Reflection- Observation and Differentiation
Two weeks ago, I had my first observation as a teacher. I thought it went reasonably well, and there’s certainly a lot I can learn from the experience. The lesson I taught was a microscope lab. I started by reviewing some microscope images to discuss with students how the image changes when you adjust the diaphragm, objective lens, and adjustment knobs. Then, we learned how to make a wet mount, and students created their own slides for viewing. Overall, I think I did a fairly good job, and there are a lot of positives I can take from the experience. I think I did a fair job of controlling the class and transitioning from one activity to the next in the 5E model. I didn’t get to plan the entire lesson, but I’m confident in my ability to do so. Furthermore, I was told that I did a solid job of speaking in a language that is appropriate for middle school students at an honors level, and that is something I will actively keep in mind throughout the remainder of this semester. The way I speak to an honors class may be different than the way I speak to a foundational class, just as the way I speak to middle school students should be different than the way I speak to high school students. I hadn’t thought about this too much prior to my observation, but I will certainly be more aware of it going forward.
While my performance was, overall, promising, there are a lot of ways in which I can improve. One area is getting all my students to participate equally. I try to get everyone involved in discussions, but I still find that the same students will consistently raise their hands, while others are more hesitant. I’ll admit this is partially because I’m only in class one day each week, so there are still some names I’m learning, however, I can still find ways to engage each student. Additionally, I’m working on my responses when students answer a question incorrectly. If a student gives an answer that isn’t correct or relevant, I’ve been trying to steer them in the right direction with probing questions and hints, and I’ve seen improvement in that regard. Lastly, I’ve had good luck so far with behavior; I haven’t had any students do anything disrespectful in the classroom. That being said, I don’t have much confidence in this area, and hope to make myself a more assertive and competent classroom manager.
While I am the one teaching lessons during my internship, it is my mentor teacher who designs all of the lessons, and I think she does a good job of meeting the needs of all the students in the classroom. As I wrote in my discussion post for this week, my mentor teacher does an excellent job of differentiating content and process in her instruction. An example of differentiating content comes from her plan for our next lesson on cells. She has students working individually or in groups to complete work at stations. At one station, the students must fill out a table of the different organelles, their structures, functions, and in what cell types they can be found. To complete this activity, students must watch videos, read the textbook, and explore other resources that are provided via a PowerPoint presentation. At another station, the students must label and color the different organelles in pictures of bacteria, animal, and plant cells. A third station asks students to compare the three cell types we learned about using a Venn diagram. These activities present the same information in a variety of ways, appealing to various learning styles and supporting Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Furthermore, students get to choose which sources of information they want to rely on and how they want to group themselves, differentiating process as well.
Differentiation of product is a bit trickier, but she does use alternative assessments to supplement her more traditional written assessments. For example, one assessment in the cell biology unit provides students with a catalog of different organelles, each with its own price. Students have a predetermined budget and must spend their money on the organelles they want in their ideal animal, plant, or bacteria cell. This activity assesses content knowledge because students must know which organelles are found in which cell types, but it also allows the students to be creative and evaluate which organelles are the most important. Students must justify and explain their purchases, allowing for creativity, too. At the end, the students evaluate the work of their classmates to determine who had the best cell. This activity will supplement the traditional written test, hopefully allowing learners to express their understanding in a unique and fun way.
All factors considered, I think my mentor teacher does an excellent job of appealing to various learning styles and keeping all of her learners engaged. She allows students to engage the material in whichever medium is most comfortable to them, uses a variety of experiments and inquiry-based activities to peak student interest, and even assesses students in many ways. I am personally least comfortable with differentiating the assessments students must complete, but I think that allowing for student choice when completing projects is a good place to start and an effective complement to traditional tests. I hope to continue to learn from my mentor teacher and emulate her technique in my own future classrooms.
