1. Classroom set-up : Mr. Bachman helped to make sure that the class was set up pretty appropriately for me to begin. While I was still observing and he was teaching, I noticed that two students in the 4th block class were very... energetic and talkative around each other. I asked himhe minded me moving them away from each other when I started teaching. That was fine and I feel really good about that move. Other than that, the way Mr. Bachman set up the classroom has worked very well. Students face forward toward the board and the overhead projector, which is what is use every day.
2. Time management : Another way to prevent classroom disruptions and behavior problems is to make sure you don't have down time. I have made sure to take up all time in my class with work and activities. If the students feel they are done early or that they don't have any more work to do, that is when you will see behavior problems, so I always make sure they have something meaningful to work on.
3. Consistency : The kids in my classes know that they will come in and 1. Take notes for the chapter, 2. Do activities on that chapter, and 3. write a journal entry about what they learned. The only thing that changes daily is the content of the notes and the activities afterwords. The process is always the same. Since they know what the expect, it helps them to prepare themselves for work, then a little fun (with some of the activities), then a wrap-up.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Action Plan
One comment on my curriculum unit plan was that I should add more activities and supplements to aid in the learning because I might not have enough to fill all of the time. Looking back on my curriculum plan and having the experience I have now in the classroom, I definitely agree that what I had wasn't enough for a 90 minute class. Now, I intentionally way over-plan for each block. I have never run out of things to do because I have a million activities ready for each block. Most times, we don't finish anywhere near all of the activities I have planned, but we always get to the content, as it comes first. Then, I move on from there in order of importance and coolness (ha!). The kids are never sitting around waiting on the bell to ring... they are always producing something fruitful and doing something important and meaningful to learning the content.
Another comment that I had on my curriculum unit plan was that I should add more visual aids on my Power Points. I have done that as well. Almost every slide has a little picture to help the students to grasp the material. If I am talking about a primary reinforcer, there is a picture of a snickers bar (food); If I am talking about a secondary reinforcer, there is a picture of a $5 (money to buy food). If I am talking about Pavlov's Dogs, there is a cartoon of how the experiment happened, and pictures to visually represent the UCS, CS, UCR, and CR. For the States of Consciousness, on the slide about sleep walking, I have a little man in his nightgown walking around (he's animated)... it's cute. =) I have also added clips to them for openers and as little aids to help them learn a particular thing.
A third comment on my curriculum unit plan was that I should put more information on my Power Points and make them longer. This has also just happened, without even trying. My lessons are longer than they were in my curriculum unit, and my lecture is longer as well. The students get a great deal of information in one day... they learn 1/3 to 1/2 of a chapter per 90 minute block, so this makes my Power Points a lot more detailed and elaborate. I put a lot of time into them with all of the information and animation that I do.
Another comment that I had on my curriculum unit plan was that I should add more visual aids on my Power Points. I have done that as well. Almost every slide has a little picture to help the students to grasp the material. If I am talking about a primary reinforcer, there is a picture of a snickers bar (food); If I am talking about a secondary reinforcer, there is a picture of a $5 (money to buy food). If I am talking about Pavlov's Dogs, there is a cartoon of how the experiment happened, and pictures to visually represent the UCS, CS, UCR, and CR. For the States of Consciousness, on the slide about sleep walking, I have a little man in his nightgown walking around (he's animated)... it's cute. =) I have also added clips to them for openers and as little aids to help them learn a particular thing.
A third comment on my curriculum unit plan was that I should put more information on my Power Points and make them longer. This has also just happened, without even trying. My lessons are longer than they were in my curriculum unit, and my lecture is longer as well. The students get a great deal of information in one day... they learn 1/3 to 1/2 of a chapter per 90 minute block, so this makes my Power Points a lot more detailed and elaborate. I put a lot of time into them with all of the information and animation that I do.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
SC Council for the Social Studies
The South Carolina Council for the Social Studies is an organization for Social Studies teachers in South Carolina. It is affiliated with the National Council for the Social Studies. From what I have gathered, the main goal of the South Carolina COuncil for the Social Studies is to share cool ideas and educational techniques and tools with other teachers throughout South Carolina. You can also link up with teachers from other parts of the South East, this way being able to connect with others who share your interest in teaching social studies. My cooperating teacher has joined the SCCSS in the past, but is not currently a member.
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