1. How do I bring progressivist methodology into the classroom?
- connect curriculum/content to student lives
- engaging students by letting them state opinions about techniques used in class and make suggestions
2. In what ways does my coordinating teacher affect my thinking about teaching and my teaching?
Question 1
One of the first steps I planned to take for this question was getting the journals passed out and set up in each class. As of today, I have taught three days of science and one day of math. The students have set up their journals and are using them for warm-up questions, exit questions, and notes (notes so far only in the math classes). Through the journals I have been able to make formative assessments in all classes about the level of understanding pertaining to content knowledge, but I have not successfully used the journals to get feedback from the students. I did have a lot of interest when I told them there would be times I was going to ask for their opinions and suggestions and they were allowed to be honest (and appropriate).
I also plan to try to do an LEA (Language Experience Approach) in math this coming week to see if I can get the students to create examples from their own life to use in our math lesson.
Additionally, the Joint Inquiry I have planned with my science CT has to do with student engagement.
Question 2
Through personal reflection and observations I have already seen a difference in the way each CT (I have two) affects my thinking about my teaching and my actual teaching. I feel I have more freedom with my math CT, and because of this when I took over her classroom I started by introducing my own classroom procedures, setting up the journals, establishing new rules (like no use of calculators in class until every passes their times tables up to 12x12), etc. This established very different feeling in the math classes compared to the sciences classes.
In the science classes I did not feel like I had the freedom to set up my own structure. I basically just stepped into the existing structure that was there. I co-develop lesson material (my CT develops some materials and I develop some materials - and we both use the same materials) and write my own lesson plans, but I do not decide topics that will be covered, flow of the units, etc. Because of this I did not feel that I could step in and teach the class like I would teach a class of my own. For example, I had to ask if I would have time to have the students set up their journals the first day, and I was told, "...hmm....possibly not, we have a lot to do in class today."
To sum up, I feel like I have more control and ability to manage the classroom where I was allowed to set up my own procedures compared to the classroom where I was trained to step in and teach within an existing structure. This not only affects my own perspective on different teaching techniques I can try in the classroom, it also definitely seemed to affect the level of respect the students gave me as an authority figure in the classroom.
Next Steps
Question 1: I would like to try at least three things for each content area that bring progressivist methodology into the classroom and track how it effects each content group. I will try to collect data through observation (both mine and CT), through student opinion, and through student performance.
Question 2: I am going to talk with/interview teachers that I know about their student teaching experience and how they felt when they took over their classroom and things they did during their student teaching to make the classroom their own.
D-BO,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that your science CT is not allowing you to teach your classroom the way you seem fit. I do not know your relationship with your teacher and I think I understand the way you have your classes designed, however, I feel the problem lies with you and your CT co-developing material. Because the CT is relying on you to make some of the materials he/she can dictate your pace. It sounds to me that you have your own class and your students have their own needs. You cannot be expected to push your students to another classes pace because it works for them. That is not fair to your students or yourself. I imagine your CT would say that you have to cover so much material in the semester, however, is it important to cover material that kids will not absorb? Or is it important to cover a little less and have them retain a lot more? I think its obvious which one I would choose. Although, that does not say that the pace you would set for your students that you wouldn't be able to cover the necessary material.
Although it may be uncomfortable, I think you should have a talk with your teacher and tell her that the situation that you have is not working for you or your students and suggest an alternate plan.
Hey Tony - I feel comfortable creating material together. The situation with my CT is this is her first year at the school, her fourth year teaching, and I have a feeling she very much needs to have a level of control to be able to function. I am fine with all this, but I do feel that it limits my freedom.
ReplyDeleteMy big thing is I will be doing something she has designated as needed, and I will be thinking to myself, "This is not how I would do this." The problem is that she does not want to change things up for fear of her class not learning everything they need to know before OAKS testing and the end of the year.
We can discuss this more in person - it is hard to explain in this arena. But I do have the ability to discuss and suggest alternative things...but sometimes my ideas are rejected, and to be truthful, it is just easier to go with the flow with her than to fight her every step of the way.
Thanks for the comment, though, you are right that I need to speak my opinion of what is being taught, if only to ask questions and get her opinion as to why she feels it needs to be taught a certain way.
D
It seems like you have everything down. It is tough for me to give you a suggestion since you seem to have a great idea of what you are doing. I especially like your question number two and what you plan to do next. I think it is a great idea to ask your CT how their student teaching went so that they can realize the situation that we are all in. It will take them back to how they felt and maybe make them more aware of what we are going through during the program. Who knows it may make your experience more positive. Do you already have some ideas on how you want your classroom to look when you are there??
ReplyDeleteDenise, You have your stuff together. It is hard for me to give you a critique or suggestion. I can see how working with your science CT will be tough to work through your TR questions. I would try to tell her what you are working to answer and see if she might be more flexable for you to change lessons aroung. You never know but maybe this will help out your student teaching.
ReplyDeleteHI Denise.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how your research plan is going?
I think it would be interesting for you to get an outside observer to give you feedback on your teaching of both classes--which will happen with your university supervisor. You could ask your supervisor if s/he notices any difference in your teaching attitude, approach, methodology? Also, it seems like you want to carefully look at your attitude and how that might be affecting your teaching. So, for example, it's hard to know how much your relationship with you CT is impacted by your perceptions of what she thinks you should be doing. Do you know why I mean? This was definitely a problem for me when i was teaching middle school. Because I thought that they thought I was too out there with my teaching, I made some compromises in my teaching that maybe I hadn't really had to make. Now, that's much different from being a student teacher in someone else's classroom--just some food for thought.