Friday 11th September:
Like Tuesday, hardly any teaching took place today as there were lots of disruptions to class time such as Gymnastics, Kite Making at the Bondi Pavillion and Mathletics in the afternoon. I really only had the morning session (40 minutes) to help finish off the kite collages with them.
I was terrible at organising the finish of this lesson! Things were disorganised, I couldn’t find any more string for people who ran out of it, and I didn’t instruct them concisely enough! It wasn’t disasterous, but I realise it could have been done more clearly and efficiently!
In the end, everyone was finished, and their collages look great! The lesson definitely needs some tweaking, but I know that when I do this type of lesson again, I will not make the same mistakes. Learning from your mistakes I believe is the best way of learning, as it shows you the worst of what could happen, and then ways around it so as to not make the same mistake in the future!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
6th Teaching Day
Thursday 10th September:
Today was a good day, behaviour wise, however my teaching could have been better. I planned to teach a Visual Arts lesson on Collage, making links to HSIE and Maths. The Festival of the Winds at Bondi Beach is a large kite-flying event that the school is directly part of, and so I decided that this would be the focus of the Art Lesson. I made my own model of a collage of kites flying in the sky, using watercolour for a background wash, different coloured kite shapes with patterns, and then string. My tertiary supervisor unexpectedly came in to watch that lesson, which made me quite nervous, but I got a good report, which was a relief!
I first made them close their eyes and imagine what the sky would look like full of kites, how they felt, what colours they saw, who was there, were they flying the kite etc. Then I asked them these questions, using group alerting (especially on the child that seems disinterested in most things). This strategy worked well, as it made him actually look and think before responding and then he got into the lesson with excitement.
I spoke about Kites, how they flew, what you needed to fly a kite, who owned a kite, who had been to the festival before. I also explained the nature of a collage, and that it was about using lots of different materials to create a whole picture that looked good. I used the small portable whiteboard again, which I think is so vital as you don’t need to disturb the class by turning your back on them. I pinned my model collage to the whiteboard and went through how I did the artwork, and explained things like shape and pattern to them (revising the 2D shape lesson I did with them previously).
Explaining how to perform this task was difficult as I had originally planned to use the Art Room, but another class desperately needed to use it so I had to fit in and use my classroom, which was not set up as well as the Art room was. I made them repeat the instructions back to me, and said I could only have 4 children painting at a time, and only people that were really working hard would be first. They all seemed really into it, and they loved my model collage which was flattering (it was met with lots of “ooooaaaaahhhh’s!”).
It was difficult organising the children into groups of who was painting and who was designing their patterns, and I would do it much differently if I had to do it again. The lesson went for longer than an hour, and even then the children couldn’t finish, so I would have to continue it tomorrow.
I really enjoy art, and this lesson was no exception. Although some kids were almost too excited about this and it was hard to organise, seeing kids painting and enjoying it really made me happy. Definitely will be doing more Art in the future with them!
Today was a good day, behaviour wise, however my teaching could have been better. I planned to teach a Visual Arts lesson on Collage, making links to HSIE and Maths. The Festival of the Winds at Bondi Beach is a large kite-flying event that the school is directly part of, and so I decided that this would be the focus of the Art Lesson. I made my own model of a collage of kites flying in the sky, using watercolour for a background wash, different coloured kite shapes with patterns, and then string. My tertiary supervisor unexpectedly came in to watch that lesson, which made me quite nervous, but I got a good report, which was a relief!
I first made them close their eyes and imagine what the sky would look like full of kites, how they felt, what colours they saw, who was there, were they flying the kite etc. Then I asked them these questions, using group alerting (especially on the child that seems disinterested in most things). This strategy worked well, as it made him actually look and think before responding and then he got into the lesson with excitement.
I spoke about Kites, how they flew, what you needed to fly a kite, who owned a kite, who had been to the festival before. I also explained the nature of a collage, and that it was about using lots of different materials to create a whole picture that looked good. I used the small portable whiteboard again, which I think is so vital as you don’t need to disturb the class by turning your back on them. I pinned my model collage to the whiteboard and went through how I did the artwork, and explained things like shape and pattern to them (revising the 2D shape lesson I did with them previously).
Explaining how to perform this task was difficult as I had originally planned to use the Art Room, but another class desperately needed to use it so I had to fit in and use my classroom, which was not set up as well as the Art room was. I made them repeat the instructions back to me, and said I could only have 4 children painting at a time, and only people that were really working hard would be first. They all seemed really into it, and they loved my model collage which was flattering (it was met with lots of “ooooaaaaahhhh’s!”).
It was difficult organising the children into groups of who was painting and who was designing their patterns, and I would do it much differently if I had to do it again. The lesson went for longer than an hour, and even then the children couldn’t finish, so I would have to continue it tomorrow.
I really enjoy art, and this lesson was no exception. Although some kids were almost too excited about this and it was hard to organise, seeing kids painting and enjoying it really made me happy. Definitely will be doing more Art in the future with them!
*Image: 'His Feast' www.flickr.com/photos/66076061@N00/3391380208
5th Teaching Day
Wednesday 9th September:
Today was hilarious, and such a valuable learning experience - I talked to the cooperating teacher about how shocking their behaviour was yesterday and my goodness did she give it to them! I really think they needed that shock to wake up to themselves and their behaviour, and today, for the main part, they were excellent! The other Year One teachers also made comments about how appalled they were with my class yesterday and the kids seemed so ashamed that they wanted to make up for it. But it really just shows the range of kids behaviours, and how if their normal routine goes out the window, so do their manners.
Today I gave a PE/Fitness Lesson in the morning. The kids really did pay attention to me after being talked to by their teacher and the lesson went well. I just wish there had been more time, as the kids were having a lot of fun! We played these games:
What's the time Mr Wolf? - One player is the wolf and he/she will stand with his/her back turned to the others about 5 meters from the others. The others call out, "Whats the time Mr. Wolf" and the wolf turns to face the others and shouts out a time. Eg: 10 o'clock. The others would then take 10 steps toward the wolf. The group will take the same amount of steps toward the wolf as the amount of hours in the wolfs time. eg, 2 o'clock = 2 steps, 6 o'clock = 6 steps etc. etc. The wolf will then turn his back to the group again for them to yell "whats the time...." (He looks at the group only when he shouts the time at the group". When the group gets close to the wolf the next time the group yells "whats the time Mr. Wolf" the wolf will say 'DINNER TIME" and run after the group who are running back to the start line, and hopefully catch one of the group who will then be the wolf.
Here, There and Everywhere - Define your play space and then identify 3 landmarks (a tree, a cone, a tape line, or any other visual) – name them “Here”, “There” and “Everywhere”. Start all the kids on “Here”. The Caller says “Go there” and all the kids go to the spot identified as “There” – anyone who goes to the wrong place is out. The next command gets called – “Skip everywhere” and anyone who goes to the wrong place is out. Keep repeating with new ways to get here, there and everywhere until you declare a winner.
Octopus - One person will be "the moving octopus" and will stand in the middle of the playground. The rest of the kids will line up on a base line.. The moving octopus will then say go and everyone else must run to the other side of the gym. The first person who the tagger tags will then help the 'moving octopus'. The rest of the people that were taged must sit down. The kids that are sitting down can only use their waving arms to tag people (like an octopus). This then goes back and fourth until your down to the last person who then starts the next round. The objective of the game is to get everyone sitting down. Last person standing wins.
I found that all the kids LOVED these three games, and there was lots of groaning when we had to go back inside! The strategies I used for behaviour management, was making them repeat my instructions as I gave them. This worked well and everyone understood. I have been reading another UTS Student's blog (Vanessa), and she has used some great PDHPE games/activities relating to healthy eating, which I will definately be trying out in future pracs!
During the mid-session, I gave the Mathematics lesson I was meant to give yesterday based on 2D shapes. I made the lesson about going on a ‘shape-hunt’, which the kids really seemed to enjoy doing. Before really explaining the lesson, I decided to think of a creative way to introduce them or have them revise the concept of shapes. In our Uni subject ‘Music, Movement and Dance’ we played games where the teacher called out types of shapes to us (long, pointy, triangular, rectangle, small, tall etc) and we had to make them with our bodies. I put on some calming rainforest music and had them do this activity. They really got into it, however I stopped when kids were laughing and getting to excited.
I had made up a 2D shapes worksheet that they had to complete, and you can tell the kids that just love maths finish straight away, but the kids who are more creative prone, take ages to finish. I had learnt my lesson from the week before, and this time I had in place an activity for early finishers. They took two die (dice) and made up their own addition sums to do themselves.
With the behaviour side of things, I really need to tune my ears to distinguish between ‘busy’ noise and ‘disruptive’ noise. I tended to make them quiet down whenever they started becoming noisy, however I realise now that sometimes it is okay to have them talk to each other and socialise while doing work.
Most kids worked really well, and the two children I was focusing on seemed to get the job done without too much fuss. The child that constantly interrupted, did interrupt, and I explained to her and the class that interrupting people was unacceptable and I would simply not answer her if she did it again. I told her this in a polite and respectful way and she didn’t interrupt again for that lesson. However, at the end of the day, she was back to her old ways, and again I realised that because she had gotten away with interrupting people her whole life, one correction from me could not stop that way in her.
Overall, it was a much better day than yesterday and I am continually learning that a teacher’s work is never done!
Today was hilarious, and such a valuable learning experience - I talked to the cooperating teacher about how shocking their behaviour was yesterday and my goodness did she give it to them! I really think they needed that shock to wake up to themselves and their behaviour, and today, for the main part, they were excellent! The other Year One teachers also made comments about how appalled they were with my class yesterday and the kids seemed so ashamed that they wanted to make up for it. But it really just shows the range of kids behaviours, and how if their normal routine goes out the window, so do their manners.
Today I gave a PE/Fitness Lesson in the morning. The kids really did pay attention to me after being talked to by their teacher and the lesson went well. I just wish there had been more time, as the kids were having a lot of fun! We played these games:
What's the time Mr Wolf? - One player is the wolf and he/she will stand with his/her back turned to the others about 5 meters from the others. The others call out, "Whats the time Mr. Wolf" and the wolf turns to face the others and shouts out a time. Eg: 10 o'clock. The others would then take 10 steps toward the wolf. The group will take the same amount of steps toward the wolf as the amount of hours in the wolfs time. eg, 2 o'clock = 2 steps, 6 o'clock = 6 steps etc. etc. The wolf will then turn his back to the group again for them to yell "whats the time...." (He looks at the group only when he shouts the time at the group". When the group gets close to the wolf the next time the group yells "whats the time Mr. Wolf" the wolf will say 'DINNER TIME" and run after the group who are running back to the start line, and hopefully catch one of the group who will then be the wolf.
Here, There and Everywhere - Define your play space and then identify 3 landmarks (a tree, a cone, a tape line, or any other visual) – name them “Here”, “There” and “Everywhere”. Start all the kids on “Here”. The Caller says “Go there” and all the kids go to the spot identified as “There” – anyone who goes to the wrong place is out. The next command gets called – “Skip everywhere” and anyone who goes to the wrong place is out. Keep repeating with new ways to get here, there and everywhere until you declare a winner.
Octopus - One person will be "the moving octopus" and will stand in the middle of the playground. The rest of the kids will line up on a base line.. The moving octopus will then say go and everyone else must run to the other side of the gym. The first person who the tagger tags will then help the 'moving octopus'. The rest of the people that were taged must sit down. The kids that are sitting down can only use their waving arms to tag people (like an octopus). This then goes back and fourth until your down to the last person who then starts the next round. The objective of the game is to get everyone sitting down. Last person standing wins.
I found that all the kids LOVED these three games, and there was lots of groaning when we had to go back inside! The strategies I used for behaviour management, was making them repeat my instructions as I gave them. This worked well and everyone understood. I have been reading another UTS Student's blog (Vanessa), and she has used some great PDHPE games/activities relating to healthy eating, which I will definately be trying out in future pracs!
During the mid-session, I gave the Mathematics lesson I was meant to give yesterday based on 2D shapes. I made the lesson about going on a ‘shape-hunt’, which the kids really seemed to enjoy doing. Before really explaining the lesson, I decided to think of a creative way to introduce them or have them revise the concept of shapes. In our Uni subject ‘Music, Movement and Dance’ we played games where the teacher called out types of shapes to us (long, pointy, triangular, rectangle, small, tall etc) and we had to make them with our bodies. I put on some calming rainforest music and had them do this activity. They really got into it, however I stopped when kids were laughing and getting to excited.
I had made up a 2D shapes worksheet that they had to complete, and you can tell the kids that just love maths finish straight away, but the kids who are more creative prone, take ages to finish. I had learnt my lesson from the week before, and this time I had in place an activity for early finishers. They took two die (dice) and made up their own addition sums to do themselves.
With the behaviour side of things, I really need to tune my ears to distinguish between ‘busy’ noise and ‘disruptive’ noise. I tended to make them quiet down whenever they started becoming noisy, however I realise now that sometimes it is okay to have them talk to each other and socialise while doing work.
Most kids worked really well, and the two children I was focusing on seemed to get the job done without too much fuss. The child that constantly interrupted, did interrupt, and I explained to her and the class that interrupting people was unacceptable and I would simply not answer her if she did it again. I told her this in a polite and respectful way and she didn’t interrupt again for that lesson. However, at the end of the day, she was back to her old ways, and again I realised that because she had gotten away with interrupting people her whole life, one correction from me could not stop that way in her.
Overall, it was a much better day than yesterday and I am continually learning that a teacher’s work is never done!
4th Teaching (or non-teaching) Day!
Tuesday 8th September:
Well I am absolutely exhausted from trying to manage my crazy Year One class today. My CT was sick today, and everything was so disorganised! At morning lines I was the only one responsible for the class, and had parents coming up to me asking where my CT teacher was, who I was and what was I doing! Since they hadn't arranged anyone to be a substitute, I had to take the class up to the classroom by myself and read them a story until someone finally arrived 45minutes later!
And with all this - it was Photo Day! The children were absolutely wild and even the well behaved children were misbehaving. The substitute they did get didn't do much at all and had zero control over the class so I had to step in - I felt horrible being so stern with them all day, but they were not listening or cooperating at all!
I realise some things I did that was wrong - such as focusing on poor behaviour rather than praising the select few who were exhibiting positive behaviour, and not tactfully ignoring minor misbehaviours. It actually was a good lesson for me, as I can see how much more crazy the children get when their teacher isn't present, and seeing firsthand how if you are not consistent with things as simple as not allowing children to proceed to their classroom without lining up properly, you have lost them and bad behaviour will run riot.
It was a tough day as I did not prepare for this situation at all, and I ended up not teaching. The other staff members were really supportive, and made me realise that you need to laugh about these types of things. It also helps to read other student teachers blogs (Kirsten) so you don't feel so alone, and you realise that everyone is in the same boat as you are! Hopefully my CT will be back tomorrow!
Well I am absolutely exhausted from trying to manage my crazy Year One class today. My CT was sick today, and everything was so disorganised! At morning lines I was the only one responsible for the class, and had parents coming up to me asking where my CT teacher was, who I was and what was I doing! Since they hadn't arranged anyone to be a substitute, I had to take the class up to the classroom by myself and read them a story until someone finally arrived 45minutes later!
And with all this - it was Photo Day! The children were absolutely wild and even the well behaved children were misbehaving. The substitute they did get didn't do much at all and had zero control over the class so I had to step in - I felt horrible being so stern with them all day, but they were not listening or cooperating at all!
I realise some things I did that was wrong - such as focusing on poor behaviour rather than praising the select few who were exhibiting positive behaviour, and not tactfully ignoring minor misbehaviours. It actually was a good lesson for me, as I can see how much more crazy the children get when their teacher isn't present, and seeing firsthand how if you are not consistent with things as simple as not allowing children to proceed to their classroom without lining up properly, you have lost them and bad behaviour will run riot.
It was a tough day as I did not prepare for this situation at all, and I ended up not teaching. The other staff members were really supportive, and made me realise that you need to laugh about these types of things. It also helps to read other student teachers blogs (Kirsten) so you don't feel so alone, and you realise that everyone is in the same boat as you are! Hopefully my CT will be back tomorrow!
3rd Teaching Day
Friday 4th September:
I was scheduled to hold a lesson on Literacy Contracts again today, however there was so much disruption and left over work that needed to be finished, that my CT told me to conduct a follow up lesson on the Maths Number Pattern Puzzles and Christmas worksheet, just so they could finish that. It was also Father’s Day on the weekend coming up, so most of the day was spent preparing for the assembly and making ‘Hero’ Cards. I did have to use management strategies, however everything is a bit of a blur since it was so chaotic!
I was scheduled to hold a lesson on Literacy Contracts again today, however there was so much disruption and left over work that needed to be finished, that my CT told me to conduct a follow up lesson on the Maths Number Pattern Puzzles and Christmas worksheet, just so they could finish that. It was also Father’s Day on the weekend coming up, so most of the day was spent preparing for the assembly and making ‘Hero’ Cards. I did have to use management strategies, however everything is a bit of a blur since it was so chaotic!
2nd Teaching Day
Thursday 3rd September:
Today I taught Literacy to another small group of children, however I changed the activity. This lesson was worse than yesterdays, as the children who were in this group seemed to be talkative and much more disruptive. Additionally I don’t think I explained the activity well enough for them to grasp. It was not a disaster, but it did not go as well as I planned. I had to constantly use positive reinforcement, which at times seemed to backfire! The children who I acknowledged for positive behaviour viewed it as their opportunity to gloat! I had to stop numerous times using hand gestures for them to mimic in order to refocus their attention on me. I would change the way I explain the activity, and also the location of the lesson, as it was the same as yesterday.
I taught Mathematics in the mid-session, with the focus being on using the 100’s chart to teach counting forwards and backwards by tens. I really need to brush up on my maths, as it scares me that I need to teach children something that I had a lot of difficulty with at times. The lesson went ok, the children sometimes didn’t catch that I wanted them to count as a class, so we had to stop and I needed to make that clear.
The day was disrupted numerous times, and so I had to teach at an earlier time than I expected which made me nervous as I didn’t feel as prepared as I could have. I found that the activity of making a number pattern puzzle was challenging for them, which I think is a good thing, however I really needed to explain it better. Some children couldn’t grasp what they needed to do, which tells me that either I need to focus on explaining things more simply and concisely or that I need to set activities more at their level.
They did, however, love the number puzzle when they finished it and had fun swapping it with other children. I realised today that if you do not set proper early finishers tasks, then things can get out of hand! I didn’t think that some people finished incredibly fast, while others couldn’t finish in the time set out. Using the computers for Mathletics, as well as using the dice for creating their own number sums would have been a good idea for early finishers.
At times I realised I had forgotten to explain things, and I needed to get their attention by clapping patterns. The nature of the class is very inconsistent and calling out was a major issue, which needs to be addressed. Lots of learning happened today though!
Today I taught Literacy to another small group of children, however I changed the activity. This lesson was worse than yesterdays, as the children who were in this group seemed to be talkative and much more disruptive. Additionally I don’t think I explained the activity well enough for them to grasp. It was not a disaster, but it did not go as well as I planned. I had to constantly use positive reinforcement, which at times seemed to backfire! The children who I acknowledged for positive behaviour viewed it as their opportunity to gloat! I had to stop numerous times using hand gestures for them to mimic in order to refocus their attention on me. I would change the way I explain the activity, and also the location of the lesson, as it was the same as yesterday.
I taught Mathematics in the mid-session, with the focus being on using the 100’s chart to teach counting forwards and backwards by tens. I really need to brush up on my maths, as it scares me that I need to teach children something that I had a lot of difficulty with at times. The lesson went ok, the children sometimes didn’t catch that I wanted them to count as a class, so we had to stop and I needed to make that clear.
The day was disrupted numerous times, and so I had to teach at an earlier time than I expected which made me nervous as I didn’t feel as prepared as I could have. I found that the activity of making a number pattern puzzle was challenging for them, which I think is a good thing, however I really needed to explain it better. Some children couldn’t grasp what they needed to do, which tells me that either I need to focus on explaining things more simply and concisely or that I need to set activities more at their level.
They did, however, love the number puzzle when they finished it and had fun swapping it with other children. I realised today that if you do not set proper early finishers tasks, then things can get out of hand! I didn’t think that some people finished incredibly fast, while others couldn’t finish in the time set out. Using the computers for Mathletics, as well as using the dice for creating their own number sums would have been a good idea for early finishers.
At times I realised I had forgotten to explain things, and I needed to get their attention by clapping patterns. The nature of the class is very inconsistent and calling out was a major issue, which needs to be addressed. Lots of learning happened today though!
Reflections on Prac
Monday 31st August:
I came into Bondi Beach Public School feeling slightly nervous but excited. I reacquainted myself with my cooperating teacher who informed me what the class had been doing. The three Year One classes had been focusing on the HSIE Unit of Celebrations, in which they were covering Father’s Day and Festival of the Winds when I would be there. I decided I would plan some of my lessons around these topics.
As Classroom Management was the focus of this practical, I was observing the class in reference to their behaviour. I noticed two children in particular who found it very difficult to focus: one who distracted others with immature behaviour and the other who could not stop herself from interrupting. For the assignment, I decided I would focus mainly on improving their behaviours, as well as implementing certain strategies to manage the entire class. I found that my CT used various methods of behaviour management, such as:- using mimicking (Simon Says, Hands on Heads, Touch Shoulders etc.)- affirmation of positive behaviours (I love the way Ella is sitting so quietly etc)- singling out negative behaviours (Whoever is being noisy, stand up and come to me)- using her face and expression to show emotions (anger, disappointment, sadness, joy)I did find some of her methods ineffective, such as raising her voice often to the children who were displaying minor misbehaviours. I noticed that she did not use tactful ignoring as one of her strategies, which I believe plays a part in the class’s inconsistent behaviour. Additionally, she did not have in place an adequate reward system, which I believe is necessary for children of a Stage One level. Stickers were used, however very infrequently and inconsistently. My CT was inconsistent with her strategies, and I believe this disrupted the class often, and subconsciously told them that they could get away with a lot of negative behaviour.
As this is a Practical, and I am only a student teacher, I cannot simply walk into her classroom and introduce radical methods of behaviour management, as it would be both rude to her and incredibly confusing to the class. They do not know me well enough yet to respect me as a qualified teacher and therefore may not listen to me as much as they listen and respect their own teacher. I know that when it comes to me having my own class, I would implement different strategies that would work best for me, and I believe the children. I now know that being consistent is a vital aspect of both managing and preventing negative behaviour.
The class itself is very lively and although sometimes they try hard to conceal and control their excitement, usually they succumb to calling out, ignoring each other, talking too loudly and accusing each other of petty violations. Simply put, they sadly do not respect each other. While I am here, I will implement the majority of my CT’s strategies, however I refuse to raise my voice at children, as it is not in my nature to do so. I will however, need to learn how to talk firmly and sternly with children. My main aspiration is to get the class to respect me and most importantly themselves and each other. As mentioned previously, there are two students in particular that disrupt the class on a regular basis, and I plan to focus mainly on developing their behaviour so that they can interact with the class in a more positive and cohesive manner. I intend to use positive reinforcement, shaping, tactful ignoring teamed with acknowledgement and affirmation of appropriate behaviours, time-out, teacher-student discussions away from the class, group alerting, encouragement, and finally employing the use of I-messages.
I came into Bondi Beach Public School feeling slightly nervous but excited. I reacquainted myself with my cooperating teacher who informed me what the class had been doing. The three Year One classes had been focusing on the HSIE Unit of Celebrations, in which they were covering Father’s Day and Festival of the Winds when I would be there. I decided I would plan some of my lessons around these topics.
As Classroom Management was the focus of this practical, I was observing the class in reference to their behaviour. I noticed two children in particular who found it very difficult to focus: one who distracted others with immature behaviour and the other who could not stop herself from interrupting. For the assignment, I decided I would focus mainly on improving their behaviours, as well as implementing certain strategies to manage the entire class. I found that my CT used various methods of behaviour management, such as:- using mimicking (Simon Says, Hands on Heads, Touch Shoulders etc.)- affirmation of positive behaviours (I love the way Ella is sitting so quietly etc)- singling out negative behaviours (Whoever is being noisy, stand up and come to me)- using her face and expression to show emotions (anger, disappointment, sadness, joy)I did find some of her methods ineffective, such as raising her voice often to the children who were displaying minor misbehaviours. I noticed that she did not use tactful ignoring as one of her strategies, which I believe plays a part in the class’s inconsistent behaviour. Additionally, she did not have in place an adequate reward system, which I believe is necessary for children of a Stage One level. Stickers were used, however very infrequently and inconsistently. My CT was inconsistent with her strategies, and I believe this disrupted the class often, and subconsciously told them that they could get away with a lot of negative behaviour.
As this is a Practical, and I am only a student teacher, I cannot simply walk into her classroom and introduce radical methods of behaviour management, as it would be both rude to her and incredibly confusing to the class. They do not know me well enough yet to respect me as a qualified teacher and therefore may not listen to me as much as they listen and respect their own teacher. I know that when it comes to me having my own class, I would implement different strategies that would work best for me, and I believe the children. I now know that being consistent is a vital aspect of both managing and preventing negative behaviour.
The class itself is very lively and although sometimes they try hard to conceal and control their excitement, usually they succumb to calling out, ignoring each other, talking too loudly and accusing each other of petty violations. Simply put, they sadly do not respect each other. While I am here, I will implement the majority of my CT’s strategies, however I refuse to raise my voice at children, as it is not in my nature to do so. I will however, need to learn how to talk firmly and sternly with children. My main aspiration is to get the class to respect me and most importantly themselves and each other. As mentioned previously, there are two students in particular that disrupt the class on a regular basis, and I plan to focus mainly on developing their behaviour so that they can interact with the class in a more positive and cohesive manner. I intend to use positive reinforcement, shaping, tactful ignoring teamed with acknowledgement and affirmation of appropriate behaviours, time-out, teacher-student discussions away from the class, group alerting, encouragement, and finally employing the use of I-messages.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
First Attempts at Teaching
Wednesday 2nd September:
Today was my very first teaching day at Bondi Beach PS, and overall I'm very happy with the way it went. In the morning I taught two small groups in a rotation about Literacy using their spelling list. As I was interacting with only a small number of children, I found that controlling their behaviour was easier than I expected. Using strategies like:
"Eyes to me" or "I just love the way Eliza is sitting quietly and raising her hand, sticker for you", seemed to work really well. I tried my best to include everyone where possible, and made a concious effort to answer a range of children's questions, not the same children all the time. My Cooperating Teacher was incredibly supportive, and made great suggestions. I've figured out that teaching lower grades is simply about being dramatic, using the eyes and voice to get your point across. So with the two morning lessons which totalled 30minutes I found went better than I thought, so overall I was happy!
In the afternoon session I taught a lesson about the HSIE topic Celebrations, on the topic of Christmas. I read them a picture book, then held a 'brainstorming' discussion with them about all the specifics of Christmas, teaching them about mindmaps throughout - which they loved! Mostly everyone was participating, however some children were sent up the back of the room by the CT (personally I would not have dont this, as I found their misbehaviour minor). Everyone was eager to answer questions and excited for the activity. They are a very lively class, so I made a conscious effort to concisely and clearly explain my expectations and rules throughout, which I really believe made a difference. The second part of the lesson involved the children looking at the mindmap we had created and writing on the sheet I created, two things they know about Christmas, with illustrations. As the afternoon session is only 45 minutes, I found myself out of time shortly after they began drawing. I need to watch my time management skills and buy a watch, as they have no clocks in the classrooms! Overall I was happy with the participation level. I believe I used some really good management techniques such as getting them to copy my actions, taking deep breaths with them to calm them, and using postive reinforcement. I need to learn more techniques so I can include one very disruptive child and involve him more in the lesson. I was happy with the way it went, but I do see lots of areas for improvement!
Today was my very first teaching day at Bondi Beach PS, and overall I'm very happy with the way it went. In the morning I taught two small groups in a rotation about Literacy using their spelling list. As I was interacting with only a small number of children, I found that controlling their behaviour was easier than I expected. Using strategies like:
"Eyes to me" or "I just love the way Eliza is sitting quietly and raising her hand, sticker for you", seemed to work really well. I tried my best to include everyone where possible, and made a concious effort to answer a range of children's questions, not the same children all the time. My Cooperating Teacher was incredibly supportive, and made great suggestions. I've figured out that teaching lower grades is simply about being dramatic, using the eyes and voice to get your point across. So with the two morning lessons which totalled 30minutes I found went better than I thought, so overall I was happy!
In the afternoon session I taught a lesson about the HSIE topic Celebrations, on the topic of Christmas. I read them a picture book, then held a 'brainstorming' discussion with them about all the specifics of Christmas, teaching them about mindmaps throughout - which they loved! Mostly everyone was participating, however some children were sent up the back of the room by the CT (personally I would not have dont this, as I found their misbehaviour minor). Everyone was eager to answer questions and excited for the activity. They are a very lively class, so I made a conscious effort to concisely and clearly explain my expectations and rules throughout, which I really believe made a difference. The second part of the lesson involved the children looking at the mindmap we had created and writing on the sheet I created, two things they know about Christmas, with illustrations. As the afternoon session is only 45 minutes, I found myself out of time shortly after they began drawing. I need to watch my time management skills and buy a watch, as they have no clocks in the classrooms! Overall I was happy with the participation level. I believe I used some really good management techniques such as getting them to copy my actions, taking deep breaths with them to calm them, and using postive reinforcement. I need to learn more techniques so I can include one very disruptive child and involve him more in the lesson. I was happy with the way it went, but I do see lots of areas for improvement!
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