Week Nine

Secondary Methods Student Weekly Reflection Sheet

Sam Houston State University

Name: Katy Wood

Date: 10/29/11

1. The most positive aspect of my field experience (or an area I showed strength) since my last reflection has been: On Monday of last week, my mentor allowed me to teach the majority of her classes for the day, and I showed improvement in classroom management as well as keeping the students actively engaged. I also really enjoyed having discussions with the students on the various topics that were addressed during the class. I feel like I’m slowly starting to get the hang of teaching.

2. The aspects of my field experience which most need improvement or adjustment include: I really need to work on keeping personal issues outside of class. It’s not to say that I’m sharing my personal information with the students, but sometimes there will be different forms of drama going on in my life that stress me out, and it’s difficult to not let little stressors in the classroom (that normally wouldn’t affect me) get to me. I suppose I will need to find some way of getting out my feelings before class starts, like writing in a journal or something.

3. Two important things I have learned about teaching and learning through my field experience since my last reflection include: One important thing I have learned about teaching is that sometimes I will be required to teach things in a way that I would either a) not be comfortable with or b) not be my chosen method of teaching. I supposed I’ll need to get used to that for next semester when I am student teaching. Another thing I have learned about teaching is that students respond really well when asked about personal experiences. This past week, they have been learning about the acting method, which requires you to build on past experiences to create a character emotionally.

Secondary Methods: Reflecting on Emerging Dispositions and Diversity Proficiencies

1. Demonstrates ability to be understanding, respectful and inclusive of diverse populations.

2. Demonstrates an attitude of reflection and thoughtfulness about professional growth and instruction.

I demonstrate an attitude of reflection every week after interactions with the students. I am constantly thinking about what I do, how I do it, and what works and what doesn’t. By reflecting on these things, I can attempt to become a more effective teacher every time I step back into the classroom. This next lesson I am teaching is one that I have bounced ideas back and forth with my mentor about what would be the best way of teaching that particular topic.

3. Demonstrates a commitment to literacy, inquiry, and reflection.

During the classes on Monday, the students read an article out loud about Constantin Stanislavsky. This required other students who weren’t reading out loud to follow along while the other students were reading. After they read the article, we discussed what the article stated and what the information meant.

4. Practices ethical behavior and intellectual honesty.

5. Demonstrates thoughtfulness in communication and an awareness and appreciation of varying voices.

6. Demonstrates a commitment to adapting instruction or programs to meet the needs of diverse learners.

During one of the lessons, the students were not responding well to the initial activity that was planned, so my mentor teacher and I thought of a new activity for the class that worked much better. The original activity was a relaxation activity, but the students were giggly and not taking it seriously, so we put them in pairs and had them recite different lines to one another in the realist way possible. It still required them to be serious instead of silly but in a different way.

7. Demonstrates knowledge of second language acquisition and a commitment to adapting instruction or programs to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

8. Leads diverse learners to higher level thinking in cognitive, affective and/or psychomotor domains.

9. Uses assessment as a tool to evaluate learning and improve instruction for all learners.

10. Demonstrates a commitment to using technology to create an authentic learning environment that promotes problem solving and decision making for diverse learners.