- Each member of the teaching group must individually reread the entries throughout the Blog and then reflect on the overall experience. Describe (a) how your understandings for each the categories listed below changed based on your experiences this semester and (b) describe how this might impact your future teaching experiences.
- Assessing Prior Knowledge
- Planning Instruction
- Designing Instruction
- Planning Assessment
- Instructional Decisions/Teaching
- Assessment of Learning
- a) how your understandings for each the categories listed below changed based on your experiences this semester and (b) describe how this might impact your future teaching experiences.
)I believe that based on my experience this semester I would do better do assess prior knowledge. Perhaps put a question on a prior test to assess knowledge. I think that this would affect my future teaching experience because I now know that one shouldn't treat the preexisting lesson plans as perfect. They can be adapted to be made better. Plus one thing might work for one class and not another, every class is different.
)As for planning Instruction if I had it to over again I would have tried to get an audience before teaching. It was tough to just go up in front of a class and do it as "a dry run". I believe that this experience will help me in the future because I know now that teaching is harder than it looks but it's just a matter of getting comfortable.
)As far as designing instruction I would have not used an 11 page handout again in the future for a 5th grade class. Not sure what I was thinking with that. But the lesson plan was for fifth grade so I went with it. I feel I did pretty well working "on the fly", but it could have been better. As for the future I would definitely try to develop more comfort with technology as it can be "our friend". I am adverse to technology and the truth is our world is advancing so there's really no choice but to adapt.
)Planning Assessment: In this class I learned that I had pretty much as much ability as I thought I had to put in grades. I'm comfortable with excel so it was pretty easy. Using rubrics definitely helps define a point value though. I think for the future I might try to use a different program with more bells and whistles. Excel is kind of boring. So I could improve in this way in the future.
Instructional Decisions/ Teaching: Through taking this class I learned that I should consider accomodations for improving educating special needs kids. Some of the reviews were brutally honest about this aspect of my presentation and I kind of knew that would happen after getting done with my lesson. I realized too late I didn't accomodate those with special needs very well. I believe in the future I will definitely address kids with special needs better. I felt bad that I didn't give more thought to it because it wouldn't have been much more effort.
Assessment of Learning: Through this class I learned that assessing learning is critical. What's the point of teaching if nobody is proven to have learned anything? Through my blog I learned that I actually did this pretty well. I guess I have a pretty firm grasp on the importance of this. In the future I will put more energy in assessing learning, I believe it is an important aspect of teaching.
