The largest room in the world? Room for improvement.

I came in the program very confident in my ability to present/teach to a group of students. That's not to say I didn't think I needed work, but I was never too too worried about being horrible.  With that said, my first recorded lesson (which was actually my 4th or 5th lesson) was pretty good.  :) 

Beginning of Class:

• I was teaching first period and having some technical issues with the projector/computer.  Because of this, there was a bit of dead time once the students had completed their Bell Ringer.

Instruction:

• Overall, I taught a decent lesson.  I didn't have as muchhh energy as I usually do (or think I do), but I'm sure there are several factors that could've (and still) affect my energy level.  My tone wasn't as engaging, upbeat, and energetic as I had imagined.  The frustration and tiredness could definitely be heard at some points. Also, I talked WAY TOO MUCH!  I didn't get the students to read anything from the PwrPt.  Even when I asked a question, I rephrased the question 2-3 times before I opened the floor for answers--wait time definitely wasn't utilized enough.  I also led the students to the correct answers too soon.

Informal Assessment:

• During the IA, I only gave the students 1-2 problems to complete while I walked around the room.  Well, a majority of the students on the right side of the room had completed those problems while I was still working with the students on the left side of the room (dead time).  In the future, I will be sure to supply the students with several problems to keep them occupied until I can go by their desks to assess their work.  Also, having white boards, or allowing students to verbally give their answers might aid in this as well.

Closure:

• It is RARE that I actually complete my whole closure like it is stated in my lesson plans....BUT I DID ON THE VIDEO!! :)  It's crazy that the only lesson I tape, is one of fewww lessons where I've actually given a proper closure. The closure was awesome.  Kudos Carmellle.

Time Management:

• To piggy back on the Closure section---it was great!  Time management is probably hands down my biggest challenge; however, it was exceptional in this video.  I would like to see another video where my time management is poor, to compare.

Poise and Body Language:

• I looked very motherly/nurturing when talking to the students individually.
• Even through my fatigue, I should smile more.  And use more gestures.

Movement Around the Room:

• I need to cover more ground during the IA and while teaching.  I wasn't glued to the board, but I could improve in reaching other areas of the classroom. 

General Improvement Areas:

• Class was a little boring.  I will try to engage the students more by allowing them to read from the PwrPt slides, going to the board to answer questions, and playing games.  More of a student-lead class than teacher-lead.
• Ask more challenging questions. (vary DOK levels)

Overall Impression:

• Pretty good.  Although, I think I've gotten better at a lot of the problem areas from this video.  It will be interesting to see my 2nd recorded lesson and compare the two.  Definitely still room for improvement nevertheless.

P.S. My team teacher is awesome.  Several of the things I noticed on the video were the same improvements Hunter recommended after teaching the lesson.

P.P.S.  It would be really helpful to record 2-3 times a week (next summer) to really see growth.  Also, posting blogs the same week of the recording would be ideal.

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