The week was full of marshmallow launchers, brain caps, speeches, and DIY projects to round out my 7th week of student teaching! We began the week building brains in my Veterinary Science class as we continued our investigation into the Nervous System. The students though reluctant at first, had more fun than they anticipated putting together their brains and visualizing how not only their own but also how pets' brains look! In Ag Mechanics 1 we also were hands on spending time in the shop identifying plumbing materials and tools as well as building marshmallow launchers to practice our PVC skills.
Along with spending my days in the classroom I had the opportunity to go across the street to the new Middle School program where students worked to design and build their own their own greenhouses. It was awesome to see the students and Ms. Elsbree work together as they discussed the different types of greenhouses such as lean-to, Single Gable, Gothic, and Free Standing Quonset. They paid great attention to the detail of their designs as well as making sure each layer of their ground house was structural sound. It was exciting to see another program and I look forward to visiting some of my cohort member's programs in the near future. I also had the excitement of participating in my first fundraiser as we unpacked and distributed strawberries to High School and Middle School members. The coolest part of the day was getting to meet some of my student's families an opportunity not to often had throughout the school year.
It was an action packed week but through it all I have learned so much! Reflecting on my student teaching experience thus far seeing how far I have come and how much time we have left to go. As we go forward in my experience I recognize some areas I still need to work on. My time management has come leaps and bounds since my first day in the classroom however, wrapping of the period is still something I struggle with. What are some suggestions #PSUAgEd2021 or experienced teachers out there that you have for make sure you are concluding each lesson effectively.
Megan, time management is certainly something that I struggle with as well. Something I try to do is have a few quick questions for the end of the period, and I think of them BEFORE class. This helps me make sure the rigor of the questions is higher because on the spot, I often ask very easy and simple questions. It is important for the students to reflect on what they learned/ did throughout the period.
ReplyDeleteThis reflection then helps the next day or next period when you quickly recap what students had completed yesterday. I am constantly reminding myself that students are taking 6, 7, or even 8 classes... they have A LOT going on as well and need that quick refresher.
Nice work
-Sarabeth
Hi Megan - I love the brain hats! I'm glad to see a little bit of Mary Myers made it into your student teaching internship. For closure activities, I have had students do a 3-2-1 activity on a post-it and I collect it as the bell rings or ask students to write test questions that I can use for quizzes.
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