Student Teaching Final Reflection
My student teaching experience was more than I could have asked for. I was fortunate to be paired with a fantastic chemistry teacher with almost 40 years of teaching experience. His guidance and knowledge was invaluable. For several years I have been thinking about how I wanted to teach chemistry. Through my tutoring and practicum experiences, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to teach chemistry using many visual models and hands on learning experiences. I was fortunate in that my host teacher teaches incorporates a method called modeling chemistry into his chemistry lessons. I had not been exposed to this method of teaching chemistry, but it relies heavily on a conceptual understanding of chemistry
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All my units were taught using scaffolding strategies. Lessons started with learning the basic information and working through analysis and application. An example of this can be explained through a quick synopsis of my gas law unit. This unit began with a review of kinetic molecular theory. Particle behavior of gases was modeled using a ball on a stick. Each student received this particle model and the room turned into a scaled up model of a gas at the particle level. The students would mimic the behavior a gas particle when different variable were changed. This allowed them to explore what happens at the particle level when temperature, pressure or volume changes occur. This knowledge was then reinforced (overlearned) through a series of inquiry techniques using video simulation, labs and whiteboarding activities. Moving on to higher order thinking, the students analyzed and translated these relationships to the mathematical relationships. I then organized all equations using graphic organizers. A graphic organizer was also used to show the students which mathematical equation to choose for a given problem. Worksheets were given to practice the math skills, and students were allowed …show more content…
The school I student taught use Google products in conjunction with Skyward grading system and all students have Chromebooks. All students and parents have access to their grades as entered through Skyward. Class announcements and assignments can be entered into Google Classroom. I used this system for classwork, homework and announcements. I also used Remind. This is an app for cell phones that allowed me to send students reminders about many things to their cell phones; I used this to remind studtens about test and quizzes. Google Calendar was linked to a student site and my website as well as a parent site so all classroom work was available on a weekly basis. Parents were contacted via email when students’ grades dropped below a D. I also emailed parents when I felt the student was struggling or I had a concern. In addition to using technology for communication, I also used it to supplement lessons. Students and parents were given a link to my website, and the link was also posted in the announcements on Google Classroom. This website is organized by class and topic. Many supplementary videos were posted here along with my help guides that could be downloaded if lost. I also used this site to post Vittles (video tutorial) on particularly difficult problems. This app allows me to whiteboard a problem with audio and upload it to my website. Students could
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand” (24). Life has ups and downs and it is bound to happen to everyone. Whether it is a death in a family to getting fired. But there is one thing you can do to make your life interesting.
Every video I watched displayed tools that I could use in my own classroom. The instructional strategies and models used in the classrooms were great. My current teaching philosophy about instructional strategies and models would be that they are great to use. As a teacher, looking for ways to help teach certain lessons is a must. Every teacher found different ways to teach the materials to their students. It is always great to have resources in the classroom to look back on. Students love to have resources to guide them. In the video (Case #1112), I would emulate their strategy by letting my students use a textbook. I feel that textbooks are reliable sources and can be used to validate certain materials. In the video, you can tell that the students were using the textbook as a tool to prove their discussion with each other. In the video (Case #876), I would avoid assessing my students in whole-group discussion. I would have my student in groups to see how they communicate with each t=other about our discussion. Seeing my students evaluating each other’s opinions would be a great way into assessing their knowledge about the lesson. A classroom environment I would like to teach in would be with students who are ready to ask questions. Students who are not afraid to express their thoughts about the instruction. It would be easier for me to assess my students if that were
Sitting in AP Chemistry lab class, thinking about how much I didn't fit in with all the brilliant overachievers, I began to wonder why I took the course. While I knew it was because I have a passion for chemistry, I didn't know what exactly entices me about the subject. Moments later, I found my answer; I love experimenting. Reading textbooks and listening to lectures are definitely informative, but they aren't the only ways to learn. Learning through experience and physical results is the most interesting and fun way to understand topics. Reading about chemical reactions and actually performing and seeing results is another, which is why the “volcanic eruption” project is so popular. Instead of trusting everything textbooks say, people can
The ability to reflect critically on one’s experience, integrate knowledge gained from experience with knowledge possessed, and take action on insights is considered by some adult educators to be a distinguishing feature of the adult learner (Brookfield 1998; Ecclestone 1996; Mezirow 1991). Critical reflection is the process by which adults identify the assumptions governing their actions, locate the historical and cultural origins of the assumptions, question the meaning of the assumptions, and develop alternative ways of acting (Cranton 1996). Brookfield (1995) adds that part of the critical reflective process is to challenge the prevailing social, political, cultural, or professional ways of acting. Through the process of critical reflection, adults come to interpret and create new knowledge and actions from their ordinary and sometimes extraordinary experiences. Critical reflection blends learning through experience with theoretical and technical learning to form new knowledge constructions and new behaviors or insights.
As we all are fully aware, each student is diverse and has special needs when it comes to learning. There are three types of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners learn best when shown how to do an assignment. They prefer diagrams, pictures, and charts. Simply allowing your class to create flashcards and color coding notes can help these types of learners memorize the information. Our brain organizes information through a process. Creating flow charts will help the brain map out the information from the lesson given. Auditory learners learn best when a teacher presents information by talking to the student. When directions are read aloud, they tend to succeed. Allowing time for students to discuss the material in a group before moving on to the next is beneficial for these types of learners. Kinesthetic learners are learners who excel when engaged in the learning activity. By participating in labs, skits, and presentations, they acquire the information faster. Starting the class with a few warm up activities, next a lecture, then a classroom discussion, and wrapping up with a review will help all types of learning styles. Without the knowledge from psychologists about the different types of learners and their special needs, teachers would not know how to respond to their students who may struggle with the material given.
My research investigates general chemistry students’ understanding of general chemistry using a model in chemistry education known as the chemistry triplet involving three multiple representations-- macroscale, nanoscale and symbolic. The macroscale refers to the phenomena that can be experienced with the physical senses, such as sight, hearing and touch. The nanoscale refers to the behavior of molecules, atoms and other particles that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and the symbolic refers to letters, numbers, operations and equations used to represent physical and chemical states and processes. I am revising a manuscript where I am first author, assisting other laboratory members in designing their studies and analyzing their data, and attending weekly lab meetings. Educating others is important to me, and I feel that publishing the manuscript may encourage general chemistry professors to think about how they assess and teach their students.
Over the years, I have developed an innovative approach to teaching and conducting research with undergraduates through creating and presenting course materials in both laboratory and classroom settings. In my experience, the best teaching involves concrete, hands-on examples, so I engage students in my courses by encouraging the maximum laboratory participation possible.
Communicating effectively with parents and students is important in order to be successful at teaching. Studies have shown that parental involvement in a student’s education allows for greater success in the classroom (Duarte, G, Cerda-Perez, E & Rosenberg, G 2007). Technology is beneficial in communicating with students and parents. The use of technology allows for students and parents to have access to current lesson plans as well as access to the teacher after normal school hours. This opens up doorways for the student or parent to ask questions about assignments and class discussions. The uses of classroom websites, e-mails, text messaging and student web sites are just a few examples of technology that is used to communicate with parents and students.
Breaking down tasks into smaller, easier steps can be an effective way to teach a classroom of students with a variety of skills and needs. In breaking down the learning process, it allows students to learn at equal pace. This technique can also act as a helpful method for the teacher to analyze and understand the varying needs of the students in the classroom. When teaching or introducing a new math lesson, a teacher might first use the most basic aspects of the lesson to begin the teaching process (i.e. teach stu...
...Some of the concepts we have had to learn include drawing the different elements in a bohr rutherford diagram, balancing chemical equations, types of chemical reactions, and the different types of acids and bases. Overall there were many other things in the unit that were very eye-opening as well, but these four definately helped me as a student have that ‘ah-ha’ moment, and they have definitely helped me learn about chemistry in a more in-depth way, appreciate chemistry and the science behind it a lot more, as well as teaching me something very new things such as how to neutralize Hydrochloric Acid inside of your stomach when it starts to pain. Learning these concepts in the classroom has really opened my eyes to the world in which we live in today, and now personally I will forever hold these memories and knowledge in my mind for when I really need it in my life.
For my assignment I have decided to choose a group which I have just finished taking for level 1 Hairdressing and they have progressed on to level 2 Hairdressing. This is within my current role as a hairdressing lecturer at Hugh Baird College which I have done since October. Within this group there are a couple of people who have support workers. There is one student within the group who has severe learning difficulties and is a more mature student. She also has many health problems which results in her having to carry an oxygen tank around for when she has any problems with her breathing due to her having problems with her heart. There is also another student in the class who has learning difficulties, she is very clever but just needs someone there for when she needs something explaining. She also has a support worker that comes in to give her support. This student has also been going through personal problems at home and has attendance issues. There is another student within this group who has severe dyslexia. She doesn’t have a support worker but the support people who are in there do give her help as she can have a tendency to give up, not to listen and just needs to be kept on track so by sitting next to a person that does have a support worker she gets the help from them. These three students have all had their level 1 qualification extended for a year were the rest of the group have progressed on to level 2 Hairdressing. Two of these students may progress on to level 2 but one doesn’t have the ability to be able to do this as the requirements are too high for her. The reason the course was extended for them was because they were struggling with the work that was required for this qualification, but as the col...
Overall my experience of being in Lingleville ISD was a great experience that allowed me to learn a lot not only about the students in the classroom, but also helped me learn a lot about myself. Going in to this classroom I expected to only learn things about classroom management and maybe a few strategies. After spending a few days in this room I learned many other things. I did learn about classroom management but I also learned about content, strategies, organization, lesson planning, and inclusion adaptations. I learned that an inclusion special education student can really thrive being in a mainstream classroom, not only academically but also socially. It was a wonderful learning opportunity to get to be a part of that. My mentor teacher
As a student there are many memories that I have of curriculum at its best and curriculum at its worst. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much of the in between as those courses because they don’t stand out as much in my memory. I know that the course that really sparked my interest in science and teaching was my high school anatomy and physiology class. I took this class as a senior at Phillipsburg High School and it absolutely sparked my interest in science and is now the course I have been teaching for the last 11 years. The teacher was in his last year before retirement and really did a nice job of making the class fun, exciting and not rigid by t...
Puntambekar, S. & Hubscher. R. (2005). Tools for scaffolding students in a complex learning environment: What have we gained and what have we missed? Educational Psychologist, 40, 1-12.
In this course I experienced an important change in my beliefs about teaching; I came to understand that there are many different theories and methods that can be tailored to suit the teacher and the needs of the student. The readings, especially those from Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011), Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2007), and Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., Nanlohy, P. (2010), have helped me to understand this in particular. In composing my essay about teaching methods and other themes, my learning was solidified, my knowledge deepened by my research and my writing skills honed.