Practicum Plan Reflection #2

All the assignments on my practicum plan are finished! I taught my last lesson yesterday and the kids loved it. As a class the read "Red Writing Hood" and everyone got their own part. I had them make hand puppets to go along with their character. I was really surprised how into it a lot of the students got. They did a wonderful job. I look at my practicum plan and can't believe how fast this semester is going. Personally, I think I did a wonderful job keeping up with the assignments and all my learning goals on my practicum plan. I got a lot more comfortable this semester with whole group lessons. My mentor teacher had a lot to do with it. She was so wonderful and she made me feel comfortable and not nervous at all. This semester has been absolutely fabulous, and I'm sad to see it end. I wish I could stay in this classroom for the rest of my experience in the Benedum Program.

Practicum Plan Reflection

I had originally reflected on my practicum plan in my researcher notebook, but since this will be easier for everyone to see, I figured I'd just go ahead and do it on here. I have been doing very well with the assignments on my practicum plan. I only have a few things left and everything will be done. I dropped C&I 444 because I switched my specialization from science to early childhood, so the things on my plan for that class I don't have to worry about. My mentor teacher has been very flexible and has allowed me to do pretty much all my assignmetns while adjusting her schedule so that I can get things done. I have attended several extra curricular activities and I am getting very comfortable teaching the whole class. Classroom management has also become a little easier. If the kids get out of hand, I don't have trouble raising my voice above their to clam them down. I think my mentor teacher has a lot to do with how comfortable I am getting. With almost every lesson I teache she does an evaluation for me, and we always sit down and reflect after each lesson as well. I check my practicum plan weekly and things are moving along very smoothly. The only things I have left to do in the classroom is another lesson incorporating the arts and we have that scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving. I also have a whole class math lesson to teach which I am doing next week as well as collecting some more data and a few interviews for my inquiry of students project.

Wiki Progress

Our wiki has turned out absolutely wonderful! Sonya and I sat down the other day and put together the front page. That was one of the pages that the group decided I would do, but Sonya helped me figure out what kind of graphic to put on the page and how to make it exciting and eye-catching. Sonya and I also discussed what she would include in the history page. When she had it finished, she called me and had me read it over to see what I thought. I think she did a very good job and I told her what I thought of it. While we were at our PDS, we all sat down with our coordinator and spoke with her about when the school was built and how they did the ground blending for it. The girls and I worked very well together. We gave advice and criticism when needed, and we also received it when we asked for it. This project was a very good way to get all of us to learn how to work together and to learn how to give and get advice. I'm very proud of the work we have done together and I hope that everyone else that sees our wiki is impressed with it as well.

Wiki Process

The wiki is coming along quite nicely. We sat down the other day and figured out what we want to include on our wiki and we split it up so everyone got a page to make. I was given the intro page and the Pre-Service Teacher page. I have all the picture of the pre-service teachers on the wiki with their names, specialization, and mentor teachers. I have asked everyone to send me a quote about their favorite part of Mason-Dixon. I am waiting to hear back from everyone to include them on the page as well. I pretty much have the intro page done, but I'm trying to find another picture of the front of the school because the one that I have uploaded, I'm not very fond of. I think that once all of us have our parts done and we can look at it, our wiki is going to look pretty good.

Wiki Reflection

The girls and I have discussed several options and things to use on our wiki. We have talked about using one our digital stories from last year on the front page or doing voice overs introducing each one of us. We're also going to interview our coordinator and see what her thoughts on a wiki should look like. We have our definition of what a PDS is. It's not very long, but I think we covered all our thoughts and opinions. Two of us have gotten a Blacksville history book so that we will be able to include some history in our wiki as well.

Blogging Over the Year

I have enjoyed using this blog over the course of the year. I have been able to reflect on what I have been doing in the classroom to share with others and it's also been helpful for me to look back on what I have done in the classroom and what has went well and what hasn't. Being able to communicate with a partner that is in the boat that I am has been very helpful. I can get ideas from her and advice on what I should or shouldn't do in the classroom. My partner has also given me some good ideas on some lessons and activities to do in the classroom. I like being able to read what my seminar facilitator thinks of what I have accomplished in the classroom. She was in my shoes once and it's great to be able to see what she has done and what she thinks I should do. Getting advice from a mentor is always something I will take. I still think that the use of a blog in the classroom is a great idea. It gets students involved in a different way and it is very interactive. I'm not big on the use of technology in my classroom, but I can see myself using a blog someday in the future. My question for you Lauren is --How has using this blog helped you through your time in the program? Have your thoughts and ideas on using a blog in the classroom changed over the course of the year?

Learning Goals

The learning goal that I have been most concerned about this semster is being comfortable teaching large groups. At the beginning of last semester, I was so intimidated by the thought of standing in front of 25 little faces staring up at me, that I didn't know what to do with myself. As the semester progressed, I got more comfortable, but not comfortable enough. This semester however, I can feel myself getting more comfortable with each week I visit my PDS. I know how my classroom works and I can maneuver myself around it more easily now. I think that I am progressing well. I know this is something that takes time, but if I'm going to be a teacher, I need to be really comfortable in front of those shining faces.
I haven't added or changed anything to my practicum plan this semester. I set it up in a way that I knew I would be able to follow it without overwhelming myself and I gave myself enough time between each activity so that I would have ample time to prepare for it and discuss it with my mentor teacher.
In relation to completeing the activities listed on my plan, I am right on track. I have already done my read aloud and next week I will be teaching my small group lesson. I check my plan regualry so that I can keep myself updated on what needs done and when it is due. Compared to not having one of these last semster, this semester is so much better. I don't feel as confused about what needs done and I don't feel like I have to rush to get things done either. And that's a big plus!

Storytelling

Some ideas from my PDS experience that I have could include in my digital stories are how I watch the students interact with another and how much they enjoy the different activities that they do during the day. Every morning my first graders have little activities to do during their reading block and they really enjoy putting together different little books about different subjects. Since Groundhog Day was this past week, they focused several activities on just that day. They learned all about Punxsatawney Phil and what he did and what it means if he sees his shadow or not. They also colored and put together a little booklet about what a groundhog does when he hibernates. After that, I read them a story about Groundhog Day. I have so many ideas running through my head for things to include in my digital story, that I'm not sure if i'll be able to pick.

Some stories from my PDS that will be interesting to listen to is the books that the different first grade classes wrote and are currently in the process of having them published. My class wrote a book about the ABC's of job. They included different jobs for each letter. I think it will be interesting to listen to because they wrote it and will be very proud to read their story to someone else. Several things make a story a good story. The most important thing is grabbing and keeping the listener's attention. Also, a good plot is key because if the story is boring, the listener probably won't want to keep listening. Stories need to be fun as well, they can be educational but fun at the same time. If a child can learn something from a story but have fun with it as well, then I think that's when a story is most beneficial.

Using different media in a story enhances telling a story because it's not the standard just having someone read the words from a page. Using audio or video keeps the listener on their toes and keeps them interested into what's going to come next in the story.