The Teac{HERR} Way: Lab Reflections

Us agriculture teachers, we love application. We love learning by doing. So of course, by default our teacher preparation programs incorporate lots of opportunities for contextual or experiential learning for us, pre-service teachers.

At Penn State, we commonly refer to these practice sessions as "labs." My cohort and I participate in these (almost) weekly mock classroom experiences. Following our lab time, we are assigned the task to draft a reflective blog on our time on the other side of the desk. Hence...

The Teac{HERR} Way - Lab 1.0

Our first lab was a "Reflective Teaching Lesson (RTL)" and I had assignment to teach on the common parts of a flint arrowhead, in 15 minutes. Looking back, here's what was good (gems), what could be better (opps or opportunities) and targets (areas I hope to improve on for next time)

Gems:

• I was able to provide my students variability by providing different types of activities to present the material. I like to think that I structured my activities in such a way to give my students ownership of the activity and their learning
• I was able to provide examples that asked my students to infer and think critically in order to connect the pictures I provided to the vocabulary words.
• I feel confident in my ability to use the entire room as a teaching space.

Opps:

• Transitions. After watching the recording of my lab it was very evident to me that I have a lot work to do in the area of transitions from one part of my lesson to the next. 
• Fluidity. Not just from activity to activity in my lesson but also in my ability to explain content, and descriptions and give directions.
• Energy Level. Granted, it was 8 in the morning but my coffee was about finished by the time I began teaching; however, I felt as though if I would have increased my energy level that would have definitely helped to keep my students more engaged
• Conclusion. I was quickly running out of my 15 minutes this time around but, it was evident to me that I failed to review and conclude in a way that really round out my lesson.
• Check for Understanding. My lesson included some vocabulary words that were difficult, even for me to comprehend! I realized the importance of being intentional about checking for understanding continually throughout my lesson. I need to find creative ways to do that other then simply asking a question to receive a verbal response.

Targets:

• Review Objectives
• The learning objectives will posted every day, so they are easy to find and are an easy way to gauge whether or not we maximized our educational time and met our goals.
• Increase Fluidity
• This will take practice, by intentionally designing and incorporating these into my lesson plans I will (hopefully) develop the habit of being more fluid in my instructions and transitions.
• Energy
• Our next lab is a "First Day of School" session, a crucial day to be sure to set the bar for what my students can expect from me in the upcoming days but also to help get them excited about what the class has in store.

Simply put, I know I have plenty of areas to improve on but I am confident in the ability of my professors to best prepare me for my student teaching internship and my future classroom.

Simply put, I can't wait to see the growth that my cohort members and I will experience this semester! Let's do this thing!

Until Next Time, K. Janae