Well, I am happy to say I have finished teaching my unit in my field placement. I am still thinking through some of the more trying aspects of it and need some help/advice/medication, maybe???
First of all, there is no white board in my CT's classroom. No. I take that back. There is a white board. It has been COVERED in writing that is apparently in permanent marker. I'm not sure how long it has been this way but it is destroyed and my CT has not been provided with a new one as of yet. This problem, however, is manageable. We just create PowerPoint presentations with lesson plans and examples of the product we expect from the students. So, OK, no problem, just make a PowerPoint.
Secondly, my CT recommends having bellwork every day to give tardy students time to get to class before we actually get into the meat of the lesson. I understand the idea behind bellwork. I believe bellwork is good for getting the students' thoughts flowing and, when used correctly, can help students to connect their daily work with a purpose. The problem is this: the students who show up on time have started complaining about the bellwork. It is boring for them and I can see where they are coming from. It is always the same format and never very thought-provoking. Is this how bellwork should be? Mindless writing assignments that students turn in, expecting a grade but never receiving it, as it is thrown away and never referred to again? Of course, students are never told it is thrown away but that is what happens in this particular classroom. If it means nothing to us, as teachers, how can we expect it to mean anything to the students?
Finally, how far in advance do lesson plans need to be made in order to be taught the way you want to teach them? I like to have my lessons made a week in advance so I have time to think about them and make some changes as I feel I need to. How do you react when you are presented with a completely different lesson than the one you created and planned to teach within 20 minutes of teaching it? Should I be comfortable enough in my chosen profession to pick up a lesson and teach it without a hitch 10 minutes after seeing it?
I don't actually like giving bellwork. I value every minute of the time I get with my students, and bellwork is often hard to make worth the time it eats up in class without being overly complicated. My CT throws away their bellwork as well, but only after giving credit for having done it. He has recently implemented a policy where students can mark on their bellwork that they would like to have it marked and responded to by the teacher and then returned. This came about after several students complained that they did not receive what they had written back. However, the bellwork prompts tend to only rarely interact with the day's lesson at all and in my opinion this is a bit of a waste of time that could be put to use getting the students to work thinking about what they should be discussing for that day. My own bellwork prompts reflect this mode of thinking.
ReplyDeleteAs for lesson plans, I recommend speaking with your CT about how long is appropriate time for you to be able to adapt a lesson plan. Right before class is a pretty big stretch and is going to lead to very awkward moments and more stress than should really be necessary. I would ask to be notified of any necessary changed at least a day prior to when the lesson will be taught so you can familiarize yourself with it.