Lesson 2

November 7, 2007

Note: This post was made after the journal entry was written.

I taught my second lesson today. I was really rushed to get to Walhalla because I had class all morning. I got to school during Mrs. Screws' lunch break. I used the time to get all my materials and thoughts collected. I was really nervous! I think I was so nervous because I knew I had to video myself. I was completely comfortable with the material, but knowing Dr. Manizade would be critiquing every point of my presentation made me a little unsettled. Talking with Mrs. Screws didn't really help (as usual), but I said a little prayer before the kids came in that really helped.

I was surprised at how well the first class responded to me. I think they were curious as to how I would handle the class, and their curiosity kept them in line. We hit some unexpected snags in the lesson, though. The lesson required that the students have prior knowledge of "isolating a variable." I know Mrs. Screws has gone over this topic several times, and I went into the lesson thinking they would have no trouble solving equations for a specific variable. Boy was I wrong! This really surprised me, but I was able to think fast and use student input to help me. When they struggled with this topic, I didn't have another example to model for them. So, I had a student make up an equation for me. He then had to tell me what steps to follow to solve the equation for one variable. I hope his classmates listened to what he was saying because he struggled in areas I know are common. Hearing a classmate struggle and discover the right method is good way to learn. It also shifts some of the burden of learning to the students.

This did mess up my timetable, though. I really ran out of time. I didn't get to all the examples I wanted to, and they didn't have much time to work in groups. This was really frustrating. Looking back, the only thing I could really take out would be the discussion about independent and dependent variables and science class, but I really liked this discussion! I think it helped them understand what it meant to have these types of variables in math class. We're supposed to activate prior knowledge and tie into their schema, right?

I think things would have gone better if I had access to a dry erase board or even a chalk board. I had to use and overhead projector, and I really hate them. I despise having to turn the lights off at the front--and in such a big class, the kids at the back have a hard time seeing the screen. It also is more time consuming. I kept having to change transparencies, find clean ones, get out of the way so they could copy, and walk back and forth around the tables to get to the projector. I think having a dry erase board may have made things simpler and faster.

In the second class, I was more prepared when they didn't know how to isolate a variable. I picked a student to verbalize the steps (the student I picked was acting up and not paying attention). He had a lot of trouble, but according to his classmates, he got further in the problem he solved with me than he usually does. Maybe that means I helped at least one person. And, his classmates would have had to have been listening to tell me that--so maybe the learned something too.

I left rather discouraged, but to my surprise, I got a rather encouraging e-mail from Mrs. Screws this afternoon. I have included it because it is so atypical of what I have experienced this semester and because it made me feel much better about my lesson.

"I just wanted to tell you again that you did a great job today. Please keep in mind, it is very challenging to meet the needs of all students while keeping them focused on the lesson you are teaching. As a teacher, the concepts I think are so obvious are the concepts that some students will struggle understanding. I just keep trying my very best and hope I am meeting the needs of the majority of my students. The one thing I try to remember is that my students are young and they need consistent guidance from someone who cares. I care about the success of my students and I also care about your success. Please let me know if I can help you in anyway. Teaching is a very challenging career, but I can see that you are ready for the challenge. Again, I thought you did a wonderful job today."