On my last visit to Beachwood for my observation hours, I decided to look at how to keep students involved and in charge of their learning. I also spent some time reflecting on what I have learned through my hours in the school and with the students. I looked over my previous notes from my visits and was able to see that Beachwood Middle School, and Mrs. Karim specifically, work hard to help students feel like they have an impact on their learning. I think this is incredibly important in the classroom because it helps to ensure that the students are always involved and seeking to learn and discover new things.
For the first class, Mrs. Karim pushed two tables together and had all of the students sitting together and talking about worksheets. They were going over how to look at them, what work could be done, and what the answers were. Mrs. Karim asked each student what they thought about one problem. Every student was a part of the process of at least one question. If student were unsure about how to get to the answer, she would provide guidance and would stay with that student until they were able to understand it. Sometimes I have seen teachers that will ask a different student to answer something if the original student did not have the answer, but I don't think that that is always the best way to go about the learning process. If a student doesn't understand a question or doesn't have an answer, the most effective way to proceed would be to explain the problem fully, making sure that they were able to get to the answer. There is a very good possibility that there would be more than one student who did not comprehend a problem. If you ask a different student for the answer and don't expand enough, those who did not understand will only continue to not understand. So in this case, Mrs. Karim was very thorough and made sure that every student was involved in the worksheet and understood how to do it.
The second class that came in was in the middle of working on an experiment. They had to test the bounce of bouncy balls and were able to go to the cafeteria to conduct the experiment. I had never experienced a math class that also did experiments, but this reaffirmed my decision to do both math and science because they often go hand-in-hand. The class was working in groups and all of the groups were working together and accomplishing the assignment. This is another way to get students to be active in their learning. Moving to a new setting can be a way to break up the lesson and help the students to stay engaged. When explaining the project, Mrs. Karim was very enthusiastic about the progress of the students. She told me how it would help them to understand what they had just gone over more in depth and prepare them for future lessons. I think that her excitement also helps the kids because they see that learning can be fun and engaging. I believe that a teacher's attitude plays a big role in the attitude that the students get in the classroom. If the teacher is able to be encouraging and helpful for the students, they will have a greater desire to learn and be involved in lessons.
The last part of the day was their advising period. I like this aspect of the Beachwood setup because it allows the students to refocus their energy and determine what they need to accomplish in their work. They can work on assignments, read a book, meet with a teacher, or quietly socialize with others in the classroom. This gives a nice break for the students before they return home for the day. Mrs. Karim allows students to do re-writes on tests, for which they must answer the question correctly and explain why they got it wrong originally. She keeps the tests in the classroom at all times and is available for the parents and students in their folders. They can view them at any time and she wants them to be able to improve their weaknesses throughout the year. I really liked this idea and believe that students might be more inclined to be active in their grades and try to get a higher grade for an upcoming test.
Also during the advising period, the teachers, or advisers, must review the students' grades once a week. This is to help them be aware of what they need to work on and how to do so. This is a very effective way to encourage students to keep on track with their work and stay successful in their classes. I appreciated how the students got excited when they were able to show Mrs. Karim how their grades in certain classes have improved. I think that in these ways, both Beachwood and Mrs. Karim try to help student succeed by being aware of where they are in their classes. If they can visually see that they have a low grade in a class, they can be encouraged to work harder and do better in that class.
Overall, I believe that my time with Mrs. Karim was very valuable. I was able to see a new way to run the classroom and enjoyed seeing how Beachwood worked. I enjoyed seeing how Mrs. Karim tried to keep students involved at all times. I have experienced how difficult that can be during my time in the We The People program. There are days that students do not want to participate or speak in class. Being a teacher is difficult work that involves a lot of time, patience, enthusiasm, and creativity. As I have heard from many teachers and seen in many classrooms, being a teacher is not easy and it is much harder than most people assume, As I teacher, I will strive to always work very hard for my students. I will try to change things up every so often so they can continue to feel interest in the activities and information we are learning. I am very excited to have a classroom of my own so that I can experience all of the ups and downs of being a teacher!
For the first class, Mrs. Karim pushed two tables together and had all of the students sitting together and talking about worksheets. They were going over how to look at them, what work could be done, and what the answers were. Mrs. Karim asked each student what they thought about one problem. Every student was a part of the process of at least one question. If student were unsure about how to get to the answer, she would provide guidance and would stay with that student until they were able to understand it. Sometimes I have seen teachers that will ask a different student to answer something if the original student did not have the answer, but I don't think that that is always the best way to go about the learning process. If a student doesn't understand a question or doesn't have an answer, the most effective way to proceed would be to explain the problem fully, making sure that they were able to get to the answer. There is a very good possibility that there would be more than one student who did not comprehend a problem. If you ask a different student for the answer and don't expand enough, those who did not understand will only continue to not understand. So in this case, Mrs. Karim was very thorough and made sure that every student was involved in the worksheet and understood how to do it.
The second class that came in was in the middle of working on an experiment. They had to test the bounce of bouncy balls and were able to go to the cafeteria to conduct the experiment. I had never experienced a math class that also did experiments, but this reaffirmed my decision to do both math and science because they often go hand-in-hand. The class was working in groups and all of the groups were working together and accomplishing the assignment. This is another way to get students to be active in their learning. Moving to a new setting can be a way to break up the lesson and help the students to stay engaged. When explaining the project, Mrs. Karim was very enthusiastic about the progress of the students. She told me how it would help them to understand what they had just gone over more in depth and prepare them for future lessons. I think that her excitement also helps the kids because they see that learning can be fun and engaging. I believe that a teacher's attitude plays a big role in the attitude that the students get in the classroom. If the teacher is able to be encouraging and helpful for the students, they will have a greater desire to learn and be involved in lessons.
The last part of the day was their advising period. I like this aspect of the Beachwood setup because it allows the students to refocus their energy and determine what they need to accomplish in their work. They can work on assignments, read a book, meet with a teacher, or quietly socialize with others in the classroom. This gives a nice break for the students before they return home for the day. Mrs. Karim allows students to do re-writes on tests, for which they must answer the question correctly and explain why they got it wrong originally. She keeps the tests in the classroom at all times and is available for the parents and students in their folders. They can view them at any time and she wants them to be able to improve their weaknesses throughout the year. I really liked this idea and believe that students might be more inclined to be active in their grades and try to get a higher grade for an upcoming test.
Also during the advising period, the teachers, or advisers, must review the students' grades once a week. This is to help them be aware of what they need to work on and how to do so. This is a very effective way to encourage students to keep on track with their work and stay successful in their classes. I appreciated how the students got excited when they were able to show Mrs. Karim how their grades in certain classes have improved. I think that in these ways, both Beachwood and Mrs. Karim try to help student succeed by being aware of where they are in their classes. If they can visually see that they have a low grade in a class, they can be encouraged to work harder and do better in that class.
Overall, I believe that my time with Mrs. Karim was very valuable. I was able to see a new way to run the classroom and enjoyed seeing how Beachwood worked. I enjoyed seeing how Mrs. Karim tried to keep students involved at all times. I have experienced how difficult that can be during my time in the We The People program. There are days that students do not want to participate or speak in class. Being a teacher is difficult work that involves a lot of time, patience, enthusiasm, and creativity. As I have heard from many teachers and seen in many classrooms, being a teacher is not easy and it is much harder than most people assume, As I teacher, I will strive to always work very hard for my students. I will try to change things up every so often so they can continue to feel interest in the activities and information we are learning. I am very excited to have a classroom of my own so that I can experience all of the ups and downs of being a teacher!
No comments:
Post a Comment