Student Teaching Week 9 Reflection

Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed)
 

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week

This week was a 2. I hate sounding negative but I just have to be honest this week! This week was hard.

Seven questions to end your week:

• Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?

I am super excited to say that I just finished week 5 of full instruction! Officially halfway done!!!

• Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?

I have learned this week that it is important to just pay attention. Pay attention to the little things that your kids say or do, their habits, etc. You never know when those little things will become the big things.

• Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?

edTPA will be done as of tomorrow, thank goodness!

• Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?

I could have spent less time worrying about the future and more time taking care of myself, praying, and working on lesson plans.

• Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?

Apprehension and indecision is just not something I usually have so I never know how to answer this question!

• Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?

Next week, I am SO EXCITED to start teaching weather-- beginning with The Water Cycle! I literally cannot wait! The rest of my student teaching experience I will be teaching science and I am on cloud 9. Science is more my thing.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?

I’m starting to notice and take note of data on everything-- without making the charts and all. Making all the charts so far has gotten me into the habit of finding whole-class patterns of learning and misconceptions.

• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

Hang in there, y’all!

NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)

• Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Standard 1: "Teachers advocate for schools and students." This week, with all the stuff coming out about “MoMo,” my kids were coming in talking about how they had seen it and how scary it was. I went ahead and told them absolutely no getting on anything at school that's not a school subscription, because since the beginning of the year, they've been allowed to get on YouTube during indoor recess. I carried this a step further by typing up a professional email with my C.E. letting the county technology coordinator know about all this, and seeing if we can get it blocked from our kids even having access to it at school.

• Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Standard 2: "Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs." The longer I’m in the classroom, the more I learn about differentiation. The most challenging part to me is that it doesn’t matter how much you plan to differentiate-- differentiation is one of those things that you have to kind of assess how the child/children are doing on that particular day and adjust accordingly. If it’s been an awesome day of hard work, challenge that child! If you can tell they are a little emotional and not feeling their best, give them more support.

• Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Standard 3: "Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines." I have noticed that I am starting to integrate all content areas all the time, almost subconsciously. I have also noticed that when I do this, my students are more engaged and I am having more fun teaching the material, so it’s a win-win.

• Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Standard 4: "Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students." This one was so hard for me to even wrap my mind around-- I think because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in elementary school and I am not a mother yet. I can’t tell when a child has a fever like my C.E. can, or when they are just tired or something like that. However, the longer I’m in the classroom, the more I am learning about how to notice these things!

• Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Standard 5: "Teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment." This week, honestly, this has been what it’s all about for me. This being the last week to work on edTPA, but still having real students to teach, lesson plans to write, etc. it’s just been hard. But we are getting through it!

Other:

• What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?

edTPA is all I have had time for this week.

• What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?

N/A

• What support do you need from your university supervisor?

I would like to talk soon about classroom management help and support, please!

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