Reflection 3

Mindtools and Teaching

What person among us when they had to teach just popped in a video when they ran out of ideas? I know I've had my fair share of the classic "movie-filler" but what does that really help a student?

Our mindtools reading brought up some interesting points of conflict with what I've always felt were effective teaching techniques. Even step by step instructional videos and powerpoint presentations seem to be less effective teaching techniques.

My mindtool example revolved around an old instructional CD that came with my old Windows 95 computer. It was a simple enough program; you had two colored circles on your screen, the Earth and the moon. The learner could then adjust the moons' trajectory and momentum. It was difficult to get the moon into an orbit around the Earth without either crashing it into the planet or sending it hurdling off into the depths of space.

This game really helped me to understand gravity, inertia and trajectory. Though it was a simple game, it was able to put the knowledge in my hands so that I too could understand a very difficult concept.

Tomorrow we're going to visit our first Middle School. I have no idea what the instructor will expect of us, or if he/she will even acknowledge our presence. Will we all spend the entire time sitting in the back of the classroom? Will we be asked to pass out papers? Or will the teacher put us on the spot to do something that we weren't expecting?

Reflection 2

Teaching

Now that we've actually gotten a taste of teaching, I'm wondering how it will compare to the "real world". Thus far our teaching has been for just 5 minute segments in front of a classroom of our peers... While each time has made me somewhat nervous, it makes me wonder about teaching in front of a classroom full of students that we will be responsible for for an hour to three hours at a time.

Is my message getting across to my peers? Is my message sticking with them? Can I say at the end of the day that their messages have stuck with me? We're all here to learn, but what about students that don't want to be there? Where is the line between entertaining, teaching and learning?

I think back to something that John Bytheway once said at a live BYU Education Week class. He was up on the podium teaching us in a much more bland manner than he had been all week. He usually left us with some of his personal "music" but realized that his time was running out. He informed us that he didn't have time to sing that day and was received with a wave of disappointment. He then proceeded to chasten us for missing the point of his lesson. We weren't supposed to be there to be entertained, we were supposed to be there to grow a deeper understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to get closer to our Savior by doing so. I left thinking about how I would return to my classes at school. I wouldn't go back with the thought of "Entertain me" but with the intent of "I'm here to learn, please aid me in doing so."

Now I'm preparing to be on the other side of that pulpit, and now I find myself asking the same question that John Bytheway asked himself that night; where is the line of Entertaining vs Learning?

Reflection 1

The First Day:
I am extremely surprised at how much emphasis is placed on the first few days of your teaching experience. It seems that every page of the textbook refers to the first few days and how they will make or break the students as well as the teacher.

Be Organized:
Make a good first impression through how you look, speak and hold yourself. Also, have a well organized plan of attack for the semester or school year. Students crave organization and order, if you set out what is expected of them in the first few days then they will know to what standard they must live up to. They will also know what you expect of them as well as what to expect of you. How they view you, your appearance and your attitude in these first few rendezvous seems to determine their basic respect level for you as a teacher. However, that level of respect can easily fall if the instructor is not consistent with their teaching.

Be Consistent:
Along with being organized comes being consistent. Give your students something to respect and trust with their education and stick to it. Don't deviate or shy away from what you have and are portraying. Students expect and trust you to be a teacher. If you loose that trust it seems that you loose your students.

Ask for Help:
You as a teacher will feel very alone your first few days of school, maybe even the first few weeks. It is important to use the resources that are at your disposal.
-The District: A good district should have a new teachers' program for success.
-Other Teachers: It is not bad to ask seasoned veterins for aid in similar situations.
-College Professors: Just because you are graduated doesn't mean that YOUR teaching and instruction is over.

Be Positive and DON'T be afraid:
You owe it to yourself and your students to be positive and unafraid. They need to learn to trust you and believe that you are teaching them correct principles. If you are negative, you will hurt yourself and your teaching will be just another job. If you are afraid, your students will not be able to trust you to instruct them.

These are just some of my reflections on the instruction we've received in class, but primarily this has come from the reading. The most surprising of which to me is how important the first day of school is and how that fact is reiterated over and over again. Every one of these principles listed mentioned "from the first day" or some variation of that phrase. You must set the standard early and continually reinforce it to be an effective teacher in your student's lives.

My first post

I have originally created this blog as an assignment for my Secondary Teaching course at BYU to publish my own feelings and reflections... I'm not entirely sure if these are reflections of the reading assignments or of the individual classes, but I'm sure that will be explained in time.

For today, creating this blog is all that was asked of me.