EXTREME WEATHER and EXTRA WORK

Another beautiful day to me!! I am learning new things everyday, although I might know some of topics before. Students always learn different stuff from different teachers!! I finished my breakfast at 8:45....so food was still in my stomach when I arrived in the classroom. Dr. Babb did not start class right away. She told us some useful information about ways to start our classes as becoming teachers with some mind maps and questions. I like how Dr. Babb models her teaching to remind us to remember teaching techniques.

I now learned how to do repetition in different ways to help students review what they learned. The repetition is important and necessary in learning. I hope I can find information like what activities go with certain MI (multipleintelligence). Sometimes I made common mistakes that the activities I designed often go with my own learning style. It is so important that teachers should be aware of other MI besides of her owns. I realized that I rarely design activities which require analytical skills or math skills. How can I improve this weakness? I might need to know what activities involved math skills. I need to bear in mind that teachers need to accommodate different learner’s needs to help them learn well with their special talents. That really makes teaching a job to stay away from being dull and challenging!!

Another thing that stood out to me in today's class would be to prepare for a natural disaster. After receiving the pamphlet from ODPM office I learned that there are so much needed in a preparedness plan. There are so much things that need to be prepared and put away for any natural disaster that may occur. Being prepare is the key so secure valuables and get you emergency kit together before a natural disaster may affect you. EVEN IF YOU SCARED BE PREPARED!!!!

Geo Class NEXT TOP MODEL!!!!

Today was K Knights official presentation for our working model on the layers of the atmosphere. 

Working with a group is often very challenging in UTT but nevertheless, learning to work well with others is important for anyone who plans on pursuing a career in any business. One of the primary things my group did well was working together. Our meetings were extremely productive and every group member promptly completed their designated tasks. Another thing we did well was gathering information. Our group certainly could not have done a better job at presenting the information we collected and using our model to illustrate. We made our model for diverse learners within the classroom so it can attract the eyes of the students and engage them in our lesson. In my honest opinion I think our group had the best model since it meet all the criteria required. Furthermore, although my public speaking had gotten a lot better during the first weeks of the semester, I still felt somewhat uncomfortable speaking in front of the class. As a result, I tended to rush my speech and there were a few times when I forgot what I was saying. Overall though, my group did a fairly good job with our presentation on the working model. I plan on learning from our mistakes and speaking in front of people as much as possible to improve my public speaking.

My group members and I were able to produce a good presentation mostly because of how well we worked together. After being assigned this assignment, we immediately began brainstorming topic ideas. After deciding to make a model on the layers of the atmosphere which was one of the first lessons that stood out to us from the beginning at the semester. As a result of our good collaboration we were able to find plenty of information to support our topic. This experience taught us to take advantage of each group members individual strengths when working as a team. For example, we delegated each task so each member would get something to do and each task would be equal. Unfortunately for us having good information and a well made power-point does not guarantee a successful presentation. My group members and I practiced this presentation twice to ensure everyone know who was saying what and when. Overall our speech had good content but we should of learn our parts properly so we need the paper in front us.

My personal strengths and weakness were mostly consistent with those of the group as a whole. I feel I did an especially good job of sorting through this information to find what was most important and relevant for this presentation. In class we often discussed the importance of maintaining the attention of the audience. By including only what is important I feel I did a good job of keeping the audience engaged. Like the group as a whole my weaknesses involved actually delivering the presentation. When speaking before an audience I have a tendency to speak very quickly. During this presentation when I noticed myself talking to quickly I tried to slow down to a more natural pace. There was more than one occasion when thinking too much about the pace of my speech resulted in me forgetting what I was about to say.

Over the course of this semester, I felt more and more confident each time I presented before the class. With more practice I have no doubt that I can become an effective public speaker. Completing this project has taught me how to give an effective presentation. Perhaps most importantly I learned that the way you present your information is actually more important than the information itself. Being a good presenter requires that you prepare well before each speech and practice speaking in front of an audience as often as possible. Learning this important fact and practicing how to work well with others made this project extremely worthwhile for myself and my fellow group members.

So You Think You Can Teach ???????

I have completed my field experience in this school a year before this practicum, and recognized that the teacher I worked with had a lot of the qualities that I wanted to improve in myself. I knew I could learn a lot from her mentorship, so I requested, and was granted, a placement in her classroom.

My mentor teacher has been so accommodating and helpful throughout my entire student teaching experience. She’s given me invaluable advice on everything from effective lesson plans, extension activities, and student accommodations to planning field trips, filling out reporting cards, and working well with parents.

One pleasant surprise about my practicum experience is just how well I’ve been able to get to know the students. Like their “real” teacher, I’m with the students every day and have become familiar with their individual personalities and learning styles. I feel like I’m able to teach much more effectively than I could when implementing lessons during my field experience hours, when I was only in a classroom for a short period of time. The result has been a much more rewarding and meaningful experience. 

                                             

Observing her has helped me to feel more comfortable and has better prepared me to handle all the things that pop up in a regular day of teaching that you don’t get to experience in class sessions.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my practicum experience thus far. I was a little nervous that I’d feel like an intruder in another teacher’s classroom, but I was welcomed to her classroom and the school with open arms, and I really do feel like a member of staff. I’m learning a lot and am gaining the confidence I’ll need to manage my own class one day.

 I have learned so much in this experience as well; everything from the tricks to in chart making to how to effectively manage a class. Although I saw scared when my lecturers came to view me, I still use both negative and positive feedback. The lessons I have learned are endless and invaluable. The negative aspects of my field experience probably has to be frustration working the copy machine, getting sick from being around so many students all day long, and probably having to write a student a referral for inappropriate behavior. While these things were probably my least favorite parts of this experience, they are all necessary learning experiences.

There are several things I will need to do to be successful in my student teaching. First, I will have to be organized and prepared.  To do this I have to be diligent to prepare all of my lessons ahead of time, not procrastinate, and have several back up plans. Second, I need to ask questions and ask for help when I need it. I need to establish a good relationship with my collaborating teacher and other teaching mentors in order to be successful and be comfortable asking questions and asking for help. Finally, I need to establish a classroom environment where students feel comfortable to ask questions and participate but also listen to directions and actively participate. To do this I need to be enthusiastic about my teaching, be open to student comments and assist them when they need help. Overall, This has been an amazing experience and I hope my student teaching is just as exciting and rewarding.