Entry the Second

Another week and still no pay. I’m beginning to think that this has all been a ruse and we were never going to be paid in the first place. No matter, I’ve begun to enjoy my time with my students enough to where getting paid is of little consequence. The readings for this week focused heavily on many of the concerns I had with running a classroom such as setting learning goals, facilitating student notes, and running an effective discussion.

I. I found the following ideas to be useful:

• First, setting learning goals for both me and my students. The text suggests that teachers try to focus on meeting one or two major goals for each session and sharing those goals with their students. I knew about learning goals prior to reading this chapter but I assumed they were a tool meant to help teachers. After reading this section I understand that it is as, if not more, important to let students know what the learning goals are so they are better able to gauge their success for that day and ask better questions. I will definitely be trying this out in my classroom.

• Second, facilitating student notes. This is something that had been worrying me since day one. I really want my students to be able to take good note, but was unsure how to make that happen. This section showed me that it comes down to how I structure the information during my lecture. I am really terrible at using the board as a tool for learning, but I know that many students won’t write anything down unless I have put it up on the board. All in all this section made me want to get better at structuring the information I give in class so my students can benefit from it, and have it come test time.

II. Here is how I can implement these ideas into my own teaching:

• First, I need to plan learning goals ahead of time. I have always been terrible at planning ahead and apparently my solution to this flaw is to accept a teaching position at a university. I realize now that being prepared is essential for a good session in the classroom and having a set of goals for the day is the best way to prepare. Setting the goals isn’t really my problem, sharing those goals with my students is. This week I’m going start off each session by telling my students what the learning goal for that day is and hopefully by the end of the week things will be noticeably different.

• Second, I will try my best to provide structured information when I lecture. This is the one thing that makes my truly nervous when teaching. It sounds silly, but I don’t live my life with a lot of structure so structuring anything is foreign to me. I’m trying to change I swear! What I plan on doing is using the board more when lecturing and using techniques such as numbering points and reviewing main points. I also plan on getting some feedback from my students, because no one knows what works for them better than they do.

III. Other things I would like to incorporate in my teaching:

• Organizing students to facilitate better discussions. I know that this may end up being impossible given the size of my classroom and the type of seating available, but I would really like all of my students to see each others faces. I feel this is vital to a well balanced and productive discussion and will help students become more comfortable in class. I’m thinking, based on the reading, that a half circle will work best for the type of class I teach.

• Asking the first question in a discussion. I hate the eerie silence that comes from asking a discussion question to my class, but this week’s reading suggested that I revel in the silence and wait for a student to fire the first shot. Asking good questions is crucial when starting a discussion, and can set the tone for the rest of the session. The reading outlined some ways of phrasing questions to get the best possible response and I plan on using these methods in my class.

Here are some things I found useful (on the internet, of course)

Quiet Students
100 Best Youtube Videos for Teachers