This week my lab challenged my cohort members to properly diagnose our barnyard! We had a duroc named Daisy, a Holstein named Holly and were lucky enough to have Stitch visiting our barnyard for this activity! Using Koch's Postulates, they worked in groups to determine if the illness each animal possessed was an infectious disease or not. This activity was a part of our problem based lab and we each had 20 minutes to teach an activity that challenged our students to solve a problem. Thankfully for me, I had some pretty great students who were quick to find their diagnosis.
This week I think I did a better job of moving throughout the classroom as well as keeping track of time. Last lab, I didn't pay as close attention to how quickly time went by but this week I felt as though I managed time throughout the portions of the activity much better. I also feel that I did a better job of assessing when students were ready to move on and when they might need more time to complete an activity. I also utilized a different time from last week, it was an animated horse race for the 6 minute time period I had set for the students to complete the task. Though I thought it was a fun way to incorporate a timer and connect it to Veterinary Science, I noticed that in the beginning it acted as a distraction to many of my students.
For next week, I would like to improve upon keeping track of my lesson plan. I have a habit of laying it down while teaching our setting up activities and then I misplace it for the remainder of the lesson. Thankfully I try to do a very detailed job on my slides so I know what comes next that if for some reason I do not have my lesson plan I know what should happen next. However, I feel that it can only improve my confidence if I am able to keep a hold of my lesson plan to ensure I ask the right prompting questions. I also will choose a different method to time my students, one that is fun but won’t act as distraction. Overall, I think that lab last week was an absolute blast and I cannot wait to see what my cohort members have come up for this week!
Megan I loved this lesson this week! I thought it was a great idea to have different kinds of scenarios with the different animals. It felt like a puzzle and I had so much fun working through it. Your students are going to love this activity (not to mention, learn so much)! The timer was a really cute idea as well, and it was nice to have some background noise while we worked around the room.
ReplyDeleteIf you're concerned about your confidence it doesn't show when you teach! You're doing a great job.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteGreat reflection. I agree that you did a nice job in moving around the room, especially during the activity. I do the same thing with my plans, sometimes.. The neat thing is the fact that you commit a huge portion of the course structure to memory when you put the time into preparing the plan. Great lesson, and I look forward to seeing other lessons that connect to this particular lesson, as we review units/plans for your student teaching semester!
-Dr. Ewing
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI think this activity was perfect for our problem solving approach lab. It got your students thinking on higher levels and really engaging with the course material. I think you did a great job teaching your lesson and by moving around the room you were very quick to answers our questions and keep us moving with the activity (also keeping the whole lesson on time). Great job this week!
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your lesson! I liked that the students were able to move around the room and work on multiple problems. I think that the activity was super interactive and engaging, and your visuals/props were a great addition!