My final project had three steps:
- Observe the class
- Prepare a lesson plan
- Teach the class
Last week, I observed Christy's class twice. To ensure that I understood what they were discussing (and to help inform my own lesson plan), I also read the homework assignments (I was practically the only one), which included reading an entire book over the weekend and large parts of another.
Observing presented an unexpected challenge. There were several times that I wanted very much to contribute to the lesson because the students didn't seem to be "getting it" or they had apparently missed something that I found to be extremely important (mostly because they hadn't actually read the assignments). It was hard to remain in my seat and keep my mouth shut. However, it also presented me with the opportunity to watch Christy deal with these problems. How do you deal with students that don't read the assignment or miss the obvious point of a lesson?
I thought that Christy did a great job. She kept probing and pushing the discussion forward with deeper questions. When she needed the students to understand a specific part of the book, she gave them page numbers. She also informed me that the students have to read the material in order to complete their final assignments which is why she wasn't quizzing them every class to make sure that they read. That seemed like a very good idea.
Preparing a lesson plan was more challenging (and time consuming) than I had expected. My plan ended up being 5 pages long (not including handouts) when I'd expected 3. That made me worry that I'd prepared too much material and I asked Christy if it would be okay to go a little over the hour she had allotted for the lesson. She said that would be fine.
I also had Christy review my lesson plan before teaching. She approved most of it though recommended that I change one section as the class had covered it before I had started my observations.
My lesson plan included a brief agenda and then detailed sections for each agenda item. Where possible, I included multiple versions of activities--some longer and some shorter--so I could adapt the lesson as I went. I also prepared a handout and a brief survey for the students.
For the most part, I think that my lesson went very well. The students seemed engaged, and I even think I spotted a couple of "Aha!" moments going on as I presented the cultural impact of Spider-man and Enchanted. From the comments on the student surveys, most everyone seemed to have a good time and thought that I was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the topic. In their ratings, not one students marked anything less than "Agree" (out of Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree), which made me feel very good.
Three comments emerged from the surveys. The first was regarding issues with my teaching style: questions and listening. I have long suspected that I have a problem asking specific questions and listening to student responses. This confirmed it. The second comment was related: the ability to get actual discussions going rather than just talking. This, too, has also been somewhat difficult for me. I ask a lot of questions but I have a hard time getting an actual discussion going.
The third comment was more positive. The students said that they loved the lesson and that they wanted to see more and learn more about the topic I was teaching. This comment was very encouraging, as I believe that, more than anything, a teacher's job is to get the students to want to find out more on their own. Even Christy said that I had convinced her to see Enchanted.
In the end, I felt that this exercise was very successful and that it met all my goals. Now I just have to figure out how to implement the things I've learned. Any suggestions?
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