Teaching...
Here are some of the aspects of teaching I have learned through experiences in school and university.
Flexibility
In my pre-internship I have learned the importance of being flexible. In the kindergarten class I was working through a story book that had a variety of questions built into it. I had planned on going through all the questions with the students. After reading through several pages I noticed that the questions were taking too long to answer and were distracting from the message of the book. Students were also getting antsy because they had already sat through another story that morning. So I skipped the questions and things went smoother. With the afternoon class ,on the other hand, I was able to go through all of the questions. Every group of students is different and often lesson needs to be adapted on the spot to more effectively meet the needs of students.
Classroom Engagement
I have learned a lot about classroom engagement this term. One of the techniques I have learned is from my cooperating teacher. She says if you can hear my voice touch your nose, if you can hear my voice touch your head etc. As she speaks she continues to get quieter. I have also tried this technique and it works really well to get students attention. Another technique I like using is finger plays. I want to learn more of these because they make great brain breaks and are an excellent way to get students' attention.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
I believe it is important for students to see their culture in the classroom. In the kindergarten class our cooperating teacher does an excellent job of bringing students cultures into the classroom. She has a circle of friendship which is based on aboriginal culture, and she created a friendship room that features books about different cultures and pictures of children from around the world. One of the lessons me and my partner created was multicultural Christmas centers. We specifically included a tradition from the Philipines because there are several students in the class who are from the Philippines. After learning a lot about culturally responsive teaching it was nice to see it in the classroom and have the opportunity to implement it.
Enthusiasm
When it comes to teaching, I believe it is important to be enthusiastic. If I am excited about learning I can pass this energy on to my students. Even though there are some subjects and topics I like more than others I still need to present each topic in an exciting way. I realized the importance of enthusiasm when I watched some of my peers present their engagement activities in science. I thought they had an excellent activity but because it was presented in a nonchalant way I did not feel as engaged. An exciting activity can be brought to the next level through an enthusiastic presentation.
In my pre-internship I have learned the importance of being flexible. In the kindergarten class I was working through a story book that had a variety of questions built into it. I had planned on going through all the questions with the students. After reading through several pages I noticed that the questions were taking too long to answer and were distracting from the message of the book. Students were also getting antsy because they had already sat through another story that morning. So I skipped the questions and things went smoother. With the afternoon class ,on the other hand, I was able to go through all of the questions. Every group of students is different and often lesson needs to be adapted on the spot to more effectively meet the needs of students.
Classroom Engagement
I have learned a lot about classroom engagement this term. One of the techniques I have learned is from my cooperating teacher. She says if you can hear my voice touch your nose, if you can hear my voice touch your head etc. As she speaks she continues to get quieter. I have also tried this technique and it works really well to get students attention. Another technique I like using is finger plays. I want to learn more of these because they make great brain breaks and are an excellent way to get students' attention.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
I believe it is important for students to see their culture in the classroom. In the kindergarten class our cooperating teacher does an excellent job of bringing students cultures into the classroom. She has a circle of friendship which is based on aboriginal culture, and she created a friendship room that features books about different cultures and pictures of children from around the world. One of the lessons me and my partner created was multicultural Christmas centers. We specifically included a tradition from the Philipines because there are several students in the class who are from the Philippines. After learning a lot about culturally responsive teaching it was nice to see it in the classroom and have the opportunity to implement it.
Enthusiasm
When it comes to teaching, I believe it is important to be enthusiastic. If I am excited about learning I can pass this energy on to my students. Even though there are some subjects and topics I like more than others I still need to present each topic in an exciting way. I realized the importance of enthusiasm when I watched some of my peers present their engagement activities in science. I thought they had an excellent activity but because it was presented in a nonchalant way I did not feel as engaged. An exciting activity can be brought to the next level through an enthusiastic presentation.
Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.
-Gail Godwin-
-Gail Godwin-
