Weekly Reflection - February 3rd-7th

Week of Reflection: February 3rd-7th

  

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week

I would give this week a 4. This has been my first week taking over, and it was very stressful to say the least. I felt like I managed everything well, but the unexpected dismissal on Thursday threw me for a loop and made me feel a little nervous getting everything done.

• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?
• I survived my first full week of student teaching! It was such a rewarding experience, and I managed to get through each day without feeling like I missed anything or messed up. I was surprised at how smoothly everything went time-management wise. I had a lot of concerns in thinking I would rush through lessons, or take too much time, but everything went fine. I was stressing too much about little things. I also finished all of my lesson plans by Wednesday night, and it relieved a lot of stress!
• Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
• I believe that my students have had somewhat of a hard time transitioning into me teaching. I had a lot of talking this week, and it distracted students from learning. I felt like I did not want to be too hard on consequences, but I am going to begin Monday using "The Interrupted Chicken" from the book, and marking eggs as minutes on recess when students are interrupting me during any part of the day. My CE has used this method in the past, and it worked well for her. I am going to take her advice and try this method out!
• Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?
• My short term efforts and long term goals are still aligned. I feel as if I have 100 goals, but they are all coming together. I have been working on EdTPA, adding technologies to my log, and writing up on my professional development experiences.
• Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?
• This week, I could have spent more time working on things such as listing technologies for my portfolio. It always slips my mind to keep them in my document, when I am finding a lot of cool resources I want my kids to use in the future. I felt like I manged my time pretty well this week, and worked Thursday and Friday on EdTPA.
• Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
• This week, I was a little uneasy about what to do during transition times between WIN groups, and lunch/specials (10 minute transition). I worked on reviewing morning work, played Brain Pop videos, and completed work that needed to be done during the day. This was something I worried about during the week, but didn't need to stress over!
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• Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
• Next week will begin my second full week of teaching. I can clear the mental clutter of stressing about taking over full-time. It really weighed down on me last week by worrying. Now I feel a lot more comfortable in my classroom, and have what I need to be successful. The first logical step for next week is to review my lesson plans to make copies, and have everything in my classroom organized for ready to go. I plan to arrive at my school on Monday at 7:30 to prepare for the week.

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?

This week, I looked at some data from previous assessments my students have taken to see the most commonly missed questions. I want to plan in the future to work on these kind of questions in my small groups using guided reading passages to improve comprehension skills.

• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

One piece of advice I would share with other student teachers is to record lessons, even if you think they are not the greatest. I recorded 3 of my lessons this week, and plan to use some of them in my final portfolio video.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • Standard 1.
• Teachers lead in their classrooms: This week taking over full time, I felt as if I really managed my classroom in ways I had not before. I had some experiences taking over in the past few weeks, but it felt so different teaching full time. I provided a safe and orderly environment by setting high expectations for my students on Monday and explaining that they would need to listen to all of my directions and rules during all times.
• Standard 2:
• Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults. This week, I really worked hard to make sure my students know they were loved and cared for as I transitioned into teaching full time. They were not used to me calling down students and managing behavior, and I made sure to provide positive praise so my students know that I still loved and cared for them. I took the time to talk with each student during the week to make sure they had a good week and did not have any questions from things we talked about during the week.  
• Standard 3:
• Teachers recognize the interconnections of content areas/disciplines. This week, our class began the Social Studies unit of American Heroes. We have integrated these standards into reading passages and timelines during our ELA time. The students are really engaged and interested in these topics. It has been great to hear them ask questions about the presidents, and become excited to learn more! 
• Standard 4: 
• Teachers use a variety of instructional methods. This week, I used a variety of different instructional methods to reach my students. During WIN time, I used place value manipulative to help students understand building numbers, played BrainPop videos to help students learn about american heroes, and reading passages during ELA time. 
• Standard 5: 
• Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals. On Tuesday, I attended Smart Panel to learn about the new boards we will hopefully be getting at the end of the month. During this training, we talked about the different components of the new boards and different ways we can use them. I am so excited to use these boards once they are here! 
• • What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?
• This week, I have added some more technologies to my portfolio, as well as started my professional development log. I have started Google Docs for both of these assignments.
• What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?
• At the time,my clinical educator does not need any assistance from my university supervisor. If she does, I will contact my university supervisor.
• What support do you need from your university supervisor?
• I would love any resources to help me differentiate for my students. I do not have any IEP or 504 students, and only struggling readers. This has been a weak spot for me in planning lessons.