Creating Closure in Direct Instruction!!

After teaching the class about Direct Instruction, the co-teachers had another job ahead of them. Our next task was to assist the other students in the class in creating power point presentations based upon the different elements of a direct instruction lesson plan. The group I chose to assist was the Closure Group. Their job was to create a powerpoint discussing the importance of closure and how it can be used in a direct instruction setting.

I gave the group some suggestions of websites they can use to assist them in creating their power point. I created a presentation for them to work on in google docs and shared it with them. I also suggested that they use a wordle for their anticipatory set to associate all of the terms that go along with closure. I also assisted in showing the group a video on youtube called "Language for Learning" which provided an example of how closure is used in the classroom. Lastly, I suggested that a useful direct instruction strategy to conclude their presentation would be to make a quiz on quizlet and have the rest of the class take the quiz to see if they have acquired the information that was taught to them.

I was happy to see that the closure group took my suggestions and I thought that they all did a wonderful job up there teaching! I made sure I made myself available to help anyone in the group that needed my help. This was a positive experience for me, for the group, and for the rest of the class.

I Think I'll Put My Thinking Cap On For This One!

This week in classes involved a lot of thinking, in my opinion. The first reading that I read on moodle involved the topic of assessment. It was a good read for me because it refreshed my memory on the types of assessment and the different methods of going about assessing children to find out what they have learned as a result of the teacher teaching. The internet also has a lot of resources to help a college student understand assessment. The link provided is a slideshow from slideshare.net that talks about assessment. This slideshow helped me to even further understand assessment and how it is being used in the 21st century.

I also read about Models, Strategies, and Methods. From reading the chapter I was able to give my own definitions of the following words:

Model- The broadest approaches to teaching (Behavioural, Information Processing, Social Interaction, and Personal).

Strategy- A set of steps that the teacher needs to follow in order to reach a goal.

Method- The most specific way of implementing a strategy.

Skills- are the learned capacities in order to carry out pre-determined results.

These four words are very important when it comes to teaching, in my opinion.

Lastly, this week i learned about the differences between aims, goals, and objectives. I got to work on formulating my own objectives using the Mount Saint Mary College's CBC format. I have to admit this is something I struggle with. I did feel that the more practice I had formulating objectives, the better I was becoming at it. Some of the objetives I formulated were:

1. Given twenty cubes, the student will practice counting by fives, with no error.

2. Given a microscope, the student will examine two slides, writing atleast five differences between the two in their science journals.

3. Given pictures of the planets, the student will create a poster, displaying the planets in correct order.

Overall, I walked away from the second week learning a lot and I am excited for the weeks to come.

Born to Teach, Eager to Learn

This week I was one of four volunteers to teach the class about Direct Instruction and the Behavioural Model with Dr. Smirnova. The process was time consuming but enjoyable. I enjoyed meeting with Dr. Smirnvoa and my team mates on the computer to discuss the roles that would be assigned to each person. I decided I wanted to add more to the slides that were provided, so I added two videos (video 1 and video 2) and group work.

On the day of the presentation I felt pretty confident about the material and what I was going to have the class do but, I decided to meet with Dr. Smirnova anyway to be sure that I was all set to go.

Overall, I wanted the class to enjoy the presentation and I wanted to engage them in learning more about direct instruction and involve them as much as possible. I think it is important to do these things when you are teaching a class because it helps the student to learn and makes it a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

When we finished the presentation I got to see some of the feedback that was posted on moodle from my peers. Most of it was positive which made me very happy. I did agree that the group needed to be louder and go a little bit slower because the class was trying to take notes. For me personally I wish I had spoken a little bit slower.

I had the time of my life being able to teach. Something happens to me when I am up in front of the classroom. I am usually such a shy person but when I am teaching it makes me feel like someone else. It is the most fun and enjoyable experience to be in front of the classroom speaking and it is even more amazing when you know that your peers have walked away from it learning something.

Aims, Goals, Objectives, Oh My!

After learning about the four models of teaching, the class got into the beginning stages of direct instruction. If I had to choose a model to go by in my own classroom I think I would be a social interaction/personal kind of teacher because those models interest me the most but, I am sure I will use all four models of teaching because every student has different abilities.

Direct instruction and Indirect instruction are two possible strategies a teacher can follow. I think my students would enjoy more of an indirect path because there are three possible ways you can teach indirectly: Interactive, Independant, and Experential. Although I will use Direct instruction at times (especially when introduing a new concept) I feel like indirect would be a better approach to keep my future students engaged.

In class we also had some more review formulating goals and objectives. I know that a goal is a general statement and that an objective is the most specific statement of a teacher's intention of how a lesson will be taught. I think that before I can find success in formulating goals and objectives one would have to be familiar with what a goal and a objective is.

When researching to learn more about goals and objectives I came across this video. I thought it ws helpful because it was a review of what goals and objectives are and why it is important to use goals and objectives in your teaching.

Overall, this was a great week in class and I walked away from it learning many things that will help me when I go to plan lessons and create my webquest.

All About Me!

I thought the T-Shirt Project was a nice way to get to know the rest of the class. It is amazing to me that each individual person has their own dream of where and what they want to teach. I like that each individual person had their own way of presenting their t-shirts to the rest of the class.

By completing the t-shirt project it allowed me to focus in on what I really want to do with my life. I had to focus on what I want to teach and what state I would want to teach it in. I also had to think about what was important to me in my life.

I think it is a great way of starting the class off on the right foot. I came into the class three weeks into it and I enjoyed the project and enjoyed hearing the projects of my peers. It definitely helped me feel that I belonged and was welcomed.

The project also gave me an idea for when I am an educator. Things that show other people who you are allows one to become comfortable in their environment. I think it would be a great idea to do something similar to the t-shirt project in order to allow my students to become comfortable in their environment and with each other. When I am a teacher I will definitely do something like the project we had to do in class.