I thought I would take a minute to write that I am beginning my action research data recording this week. I am currently reviewing the inquiry-based lab that I will be using this week on fingerprinting. This will be the first inquiry lab that my forensics classes will be participating in. I am looking forward to observing their reactions to this approach. I plan to use my reflections on this week's lessons to help prepare the rest of the inquiry-based labs that we will do throughout the semester.
I began the action research process this week by presenting my first inquiry-based lab experience to my forensics students. The lab was on fingerprinting and required the students to "solve a crime" by developing a way to life and compare a criminal's fingerprints to those of 5 different suspects. I wasn't surprised by their initial reactions. Although we had been learning about the basics of fingerprint, they seemed confused when they realized that they were going to have to figure out a way to lift a set of prints on their own. Once they wrote a procedure and were presented with materials, it was exciting to see them investigate using their own ideas. They asked a lot of good questions and made some good discoveries, not only about fingerprinting, but about the process of studying science. As a whole they did very well on the quiz, including the critical thinking questions that were included. I am trying to incorporate more and more of a focus on critical thinking into the class in general. Hopefully the next unit that we study will go even better! I think that the process of inquiry becomes easier with practice and experience. I hope that my students will take away more than just a knowledge of forensics from this class, but also an understanding of the scientific process!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Week 1 Reflection
Wow! I can't believe it's Friday of week 1 already! This was the week that I dreaded and looked forward to all summer. I am very happy to say that it definitely exceeded my expectations! I have truly enjoyed being in the school again with all of my students and fellow teachers. Things have been a little crazy so far with students still working out their schedules, but it looks like I have some really good groups of kids. In every semester of the program so far I have ended up having only freshman. This year I have the pleasure of teaching juniors and seniors and it is definitely a change! I think i'm going to really enjoy this age group.
My anatomy and physiology students didn't seem too scared of everything that I had for them on the first day. I was afraid they would be overwhelmed by it all, but there wasn't too much complaining! I'm not sure how many students i'm going to end up with in this class, but I had 32 today. After an entire year of classes of 16-17 last year this is a going to be a big adjustment for me. I am hoping that sticking to routines and class procedures will help to minimize any chaos. I started using folders for them that they keep in the classroom and use to turn in and pick up their assignments. I've only used them to pass out information so far, but it does seem to cut down on "down time" at the beginning of class when I don't have to take the time to pass out or collect papers from 32 students. I am still a little worried about my own knowledge of the content for this class, but i'm going to keep reading the chapters and trying my best to learn it so that I can effectively teach it.
The forensics classes have also been going really well. Most of the students seem excited to be taking this class and find the topics that we will be covering interesting. I have big classes of 25-26 with these groups as well but it hasn't been an issue yet. There are a lot of opportunities to teach this class using hands-on and interactive activities. I hope to plan of a lot of activities that will keep the students motivated and engaged. I am conducting my action research with forensics students and I am working on preparing some inquiry-based labs that I will be collecting data from. Several of my forensics students also have my anatomy class or have been in a class of mine in previous semesters. I am trying really hard to learn all of their names because I think it's an important way to show them that I care.
I am also getting involved at the school by co-leading the Fellowship of Christian Athletes with Mrs. Barto. We have a really good group of students involved in FCA and hopefully I can help their club to grow and be successful this year. It also means waking up earlier on Thursdays, but I'll just have an extra cup of coffee that morning :-) The first football game was tonight and it was fun to see everyone preparing for the season. I hope to make it to some games this year to see my students in band, cheering, and football. Overall, I think this could end up being my favorite semester of college yet! Sarah was right about it being the "payoff" for all of the hard work that we've put in during the last four years. I know it will still be a lot of work, but I enjoy putting in the time if I know that my students will benefit from it. More to come soon- Happy Friday!
My anatomy and physiology students didn't seem too scared of everything that I had for them on the first day. I was afraid they would be overwhelmed by it all, but there wasn't too much complaining! I'm not sure how many students i'm going to end up with in this class, but I had 32 today. After an entire year of classes of 16-17 last year this is a going to be a big adjustment for me. I am hoping that sticking to routines and class procedures will help to minimize any chaos. I started using folders for them that they keep in the classroom and use to turn in and pick up their assignments. I've only used them to pass out information so far, but it does seem to cut down on "down time" at the beginning of class when I don't have to take the time to pass out or collect papers from 32 students. I am still a little worried about my own knowledge of the content for this class, but i'm going to keep reading the chapters and trying my best to learn it so that I can effectively teach it.
The forensics classes have also been going really well. Most of the students seem excited to be taking this class and find the topics that we will be covering interesting. I have big classes of 25-26 with these groups as well but it hasn't been an issue yet. There are a lot of opportunities to teach this class using hands-on and interactive activities. I hope to plan of a lot of activities that will keep the students motivated and engaged. I am conducting my action research with forensics students and I am working on preparing some inquiry-based labs that I will be collecting data from. Several of my forensics students also have my anatomy class or have been in a class of mine in previous semesters. I am trying really hard to learn all of their names because I think it's an important way to show them that I care.
I am also getting involved at the school by co-leading the Fellowship of Christian Athletes with Mrs. Barto. We have a really good group of students involved in FCA and hopefully I can help their club to grow and be successful this year. It also means waking up earlier on Thursdays, but I'll just have an extra cup of coffee that morning :-) The first football game was tonight and it was fun to see everyone preparing for the season. I hope to make it to some games this year to see my students in band, cheering, and football. Overall, I think this could end up being my favorite semester of college yet! Sarah was right about it being the "payoff" for all of the hard work that we've put in during the last four years. I know it will still be a lot of work, but I enjoy putting in the time if I know that my students will benefit from it. More to come soon- Happy Friday!
Week 2 Reflection
I would like to start this entry by reporting that it is almost the end of my 2nd week and I still love teaching! I have learned so much in only 2 weeks of this internship but I think the best part is that it is reassuring me that I made the right career choice. I honestly cannot imagine a more fulfilling or enjoyable way to spend my days than with these students. I have the pleasure of working with such a wonderful and very diverse group of kids. I love getting to know them: their interests, personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.
I also truly enjoy seeing them learn. I never thought I would be so excited to have a student correctly explain a negative feedback system or be able to draw a bunny rabbit and label it using correct body terminology! Forensics has also been great because I am learning right along with them. There are so many interesting topics to learn about and the students seem to enjoy it.
This week in forensics we did our first hands-on lab activity with the "white mystery powder" lab. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they followed lab safety procedures! After I presented them with the mystery scenario they seemed excited to begin testing their substances. They all worked together really well and allowing them to choose their own groups did not end up causing any problems. While they worked in the lab I walked around and asked them questions to keep them thinking about the reactions they were seeing so that they weren't simply going through the steps. When they began testing their "mystery" powder they were excited about their findings. I loved seeing them achieve such a sense of satisfaction when they figured out the crime.
On a side note- I have had several students this year mention to me that they need to do well this semester and that this is the first year they have ever really "tried hard" at school. I know junior and senior year can be challenging, especially with a lot of AP courses. I have some students in forensics who have never really done well in or enjoyed a science class. Many of them find this class interesting and are hoping to keep doing well so that it will help their grades. I have offered up one-on-one help to students anytime they need it, and with any class. There are a lot of pressures on them at this age and I can't treat my class like it is the only thing that they have to think about. Sometimes I feel like all they need is to feel like they have someone on their side. I would love to see them all achieve to their highest potential, even though this is unrealistic. I just hope to keep developing positive relationships with my students so that they will feel comfortable enough to come to me with any problems or questions that they have.
Anatomy and Physiology went well this week overall. I think I am finally learning how to effectively lecture, which is something that I was struggling with in the beginning. I didn't want to just read off the slides, and now I think I am learning how to prepare better. I have started reviewing with them at the beginning of each class and I think it is going to help them a lot to see the same things over and over again. Right now some students "zone out" during the reviews, but I think when they start studying for the test they'll realize how much of the material they've been "studying" at the start of class all week.
Well i'm out of time right now but I'll be back with more thoughts soon!
2 days til GAME DAY! lET'S GOOO MOUNTAINEERS!
I also truly enjoy seeing them learn. I never thought I would be so excited to have a student correctly explain a negative feedback system or be able to draw a bunny rabbit and label it using correct body terminology! Forensics has also been great because I am learning right along with them. There are so many interesting topics to learn about and the students seem to enjoy it.
This week in forensics we did our first hands-on lab activity with the "white mystery powder" lab. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they followed lab safety procedures! After I presented them with the mystery scenario they seemed excited to begin testing their substances. They all worked together really well and allowing them to choose their own groups did not end up causing any problems. While they worked in the lab I walked around and asked them questions to keep them thinking about the reactions they were seeing so that they weren't simply going through the steps. When they began testing their "mystery" powder they were excited about their findings. I loved seeing them achieve such a sense of satisfaction when they figured out the crime.
On a side note- I have had several students this year mention to me that they need to do well this semester and that this is the first year they have ever really "tried hard" at school. I know junior and senior year can be challenging, especially with a lot of AP courses. I have some students in forensics who have never really done well in or enjoyed a science class. Many of them find this class interesting and are hoping to keep doing well so that it will help their grades. I have offered up one-on-one help to students anytime they need it, and with any class. There are a lot of pressures on them at this age and I can't treat my class like it is the only thing that they have to think about. Sometimes I feel like all they need is to feel like they have someone on their side. I would love to see them all achieve to their highest potential, even though this is unrealistic. I just hope to keep developing positive relationships with my students so that they will feel comfortable enough to come to me with any problems or questions that they have.
Anatomy and Physiology went well this week overall. I think I am finally learning how to effectively lecture, which is something that I was struggling with in the beginning. I didn't want to just read off the slides, and now I think I am learning how to prepare better. I have started reviewing with them at the beginning of each class and I think it is going to help them a lot to see the same things over and over again. Right now some students "zone out" during the reviews, but I think when they start studying for the test they'll realize how much of the material they've been "studying" at the start of class all week.
Well i'm out of time right now but I'll be back with more thoughts soon!
2 days til GAME DAY! lET'S GOOO MOUNTAINEERS!
Week 3 Reflection
Well, as we near the end of week 3 (and the official start of Steeler's football season!...) I have to say that I have learned a lot during this short week!
I gave my first anatomy and physiology exam this week. I felt like I couldn't have possibly prepared my students more for this test. After the review game on Tuesday though, I realized that no matter what I did, many of them just will not put in the necessary effort to do well in this class. Students had a chance to review for the test and earn bonus points on their score and many of them didn't bother to pay any attention at all. I definitely showed in their scores! I ended up with 6 students who received each letter grade (A,B,C,D &F). Nice and balanced I guess, but I am really disappointed that there were not more A's and B's! I think that they now realize that simply paying enough attention to guess is not going to be enough in this class. They will have to truly understand the material in order to answer the questions. This truly is a college-level course and many of them are not used to the studying that is necessary. I have offered help many times so I just hope that the students who need it will take advantage of it!
Forensics was also interesting this week. We had some disruptions throughout the week and we didn't end up getting through as much material as I had initially planned for. I am still adjusting to how much time is needed to do lab activities and in-class work. Luckily, this won't be a problem because I can easily adjust the forensics schedule to fit the pace of the class.
Overall, I can tell this week that the "excitement" of starting school is dying off for most students. That initial motivation is already starting to disappear as everyone falls into their day-to-day routines.
I hope that I can keep my students interested and excited about my classes. I also hope that as they are faced with challenges, they feel as if they can come to me for help. I truly want them all to be as successful as possible. I am continually evaluating my practices as a teacher every day...even every class period. I can tell that I am going to have many invaluable experiences this year because there have been so many already
I gave my first anatomy and physiology exam this week. I felt like I couldn't have possibly prepared my students more for this test. After the review game on Tuesday though, I realized that no matter what I did, many of them just will not put in the necessary effort to do well in this class. Students had a chance to review for the test and earn bonus points on their score and many of them didn't bother to pay any attention at all. I definitely showed in their scores! I ended up with 6 students who received each letter grade (A,B,C,D &F). Nice and balanced I guess, but I am really disappointed that there were not more A's and B's! I think that they now realize that simply paying enough attention to guess is not going to be enough in this class. They will have to truly understand the material in order to answer the questions. This truly is a college-level course and many of them are not used to the studying that is necessary. I have offered help many times so I just hope that the students who need it will take advantage of it!
Forensics was also interesting this week. We had some disruptions throughout the week and we didn't end up getting through as much material as I had initially planned for. I am still adjusting to how much time is needed to do lab activities and in-class work. Luckily, this won't be a problem because I can easily adjust the forensics schedule to fit the pace of the class.
Overall, I can tell this week that the "excitement" of starting school is dying off for most students. That initial motivation is already starting to disappear as everyone falls into their day-to-day routines.
I hope that I can keep my students interested and excited about my classes. I also hope that as they are faced with challenges, they feel as if they can come to me for help. I truly want them all to be as successful as possible. I am continually evaluating my practices as a teacher every day...even every class period. I can tell that I am going to have many invaluable experiences this year because there have been so many already
Week 4 Reflection
This has definitely been the busiest week yet! With somewhere to be almost every evening immediately after school, I barely got home in time to shower and get things together for the next day before falling asleep! On the other hand, I feel like I gave some of my best lectures yet this week. I am starting to get into a routine and I am becoming more and more comfortable with my classes every day.
I spent some time reflecting on what felt different about the way I taught this week compared to past weeks and even semesters. I realized that I am beginning to plan my lessons by deciding on the end result that I want to achieve first and then planning how to best make it happen. Instead of focusing first on the "activity" or what the students will actually be "doing" during class, I am starting to focus first on what I want them to learn or take away from it. I have started better preparing myself for the lectures in both classes by reading and studying the material ahead of time. This has helped my confidence during the lessons. My biggest concern is still ensuring that I can present them with the material that they need to learn in a way that will be effective. I worry that I won't understand something well enough to know how to teach it. By taking it one day and one lesson at a time, I am hoping that I can continue learning along with them the best that I can.
Overall, I am really enjoying my experiences in the school! I am still getting used to certain routines, such as taking attendance and recording and posting grades to Edline. These are simple things, but they are things that have never been my responsibility before so I am working to make part of my routine. My host teacher has also been wonderful so far. I am learning so much just from watching his lectures and teaching strategies with the AP Biology students. I am also very fortunate that he feels it is important to be organized because I am learning a lot about how to organize my classroom and how to handle everyday issues that must be delt with. He is very understanding about the fact that this is a learning process for me, and I enjoy hearing constructive criticisms and suggestions.
I started on my action research this week so I will write more under that topic! Hopefully the week ahead isn't quite as exhausting! At least the Mountaineers are looking good against Auburn! LET"S GOOOO!
I spent some time reflecting on what felt different about the way I taught this week compared to past weeks and even semesters. I realized that I am beginning to plan my lessons by deciding on the end result that I want to achieve first and then planning how to best make it happen. Instead of focusing first on the "activity" or what the students will actually be "doing" during class, I am starting to focus first on what I want them to learn or take away from it. I have started better preparing myself for the lectures in both classes by reading and studying the material ahead of time. This has helped my confidence during the lessons. My biggest concern is still ensuring that I can present them with the material that they need to learn in a way that will be effective. I worry that I won't understand something well enough to know how to teach it. By taking it one day and one lesson at a time, I am hoping that I can continue learning along with them the best that I can.
Overall, I am really enjoying my experiences in the school! I am still getting used to certain routines, such as taking attendance and recording and posting grades to Edline. These are simple things, but they are things that have never been my responsibility before so I am working to make part of my routine. My host teacher has also been wonderful so far. I am learning so much just from watching his lectures and teaching strategies with the AP Biology students. I am also very fortunate that he feels it is important to be organized because I am learning a lot about how to organize my classroom and how to handle everyday issues that must be delt with. He is very understanding about the fact that this is a learning process for me, and I enjoy hearing constructive criticisms and suggestions.
I started on my action research this week so I will write more under that topic! Hopefully the week ahead isn't quite as exhausting! At least the Mountaineers are looking good against Auburn! LET"S GOOOO!
Week 5 Reflection
This week has flown by! I am happily getting more and more comfortable with teaching every day. I am becoming much better at lesson planning and preparing for classes in general. Even the best laid plans go wrong and it has been really important to remain flexible from day to day and class to class.
In forensics this week we covered handwriting analysis and ink chromatography. I found that students liked analyzing their own handwriting to see what it said about their personalities. After the first class I realized that I needed better examples and quickly adjusted for the rest of the day. I feel bad that the first group of the day is always a "test run" of sorts. I feel like the last class of the day almost always goes the best because I have practiced all day. This was also somewhat the case with our chromatography lab today. My host teacher helped me to change plans quickly when my morning "test runs" didn't work out and it was very much appreciated! He's good at thinking on his feet and can almost always help me with last minute decisions and changes. I guess this is something that comes with experience. I was initially afraid that the lab would be too complicated for many of my students, but they actually responded very well to the challenge. I think I may actually be making the class too easy for many of them and they become bored and stop paying attention. I'm going to try and challenge them more with the topics and the types of activities that they participate in.
Anatomy was interesting this week. I gave their 2nd test today and, which many students improved, many grades also dropped from the last exam. It was frustrating to see that so many students still couldn't answer some of these questions on topics that we have covered for weeks now. I felt like I really prepared them for this test. I think tomorrow I am going to try assigning seats. Too much talking and not paying attention takes place during class. While they might hate me for it at first, I think that they will benefit from it in the long run. We'll see how it goes and i'll report back next week! We are also starting a longer, more difficult chapter next week so I hope that I am able to learn everything that I need to successfully teach it. At least the weekend is almost here and I will have some prep time! (and family visiting time this week!)
That's all for now :-)
In forensics this week we covered handwriting analysis and ink chromatography. I found that students liked analyzing their own handwriting to see what it said about their personalities. After the first class I realized that I needed better examples and quickly adjusted for the rest of the day. I feel bad that the first group of the day is always a "test run" of sorts. I feel like the last class of the day almost always goes the best because I have practiced all day. This was also somewhat the case with our chromatography lab today. My host teacher helped me to change plans quickly when my morning "test runs" didn't work out and it was very much appreciated! He's good at thinking on his feet and can almost always help me with last minute decisions and changes. I guess this is something that comes with experience. I was initially afraid that the lab would be too complicated for many of my students, but they actually responded very well to the challenge. I think I may actually be making the class too easy for many of them and they become bored and stop paying attention. I'm going to try and challenge them more with the topics and the types of activities that they participate in.
Anatomy was interesting this week. I gave their 2nd test today and, which many students improved, many grades also dropped from the last exam. It was frustrating to see that so many students still couldn't answer some of these questions on topics that we have covered for weeks now. I felt like I really prepared them for this test. I think tomorrow I am going to try assigning seats. Too much talking and not paying attention takes place during class. While they might hate me for it at first, I think that they will benefit from it in the long run. We'll see how it goes and i'll report back next week! We are also starting a longer, more difficult chapter next week so I hope that I am able to learn everything that I need to successfully teach it. At least the weekend is almost here and I will have some prep time! (and family visiting time this week!)
That's all for now :-)
Week 6 Reflection
As we begin the 6th week of school, I am making a few changes based on all that I have learned so far. I still have too many students struggling in Anatomy and I think that it is because they aren't paying attention during class. It is a very big class and a lot of them have friends in there so they end up talking too much. I decided to try assigning seats, which is something that I should have done on day 1. Yesterday they gave me a hard time about why they had to have new seats or why they were being "treated like children" but it honestly didn't bother me because they need it. All of my classes need a better policy for asking to leave the room because it is becoming distracting. At the start of my afternoon classes it seems like everyone needs to use the bathroom or get a water. I understand that they are coming from lunch or band practice, but it is becoming too much of a hassle at the start of class. So, I started this week by explaining a new policy. When they come into the room and need to leave for any reason they are to take the bee and go. If both bees are gone, they must wait for one to return. If they need to use the bathroom during classtime they can just get up and quietly take the bee and leave. So far it has worked really well and no one has abused the privlege of not having to verbally tell me that they are using the restroom. It has cut down on talking at the start of class.
I also started doing "minute mysteries" with the forensics classes for the first 5-10 minutes of each class period. They really seem to enjoy these and it is a great way to get them excited and involved. It also allows time for students who have left the room for some reason to return without missing important work.
Anatomy is starting a very long and involved chapter with the skeletal system. I have decided to break the chapter up into 2 exams instead of one. First, we will learn the physiology of the system and take an exam on it. We will then focus on the anatomy and the physical locations of bones and take a second exam on those topics. The students seem to be more comfortable with this idea and I am hoping that it makes the chapter easier for them to learn. I am learning most of the material along with them, which is more work, but I think it helps me learn how to explain it so that they understand. I try to explain things the way that I need them explained to remember them. I also try to review constantly throughout class. I am going to try and either begin and/or end every lecture with questions from the previous lessons. By doing this I am hoping that it will stay fresh in their memories. I am excited for this Thursday because we are doing a lab in anatomy that should be a lot of fun. Informative, but more interesting than the lectures and quizzes that they are used to. It should be a nice break for everyone.
I also feel like I am now developing better relationships with my students. While they may not "like me" as much, they are now starting to show more a respectful than a friendly attitude towards me. I conferenced with several anatomy students yesterday, and today almost all of them turned in the necessary work to get caught up with the class. I also had a student ask to take me up on my offer to stay after school on Thur. and help him study for the term quiz. I was excited that he wanted my help, so I offered to all of my students to stay with us on Thursday and review. I am hoping that several of them take advantage of it.
I am also attending a meeting tonight hosted by all 4 of us EFHS interns for the participants and tutors. I have a lot of good information to share with them and I think it should go well! I wanted to write early this week because I have had so much going on and have been making so many changes. I am excited to see how the rest of the week progresses. I will provide an update on Friday and hopefully have some positive changes to report.
It is now the weekend and I must say that I have seen some good results in my classroom this week. I was a little nervous about parent-teacher conferences but it ended up being a great experience! I really enjoyed meeting the families of my students. It helped me to understand a lot of them better. All of the parents were very nice and it felt good to give good reports on most of their children. A lot of them told me how much their son or daughter enjoyed my class and that was great to hear. It was amazing how many parents came in and talked about specific forensics lesson that their student had told them about. The fact that they are going home and talking to their parents about what we are learning in class shows me they must be enjoying it or getting something out of the class.
Thursday I stayed to help students study for their term quiz and 2 of the 3 students that I studied with got perfect scores! This is really impressive for a quiz of 100 anatomy terms! Maybe the rest of the class will learn from this and take me up on my offer next time. I may be giving another test in there soon because I decided to split the skeletal system chapter up into 2 parts instead of 1. We are almost finished with the physiology of the system and with some in-class practice and reviews we may have a test on that part of the system later this week or at the start of next week.
In forensics we are finishing up a week of hair analysis. On Tuesday they will participate in our second inquiry-based crime lab. I will present them with a scenario and they will work in groups to solve the crime. They will again write a hypothesis and procedure, collect data, and analyze their results. I will be taking observational notes for my action research and then giving a quiz and the interest survey afterward. I hope that this lab goes as well, if not better than, the previous inquiry lab. Students are getting used to working in the lab and asking questions about what they are seeing which is very important with this type of learning.
I also started doing "minute mysteries" with the forensics classes for the first 5-10 minutes of each class period. They really seem to enjoy these and it is a great way to get them excited and involved. It also allows time for students who have left the room for some reason to return without missing important work.
Anatomy is starting a very long and involved chapter with the skeletal system. I have decided to break the chapter up into 2 exams instead of one. First, we will learn the physiology of the system and take an exam on it. We will then focus on the anatomy and the physical locations of bones and take a second exam on those topics. The students seem to be more comfortable with this idea and I am hoping that it makes the chapter easier for them to learn. I am learning most of the material along with them, which is more work, but I think it helps me learn how to explain it so that they understand. I try to explain things the way that I need them explained to remember them. I also try to review constantly throughout class. I am going to try and either begin and/or end every lecture with questions from the previous lessons. By doing this I am hoping that it will stay fresh in their memories. I am excited for this Thursday because we are doing a lab in anatomy that should be a lot of fun. Informative, but more interesting than the lectures and quizzes that they are used to. It should be a nice break for everyone.
I also feel like I am now developing better relationships with my students. While they may not "like me" as much, they are now starting to show more a respectful than a friendly attitude towards me. I conferenced with several anatomy students yesterday, and today almost all of them turned in the necessary work to get caught up with the class. I also had a student ask to take me up on my offer to stay after school on Thur. and help him study for the term quiz. I was excited that he wanted my help, so I offered to all of my students to stay with us on Thursday and review. I am hoping that several of them take advantage of it.
I am also attending a meeting tonight hosted by all 4 of us EFHS interns for the participants and tutors. I have a lot of good information to share with them and I think it should go well! I wanted to write early this week because I have had so much going on and have been making so many changes. I am excited to see how the rest of the week progresses. I will provide an update on Friday and hopefully have some positive changes to report.
It is now the weekend and I must say that I have seen some good results in my classroom this week. I was a little nervous about parent-teacher conferences but it ended up being a great experience! I really enjoyed meeting the families of my students. It helped me to understand a lot of them better. All of the parents were very nice and it felt good to give good reports on most of their children. A lot of them told me how much their son or daughter enjoyed my class and that was great to hear. It was amazing how many parents came in and talked about specific forensics lesson that their student had told them about. The fact that they are going home and talking to their parents about what we are learning in class shows me they must be enjoying it or getting something out of the class.
Thursday I stayed to help students study for their term quiz and 2 of the 3 students that I studied with got perfect scores! This is really impressive for a quiz of 100 anatomy terms! Maybe the rest of the class will learn from this and take me up on my offer next time. I may be giving another test in there soon because I decided to split the skeletal system chapter up into 2 parts instead of 1. We are almost finished with the physiology of the system and with some in-class practice and reviews we may have a test on that part of the system later this week or at the start of next week.
In forensics we are finishing up a week of hair analysis. On Tuesday they will participate in our second inquiry-based crime lab. I will present them with a scenario and they will work in groups to solve the crime. They will again write a hypothesis and procedure, collect data, and analyze their results. I will be taking observational notes for my action research and then giving a quiz and the interest survey afterward. I hope that this lab goes as well, if not better than, the previous inquiry lab. Students are getting used to working in the lab and asking questions about what they are seeing which is very important with this type of learning.
Week 7 Reflection
This week has been a great learning experience for me. I have become more comfortable with the routine of things and it has allowed me the opportunity to focus on classroom management and lesson details that I may have overlooked before. I also received feedback from a liason observation this week, which was very helpful.
This was spirit week at the school and it was fun to see everyone dress up each day. I really like the atmosphere of school spirit that they have here because it is something that I can honestly say I never had in high school. I rode in the homecoming parade with FCA on Wednesday and it was great to see my students outside of class. I really enjoyed getting to know some of them better by spending this time with them. Homecoming is tomorrow night and I am going to chaperone so I am sure that I will get to know more about them than I ever wanted to! It should be a good time though.
In forensics this week I learned a lot about the importance of having organized structured labs. In order for the students to get to do a lot of hands-on activities I have to be willing to come early to set up and stay late to clean up. It really makes everything run smoothly if all of their materials are ready to go when they arrive to class. I also need to make sure that they have very specific instructions both written and orally. We finished up the hair analysis unit today and I finished collecting the data for my action research on this lab. They all scored very well on their quizzes and I gathered some good observational data.
Anatomy has been great all week, until class today. We finished up chapter 5 part 1 this week and I even had 2 full days of class to do in-class enhancement activities and reviews. I have made a lot of adjustments to the lectures for this chapter to help them learn it better. I feel like i've really presented the material well, and yet so many of them still don't know it. During today's test review students just complained about the review game and because they didn't know the answers to the questions. I wish they realized how much help they are missing out on by not paying attention or blowing it off. I am beginning to see that the students who want to do well will and those who don't care about their grades won't pay attention no matter what I do or how I present it. I try not to take it personally when they don't remember things that we've talked about a million times, but it's hard not to still feel responsible. I am going to finish writing the test this weekend and I hope that they remember to study and aren't as shocked on Tuesday as they were during the review today!
I try to remind myself that it is their loss if they refuse to pay attention but I always feel like there has to be something more I can do. I plan on spending some time evaluating my practices this weekend and making sure that I am doing everything possible to help my students succeed. I am definitely willing to try new ideas and make adjustments if I think it will help them in some way. I guess this is a task that is never finished as a teacher! I'll report back soon about any changes and how students are responding!
This was spirit week at the school and it was fun to see everyone dress up each day. I really like the atmosphere of school spirit that they have here because it is something that I can honestly say I never had in high school. I rode in the homecoming parade with FCA on Wednesday and it was great to see my students outside of class. I really enjoyed getting to know some of them better by spending this time with them. Homecoming is tomorrow night and I am going to chaperone so I am sure that I will get to know more about them than I ever wanted to! It should be a good time though.
In forensics this week I learned a lot about the importance of having organized structured labs. In order for the students to get to do a lot of hands-on activities I have to be willing to come early to set up and stay late to clean up. It really makes everything run smoothly if all of their materials are ready to go when they arrive to class. I also need to make sure that they have very specific instructions both written and orally. We finished up the hair analysis unit today and I finished collecting the data for my action research on this lab. They all scored very well on their quizzes and I gathered some good observational data.
Anatomy has been great all week, until class today. We finished up chapter 5 part 1 this week and I even had 2 full days of class to do in-class enhancement activities and reviews. I have made a lot of adjustments to the lectures for this chapter to help them learn it better. I feel like i've really presented the material well, and yet so many of them still don't know it. During today's test review students just complained about the review game and because they didn't know the answers to the questions. I wish they realized how much help they are missing out on by not paying attention or blowing it off. I am beginning to see that the students who want to do well will and those who don't care about their grades won't pay attention no matter what I do or how I present it. I try not to take it personally when they don't remember things that we've talked about a million times, but it's hard not to still feel responsible. I am going to finish writing the test this weekend and I hope that they remember to study and aren't as shocked on Tuesday as they were during the review today!
I try to remind myself that it is their loss if they refuse to pay attention but I always feel like there has to be something more I can do. I plan on spending some time evaluating my practices this weekend and making sure that I am doing everything possible to help my students succeed. I am definitely willing to try new ideas and make adjustments if I think it will help them in some way. I guess this is a task that is never finished as a teacher! I'll report back soon about any changes and how students are responding!
Week 8 Reflection
First of all, four day weeks are awesome! It was great to have Monday this week to prepare and catch up on things! My host teacher was gone 2 days but things still ran pretty smoothly. I definitely realized how much I value his opinion and rely on it to back up my decisions.
One of these decisions was after grading the 3rd anatomy and physiology exam early in the week. Many students struggled with one particular section on joints. I thought about it and realized that the instructions may not have been as clear as possible. I decided that it would be fair to give them a minute to look over the material and then re-take that portion of the exam. Instead of passing back all of their tests, I simply read the questions aloud. They had to write down the correct answers on a sheet of notebook paper and turn it in to me to be graded. Adding up to 6 points to their scores really helped a lot of students.
I was pleased to see that several students showed improvement on this exam. A few mentioned that they "actually studied" this time. One student in particular scored a 40% on the last exam and a 94% on this one. Wow, what a difference actually trying can make! He was so proud of himelf and his improvement that he also got a perfect score on the Friday term quiz! I hope that this encouragement continues! 2-3 other students who came to me for extra help also improved on this test. We are now starting the anatomy of the skeletal system and I hope that I can keep up the positive momentum of the class as we move along!
It is almost the end of the 9 weeks so i'm wondering whether I should offer extra credit. I feel like many of them did not work hard enough for the "regular credit" so why should they have a chane to make that up now? I plan on weighing the options and, if I do offer extra credit, it is going to challenge them and require them to really apply the topics that we have learned so far.
Another exciting thing about this week- we may be getting a forensics text book! I received the teacher's edition and it looks like a great resource. I was really pleased to see that many of the topics and activities in the book are the same as what I have covered so far. It is reassuring that I am covering the necessary topics. It can be good and bad that we don't have a set curriculum or CSO's for this class. I am really excited to read about the ideas in this book and to begin using some of the information for this class. I'm sure there'll be much more to say about the book as I begin using it.
I can't believe this is the end of the 9 weeks already. I have really enjoyed this experience so far and I'm sure it will be over much sooner than I would like! I feel like I am learning so much and i'[m not quite ready for that to end right now. I keep reminding myself to take advantage of this because I will use what I learn now for a long time to come! Well, that's all for now. Let's goooo Mountaineers!
One of these decisions was after grading the 3rd anatomy and physiology exam early in the week. Many students struggled with one particular section on joints. I thought about it and realized that the instructions may not have been as clear as possible. I decided that it would be fair to give them a minute to look over the material and then re-take that portion of the exam. Instead of passing back all of their tests, I simply read the questions aloud. They had to write down the correct answers on a sheet of notebook paper and turn it in to me to be graded. Adding up to 6 points to their scores really helped a lot of students.
I was pleased to see that several students showed improvement on this exam. A few mentioned that they "actually studied" this time. One student in particular scored a 40% on the last exam and a 94% on this one. Wow, what a difference actually trying can make! He was so proud of himelf and his improvement that he also got a perfect score on the Friday term quiz! I hope that this encouragement continues! 2-3 other students who came to me for extra help also improved on this test. We are now starting the anatomy of the skeletal system and I hope that I can keep up the positive momentum of the class as we move along!
It is almost the end of the 9 weeks so i'm wondering whether I should offer extra credit. I feel like many of them did not work hard enough for the "regular credit" so why should they have a chane to make that up now? I plan on weighing the options and, if I do offer extra credit, it is going to challenge them and require them to really apply the topics that we have learned so far.
Another exciting thing about this week- we may be getting a forensics text book! I received the teacher's edition and it looks like a great resource. I was really pleased to see that many of the topics and activities in the book are the same as what I have covered so far. It is reassuring that I am covering the necessary topics. It can be good and bad that we don't have a set curriculum or CSO's for this class. I am really excited to read about the ideas in this book and to begin using some of the information for this class. I'm sure there'll be much more to say about the book as I begin using it.
I can't believe this is the end of the 9 weeks already. I have really enjoyed this experience so far and I'm sure it will be over much sooner than I would like! I feel like I am learning so much and i'[m not quite ready for that to end right now. I keep reminding myself to take advantage of this because I will use what I learn now for a long time to come! Well, that's all for now. Let's goooo Mountaineers!
Week 9 Reflection
This week's reflection is going to be a brief one for now. I continue with my action research this week by finishing up the unit on fiber analysis. This has definitely been the best "crime investigation" yet where the students had to determine the identity of an unknown. I think it's because this time they had several different tests that they could perform on their fiber and they got to choose what materials and tests to use. They got really excited about discovering pieces of the solution. They were also disappointed if they didn't get the answer right away and it seemed to motivate them even more to do appropriate testing on their unknown. The more we learn and experiment, the better they are becoming at thinking critically and not just looking for the obvious answer. I hope that through my research results I will be able to show an improvement in these skills over the semester.
In anatomy this week we learned about the axial skeleton. Overall I feel like it was a successful week because I was able to point to the bones of the skeleton and most of the students could name all of the ones that we have discussed. For the test on this part of the chapter I am planning on giving them pictures of the skeleton and/or labeled parts on models that they must write the name of. This will be different from a lot of exams that they have taken before but I hope that it will serve as the best way to test their knowledge of the skeleton. After this we will move on to discuss muscles, which is another long, very detailed chapter. Halloween is at the end of this week, so I am trying to think about a "skeleton" activity that we can do! Should be fun!
I am also working this week to finish writing a grant proposal for a DNA electrophoresis lab that we can do with AP Biology as well as forensics. It is taking a little longer than I expected but I am glad to be getting this experience with grant writing now. As a science teacher, funding will always be an issue if I am going to provide my students with meaningful lab experiences. Hopefully writing this grant will be good practice for me.
Overall, it is going to be an extremely busy week and I just hope that I can keep up with everything that seems to be happening at once. Being a student and a teacher is becoming a little overwhelming right now so I am just hoping to stay on top of things and do my best!
In anatomy this week we learned about the axial skeleton. Overall I feel like it was a successful week because I was able to point to the bones of the skeleton and most of the students could name all of the ones that we have discussed. For the test on this part of the chapter I am planning on giving them pictures of the skeleton and/or labeled parts on models that they must write the name of. This will be different from a lot of exams that they have taken before but I hope that it will serve as the best way to test their knowledge of the skeleton. After this we will move on to discuss muscles, which is another long, very detailed chapter. Halloween is at the end of this week, so I am trying to think about a "skeleton" activity that we can do! Should be fun!
I am also working this week to finish writing a grant proposal for a DNA electrophoresis lab that we can do with AP Biology as well as forensics. It is taking a little longer than I expected but I am glad to be getting this experience with grant writing now. As a science teacher, funding will always be an issue if I am going to provide my students with meaningful lab experiences. Hopefully writing this grant will be good practice for me.
Overall, it is going to be an extremely busy week and I just hope that I can keep up with everything that seems to be happening at once. Being a student and a teacher is becoming a little overwhelming right now so I am just hoping to stay on top of things and do my best!
Week 10 Reflection
What a crazy busy week this has been! I got to experience my first end-of the grading period week this week! It has been really tough trying to catch everyone up and finalize grades with 8-9 students absent every class period because they are sick! It's a miracle that I haven't come down with something yet! Overall I have learned a lot this week about being prepared to go with the flow and flexibility with lessons. Most of my plans have taken longer than anticipated and i've had to make some adjustments.
I am very pleased with forensics this week because I decided to tackle the topic of forensic anthropology. I put together an inquiry-based research project for the students to do, which I should be able to use as part of my action research data. It is different from the other inquiry-projects this semester because it is not really a hands-on lab but more of a technology-based research project. They are researching a specific topic in forensic anthropology that I assigned and putting together a PowerPoint presentation that they will use to teach the rest of the class. Most of the students got really excited about it and really put a lot of time into the lesson during computer lab time. They found all sorts of pictures, videos, and case studies to use to support their descriptions. It was great to see them read about the topics for the first time and get excited to tell somebody about it. It was also a good way to use alternative assessment because some students are very good with art and PowerPoint and were able to show off their talents. Some students are also great speakers and will enjoy actually giving the presentations. This showed me a lot about how important it is to provide opportunities for all different types of learners and personalities.
I had a success with the anatomy class today that I am also quite proud of. I came up with a skeletal system review game that we played to help them memorize the bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton. It is also Halloween weekend so I wanted something fun but relevant. They really got into the race of figuring out the correct answers and I think it'll help them a lot when they see these again on the test. While I wanted to give them a "fun" game, my host teacher pointed out how important it is to make sure that it is still the Best way to help them review the material. I am interested to see if it makes a difference on their Monday test. I'll report back about that next week.
I am very pleased with forensics this week because I decided to tackle the topic of forensic anthropology. I put together an inquiry-based research project for the students to do, which I should be able to use as part of my action research data. It is different from the other inquiry-projects this semester because it is not really a hands-on lab but more of a technology-based research project. They are researching a specific topic in forensic anthropology that I assigned and putting together a PowerPoint presentation that they will use to teach the rest of the class. Most of the students got really excited about it and really put a lot of time into the lesson during computer lab time. They found all sorts of pictures, videos, and case studies to use to support their descriptions. It was great to see them read about the topics for the first time and get excited to tell somebody about it. It was also a good way to use alternative assessment because some students are very good with art and PowerPoint and were able to show off their talents. Some students are also great speakers and will enjoy actually giving the presentations. This showed me a lot about how important it is to provide opportunities for all different types of learners and personalities.
I had a success with the anatomy class today that I am also quite proud of. I came up with a skeletal system review game that we played to help them memorize the bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton. It is also Halloween weekend so I wanted something fun but relevant. They really got into the race of figuring out the correct answers and I think it'll help them a lot when they see these again on the test. While I wanted to give them a "fun" game, my host teacher pointed out how important it is to make sure that it is still the Best way to help them review the material. I am interested to see if it makes a difference on their Monday test. I'll report back about that next week.
Week 11 Reflection
Well...this week was my official start of what Mr. Stocking likes to call "power teaching." I realized that i've spent most of the semester adjusting to teaching every day in general. We're now at a point in the semester where things are becoming routine and students are getting bored with the same thing day in and day out. I've decided that time spent planning is not always as important and the quality of the way content is presented. I've started requiring a lot more student participation, including getting started right away and working until the bell rings. I see now that this method would have been much easier had I started the semester this way. If and when I start a school year again i'm going to make it a priority to establish good procedures for the beginning and end of class time and stick with them. Because I didn't have any problems at the start of the semester, I wasn't prepared enough for when they developed.
I am also dealing with anatomy students who talk a lot during lecture so i've started holding them accountable for the information a lot more often with in-class quizzes or "quick checks". This helps to keep them focused and motivates some students to pay better attention. I am trying to make the lectures as interesting and exciting as possible by varying the tone of my voice and moving around the room a lot as I talk. I hope this helps to keep their attention focused a little better.
I also found a topic with the forensics classes this week that seem to really enjoy- forensic anthropology. By building off of their curiosities about the subject I have been able to present some lessons that have really kept their interests. I have had great class participation this week- even from students who usually struggle to finish work or stay on task. I am hoping to use their interests to continue planning good lessons around this topic. I initially wasn't planning on using this topic as one of the inquiry-based activities for my research but I am now thinking that their research projects would make good data. I would also like to have them complete the student interest survey on this subject and use that for my research as well. I am still adjusting to the idea that action research plans can change and adapt to meet the students' needs. I hope that I am collecting useful and relevant data to help answer my research question. More importantly though- I hope that I am adjusting my teaching to meet the needs of all of my students.
I am also dealing with anatomy students who talk a lot during lecture so i've started holding them accountable for the information a lot more often with in-class quizzes or "quick checks". This helps to keep them focused and motivates some students to pay better attention. I am trying to make the lectures as interesting and exciting as possible by varying the tone of my voice and moving around the room a lot as I talk. I hope this helps to keep their attention focused a little better.
I also found a topic with the forensics classes this week that seem to really enjoy- forensic anthropology. By building off of their curiosities about the subject I have been able to present some lessons that have really kept their interests. I have had great class participation this week- even from students who usually struggle to finish work or stay on task. I am hoping to use their interests to continue planning good lessons around this topic. I initially wasn't planning on using this topic as one of the inquiry-based activities for my research but I am now thinking that their research projects would make good data. I would also like to have them complete the student interest survey on this subject and use that for my research as well. I am still adjusting to the idea that action research plans can change and adapt to meet the students' needs. I hope that I am collecting useful and relevant data to help answer my research question. More importantly though- I hope that I am adjusting my teaching to meet the needs of all of my students.
Week 12 Reflection
Well...as I was posting this last week my internet shut down and I lost everything that I had typed! Seems to fit well with how the rest of the week went though! I had quite the crazy week beginning with not feeling well on Monday and being unusually tired all day. I woke up Tuesday and realized that it would not be smart to try and go to the school. Luckily, I had all of my lesson plans ready for the week so it was easy for Mr. Stocking to cover them for me. We also had Wednesday off for veteran's day and this allowed me another day to start feeling better. I really needed the rest! Taking care of yourself is so important and too many student teachers seem to be learning that the hard way (including myself last yr.). Basically, this week taught me to make sure that I keep my priorities straight and remain flexible in my teaching and planning. You can never count on things running perfectly according to a set schedule and its important to adjust so that the students are not missing out. I've had a lot of thoughts as the semester wraps up about my teaching experiences here and I think i'll save those for my reflection on this past week!
Week 13 Reflection
This week completely Flew by! I can't believe we're days away from Thanksgiving already! At the same time- it couldn't come soon enough! A lot of the students seem to be overwhelmed right now and I think we can all use the break! I finished my contract proposal and final evaluations this week. Wow. It feels like i'm just getting Started with these classes and i'm already doing final paperwork. I have been soo fortunate this semester for all of my experiences so far. There is a lot that I would still like to learn and do with these students.
Midweek I decided to introduce an alternative assessment project to the forensics classes that i'm going to use for my action research instead of giving a quiz on this topic. While evaluating my research so far this semester I realized that maybe looking at quiz scores no longer applies to measure engagement and motivation, which is my new main focus. I decided to assign them a project that would allow them to design their own project and demonstrate their learning to me in the way that they feel fits them best. Most students are really excited about it, which has gotten me excited about it as well. They are bringing in all types of supplies and brainstorming tons of interesting ideas. I have truly enjoyed these past few days of teaching because I get to see them so excited about the time spent in my classroom! We will be working a lot more on these Monday and Tuesday so I will have that to write about for my very short week next week! Until then I am just preparing for the upcoming break by finalizing a lot of my own paperwork and final lesson plans for the semester. 35 days til Christmas...:-)
Midweek I decided to introduce an alternative assessment project to the forensics classes that i'm going to use for my action research instead of giving a quiz on this topic. While evaluating my research so far this semester I realized that maybe looking at quiz scores no longer applies to measure engagement and motivation, which is my new main focus. I decided to assign them a project that would allow them to design their own project and demonstrate their learning to me in the way that they feel fits them best. Most students are really excited about it, which has gotten me excited about it as well. They are bringing in all types of supplies and brainstorming tons of interesting ideas. I have truly enjoyed these past few days of teaching because I get to see them so excited about the time spent in my classroom! We will be working a lot more on these Monday and Tuesday so I will have that to write about for my very short week next week! Until then I am just preparing for the upcoming break by finalizing a lot of my own paperwork and final lesson plans for the semester. 35 days til Christmas...:-)
Week 14 Reflection
Well, we're back from break this week and I have a feeling that this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is going to seem really long. The students are anxious for a break again and it definitely shows in their motivation during class time. The forensics projects are not nearly as complete as I had hoped they would be. Many students didn't work on them over the break and now need additional class time to get them done. While this is a nice alternative to giving a quiz at the end of a unit, it does take a lot more time to prepare as well as grade. I developed a grading rubric and it has helped to give me clear guidelines to grade them by.
I really enjoyed all of their presentations, and there were a few groups that far exceeded my expectations! It was so nice to see their enthusiasm for this topic. I especially noticed that several students who usually don't put much effort into their classes really took the time to make this project good. They shared stories about involving the help of parents, aunts, and grandparents as well. I think this is great because parents can have such a huge impact on their success.
This is the last set of data that I am collecting for my action research, and i've now decided to especially focus on their interest survey responses more than their grades. I am far more interested in their engagment and motivation than their ability to achieve a specific grade on a quiz. I hope that all this data from the semester is representative of some clear results. Just from my own observations I have seen an increase in motivation and engagment from many of the students, as well as an increased interest in science in general. I've had more than one student tell me that this is the first science class that they have ever really enjoyed. While I don't like to hear that they haven't had a good experience before- it is great to know that I have provided a new view of science classes.
Next week I will wrap up the grading of the projects and start into my final topic for the semester! Can't believe it's almost over!
I really enjoyed all of their presentations, and there were a few groups that far exceeded my expectations! It was so nice to see their enthusiasm for this topic. I especially noticed that several students who usually don't put much effort into their classes really took the time to make this project good. They shared stories about involving the help of parents, aunts, and grandparents as well. I think this is great because parents can have such a huge impact on their success.
This is the last set of data that I am collecting for my action research, and i've now decided to especially focus on their interest survey responses more than their grades. I am far more interested in their engagment and motivation than their ability to achieve a specific grade on a quiz. I hope that all this data from the semester is representative of some clear results. Just from my own observations I have seen an increase in motivation and engagment from many of the students, as well as an increased interest in science in general. I've had more than one student tell me that this is the first science class that they have ever really enjoyed. While I don't like to hear that they haven't had a good experience before- it is great to know that I have provided a new view of science classes.
Next week I will wrap up the grading of the projects and start into my final topic for the semester! Can't believe it's almost over!
Week 15 Reflection
What a crazy last week this was! My host teacher was out of town for the week and so I got to teach the entire day's classes. This isn't much different than a normal school day for me, just the addition of AP Biology and credit recovery at the end of the day. It was a great learning experience because I had to deal with every little detail throughout the day. I also didn't have anyone to ask questions or gain approval from when I had to make an important decision.
In anatomy the students took an exam on Tue. and on Wed. we went over the answers. I decided to review some of the questions and allow students who really struggled to correct their answers for some additional points. I wasn't sure of this decision at first and would have liked to have my host teacher's opinion, but I am glad now that I did it. Only about 3/4 of the students took advantage of this opportunity. The ones who did deserved the extra points.
In forensics we finished up the projects and I talked to the librarian about getting them a display in the library. I know a lot of the students are very proud of their work and I wanted them to get the recognition that they deserve! I am working on finishing up a lot right now but I am sad to wrap up the semester! What a great experience this has been...
In anatomy the students took an exam on Tue. and on Wed. we went over the answers. I decided to review some of the questions and allow students who really struggled to correct their answers for some additional points. I wasn't sure of this decision at first and would have liked to have my host teacher's opinion, but I am glad now that I did it. Only about 3/4 of the students took advantage of this opportunity. The ones who did deserved the extra points.
In forensics we finished up the projects and I talked to the librarian about getting them a display in the library. I know a lot of the students are very proud of their work and I wanted them to get the recognition that they deserve! I am working on finishing up a lot right now but I am sad to wrap up the semester! What a great experience this has been...
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