The month of September has come to an end; but what an information jam-packed month it has been! I have learned a great amount of information from many different sources including: class meetings, Dr. Smirnova, online readings available for this course in Methods of Teaching, online resources, and most importantly, my colleagues.
We started off the semester with a short creative t-shirt project. This simple project allowed us to get to know each other a little better, and better understand our motives for wanting to become teachers. From completing this project, I have learned many things about myself in relation to teaching. I realized where I would like to teach and specifically which subjects. This project also brought to light the anxieties that come with the job of teaching. It makes me anxious knowing that I will be dealing with uncooperative students sometimes, as well as the parents of these students. It is scary having to deal with parents because we may not always see eye to eye when it comes to their child, but this is something I will have to contend with once I become an elementary school teacher.
During the month of September, we also learned about formulating goals and objectives for our lesson plans. This is a very important skill to acquire because it is a huge part of preparing your lesson plans and making them as good and detailed as they can be. I learned that goals are broad statements that tell what you, as a teacher, want your students to learn by the end of the lesson. The objectives are a more specific goal that the students will learn by the end of the lesson. The exercise in which we were asked to formulate our own goals and objectives for an imaginary lesson plan was effective because it allowed us to practice this skill. I enjoyed working in a small group with my peers to compare our goals and objectives because we were better able to help each other understand the process.
From here we began to learn about Direct Instruction and more specifically the many parts of a direct instruction lesson plan. We broke ourselves into small groups, each focusing on one aspect of a direct instruction lesson plan. My group was the Guided Practice aspect. We completed a power point presentation and shared it with the class, discussing guided practice and how it fits into a direct instruction lesson plan. I thought that by breaking into smaller groups and teaching the class was a great way to learn about direct instruction. Sometimes it is easier for us as students to learn things when being taught by our peers, as opposed to the professor. Our peers can explain the concepts to us in ways that we will most likely, better understand. This experience was extremely beneficial and I can now tell you all about the different parts of a direct instruction plan. A direct instruction lesson plan first begins with an anticipatory set in which the lesson in introduced, or prior knowledge is expanded upon. Then there is content delivery, followed by guided practice, and drill and practice. The lesson plan concludes with independent practice and sometimes a homework assignment. Then there is closure to the lesson plan.
Through the use of online readings and a group presentation on Direct Instruction and the Behaviorist Model I learned so much. For example I learned that direct instruction is a more teacher-directed approach which gives time for less seatwork. Also, direct instruction allows for constant assessment of student understanding, which is key. I think direct instruction is most effective because it is a step by step progression of topics, and it breaks complex skills into sub-skills. I think students can learn most effectively through the use of direct instruction because it allows for them to practice what they have learned little by little. I have learned all of this information through the use of online readings, group presentations, and the completion of a Concept Map on Direct Instruction. The concept map allowed me to define direct instruction using many examples. It also allowed me to prove what I have learned from the reading materials and explain why and how I will utilize this knowledge in my future teaching career.
So far in this course, I have learned many different things that I can do with technology that will be helpful in my upcoming teaching career. I have never been good with computers; you could say I am somewhat computer illiterate. During this course so far, I have learned how to use googledocs which was extremely helpful when it came time to make a group power point. We all made our Google Gmail accounts, which opened up a new world of communication for my peers and me. It was hard for my group members to find a time for all of us to meet to work on our presentation, but googledocs allowed us to make our power point from our homes. I have also learned how to use the Smartboard and incorporate it into my lessons (if the classroom has a Smartboard). This makes a lesson more interactive and fun for the students.
