Blog Assignment: "In a profession as challenging as teaching, honest self-reflection is key. That means that we must regularly examine what has worked and what hasn't in the classroom…” This year, what has worked and what hasn’t in your classroom. What will you do differently?"
One thing that has worked well for me is taking the time to create personal connections with students. In the past I have taught large classes of students which made is really difficult to make connections. I had pressure from administrators to show academic growth and often felt like if I was to friendly with kids, I risked losing order in the classroom. Now, I am teaching 1:1 and I have the time and freedom to have conversations with kids and connect on a personal level. This has made a huge difference. I feel like the kids are more willing to try something new because they know I will support them and I feel like I have a better understand of my student's present levels and needs. When I hear them talk about their home life and their family, I get a better sense of what "normal" is to them and I have more teachable moments than ever before.
As for has not worked, my school primarily uses an online curriculum that primarily consists of video segments followed by multiple choice questions and writing assignments. I quickly saw that this would not work for my students and had to modify the curriculum. Fortunately, my administrators were happy with that and allowed me to do so, provided that what I created was standards based and appropriate. I am continuing to work on curriculum changes and modifications to better meet the needs of my students.
No comments:
Post a Comment