Week 3

In our last class, I again realized how hard it is to narrow down a subject or a standard in order to make a lesson that will not be overwhelming to students. When we finally settled on the big idea, I felt that the lesson started to come together. I can only hope that it ends up working like we intended.

After reading chapter 2, I realized that I often reflect on my teaching. I complain about having to write reflections to the point of saying that I am not good at reflecting. I know that I do reflect, how I could improve lesson after I have taught it. I find that I reflect quite often when I have been subbing in a classroom many time. I try to figure out how I could have possibly explained subject better or taught a lesson differently. When subbing it is hard to know what the students prior knowledge is on any given subject, sometimes you are unable to assess students prior knowledge. I also find it hard when I sub that I know what has been previously taught or how it has been taught. There are so many different strategies that can be possibly taught.

I also reflect on my classroom management styles. Being a substitute, is not easy. Each class has different rules, schedules, and dynamics. It aways amazes me how students crave their rules, schedules, and routines when their teacher is absent. I reflect on how I handle many different situations that I encounter as I teach. I am not always privileged to know all the dynamics and rules of each classroom I enter. Teachers are do not always have the ability to leave detailed notes regarding their classroom. Sometimes when I discover things that may pertain to how I would have handed a situations, I reflect on how I could have been more intuitive to the situation.

I tend to reflect even to the point of over analyzing situations. Sometimes I think of many different outcomes. I do discuss some of my situations with other teachers. I love getting other ideas.

I believe that as a teacher it is essential to reflect but it is also important to teach students to be reflective. I love making students to reflect on what they have learned. Sometimes while students are reflecting students can see that they actually understood what has been taught. I enjoy seeing that they had an A-HA moment. To me seeing the A-HA moment is one of the best things about being a teacher. During reflection however students and teachers can assess that they need more explanation or need for the teacher to re-teach or revise the lesson.

Reflection maybe not be my favorite thing to write about, but I know that it is vitality important to learning and growing.

"There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge... observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination. "
Denis Diderot