During this shorter week which consisted of one Pro-Day Day, I continued teaching Math, Science and MindUp. I got observed by my FA and SA on the same day one after another. It was nerve-racking as always but I had decided that it would be best to get two observations out of the way in one day. During my Math lesson, I was afraid that I was not teaching it well when students were not responding to my questions and not showing any sign of understanding. I had assumed in my mind that I was not doing a good job in my explanation so I continued to repeat myself and do more examples. However, as my FA pointed out at the end of my lesson, that the lack of participation on the students part was not due to my teaching but due to boredom and tiredness of sitting for a long period of time. I had originally planned two brain breaks but because I was trying so hard to provide more examples in order for them to grasp the concept, a brain break completely slipped my mind.  Also, when I noticed that students were not participating, it may have been the case where they were not confident in their responses and not because they were not understanding the concept. I should have given them an opportunity to pair-share because I understand it’s easier to share with one classmate than it is to share with the teacher or the rest of the class.  Brain breaks and pair-sharing are two important strategies that I need to try and incorporate into my lessons more often.

As for my MindUp lesson which was right after recess, I began with calming the students down because students are usually energetic from playing outside. When students were calm and ready to move on, I began with a review of the brain parts—and continued with focusing on mindful listening. I ended the lesson with mindful and unmindful acts and had students out of their seats for this activity. My SA had really enjoyed watching my lesson and told me that it was interesting and insightful. “Mindful” was our word of the week from that lesson onwards.