Final Self-Reflection
In the course of my unit, I learned some important things that factor into teaching. It's important that we, as long as the students, learn from our lessons. There is always something that can be pulled out and analyzed, and that is extremely important for us to do if we're going to grow in our teaching capabilities.
There are many obstacles in the course of a week, and it is important that you remain flexible. Not everything is going to go as planned, and that's not bad. I believe that we think going off course during a lesson can be called a distraction, however if it's managed well I think it can be helpful. Students can't always be pushed without a break. I needed to remember that they are just like me, and I obviously love having little breaks to refocus.
I also learned that I can't be worried when my lessons change. The students are still learning and are still going to get there, but just in a different, more natural, pace. Learning is all about progressing at a natural pace. We see how the Zone of Proximal Development works, aiding students to move up to the next level of understanding, and that's something we should be aiming for. Each student learns at a different degree. I was attuned to this in my class. A few of my students go to our schools' resource center to get extra help on their school work. I learned that I had to cater to their needs when they came back into the classroom because they'd miss out on part of the lesson. I could tell they wanted to be apart of the class, and not miss out on what was happening.
The students were always so excited to read the book, and the discussions that we had as a class and that I heard in small groups were encouraging. I heard them talking about what they would do in Stanley's situation. I also caught them using some of their vocabulary words in their everyday conversation. Through the blogs the students kept, I was able to see what they truly thought about different situations in the book. The students were able to see each other comments to the questions, and at first I was hesitant doing this, but they ended up conversing through the blog. They would answer other people's questions, or even agree/disagree (appropriately) with each other.
The students definitely felt the push I was giving them. I wanted them to read, but also comprehend what they were reading. So, our discussions of the readings they did on their own were more extensive than the ones we'd do in class. I'd make sure that every single student was tracking with me and the direction we were going in the book.
In my Perspective paper I wrote, “I want to take each unique student into account every time I plan a lesson. I want to get to know my students so that I can cater to their needs. I want to make my classroom exciting and invigorating, yet rigorous in learning and true knowledge. I want my students to take control of their learning, and to strive to be grace givers.” This was extremely relevant in my unit that I taught this week. I found that I needed to give some things up in my lessons in order to cater to my students needs and abilities. I expected a lot when I wrote my lesson plans, and I realized that it wasn't reasonable for my students to achieve so much in such a little time. I wasn't think about the students when I first wrote my plans. Instead I was thinking about what I needed to accomplish. That's the first thing I realized while I was teaching. I needed to be more realistic and revamp my lessons to fit the abilities of my students.
It is still important to me to show God's love through my teaching in the classroom. I think that I was able to display this through being gracious to my students. If someone came up to me and had a legitimate reason for not being able to do their homework, I was able to display God's love by allowing them time to make up for it. It's also because I truly care for my students and I want them to achieve in their school work. In 1 John 4:7-8, it says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I want them to feel the love of God through me.
Overall, the unit didn't quite go as I expected. But, the goals I had set out for my students were reached in another way that were just as good as I had planned.
There are many obstacles in the course of a week, and it is important that you remain flexible. Not everything is going to go as planned, and that's not bad. I believe that we think going off course during a lesson can be called a distraction, however if it's managed well I think it can be helpful. Students can't always be pushed without a break. I needed to remember that they are just like me, and I obviously love having little breaks to refocus.
I also learned that I can't be worried when my lessons change. The students are still learning and are still going to get there, but just in a different, more natural, pace. Learning is all about progressing at a natural pace. We see how the Zone of Proximal Development works, aiding students to move up to the next level of understanding, and that's something we should be aiming for. Each student learns at a different degree. I was attuned to this in my class. A few of my students go to our schools' resource center to get extra help on their school work. I learned that I had to cater to their needs when they came back into the classroom because they'd miss out on part of the lesson. I could tell they wanted to be apart of the class, and not miss out on what was happening.
The students were always so excited to read the book, and the discussions that we had as a class and that I heard in small groups were encouraging. I heard them talking about what they would do in Stanley's situation. I also caught them using some of their vocabulary words in their everyday conversation. Through the blogs the students kept, I was able to see what they truly thought about different situations in the book. The students were able to see each other comments to the questions, and at first I was hesitant doing this, but they ended up conversing through the blog. They would answer other people's questions, or even agree/disagree (appropriately) with each other.
The students definitely felt the push I was giving them. I wanted them to read, but also comprehend what they were reading. So, our discussions of the readings they did on their own were more extensive than the ones we'd do in class. I'd make sure that every single student was tracking with me and the direction we were going in the book.
In my Perspective paper I wrote, “I want to take each unique student into account every time I plan a lesson. I want to get to know my students so that I can cater to their needs. I want to make my classroom exciting and invigorating, yet rigorous in learning and true knowledge. I want my students to take control of their learning, and to strive to be grace givers.” This was extremely relevant in my unit that I taught this week. I found that I needed to give some things up in my lessons in order to cater to my students needs and abilities. I expected a lot when I wrote my lesson plans, and I realized that it wasn't reasonable for my students to achieve so much in such a little time. I wasn't think about the students when I first wrote my plans. Instead I was thinking about what I needed to accomplish. That's the first thing I realized while I was teaching. I needed to be more realistic and revamp my lessons to fit the abilities of my students.
It is still important to me to show God's love through my teaching in the classroom. I think that I was able to display this through being gracious to my students. If someone came up to me and had a legitimate reason for not being able to do their homework, I was able to display God's love by allowing them time to make up for it. It's also because I truly care for my students and I want them to achieve in their school work. In 1 John 4:7-8, it says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I want them to feel the love of God through me.
Overall, the unit didn't quite go as I expected. But, the goals I had set out for my students were reached in another way that were just as good as I had planned.