and interests which are funny,and serious and maybe many other things which will aid us in all aspects of our lives.
Feel free to explore and comment as all criticism despite whether it is bad or good is constructive criticism.
Enjoy yourself and ponder on the following quote:
"Education is a passport for the future, and tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today!" Malcolm X
Gentle Breezes,
Desiree
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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