Day 7: 1.28.11

I learned that it is key to explain instructions and other things clearly and consisely. If confusion occurs on directions or the material itself it is important to not have the whole class talk about the confusion at once. It seems students get more confused from others expressing their confusion than just the intial question.

Day 6: 1.27.11

I learned that there needs to still be some sort of student interaction or input even when going over notes on the board or powerpoint. There shouldn't just be teacher talking, student listening. This keeps students on task and engaged.

Day 5: 1.26.11

I learned that it is key to have students not just know definitions of words but be able to relate them to other topics or create personal connections to the words. This allows them to really know the meaning and not just be able to recognize the definition on a piece of paper for a quiz or a test.

Day 4: 1.25.11

I learned today that it is important to be flexible as a teacher. In the last period of my co-op teacher's classes, time ran short and an activity had to be adjusted so that the students could still learn the same material as other classes but in less time. I learned it is important to have plan B, C and sometimes D.

Day 3: 1.24.11

I learned today that it is important to incorporate reading as much as possible in your daily activities because students seem to struggle with it the most. I also learned that by splitting up a chapter and have students present the information themselves in a jigsaw fashion, it helps them retain and understand the information better.

Day 2: 1.21.11

In class today students had to turn in a foldable book they had been working on for weeks on water. Today my cooperating teacher demonstrated and I learned how to make a variety of foldables with construction paper that don't require staples and that can be used for many different projects. I learned that students are more engaged with their work when it's a project like making a book opposed to a worksheet.

Day 1: 1.20.11

After observing my cooperating teacher handle discipline issues and distracted students, today I learned that to have good classroom management and discipline you need to correct problems right away either on the spot with a redirection or after class to ensure that the student knows that the disruptive behavior will not be tolerated and needs to be improved right away.