cdauwalt's blog

VCS 2008

A successful Mississippi Teacher Corps Volleyball Championship Series 2008.

The air temperature was easily 105 F.

The sand temperature was easily 106 F.

Sun burns all around.

Sand in places it shouldn't be.

Blisters on the bottom of our feet.

NOTHING BUT SMILES :)

Great organization, Captain America.  Great turnout from first-years, second-year, team teachers and principal.  You all looked great, whether you were winning or losing.

And congrats to the OLD MEN who ended up being crowned champions.

TIME FLIES

Start of summer school = essentially CLUELESS on how to write a lesson plan, how to deliver a lesson plan, how to assess if the students understood the lesson at all... CLUELESS on everything that was TEACHING.

    My lesson planning usually went like this during the month of June:

              -figure out what the state objective for the topic I am teaching is

              -spend 3-4 hours tearing out my hair, googling everything related (or unrelated) to the subject I'm planning to  teach, talk to myself (usually out-loud) until I think I've come up with the perfect way to teach the state objective

              -propose my brilliant lesson plan idea to my second year

              -have the second year say something along the lines of "umm.... yeah... okay... well, how about THIS" and       propose a MUCH more brilliant and effective plan for the lesson

             -spend 2-3 hours trying to write that brilliant plan into the "lesson plan" format... making sure the VERB in my objective was perfectly perfect

             -spend the bus ride from oxford trying to remember some of the brilliant lines I had thought of the night before

    In total, maybe 6 hours.  For one lesson plan.

When I look back at the start of summer school, at how I felt lesson planning and how I felt teaching, I can most definitely say that this "crash course" into teaching HAS been effective x 100000.  My lesson plans no longer take 6 hours and are much more effective than those lesson plans from June that DID take me 6 hours to write.  I have figured out this whole "verb" thing and create lesson plans that ACTUALLY teach the students what they are supposed to learn during the lesson.  I feel comfortable.  I feel good.  I see PROGRESS and that is reassuring.  I feel as ready as a 7 week (was it 7?) intro to teaching could make anyone feel.... 

Some things I wasn't too too tooo fond of:

    - I am not good at pretending to get mad, pretending to be in a "chick fight" or pretending to be verbally assaulted.  I tend to start laughing (more of a giggle, really) and it all goes down hill from there.  I was not good at role playing.  However, I DID really like hearing the team teachers' accounts of REAL experiences they encountered during the year and HOW they dealt with those experiences.  That was helpful... I hope their wise words come back to me once I find myself in similar situations...

    - This is not something that can be changed... but it would have been even MORE helpful/realistic if our class had had more students... or at least some trouble-makers.  Our class was composed of angels, really, and classroom management issues were never even on the radar... 

Big thank you's to Ann Monroe for giving us all the logistical, preparatory and book knowledge possible in such a short amount of time, the 2nd years and the team teachers for sharing your personal experiences and acquired knowledge to prepare us for what we're going to see this year, principal Sweeney for running a tight ship, and the interns for making sure it all ran smoothly...

If you ever get nostalgic and miss Holly Springs, come on up and visit me :)

Welcome to Holly Springs

Holly Springs.

H. Springs.

Hollyville.

Ballerville.

caught on camera... again.

I took a video of myself teaching, I watched it, and I've got 3 comments:

1.  The juggling of the white board markers has ceased (thankfully) and I no longer irritate myself with clicking, snapping or tapping the markers.  Pat on the back for getting rid of THAT habit...

2.  The overhead projector screen still causes awkward fumbling.

3.  My voice still sounds like a troll... dang.

Things that have gotten better:

I definitely move around the room A LOT.  I touch all four walls.  No big deal.

My student interaction is personable and engaging, while still doing some actual teaching.

The activities are fun, but still accomplish the objective for the day.

Still not top-notch:

My timing was off on this lesson: way too many exciting activities and notes to fit into 50 minutes.  This makes sections of the lesson rushed.  I would have liked to have more time for informal assessment... questioning and questioning and questioning until I am sure they really got it.  This lesson left no time for hammering it home.

I did not hand out any tickets.  I give a lot of praise: it is genuine and you can tell that I really mean it when I say "Good!", "Yes!", "Exactly!", or "Woo!".  Still, our class reward system is tickets and no matter how impressed I am with their answers or their behavior, I never "make it rain".

In conclusion:  I can not believe summer school is almost over.

what to work on...

     The numero uno thing I need to improve on... tough call.

I think the biggest thing I need to improve on so far is being consistent with my rewards.  Rewards, we have been told, can be one of the biggest factors in your classroom management.  Rewards, we have been told, are your best friend (along with writing assignments, detentions and paddles...).  In Biology I this summer, we have used a ticket system as our rewards.  Tickets and praise.  Ask me if I've given out ONE ticket....

Not one.

Clearly, tickets will not be the reward I attempt to motivate my students with in the fall.  Yet, tickets were the reward that was given in my summer school class, that I was a part of, that I taught in.  And I did not hand out one.  I'm worried that even if I do find a reward that I believe works for my students, I will not be able to consistently distribute that award... thus, making it meaningless and confusing for the students... therefore, disaster.

Organize. Hammer. Utilize.

     Biology I has been rocking all summer long.  Allll summmmer longggg we've been a pretty sweet class.  Different people from different places with different teaching styles.  But somehow it has worked.  For the month of July our team teacher has been awesome.  She doesn't pants pop, but she does know her stuff... some key points I have taken from her expertise:

1.  BE ORGANIZED or figure out how to GET ORGANIZED.  There is a binder that sits on her desk in the Biology I classroom.  It is approximately eight (8) inches thick.  Eight inches.  It is full of every lesson she taught throughout the year.  Every worksheet she handed out.  Every activity her students did.  Every test she gave.  It is eight inches of GREATNESS and I dream of the day I can have a binder put together so well and full of so much information.  Eight inches thick!  Picture that!

2.  HAMMER IT HOME.  Go over a small tidbit of knowledge/a specific concept/a fact/a diagram  over and over and over and over and over.  Go over the information you really want them to know over and over and over and over.  Hammer it home.  Make sure they get it.  Over and over and over.  It might feel like you are being a broken record.  The students may be irritated by the end of the day.  But you can rest assured after a lesson like that, the students will know exactly what you taught them.

3.  UTILIZE YOUR RESOURCES.  The internet is full of great activities, great lessons and great information (although, not ALL of it is great).  Don't be afraid to use some of those already-planned and perfected activities that are posted on the web.  Don't be afraid to show a clip of a video to help you teach your lesson.

Organize. Hammer.  Utilize.

caught on camera...

28 June 2008

     I took a video of myself teaching, I watched it, and I've got three comments: 

1.  I need to PUT DOWN THE WHITE BOARD MARKER... it has turned into my little fidget toy when I am talking.  I tend to click the cap on and off, switch it from hand to hand, and sometimes even pick up two more markers and start juggling them... it's distracting to me, when I watch myself, and I'm sure it is distracting to my students...  

2.  Our overhead screen is really irritating... I fumbled with that thing for like 2 minutes trying to get it to go down and STAY down.  It is awkward... but... it is what it is.

3.  My voice sounds like a troll.... one with rainbow hair and a ruby red gem for the belly button.

     Watching the video was very beneficial... I liked seeing what my teaching looks like from the audience's eyes...and see what needs to be changed:

        -no more white board marker fidgeting

        -stand BIGGER in front of the room... take up MORE room

        -keep moving and walking around the classroom while teaching... keep those kids guessing about where I might                            pop up next...

Reluctant Disciplinarian

26 June 2008

  I like the cover of the book, displaying all the different "cliques" of high school.  I like the cartoon graphics inserted amongst the paragraphs.  I like that the book did not take long to read, but still made me feel like I had read something fairly important by the end.

     Mostly, though, I liked that it was written by a REAL person who made REAL mistakes and still made it through.  It eases my mind to read about this person, who's experiences may be much the same as mine in the next year, and see that they did make mistakes, they did not know how to handle every situation they came across in their first year, and they still turned out alright.  We have been given A LOT of information in the past month, regarding EVERY single aspect of teaching and the classroom.  There is no way I will remember it all... so, while I will do my best to take what I can from every lecture I listen to, every conversation I have with veteran teachers, and every book I read about the topic, it will take some of that good ol' "Ya live and ya learn" type of attitude, just like the author of Reluctant Disciplinarian, for me to really learn every aspect of teaching and every angle of the classroom.  I will make mistakes.  That is okay. I like that this book made me feel that way.

I wish I could pants-pop.

24 June 2008

I hope that in one year I can provide as many helpful hints and wisdom as the second-years have provided for me... they have been a huge part of why this month has run so smoothly and with as many laughs and successes as it has.  So, while I am a little sad the 'old and wise' will be leaving for the month of July, I am extremely appreciative of all they have done for us, and all they will continue to do for the first-years/me (like... if I have to call my mentor up during the month of July to do some brainstorming... I know he'll be more than thrilled to talk cell biology with me...).  

Some of the best/most memorable advice I have received:

- Get organized EARLY.  Know your procedures, rules, filing system and first week of lesson plans before the first week of school.  (I have received this advice, and put it on my To-Do list... but have not gotten further than that yet... am I doing a good job following those words of wisdom? It's still June, gimme a break...)

- Be an "alpha male" in front of the classroom... turn that smile into a snarl and make the kids shake in their Air Jordan sneakers when they see you walk down the hall... or at least remind them of who is boss occasionally...(= classroom management.)

- Make sure your lessons fit your personality and teaching style.  As much as I would LOVE to be able to do the infamous PANTS POP (possibly moving down into a football squat immediately after), it does not work with my character (nor my pants...).  Watching other teachers has been beneficial in that it can start the gears turning on new ideas for how material can be presented, or ways of dealing with specific classroom management issues, but those new ideas and management strategies have to be modified to fit MY personality. The students can tell if you are fake.  The students would be able to tell that the PANTS POP is not my signature move...

- Utilize the different forms of technology available.  If an overhead projector is available, don't spend half the class period writing notes up on the whiteboard...I am terrible with technology, but have been working on it...

HUGE THANK YOU to all the second-years, third-years and other mentors for their patience and their wisdom this past month.  Thank you to the Biology I mentors who a) are full of great advice and judging eyes  b) have used those judging eyes to help me improve myself/my teaching and c) make the classroom fun for the students and the teachers.

What's the question?

20 June 2008: Reflections on classroom questioning techniques

Summer school is not a completely realistic practice arena for how the classroom will look and operate come fall.  However, it is a great first step on a journey of, no doubt, one thousand miles.  The small class size and, literally, zero classroom management issues (thus far) create an ideal classroom.  This has its plus and minuses.  On the positive side, new teachers get a chance to ease themselves into the whole process- learning to create lesson plans, keep “teacher hours” and effectively deliver those lessons without any other distractions (such as breaking up fist fights, dealing with class-clowns and peeling spit balls out of your hair...).  Having an ideal classroom also allows for some trial-and-error in teaching styles, questioning techniques and utilizing the overhead the most effectively (it's a skill that is harder than it looks).  However, being eased into the whole process allows a person to feel comfortable, and relaxed; feeling relaxed is the LAST thing a new teacher should feel.  

  We have learned about various questioning techniques to use while teaching.  Without worrying about spit balls globing in your hair, a person feels free to test out some of those techniques we have read about.  I have not tested out all of them.  And I am not sure I will test out all of them during the summer school months.  Yet, just being able to think about the questioning techniques and how they could be applicable to a lesson plan, or how they could positively affect the dynamic of the classroom is helpful in itself. 

There are the “Four S's” that serve as alternatives to questioning: Statements, Student Questions, Signals, and Silence.  Essentially, they are self-explanatory.  Make statements about what you think or reflect on what the student thinks with a statement.  Encourage student questioning.  Use signals such as gestures or head-nodding while student it talking.  Say nothing after a student answers to allow for other students to form an opinion or a comment on the topic.

I like the Four S's of questioning techniques because it puts a lot of the discussion on the students and then I get to see what they really know, as opposed to what they think I want to hear.  By letting the silence hang in the air after a question is posed or an answer is suggested, it gives other students more time to just think.  So far, it seems that the students are taking those silences or simple gestures (without comment) as a hint that I am looking for more from them.  When I do not immediately respond with a “Great! Next question...” I have found that the students think a little bit longer about the question I originally asked.  

Now, I've just got to work on forming better questions that result in the sort of thinking that is beneficial for the students' learning.  This is something that I am working on, and watching other teachers “perform” has been hugely helpful.