Student teaching has been a blast so far. I am finding out
that collaboration with my CT and other teachers is actually pretty useful,
helpful, and fun. I haven’t gotten to teach my unit yet like most of all of you
because my CT and I have decided to get the junior research project out of the
way while students have the most motivation since the project takes so much
time and energy. My CT also said that she has tried doing the project at the end
and at the beginning of the semester and she said that she has a high turn in
rate if she has them jump in with the project at the start of the semester. I
think that this is a good move on our parts because the students get to get the
hard part of the semester out of the way first and it also gives us more time
to grade them instead of waiting until the end of the semester like most
teachers do. Some students have actually told us thank you for making them do
this project first which was cool to hear.
I had fun a couple days ago coming up with my big project
for my unit over The Crucible. We
came up with a character analysis project that requires them to use Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest, or Glogster.(Semi-side note: I was excited when my CT and
a history teacher that we co-teach an AVID class with thought that Glogster was
awesome and we actually used it on Wednesday in the AVID class for a character analysis of the
main character of Into the Wild.) My
CT rarely gives out the typical multiple choice and essay test, she would much
ather hrave them do some sort of project to have them demonstrate their
knowledge of a novel, play, concept, etc. I agree with her way of assessing
knowledge, so it is pretty cool to work with her and create assignments
together. The project that we came up with is pretty cool, so I can send you
the instructions and the rubric if you wish.
I am really enjoying getting to know all of my students
really well. They are all so fun and interesting. I finally have all of their
names memorized and put to faces, which feels amazing because some of their
names were a bit difficult to get down. I am so happy that most of my students
already trust me enough to ask me for help in class and talk to me during
passing period and down time in class. I think building relationships with all
of them is my favorite part of student teaching so far since I haven’t taught
any units yet. Last weekend I had a song stuck in my head that a couple girls
sing all the time in my seventh hour while I was at work and it was kind of cool
in a way (even though the song is actually pretty obnoxious). I told the girls
on Monday about it and they looked surprised that I was thinking about them
over the weekend and they also laughed about it; after I told them about the
song getting stuck in my head, they have been talking to me more during class
all week.
I am so happy that I haven’t had a bad experience during my
student teaching yet. I am having an awesome time and I am learning so much.
Kaila,
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that you've had such a great experience so far! It's nice that you are having some time to build relationships with students before you begin your unit. What I have noticed is that students who respect you are more likely to listen, participate, and learn. And it sounds like you're already building that respect! It's cool that you are coming up with a project-based assessment. What types of formative assessments will you use throughout the unit to gauge their understanding? I think project-based assessments are great because a lot of times students don't even realize the learning that is occurring because they are having so much fun doing it. In connection to the assessment, it's nice that you and your CT think alike. I think this is the most crucial part of student teaching. Although they have no way of planning it so that each CT matches perfectly with their student teacher, it's great when it happens! When teaching styles mesh between the two, it makes for such a valuable experience. I feel like it gives us the best opportunity to grow and learn from teachers we can only aspire to be. Good luck on your future endeavors!