Blog Post 2

Last week, my two goals were to get into a rhythm and learn all of the names of my students. Luckily, I feel very accomplished in both of these goals. I had a great week in terms of student teaching, with some great lessons taught; more importantly, I learned a great deal from the lessons that did not go as smoothly as planned. Additionally, I feel I got into a groove in terms of my schedule and balancing everything out. I'm also getting my students' names down much easier, which allows me to personally connect with the students a bit more. I'm very happy with how my first two goals panned out.

For the next two weeks, I want to concentrate on staying organized, as well as having all of my US History students pass the Constitution Test. Organization, specifically with materials I need to grade and handout, plus lesson plans, is one big thing I need to master. This is a skill that will set me up well for the future. As far as the Constitution test, it is something I am starting this week and is a very important part of US History for juniors. A passing grade is necessary in order to move on to senior year, so I feel a tremendous responsibility (that I look forward to) to prepare my students the best that I can for the exam.

One word to describe my past week: successful.

In the past two weeks, I worked hard to create a learning environment that encourages social interaction, active engagement in learning, and social motivation. I achieved this by using a variety of group reading and discussion activities during lessons which both engaged the students and allowed for social interaction. Allowing for group collaboration creates an environment where different opinions are shared, thus allowing students to also learn from one another.

A positive expectation that my cooperating teacher has which I hope to continue on is an environment where students feel welcome to share their thoughts, as well as ask questions. This gives the students a sense of ownership in the class as they are relied on to help the flow of the class.

Two takeaways I had from "The First Days of School" were the advantages of and what is contained in a well-managed classroom, as well as the importance of the teacher's space being close to the students' space. I had considered the idea of a well-managed classroom before, but the importance of this was well-illustrated in the book. Also, I never thought that a class would be less disciplined if the teacher is located a bit farther away. These were two important aspects of the reading to me.

For the TPA project, I have begun to plan out which lessons I will be videotaping and using for the project, now it is a matter of getting the content ready. I will really focus in on that this week as I move forward.

In terms of anything with my college supervisor, I think I am good to go. Looking forward to my final observation next Monday!