My Student Teaching Experience

What? A first grader can't spell Antarctica?

This is probably how my students feel.

SUMMARY

When teaching a lesson or creating an activity, I tend to be optimistic when it comes to the abilities of my students.  I feel that it is just as important to stretch the students learning as it is to differentiate lessons for the remedial students.  I have this idea that the remedial students may have a hidden ability to reach a high level of Blooms Taxonomy as long as I give them plenty of opportunities to do it.  So what ends up happening is I spend alot of time trying to stuff information in their heads so they will be able to complete the activity correctly.  

INSIGHT

After observing a couple of my 30 minute block science lessons, Mr. Pacer mentioned that I might want to divide the lesson into smaller segments.  Instead of discussing the lesson with the class for 30 minutes then giving them their activity, I could talk for just ten minutes and give them an activity.  I could help them with the activity and then do something else with them the last ten minutes.  He said it would help the younger and the remedial students in the class to stay focused.  

I gave the students a fill in the blank worksheet with questions about the story I was reading to the students.  This was my attempt to keep the student focused on what I was reading.  Mr. Pacer explained that the first grade students are not at the level where they can listen and also fill in the blanks at the same time.  He said it is a good idea for the second graders, but could confuse and even dishearten the younger students if they couldn't complete the worksheet.   He suggested next time to maybe have the younger students draw a picture about what I am reading.  

Last week I gave the students a 7 continent quiz where the students had to write in the continents on the map.  Mr. Pacer explained that even though the students could use the book, the first grade students are not able to write words like Antarctica.  He said it may be necessary for me to do the activities with the first graders and allow the second graders to do it on their own.  

I am learning that it is just as important that the students feel confident in their ability to complete the activities successfully as it is to stretch their learning.  If the students lose their confidence, they will not want to try to learn new things and they will have anxiety when they have to try new things.  There is a word for this, self-efficacy.  Self-efficacy is the measure of the belief in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals.  Albert Bandura believed that if students do not have self-efficacy they will avoid challenging tasks and have less overall confidence in themselves.