INSTRUCTION AND DELIVERY REFLECTION
March 13, 2013
Students had to learn about primitive vs. derived traits, the differences between convergent and divergent and homology and analogy. They had an online activity/lab/module where they had to compare bone structure in sharks, dolphins and wolves. They had a set of questions that guided them along the website.
I modeled how to get on the website and how to use it however I should have modeled how to answer a question or two with the class and had the students tell me what to do. In addition many of my students were unable to finish the activity because I did not print out the questions to save paper, so it took them a while to just copy down the questions. I should have printed out one set of questions and then collected them at the end. Or even better I should have given all my students a computer copy so they could just answer the questions directly in word and email me the answers. Many students have difficulty writing that fast, and copying down questions may not have been the best idea for this lesson. I should have recapped at the end, and perhaps made a flow chart or graphic organizer rather than a list of questions, to help them organize the material in a way that can help them retain information and connect the dots.
March 18th, 2013
I introduced energy flow by first having students repeat to me what ecology meant and then splitting it up into sections and telling the students the different components we were going to learn about. This allows students to conceptualize and organize all the information that will be presented to them. It is not just a random component they are learning and this makes the students more likely to pay attention and actually engage in the activity.
I then gave a quick overview of the ten percent rule through scaffolding, from harder questions to easier questions and then back in order to get students to the right answer. I also made a great analogy to help explain how most energy is lost as heat from organisms. The analogy: imagine having 100 people stuffed into our classroom, how would it feel? Hot. Why? Because we’re all giving off heat, we’re losing energy. Now imagine if all these people started jogging in place, it would get really hot! Students were able to connect the fact that most energy is lost as heat to the analogy. Analogies really help grab students’ attentions and helps students connect the information to real life and really get a deep understanding for the material. I should definitely use more analogies while explaining or scaffolding, it really helps students.
I modeled how to do the activity and then we discussed the activity. I did not plan too much for this lesson and we ended just on time. The students had fun, and understood the concepts that I was trying to teach them.
March 19th, 2013
I showed a few videos today, and so usually I just let them play and have the students just watch it if it is under 2 minutes or give them a worksheet. But I realized that many students are not paying attention, and if they are they are too focused on the specific contents of the worksheet and are not getting the bigger picture the video is meant to explain. So instead, I paused the video many times as it was playing and asked students questions about the video and then had them write down certain information or define important terms. I also had students explain parts of the video to me and to the class, to check for understanding. This also helps because it rephrases what the video is saying in a different way that may be more applicable to some students. My whole class paid attention to the videos this way and were engaged while the video was playing. I need to remember to do this more often. By having students write down things I am holding them accountable for the information and this way all students have a copy of the information presented in the video in a tangible accessible form for later use. Then during the video I passed out corresponding worksheets that the students had to complete after the video.
March 20th, 2013
Today I used the Popsicle stick method to call on students to answer questions. Each stick has a corresponding student name and then one end of the stick is green and the other is red. The green signifies that the student has not been called upon, and once the student has answered you flip the stick in the cup so that the red side is pointing up, and you and the students know that they have been called on already. However, just because you have called on the students they are not off the hook for future questions because the stick is never taken out of the cup. This method simply helps you keep track of who is answering and helps with accountability for each student.
The best part of my lesson was how I introduced biomes, and climatographs. I tied it to the topics we learned the past few days and then had the students look at multiple graphs and as a class try to decipher what they meant, what they represented, how to read them and
I also modeled how to make a climate graph for those students that were struggling and once I knew they understood how to do it I did not finish the example and let them finish on their own. I allowed students who understood what to do to work ahead.
Reflection:
Suddenly, the students seemed more engaged in the lesson and for some reason were more inclined to actually answer the questions. I was surprised to get answers from students who usually do not have a valid answer. Also, this eliminated the bias that I cast when choosing students to answer, it randomized who was picked to answer and I managed to pick students that I usually do not call on as much. The popsicle sticks seem to grab the students attention and students are not as shy to answer, because they know what to expect. I will definitely continue to keep using this method.
Students had to learn about primitive vs. derived traits, the differences between convergent and divergent and homology and analogy. They had an online activity/lab/module where they had to compare bone structure in sharks, dolphins and wolves. They had a set of questions that guided them along the website.
I modeled how to get on the website and how to use it however I should have modeled how to answer a question or two with the class and had the students tell me what to do. In addition many of my students were unable to finish the activity because I did not print out the questions to save paper, so it took them a while to just copy down the questions. I should have printed out one set of questions and then collected them at the end. Or even better I should have given all my students a computer copy so they could just answer the questions directly in word and email me the answers. Many students have difficulty writing that fast, and copying down questions may not have been the best idea for this lesson. I should have recapped at the end, and perhaps made a flow chart or graphic organizer rather than a list of questions, to help them organize the material in a way that can help them retain information and connect the dots.
March 18th, 2013
I introduced energy flow by first having students repeat to me what ecology meant and then splitting it up into sections and telling the students the different components we were going to learn about. This allows students to conceptualize and organize all the information that will be presented to them. It is not just a random component they are learning and this makes the students more likely to pay attention and actually engage in the activity.
I then gave a quick overview of the ten percent rule through scaffolding, from harder questions to easier questions and then back in order to get students to the right answer. I also made a great analogy to help explain how most energy is lost as heat from organisms. The analogy: imagine having 100 people stuffed into our classroom, how would it feel? Hot. Why? Because we’re all giving off heat, we’re losing energy. Now imagine if all these people started jogging in place, it would get really hot! Students were able to connect the fact that most energy is lost as heat to the analogy. Analogies really help grab students’ attentions and helps students connect the information to real life and really get a deep understanding for the material. I should definitely use more analogies while explaining or scaffolding, it really helps students.
I modeled how to do the activity and then we discussed the activity. I did not plan too much for this lesson and we ended just on time. The students had fun, and understood the concepts that I was trying to teach them.
March 19th, 2013
I showed a few videos today, and so usually I just let them play and have the students just watch it if it is under 2 minutes or give them a worksheet. But I realized that many students are not paying attention, and if they are they are too focused on the specific contents of the worksheet and are not getting the bigger picture the video is meant to explain. So instead, I paused the video many times as it was playing and asked students questions about the video and then had them write down certain information or define important terms. I also had students explain parts of the video to me and to the class, to check for understanding. This also helps because it rephrases what the video is saying in a different way that may be more applicable to some students. My whole class paid attention to the videos this way and were engaged while the video was playing. I need to remember to do this more often. By having students write down things I am holding them accountable for the information and this way all students have a copy of the information presented in the video in a tangible accessible form for later use. Then during the video I passed out corresponding worksheets that the students had to complete after the video.
March 20th, 2013
Today I used the Popsicle stick method to call on students to answer questions. Each stick has a corresponding student name and then one end of the stick is green and the other is red. The green signifies that the student has not been called upon, and once the student has answered you flip the stick in the cup so that the red side is pointing up, and you and the students know that they have been called on already. However, just because you have called on the students they are not off the hook for future questions because the stick is never taken out of the cup. This method simply helps you keep track of who is answering and helps with accountability for each student.
The best part of my lesson was how I introduced biomes, and climatographs. I tied it to the topics we learned the past few days and then had the students look at multiple graphs and as a class try to decipher what they meant, what they represented, how to read them and
I also modeled how to make a climate graph for those students that were struggling and once I knew they understood how to do it I did not finish the example and let them finish on their own. I allowed students who understood what to do to work ahead.
Reflection:
Suddenly, the students seemed more engaged in the lesson and for some reason were more inclined to actually answer the questions. I was surprised to get answers from students who usually do not have a valid answer. Also, this eliminated the bias that I cast when choosing students to answer, it randomized who was picked to answer and I managed to pick students that I usually do not call on as much. The popsicle sticks seem to grab the students attention and students are not as shy to answer, because they know what to expect. I will definitely continue to keep using this method.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT REFLECTION
Feb. 4th, 2013
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Feb. 5th, 2013
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Feb. 6th, 2013
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Feb. 11th, 2013
Students had a lot of trouble with this since they are not used to working in groups and this program gave them the ability to draw and so many of them were somewhat off task even though I assigned a question to each student to work on and add it to the group page. In addition if they finished with their part they were supposed to move on to the next questions or copy the concept map down on their papers. Many had trouble with the technology itself even though it was very simple and made for students.
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Feb. 14, 2013
- I had students complete an online module/lab activity where they had to see which two animals were more closely related and had to use comparative anatomy to figure out why. I created a set of questions to go along with this activity in order to keep them on track and to help them remember and document the information they were learning. The questions also challenged them as they had to think about the how’s and why’s of the activity.
- The first period went by smoothly the students were engaged stayed on task and managed to finish the questions. The second period however for some reason, despite the fact that I modeled where the activity was located on my website several times, had written down the instructions for them could not seem to even get on the page. I thoroughly explained that they were supposed to finish the questions on the board and were to answer them as they went along the lab, however most of them did not catch on until half the period was over. They were unable to finish the questions and so in the last 15 minutes of class I reviewed the questions with them. I used cold call and had them tell me the answer and if they did not know I tried to use probing questions to get the answers out of them.
- I should have come up with a backup for the first period since they finished early. They were supposed to finish their evidence for evolution graphic organizers however since their teacher was not there they did not feel the need to keep working until the bell. I should have just gone over the answers with them. I should have modeled how to answer the questions for the last period, and showed them exactly what I expected of them but sometimes I find it difficult to get their full attention. I did have them work alone since group work seems to get them off task. In addition I should have just printed the questions out for them, since many of them have difficulty writing quickly. Next time I will do so, however I did not this time because I was trying to save paper and ink. I could have posted the questions online and had them download and just type the answers in… now that I think about it.