Emily Pinto
EDEC 4581
28JAN2021
Week 1 Observations - Meeting the Kids
The first day of my observational/teaching experience was very enjoyable. I was fortunate to meet with my MT before the school day started so I could ask any last minute questions and clarify anything that wasn't previously clear. Meeting the kids was an experience, to say the least. They started with asking me questions ranging from, "what's my favorite color," to "when is my dog's birthday." They were friendly and welcoming, and it gave me a boost of confidence for my future lessons. It was clear, as the day progressed, that I'm going to have to be creative in my ways of keeping the students engaged -- especially during math.
Some things I noticed: my MT sometimes has issues keeping the students on task, but she is knowledgeable in the content she is teaching, and has a firm grasp on developmentally appropriate methods of teaching second graders. I was also able to sit in on their specials class, which is P.E. on Thursdays. The P.E. teacher was very animated and did an excellent job keeping the students focused and doing his planned activity within the 30 minute class time. Some of the technology I used and/or watched: the use of was the HMH literacy program -- includes literacy curriculum that is both online and within a textbook that each student has; GoGuardian -- where I sat in on small group math lessons about division and multiplication, as well as observed the other students doing online activities like Fancy Ants and Spelling City. Overall, I feel much more confident about this experience now that I have met the students and have been able to see how the class goes and the dynamic between everyone. I am a little nervous about keeping the students engaged. With this age, the students are more internet-literate -- they know how to get on other websites, watch YouTube videos, etc., so as I said before, I think I'll have to be creative in the ways I keep them on task with my future lessons.
Hello Emily,
ReplyDeleteI am really happy to hear that you enjoyed your first day. I am sure that because you were able to meet before hand with your MT, it relieved a lot of your nervousness. Sometimes with online learning it is hard to keep students on task because of all the distractions around them. Maybe as the semester goes along you guys can figure out different ways to keep the students on task and minimize distractions.