Now that we’re at or just past the mid-point, let’s take this time to reflect on the positives from the last few weeks. Sharing our accomplishments and precious moments can be very energizing when we find ourselves getting tired and perhaps frustrated. Focusing on the positives help us to renew our commitment to our passion – teaching! So, let’s share…
Cyber Community Blog
A Home for SLSS and McNair TC's and SA's
After 5 weeks of my practicum, I am happy and proud of the way it’s gone so far. The most valuable thing I have learned so far is the importance of positive, professional relationships with my students. What I need to work on is organizing and prepping for future weeks. I have noticed how much more challenging the 80% work load with decreased prep time and more classes to prep for. After a weekend spent in the Scarfe Library, I am feeling a bit tired, but confident about the future weeks to come.
Having the opportunity to observe 8 out of the 13 teacher candidates involved with this project (by the midpoint) has been a wonderful experience. I usually do not get out into the schools to see TC’s very much during the practicum, unless circumstances are particularly dire: so getting out and observing all of you doing so well has been a nice bonus for me! Whether it has been observing Chris’s outstanding movement around the classroom, Vanessa’s warm and welcoming nature with her students, or Kiran’s strong skills at leading classroom discussions, you all have some great abilities to build off of and share with each other! I look forward to seeing the rest of you in the upcoming weeks!!
Five weeks have gone by for me fast. With everyday rehearsals with the choir and all the bands in McNair, plus the fine arts 8 class, I started to have the control as a teacher in front of the students after all the debriefs I’ve got from my SAs and FA. Then, I learn how to organize trips and day trips to music festivals, which was a long, suffering battle since you never know if there are any changes until the day you go onto the trip. Also, conducting 2, 3 bands everyday was not as easy for how many pieces per band I need to prep. Other than the musical part, setting myself up as a teacher in front of the students, faster pacing, positive feedback to students, etc., would be the things I need to work more on for the next half of my practicum.
I can’t believe that we are already at midpoint! The first five weeks of this practicum have flown by so fast! I think the first half of this practicum has been valuable in learning to juggle planning and marking and now I am looking forward to really focusing on developing relationships with students and becoming a bigger part of the school community. The workload will increase as I take on full load but I am looking forward to the weeks to come.
The workload may increase at this time, but this is when you will notice everything falling into place. Although the marking load will also increase, you will find that it will start getting a little bit easier. Developing relationships with students is also very important–making those small comments, asking students questions about themselves, will foster those relationships.
Over the past 5 weeks, I am surprised at how comfortable I am when speaking in front of the class. I think I am able to feel comfortable and speak naturally because I tell myself that I don’t have time to worry about anything else but deliver my lessons to the best of my abilities. I am thankful to have a projector in my room so I can run PowerPoints and videos with ease! I also value the constructive criticisms I have received from my FA, SAs, John, and other cross observation teachers. For the remainder of my practicum, I would work on my pacing (going faster) and getting students to respond when I check for understanding.
Because this is a semester school, this feels like week four to me. Even in the small amount of time that has elapsed, I feel like I have jumped leaps and bounds. I think the thing I am most proud of is the relationship I have established with my students. I feel the atmosphere in my classroom is that of compassion and openness to ask any question that is on your mind without feeling dumb.
One thing I need to improve on is making my lessons more student-centred. I need to come up with innovative ways to get my students out of their seats and engaged with the activity.
The first five weeks has really been a balancing act and I’m finally starting to feel like I’m getting the hang of it. I feel much more comfortable just speaking in front of the class whereas before, even with just massive amounts of preparation, I was just anxious about every word out of my mouth. I also had some trouble with timing and getting participation up in some of my classes which I feel much better about now. I feel like I’m connecting with many of my students; we often chat before class about our interests. Lyle, Karen and Andrea have been just amazing with all their support and suggestions. Also, being able to bounce ideas with the other student teachers has been extremely helpful. In the weeks to come, I really want to work on efficiency and more personalized lessons, as well as continuing to work on timing and participation.
In the first half of practicum I’ve certainly felt the work load associated with teaching (especially in the first few years of teaching). I’m proud to say that I’ve accomplished what I have so far. The biggest thing that I’ve learnt is that I am absolutely a “student teacher”. Even though I am my student’s teacher, I am also still learning how to do this job. I worry so much when a lesson doesn’t go well for some reason or other and I wonder whether the people who are observing me interpret that to mean that I’m a bad teacher. However, I’ve learnt to tell myself that this is exactly why I am here. I want these people to see me struggle (as well as succeed) because then I can grow. I can use their feedback, imitate how they would have done the lesson and I can learn so much from that. I am a teacher in training and I’m looking forward to learning more from these mentors around me.
It is a hope of mine that all teachers actually begin to feel an openness to other teachers observing them and helping those teachers become better by focusing on aspects of their teaching. So often the mentoring of mentors goes overlooked and I feel that all of you TC’s have the opportunity to make that kind of a change in our profession. If you can embrace asking others to observe your teaching as you go forth, it can only make our teaching practice better as the years go by. This would be beneficial for the person being observed, but also for the person observing, as so often you’ll find your SA’s commenting on how watching you teach makes them reflect on some aspect of their teaching. Well done to you all and keep up the growth!!
I have really enjoyed the first half of the practicum. I think my biggest advantage was with coaching the Jr. Boys Basketball team because it allowed me develop relationships on the basketball court that transferred into the classroom. I feel that once students have a feel for you as person outside the classroom they become more open to you as a teacher. I feel the main aspect of teaching I must really improve on is being more assertive. I naturally have a calm demeanor and that may not be such a great trait to always have in teaching. For the second half of the practicum my focus is on trying to find the balance of when to be calm and when to be assertive.
The first five weeks of our practicum have been enlightening and a learning experience for me as an FA. Thinking about our Teacher Candidates I have seen excellent progress. I think that the cross-curricular cycle of observations have provided them with a lot of valuable advice and receiving feedback from another voice who may bring a slightly different perspective has been beneficial to the TC’s. The overall quality of their work has been high and I am sure that the advice they have received is part of the reason for this. This variety of perspectives has also reminded me of important aspects of lesson design and instructional delivery that I may not always naturally focus on. Sometimes I do wonder about the volume and timing of observations noting that there have been occasions when a TC may have had multiple observers visit their classes within a small window of time. Perhaps as we move forward and we reach the point of considering Year 2 we can look at the pro’s and con’s of making the cross-curricular observations part of the normal cycle instead of an ‘add on’?. This may result in a more normal volume of visitations for the TC’s to reflect on. I do notice that there has been a higher incidence of the use of technology as an instructional tool. The TC’s seem to be experimenting more with its use in their classrooms. The sharing of applications and other software that assists us in becoming more proficient in fulfilling our duties has been exciting. For me as someone who is not technologically literate, it has also identified an area that I would like to explore for future growth. Thank you to all our SA’s for contributing to the progress of our Teacher Candidates. Teacher Candidates, keep on growing! Well done to date!
The first 5 weeks of practicum have been a mix of expectations met and lots of unexpected surprises. I thought my grade 11’s would be more behaved and mature, but it turns out that my grade 8’s are more receptive to my teaching. It have might to do with the type of class I have for grade 11’s, but I have found I am encountering a lot of unexpected classroom management issues. I thought I could relax a little with the 11’s, but I find I’m having to now backtrack to reinforce issues with classroom management. The workload is manageable so far, but I have yet to pick up my third class. I am curious to see how my changes will work out in the second half of the practicum.
I have found that having a detailed lesson plan with times and objectives as well as a detailed play by play is essential to keeping on track. We all have very bright and curious students who if given even a inch will run away with taking you off course. At the same time if you don’t allow space for that spontaneity you can find yourself not engaging students as much as you like. Its a push and pull situation in which you just have to make sure that your bases are covered and hope that students energy levels are high enough to have some constructive lessons that are also enough to appease the curious mind.
Sarah,
Our objective as advisors is to help you build confidence and skill in the first half of the practicum so that you can be ‘the’ teacher in the last weeks. Believe in yourself and the knowledge you bring to the classroom and you will be that teacher.
I have really enjoyed my practicum so far! Exhausting, but definitely exhilarating! The first five weeks have been an invaluable learning experience- there is something new I learn every 15 minutes or so! I am so much more comfortable being in front of a class, as well. I’m also learning the importance of pre-planning, especially on weekends so that my week goes by much smoother.Having a weekly plan done by Sunday really helps the week go well (or at least as much as I can get done). A challenge has been to ensure I get a projector for each lesson- I try to incorporate at least 1 video every class that’s relevant to my lesson, and it can be more challenging if there are only 3 projectors for the whole school to share (minus the science department). Looking forward, I’m hoping to hone my classroom management skills, ensure solid and meaningful transitions between activities, solid closings, and stay on top of all my planning. Good luck to everyone! 🙂
Reflecting on my progress through this practicum, one idea that has been on my mind this week has been trying new classroom settings and activities. Over the weeks I have been striving to master certain ways of teaching a lesson with readings and worksheets, but now I’m looking forward to shaking it up a bit. The honeymoon stage has ended with two of my classes so getting the students attention can be challenging, especially at 8:30 in the morning!! I want my students to become more active in lessons, to take a larger role in the classroom, and get out of their comfort zone. Although it seems like there is never enough time to plan everything, this is what I’m going to be working on for my lessons in the future…I think we are all very much looking forward to spring break for a really good night sleep and some great lesson planning for when we come back!
Well the first five weeks have gone by in the blink of an eye. This practicum has been the largest learning experience of my life so far because post secondary education can only teach you so much. At the beginning of my practicum I was still unsure about becoming a teacher because until you step into the shoes of a teacher you can never fully comprehend what they do. My feelings of uncertainty have subsided and I cherish every day of teaching. I would like to thank everyone that has helped me during my practicum and I greatly appreciate the knowledge and wisdom that they have imparted me with.
Completely off topic, but I just wanted to say that I have used this classroom jeopardy site for my review days., It’s quite easy to set up and has been really fun and effective.
Cheers
http://www.superteachertools.com/jeopardy/
The midpoint is a snapshot in time, a frozen image of the skills and aptitudes you, the teacher candidate has acquired. Those skills are based on a check-sheet containing thirty-six observable traits expected of an experienced teacher, some specific, but many very broad.
In truth, teaching is a juggling act where each week advisors throw a different ball into the mix.
“Here, catch!”
“Oops. Wow, it’s difficult.”
The first ball is planning. Since its the biggest ball it was given to you long before you arrived. It probably took a long time to get control of this one, but you all managed. You likely noticed that no two candidates were given the same ball, they are all unique.
The second ball is management. It’s similar to the first, except it wobbles, has a slippery surface and a propensity to move in truly unexpected ways. It can throw off your rhythm, and If you can’t master this one, it’s pretty hard to add any more balls. Fortunately, most candidates figure it out eventually. When the advisors see this, they toss in more balls, sometimes two at a time. Questioning skills is often the next one added to the mix, and it takes years to become truly proficient. It’s best to practice this one alone, maybe in front of a mirror, before you attempt it in public. The cool part is this act requires audience participation, so you have to train the audience to work with you.
When that works, the result is magic.
Congratulations, you are jugging three and four balls efficiently. Wow, someone over there has five in the air. Impressive! If you’re getting that good lets add a new wrinkle that is sure to amaze the audience.
This one is not a piece of cake. Focus, ‘cause we are now asking you to take your eyes off the ball- easy-easy- and look around at the audience. Can you juggle the four balls without looking? Can you see the student sleeping in the corner and the one sneaking in late? Can you juggle and walk and converse? Great. Can you read aloud as well. You looked up and dropped one didn’t you. I bet its the slippery one. It gets dropped a lot at the beginning.
By the time you hit midpoint, your coaches expect you to be juggling at least four balls at a time, but are hopeful that at times you are now proficient with five or six.
For the final four weeks there will be one final wrinkle added to the mix- the tightrope. No, we didn’t warn you about this earlier for fear of losing you. The process now involves juggling five balls across a steel cable suspended five feet above the ground- blindfolded. Oh, did I mention no net. And much less coaching; you are on your own to try different maneuvers, flips, fancy footwork, and anything else you can imagine.
The successful jugglers in the past all had a secret. I promised not to tell but since they have left to join the circus, I will break my promise. The secret is:
Hook your audience and get them to join the act. Then start your own circus.
Lyle, what a beautifully written piece!!! What we are going through is so wonderfully expressed here…
Lyle,
Very well said!! I really liked the analogy of juggling all those balls at once. Sometimes I feel like I am juggling about 6 or 7 balls in the classroom–not to mention the other 3-4 that I am juggling at home. I especially liked when you stated “Hook your audience and get them to join the act. Then start your own circus”. This for me really stood out! Thanks for the analogy–I really enjoyed it!