Lesson: Individual and Dual Activities
What worked well in your lesson? What specifically did you contribute?
Our team was quite flexible with the activities that we chose: we were all willing to compromise a little bit. This made planning the lesson very easy. We worked together on all parts of the lesson plan and worked independently to plan our own sections. During the lesson, we supported each other by adjusting the music and giving cues for time. Overall, I think we worked well as a team. Regarding the actual lesson, everything basically went exactly as planned. Our class was really enthusiastic and I saw many people get really into the lesson.
What did you notice about your planning and teaching? How are they connected?
Considering adaptations of the lesson was quite valuable because we actually talked about them, and this helped others feel more comfortable with the activities.
What changes needed to be made and why?
We needed to create a worksheet last minute so that the students could record their heart rates. This was a really good revision because it kept students organized.
What did you notice about the learners’ response to your lesson in the classroom? How did they respond (affective, cognitive, physical)? How did that impact your teaching and flow of your lesson?
The class was quite keen and looked really happy to be dancing. They were also able to execute the movements in a coordinated way. These responses made me excited to teach. I also noticed that the movement was neither too complex nor too simple to follow. If I were to teach a similar lesson again with the same class, I would plan with that in mind. The part of the lesson that was most cognitively taxing was the calculation of their heart rates. Since they were all able to multiply, we did not have to spend much time on this. If I had done this with my practicum grade five class, they would not have been able to do this. In that case, we would take our pulse in class for fifteen seconds and then calculate our heart rate in math class.
What, if any, would you have done differently?
I would have incorporated more assessment into the lesson. For instance, between the songs, I could have asked the class how they were feeling. Additionally, it would be a good idea to record the lesson so that we could assess the students according to the rubric we created. I was so focused on remembering my choreography that I was not able to assess every student.