Well this week has certainly been eventful! In my classroom, we had career week this week. Each day, we had a different community member come in and talk to us about their jobs. From policeman, to park ranger, to even the mayor of Boiling Springs, my students had a lot of fun. It also gave me the chance to talk with my students about graduating high school, and going to college to be successful in a career field of their choosing. Being able to have this conversation with them allowed me to demonstrate leadership in the classroom by preparing my students for their future 9 (standard 1). It also made me feel very accomplished as an educator to hear so many of my students talk about their future plans. In my classroom there are so many different future careers. I have students who want to be singers and dancers, as well as firefighters and navy seals. Listening to what everyone wants to do really helped remind me of the diversity in my classroom and how different each of my students are (standard 2).
One thing I did for the first time this week was use Kahoot in my classroom. I have wanted to do this for a while with my students and we finally got the opportunity in math this week. My students absolutely loved it and it was a great way for me to utilize technology as well as use a different way to assess students (standard 4). It worked very well so I know I will definitely want to use it again in the future especially since it was a quick way to see results and data from my students and see where my students were understanding and were not. Since I based all of the questions that I asked in the game off of the standard course of study, I was able to align my instruction and ensure that even while my students were having fun, they were still being prepared for their EOG's (standard 3).
We also had a writing day this week so I wasn't in my school on Friday. This was a little disappointing since my students were dressing up as their future careers but my CE sent me some pictures and they all looked great! Having the writing day was very helpful because it gave it me plenty of time to really reflect on my teaching the week of edTPA (standard 5).
Overall, I'd have to say that this week rates about a 4. Career week was really fun and as stressful as edTPA is, it was really helpful to have plenty of time to sit down and work on it. My goal next week is to finish edTPA and make it as good as I possibly can. I hope that next week I can spend more time on it early on so that I can also have time to really work on my lesson plans. After next week, I am really excited to un-pause portfolio work and start looking towards the end of the semester. As we continue into next week, I wish everyone good luck. Stay focused and pushed through! Right now, my CE and I have no questions as we continue through.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteAre you reflecting on the following questions? As we discussed earlier, all these questions must be addressed each week. I see some of these addressed in your blog but not all of them.
Let me know what you are thinking?
Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed)
Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week
Seven questions to end your week:
Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?
Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
Focus: How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?
Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?
Have Courage: How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/
What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?
What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?
NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Other:
What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?
What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?
What support do you need from your university supervisor?
Megan, you did have a busy week. I'm sure career week was very interesting and fun for your students. That is such a great way to get students thinking about the future. I'm sure you're students also loved getting to use to Kahoot! I know we will all be much more relieved on Thursday! Best of luck this week!
ReplyDeleteMegan, it sounds like you are doing great things in your classroom each week. You will make a great teacher! We're almost half way there!
ReplyDelete