There was a lot of mystery surrounding the Creativity Lab. Ms. Rice was adamant that Bry and Megan kept the little knowledge that they had about the lab a secret. So, needless to say, I had no idea what I was walking into this morning.
Let me tell you, the Creativity Lab was awesome! We loaded into a PSU van, drove to the Dollar Tree and were encouraged to purchase $5 worth of items to enhance on of our lessons.
Spending $5 usually is a breeze for me, but today, I struggled. I wasn't feeling well and I was super tired, so the last thing that I wanted to do was think. But, with a little help and encouragement from my peers, I came up with the idea to purchase items that could be used for an interest approach for my soil formation lesson (which needed some revamping, anyways!).
I purchased a pack of balloons, fake watches, stones, large sunglasses and plastic bugs. I will put these items in a bag, hand out the bags to each group and challenge them to come up with a list of the five soil formation factors, based on these items.
While some of the item's connections to the soil formation factors are pretty straight forward (i.e. the watches and time), I had to stretch myself to connect the others. For instance, topography was almost impossible to create. I settled on balloons, because they represent the rolling hills and mountains.
I think that as a teacher, the Dollar Tree will be a great resource for me, if I am able to stretch myself to think outside the box. I am planning on looking over all of my lessons, and thinking critically about how they could be revamped to include more creative approaches.
This lab certainly forced me to use my creativity to connect items with my content. I think that this was a great exercise, and a fun "field trip" for our last day of lab!
Well, here it is... one of my final blog posts from the Fall 2014 semester. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!!! I cannot believe that this time has come. The semester has flew by, but has been beneficial in preparing me for my student teaching experience in the Spring.
Perhaps one of the most significant activities that I have participated in this semester has been AEE412 lab. Despite my hesitation at the beginning of the semester, I ended up really enjoying lab, and it has certainly been a positive experience for me!
I believe that lab has helped to contribute to my personal and professional growth. I gained experience at the front of a classroom full of peers, as well as a few classrooms full of actual students. I learned how to implement lesson plans, and gathered some valuable techniques that I can use while student teaching.
Lab gave us a wonderful opportunity to implement the lesson plans that we wrote. It gave us the perfect chance to try things out, and the ability to go back to tweak them before we teach them in a real classroom. I liked having free feedback from my peers and Ms. Rice, as well, because it helped me alter lessons to improve them.
I also believe that lab was a great way to become a more comfortable and confident teacher. My peers really helped to build my self-confidence, in a safe and uplifting atmosphere. I appreciated their feedback, as well as Ms. Rice's. Quite honestly, at the beginning of the semester, I was unsure if I had 'what it takes' to teach, but after experiencing lab, I am more confident than ever in my ability.
Additionally, reflection has played a huge part in my growth as an educator. Having the opportunity to watch myself back on video was an excellent way to build my self-confidence. I impressed myself in my ability quite a few times! In addition to the videos, I enjoyed writing a reflective blog post on my lab, as it helped me compile my thoughts. I also though that it was nice having peer feedback on blogs and on videos, as it helped to further build my self confidence and helped improve my lessons. Overall, reflection has helped me recognize my strengths and weaknesses, from which I have been able to grow.
While lab offered many positive aspects, it did have some room for improvement. Ideally, I would love to have more opportunities to teach in an actual classroom. It would be great if, for instance, every-other-week, we taught in a real classroom. I know that this may be hard, or nearly impossible, but I believe that it would be most beneficial.
I also wish that the labs would have lined up with instruction better. Oftentimes, we were expected to create a lab lesson plan, without any prior knowledge on the type of lesson (i.e. Inquiry). Ensuring that we had instruction prior to the lab would have helped ease a lot of my anxiousness for the labs.
Overall, lab was probably one of my favorite activities that we participated in this semester. I believe that it provided us with a unique opportunity to put what we learned in class into action, and practice our teaching techniques. I enjoyed teaching to my peers, and loved the positive, supportive environment that lab provided. Because of lab, I feel more prepared than ever to student teach!
Please see below for my final lab highlight video!
It's my worst nightmare... out of control students. I dread the days where my students misbehave, when they talk back or when we don't get along. I am awful at confrontation and I hate nothing more than to be the bad guy. However, after an eye-opening experience Microteaching, Discipline Derby activities and a class discussion based on Classroom Management, I feel as though I have a better grasp on how to avoid chaos (like this clip from Kindergarten Cop!) in my classroom.
This week's reading, based around Classroom Management, added to my arsenal of Classroom Management techniques, by providing me with some insightful tips.
Perhaps one of the most significant suggestions made, and one that I am looking to follow when I student teach, is to start off strong. At the very beginning of the year, set strict expectations, consequences and procedures, and stick with them! It is easier to ease up on your students than it is to tighten the reigns.
Another common suggestion was to ensure that you have engaging activities. Bordem is often the culprit of misbehavior. Therefore, if a student is engaged, they are less likely to partake in distracting or disrespectful behaviors. Furthermore, if your students are busy, there won't be time for them to be disruptive!
Although avoiding misbehavior is the best approach, there are many things that can be done when misbehavior does occur. Perhaps my favorite suggestion is to talk to the student one-on-one. Students have lives outside of the walls of the classroom, and sometimes things that go on may effect their attitude or feelings while in school. This is why it is essential to talk to the student about the reason they acted up. Doing so also provides a nice opportunity to separate him/her from the group and to discuss what can be done about their behavior.
While classroom management continues to scare me, I believe that I have a better grasp on some techniques that I can use to prevent and address student misbehavior. These readings, as well as class discussions, have contributed to my confidence in classroom management, and I know that as I gain experience in the front of the classroom, my classroom management skills will only improve!
