Post-observation

I was nervous about even watching the video, because I was uncomfortable with the idea from the beginning. I don't like to hear my recorded voice. I think this whole experience was uncomfortable for me because of the video taping.


I did feel that there were noticeable strengths in my post-observation, however. I made it a point to make the teacher feel comfortable and not feel as though I was in a superior position to them. We sat beside together in their room, rather than across from them in mine. I think both of us did an excellent job of staying positive through the experience and using eye contact. I try to be aware of the usage of "UM...and "AH..." when I speak, no matter the forum.

Mrs. Saxon's classroom was running very smoothly, so there was not much discrepancy in the way of her needing classroom management. Mrs. Saxon has entered the teaching profession after working in Cooperate America for most of her working life. This made working with her and talking to her very easy. We could speak constructively and share information in a very comfortable manner. She's older than me, so the dynamics of our conversation were different than had I been working with a younger teacher right out of traditional college.

I was able to collect artifacts of my visits and share collected data, such as random selection choices for student responses. On one particular day I walked through, I noticed that her objective did not match the lesson. This was one of the only "mis-matches" that occurred. This was easily explainable, as I am only available to be free for 30 minutes each day and our classes are blocked. I missed the first block and entered during the second half. The students had moved on. The group that I get to observe during this time are the 6th grade high achievers, who are learning grade 7 math. There are 14 students in the class. Her room was like Heaven!

Seating Arrangements

Many, if not most of the classrooms in my school have the students' desks organized in a cooperative learning type of arrangement. Because our district has implemented Reading Edge and Power Teaching, teachers are required to seat students in groups. In my building, I noted that most 6th and 7th grade classrooms are arranged in groups of 4-5 desks, whereas 8th grade teachers tend to favor pairing students.
All classrooms in my building have individual student desks except for the science labs, which have tables or lab benches. (My room included.) This can sometimes be a hinderance when it comes to grouping students. Some teachers just aren't comfortable at all or even believe in the concept of cooperative learning, especially among middle school students. At a time where students should be in groups, some teachers sit their students in a large circle to facilitate discussion. How do you help this teacher?
Computers are generally not present in our classrooms, except for a teacher computer. We have various laptop carts in storage for use when a teacher might want them, however, they aren't in good shape. The keys have been pulled off of the keyboards. We have computer lab in our school, but classes are assigned to it for specials, so it is not available for teacher/class use during core class time.
Taking a look at how teachers are arranging seats in the classroom lets administration know who is empasizing cooperative learning strategies in their classroom. If a teacher is not performing this task, that teacher needs to be worked with one-on-one to increase their comfort in making that happen. I don't believe it is useful for a whole school of teachers to sit through a professional development on seating arrangements if only 3 teachers in the building are stuck on this task. Teachers should be taken from where they are to where they need to be at a level which is comfortable for them. That's what we do for our students.

Week 2 Reflection

The communication test showed that I am a thinker. My mind is always going around and around, trying to get to the base of any problem I need to solve. I try to take the most logical steps to successful complete a project. I enjoy keeping my mind busy and one thing I can do to help be successful in this program is to keep a small notebook of any thoughts that I might have at any given time. (Some people might use a small recorder...that might work for me as well.) I will be a positive force on my team, trying to provide constructive insight and practical approaches. I think I've tried to ignore my learning style, but I scored SO many "C"s, there's no more denying it. Occasionally, I will procrastinate. I don't want that to be a problem for me.

1st Reflection

On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate my comfort level as a 7.5. I feel comfortable navigating and finding items, but I need to learn how to do some more advanced things. I'm hoping this program will give me the confidence I need to learn about new technology. I joined Twitter, which I was afraid to do and this is my first blog. Here we go!!
My concerns are that I don't want to miss anything. Talking to people directly helps me know what tasks are ahead and that will be hard for me to get away from.