1A. 4: Well Structured Lessons
Lesson planning was very daunting to me at the beginning of my practicum, and I often struggled (and still do) to find a balance between instruction, independent work time, opportunities for group work/interaction and fun within a lesson. At the beginning of the year I easily fell into the trap of over preparing or under preparing. I have come a really long way in my confidence in my lessons as well as my executions of them. Some things that helped me in this area were the I do- We do- You do format of a plan, relying on exit tickets that could easily be incorporated in classes where we ended early or delayed to the next day as a bellringer or activity if class ran late.
Evidence:
“The checklist was designed to target the specific areas of TIDE (Topic, Important Evidence, Detailed Explanation, and End) and be student friendly. The checklist was clear and able to be completed in the time provided.” -Katie Eressy
“Olivia created a well-structured lesson with modeling, guided practice, and independent work. Students worked together in groups to revise a short answer response and then worked independently to revise their own writing. They had a set criteria of what to look for in exemplary responses.” -Dr. Rosa Nam
“The lesson was well structured and scaffolded nicely in an I do – We do – You do format. Olivia activated students’ prior knowledge by using prompts that the students have previously answered on earlier exit tickets which allowed them to focus on the writing itself instead of the content.” -Katie Eressy
“She knows how to communicate lesson plans to students so we know how to schedule our homework and class work accordingly. Ms. Winters is also great at relating concepts and ideas we are learning in class to relatable things in the media that students can understand.” -Anonymous student
1B. 2: Adjustment to Practice
I have always felt that being a reflective teacher was a strength of mine early on. Although this felt like a weakness sometimes, I considered my lesson plans working documents even throughout the day as I was teaching them. I always debriefed my lessons with my mentor teacher directly after teaching them and together we would brainstorm possible adjustments or scaffolds for the upcoming classes. Eventually I was able to predict what would be needed in different classes based on their strengths and weaknesses and typical pace with getting work done.
Evidence:
“Olivia routinely reviews student work and makes adjustments accordingly the next day or even between class periods between sections.” -Dr. Rosa Nam