Reflection
My whole class lesson regarding contractions went well. Some of the students said in the beginning that they had learned this last year, I asked them to show me how much they already knew and think of any questions they had. Being a visitor in this classroom, the students were eager to show me how bright and creative they were and this gave them the opportunity to shine. During the independent reading time, one student did not go to get his book. This student has difficulty with completing activities in class, but the cooperating teacher tells me that he is more than capable of completing them, and with a higher depth of understanding than most other students. I asked this student to tell me about what they liked to read, he said he really liked to read mysteries and adventures. I asked him if he had any books that he would like read and he said maybe. We went to his cubby and he showed me 3 books that he was currently reading. One was a book from a series, I asked him if he had read other books from the series. He said he had, so I asked if he could tell me something he liked about the series. We continued to quietly talk about the books as I worked to peak his interest in opening one of the books and getting some reading done. He chose a book and began reading a few moments later.
As I reflect on that moment, I think that it was a great accomplishment to help that student find motivation for reading the book. He didn't want to read the book for the sake of completing the activity, and in our discussion he had made it clear that he understood the concept of contractions, so I had to find a personal motivation for him to participate. My experience with this student during these two weeks had helped me to understand how I should respond to this student and what he would need from me to become engaged in learning.
A difficulty that I experienced was getting a few students to put their books down so that they could contribute to the end of lesson discussion. There were two students who continued to read after we had all returned to the rug. I asked the students several times to join the conversation, but I saw them open their books and continue to read. What I feel that I should have done, was to ask them to put their books back in their cubbies because reading time was over. I think I was reluctant to do this because this was not my class and I didn't feel comfortable talking with the students in authoritative tone.
My experiences in the classroom were positive, and I feel that I was successful in teaching my lessons. The cooperating teacher was helpful and gave me feedback that will help me as I continue to grow in my teaching abilities.