What went well?
I think that the classroom participation went really well. I was glad to see that the ways I worded my questions guided class discussions well, and it was an effective way for me to informally assess how confident my peers were analyzing the sources I gave them.
What area of weakness needs addressing?
I said "um" a lot, even though I was confident and knew what I was talking about. This is a habit I need to get out of because it is distracting and makes me sound like I don't know what I'm talking about. I also feel as though there were places when I was rushing, so I need to address my timing.
Which objectives were met? What is the evidence?
I believe that on a basic level, the objective that "students will be able to identify how the French Revolution brought about the concept of nationalism" was met, bearing in mind that the lesson was only 17 minutes long. The evidence was when I informally asked my peers after they had analyzed the 5 primary sources if the statement "l'etat, c'est moi" was applicable to a sans-culotte after the Revolution. A peer responded yes, and elaborated that it is different because the state was no longer a single person (like Louis XIV) but rather "everyman," or "the people," and that this separation from the state being represented by the monarch to the state being represented by the people was the foundation of the concept of Nationalism. My peers were also able to use the primary sources comparatively to show how nationalism was a consequence of the French Revolution, which meets the objective that "students will be able to analyze primary sources to show the rise of nationalism." Also, by correctly filling out the primary source analysis protocol worksheets, my peers demonstrated that the objective of "students will practice using non-text primary source documents" was met.
Which students did not meet objectives?
While my peers did not demonstrate primary source analysis on an individual level (because it was assigned as homework in the interest of time), I felt confident that at the group level, all of my peers were meeting the objectives.
Was time managed appropriately?
There was no clock in the room, which was challenging for me in terms of time management. However, I was able to cover everything I wanted to cover. I did not run over time and I did not run under time.
Did any teacher mannerisms detract from the lesson?
As previously stated, I have a terrible "um" habit. I would love to hear feedback regarding any other teacher mannerisms from the people who observed my microteaching that I am not aware of.
What were the strengths and weaknesses of classroom management?
The class size was so small that classroom management wasn't really an issue. Everyone participated and took the lesson seriously.
Was the lesson engaging?
I would really like to hear from my peers who observed my microteaching to see if they thought it was engaging. I am not one for power points, and I wanted to see if not having a power point made it less engaging. Judging by class discussions and participation, however, I'd like to think it was engaging. Everyone seemed to grasp the major concept.
What did I learn from the feedback my peers gave me?
I would love to get more feedback, but from what I heard briefly at the end of class, my peers seemed to like the handouts. I like using handouts because it makes it easier for students who sit in the back or can't see as well, and I also like using handouts because students can mark them up with notes.
How will this experience influence my professional identity?
It will influence my sense of efficacy in the sense that "I can do this." I think a sense of efficacy is important for a teacher to have and before microteaching I did not have it. Now I can envision myself in front of a classroom and actually being able to put a lesson plan I created in action.
How will it influence how you plan/teach/assess in the future?
It will make me more conscious of time management, and organization in the future. I'm glad the pains I took in organizing the lesson and materials worked out, and I will keep this in mind for the future.
Hey Calla! First and foremost, I liked the structure of your lesson and how you presented it. You introduced yourself, your topic, and what we were going to be doing right away, and it really helped to set the tone for what you wanted to do- something I wish that I had done in my own lesson. I thought that the sheer amount of paperwork you printed was unnecessary for the group work; as a child, I would have been intimidated looking at the assignment. It also wouldn't be worth the paper costs. I would suggest putting the images of the primary sources in a powerpoint and have the whole class respond to them to the same handouts you gave us. Having said that, I really think you're being too hard on yourself for how many times you said "um." It was clear that you were a little nervous at the beginning, and I'm assuming that this was your first time actually presenting a lesson you made to a group. With that in mind, I thought your lesson flowed really well and you grew into it the longer you were teaching it. Job well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christopher! I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks for letting me know that the amount of paper work was intimidating. I was thinking that it would be useful for everyone to have their own in case people couldn't see the images on power point well and so that people could write notes on the images themselves, but I never thought of the student's perspective of getting a big handout like that. I guess it could be intimidating. I will definitely keep your suggestion in mind! Thanks a bunch!
DeleteHi Calla, First of all congrats on teaching your first lesson! I thought you did a great job of using direct instruction to teach us to analyze primary sources. Your whole lesson was very engaging and I think you had all of us interested and participating. You said in your reflection that you thought not having a powerpoint might make your lesson less engaging and this was not the case at all. One thing that you might want to do differently next time (especially when teaching a group of high school kids) is pass out your handouts right before you use them. Passing out the packets at the very beginning of the lesson could be a distraction to students. They will probably want to look through them and might start working on things before you want them to. This could take take their attention away from the important things you have to say or discussions you are trying to have. Other than that I really enjoyed your lesson--and that's a big compliment coming from someone who has never been a huge fan of history class. Your large base of content knowledge and your love of history really show when you're up there teaching. I can see this inspiring your future students to gain an interest in history as well. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Calla. I loved the overall topic and presentation of the lesson. I loved how we had to really read into the images. I really liked how it reminded me of certain aspect of English, we mostly read into text in English, but in graphic novels we also read into the image, there are possible cross-discipline applications to this lesson, which is cool. I overall just really enjoyed reading into the images and I feel I learned a lot. It may be a good idea to wait to hand out packets, it is very tempting to look at the packets while your still teaching. The packets were also very thoughtfully constructed. Your lesson also felt very professional. Great lesson!
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