Video

Pre-Video: Before my videotaped lesson I was very nervous about how I would sound, if I would make the lesson flow coherently, and if my students would behave. Normal worries, but worries nonetheless. My students at this point weren’t to me teaching them as a whole class because it was early in the rotation and I had only taught a few small group lessons. I started the lesson just hoping things would go as planned.

Immediately after video: I felt like maybe my students would seem like they didn’t work well in their group work. It got a little hairy in the middle of their group work because in their classroom it is teacher centered and they rarely work in groups. When I spoke with my facilitator and my peer who videotaped me they assured me that they thought the lesson went great. I was so happy and relieved! When the student did their independent work I was able to monitor their work and it seemed like they really understood. That made me feel like the lesson was effective and they grasped the concept of math patterns, and how to find them.

Post-Video: After having seen and edited my video I have some same thoughts and new observations. I noticed how serious I was during my lesson. I wish I had lightened up a little bit. I really think it was because I was nervous about being videotaped, but I don’t want to get in the habit of looking and sounding stoic. That’s not me! Otherwise I still feel great about the lesson. Later in the week students applied what I taught in some other class work so I know they understand the concept that I taught.

The End!

My second rotation was very different from my first rotation. I only went up to third grade from second grade but I could tell the difference. The students were much more independent. I also did a lot more observation in this classroom than in my first rotation. I was still able to learn from my students about how I function as a teacher. I was able to incorporate a lot of the strategies that I have been learning in my methods courses into the lessons that I taught in this rotation. Professionally I know I grew as a teacher. I found myself worrying about my students and trying to find new ways to help them to learn. I also found that some teachers like to get things done in the morning before school starts. However, I am a teacher who likes afternoons, and does not mind getting things done after school. I learned that I enjoy teaching no matter what grade my students are in. Even though I think I prefer second grade I love teaching no matter what my students’ age. The entire Quest 2 semester was incredibly challenging. I find myself at the end feeling prepared to start teaching, and ready to enter my own classroom. The coursework often times was so overwhelming that I could not focus on anything and accomplish it to the full. It was difficult to authentically learn from the assignments or focus on them because of the sheer amount of work. However, many of the assignments were meaningful and added to my learning experience. I so enjoyed being in a school atmosphere and drawing closer to my Quest 2 peers. Overall I am satisfied with my learning experiences in Quest 2.