I was so nervous to have Dawn come into the classroom for the implementation observation. Throughout the observation I was super excited about how engaged my students were. this was the goal I set with dawn during the initial coaching. Dawn observed my students finalizing scripts, shooting practice videos and a few groups earned the final shooting of their instructional videos.
One difficult moment in this lesson was when a student refused to complete any work. I made sure to work with him one on one and offer alternative ways he can participate, if the video was overwhelming to him. I attempted to accommodate him in many ways, but he continued to refuse to work and even respond. He shut down and stopped working altogether. When he did speak it was off topic words or loud unnecessary sounds. This behavior is common for this student and I always try to work with him, but often he will take away from others within the classroom. We have since communicated with parents and seen improvement.
One part of the lesson I enjoyed was seeing some of my early finishers turn into instructional video experts and help other groups prepare for the final video shoot. I watched many students who rarely work within the traditional classroom setting step into leadership positions and blossom throughout this lesson. I loved being able to step back and watch my students become the teachers. Overall, I felt that the lesson was a success and I saw my work together and take ownership over their learning for the most part.
Nicely stated, I think as teachers we tend to notice the one or two students that are not working or that are not engaged and that seems to draw our attention to them. While other students may not even notice the students behavior. Sometimes, I feel like all I see is the negative going on and fail to see the students who are actively engaged. I think it is good to sometimes step back and tell yourself to focus on all the students who are actively engaged.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah Kate,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this lesson and the unit as a whole were successful based on the observation notes and the final products students created with their math strategy videos. I am glad that you saw an increase in students' independence and ownership over their learning because that was your biggest goal for this coaching cycle.
Sincerely,
Dawn