Student Teaching Week 12 Reflection

Week of Reflection: Friday, March 22, 2019

Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week
This week was a 5! We did a ton of awesome things this week.

Seven questions to end your week:

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

FENCE came to teach my class about weather, and today we did a science craft with making the different types of clouds using cotton balls and gluing them down, we went on a cloud walk and wrote down our observations, and did a condensation and precipitation science lab and collected data. It was great!
I was also pleasantly surprised when one of my students who challenges me every day in terms of behavior walked up to me today and said, “Ms. McDaniel, I am going to miss you over the weekend.” It shocked me! I told him that I would miss him too, but that I would see him on Monday. So sweet.

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

This week I learned how important it is to take a step back from the worksheets and let them be creative with hands on projects and experiments! I really already knew this, but this week just reiterated that.

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

This week I added a lot of things in my NCTCS notebook. It’s still a work in progress, but I am adding a lot of things. I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

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

I honestly should have just gone to bed earlier this week so that I would have been more rested for school the next day, but it was still a good week.

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

N/A

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

Next week I am going to get busy on my portfolio! The seminar we had yesterday on the portfolio was so helpful in getting everything organized in my mind for what I have to do. I am getting excited about creating it!

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?

This week we had progress monitoring, so I analyzed that data to track progress in students’ reading fluency. I was pleased to see that fluency and overall reading was improving! Also, I was pleased to see from math data that they have finally grasped counting coins (hallelujah!)

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

Stay confident in yourself. Know what you bring to the table and be confident in your decisions, your teacher voice, and why you do the things you do and plan the things you plan!

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 1a. “Teachers lead in their classrooms.” This week in my placement, I began to feel officially confident in my classroom and behavior management skills. The child on my behavior plan has had a complete turnaround. My class is quiet when I tell them to be. A lot of the needless behavior issues have drastically decreased, and we are more a “classroom family” now than ever! Yay!

• 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 2e. “Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students.” This week I have my parent event on choosing the just right book, and it was an absolute dream! I was very pleased.

• 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 3d. “Teachers make instruction relevant to students.” We have been learning about weather and clouds for a while now. This week, I took my students outside for a cloud walk, and we took data on the clouds we saw! My students need to be up and moving around and have visual instructional supports, so this was great for them.

• 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 4e. “Teachers help students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.” This week, on Monday, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. I had my students write about what they would do to catch a leprechaun. I gave them the choice of either writing about being an engineer and creating a new gadget to catch the leprechaun, or being a critical thinker/problem solver and coming up with a plan to use items around the house to catch a leprechaun. This was so fun and the things they came up with were hilarious!

• 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 5b. “Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals.” This week I scheduled an observation with my principal, and I am so excited to receive her feedback! I think she is planning on coming next Thursday during ELA. I am super excited.

Other:

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

Videos and pictures are pretty much complete for my video, and I have started my Livebinder!

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

Possibly any information that she would need to know about the semester and experience winding down?

• What support do you need from your university supervisor?

N/A