I hope that everyone has learned many lessons like I have.   I have learned how important lesson plans are and can write one pretty quickly if I need to.  I can also spend hours writing one, and when I am done, I know the lesson in depth. 

     I have learned the importance of classroom management and how important it is to stop kids at the first sign of a peep.  It seems that if a teacher doesn't stop the light rumble that it turns into a mob's screams.  I also have learned how important it is to keep a positive atmosphere in the classroom despite the teacher wearing the hat of a  security guard, who gives directions.

     I have learned that with 36 students per class that when homework is given daily that a lot of time is required for grading and posting these.   Then, about every three weeks, when a teacher gives a test,that  there are hours of grading time per class.  Hence, a lot of time is spent grading, copying assessments and assignments, making up assessments, and making up lessons, including making up power point presentations.  The drudgery part is grading and copying, and the fun part is making up lessons. 

                I gave a pizza party to students who received A’s on tests in Algebra I.  For some students, this was very motivating.  One time, I had eight students receive A’s..  That number was about one-fourth of the class.

                I think that it’s important to have extrinsic rewards in Algebra I because most people aren’t interested in math.  Hence, they may not have any intrinsic motivation to do well.  Also, these students don’t get treats very often, so they are very happy to receive treats if they are given them.

                I have one more pizza party to give next week.  The students who get grades of A get invited at lunchtime.  They get two pieces of pizza and coke.  They eat these in my classroom during lunch or they take their pizza and coke and leave.  I have to say “Farewell” to these parties, and soon “good-bye” to my students.

            My goal has been accomplished!  Since I reviewed for a chapter test in in the three classes that I teach, I actually used a template for the week’s lesson plans.  I didn’t have to cover fresh material, and one day, the students worked in groups to complete a review sheet.  Also, I didn’t alter the power points from Holt Publishing, and these items allowed me to get my weekly lesson plans done easily.

            When I have to alter the power points, write out full Madeline Hunter lesson plans, make up quizzes and quiz review sheets, and make handouts for each day’s lesson, then weekly lesson plans are going to be tedious to complete.  However, after they are completed, then this work won’t have to be completed during the work week, and will alleviate the day-to-day stress of completing that stuff.  There are many plusses to completing weekly lesson plans.

 

Approximately half of my Algebra I students failed the first semester.  A lot of these students didn’t realize that they had failed and were failing second semester also until several weeks ago.  Now, they’ve given up hope.   Well, these students don’t mind disrupting others for obvious reasons.  What do I do with them?  I told them a few weeks ago that if any student brings up his/her grade 10%, then he/she gets treats.  I am going to now state that any student who works hard during the week gets rewarded at the end of each week.  There are only two weeks of instruction time left so this should work.

                 Some of these students tell me that they are taking summer school, and so they don’t need to learn.  I get frustrated because they don’t seem to realize that if they are at a grade of 10% and don’t know their addition and/or multiplication facts that it is hard to reach even a grade of 60% during summer.   Well, since I know this, the best thing that I can do for my students is to get them to learn their multiplication facts.  

                These failing students don’t need to give up now.  They need to get as many skills as they can so that they can finally pass Algebra I in summer.  Convincing these students seems quite impossible.

Last week I didn’t complete weekly lesson plans, so I will try again this week.  I used to write daily or two-day lesson plans, but now I am moving up.   I am currently student teaching in precalculus and Algebra I.   In precalculus, first I make up a tentative list of topics that I need to cover in a section.  Then I alter power point presentations available from the company to make them more suitable for my students.   Next, I make my lesson plans coincide with the material on the slide and write more examples.  In Algebra I, I use a template and each day, I write out the core parts of the Madeline Hunter Lesson Plan.  Using this style is easy and fast and allows me to focus directly on each topic.  I recently received this template from a classmate and can’t wait to implement it for a week.

This coming week, in precalc, I am testing on Chapter 8 and part of Chapter 10 so my students have to remember a lot of material.  I received a test and review sheet from one of my cooperating teachers, and I only need to change a few problems and make an answer key for it detailing the solution.  Then, of course, I need to make up power point slides to reiterate the formulas and equations that they will be using.   Lastly, I need to make up a lesson plan for Thursday that deals with key points relating to specific problems that I will be testing on.   

This coming week in Algebra I, I need to still cover two sections and get the students ready for a test on Chapter 9.  My students don’t all have study skills and so don’t know how to study for tests in Algebra I.   This means that these students have to learn everything in class.  Usually a student understands the material in class and learning takes place at home, at a place where they can digest and put the material into long term memory.  Needless to say, when I make my lesson plans for this class, I have to allow plenty of time for the students to learn one type of problem. 

              Tonight or by early tomorrow morning, I will know if I've achieved my goal of writing a weekly lesson plan.

                I guess it’s time to complete weekly lesson plans.  Daily lesson plans are out for the pros, I guess. Anyway, I’m ready to move on.  Getting lesson plans done all at once and having not to write them everyday sounds like I’ll be getting more efficient.   I’ll still have to adjust my lesson plans day-to-day, but at least I won’t have to freshly write one everyday, and everyday have to recall what I did prior.   Also, I’ll be able to focus more on the content and have the prior lesson in my mind as I’m writing the new one. 

                I’m looking forward to writing Friday’s lesson plan and being able to go back to Monday’s and write notes on what must be covered that day in order for students to understand Friday’s lesson.  This will also allow me time to obtain any materials that are necessary for later in the week. 

                One of the classes that I teach is precalc and in that subject,  I write very basic Madeline Hunter style lesson plans that are a little over a page long.  I added timing to the lesson plan, and haven’t been able to stick to that.  It seems that I have too high of expectations for my students - they take a long time to work a problem on their “white boards” and I take long to check their responses and answer any still pending questions.   The real problem is that I want to finish more than is possible in 54 minutes, and that I am stubborn.

I also teach Algebra I, and I use a very basic template for what I will be doing.  Each day’s lesson takes no more than a page to write.  I just fill in the subject matter and what the students will be doing to learn it.  I use power point presentations in both classes.   I adjust them, sometimes more than at other times.   Writing weekly lesson plans fills my Week ends, but allows my weekdays to be less hectic.

I guess, the saying applies – “You win some, you lose some.”

                I got into a unique situation with my third period class during testing week.  After this period was lunch, and my third period class was a little rowdy.  Putting the two together, I decided to give them two minutes in at lunch.  I went over to the door, and the students started crowding around me.  I told them to sit down, but of course, they didn’t listen.  One student was outside and he kept trying to open the door.  The bell rang and they just pushed me to get by.  Teachers aren’t allowed to hit students, by the way.

                Of course, I went to one of the administrators to discuss the situation.  He stated that I should not stand in front of the door, but to the side.  Then, if they decided to leave, then I should give them detentions.  He said that I was challenging them, and that I shouldn’t do this. 

I hope students distinguish between authority figures.  I mean, I hope that these students won’t do the same thing to a police officer, who is “challenging them”.  I know that these students can not differentiate rules to follow for authority figures.  They have a hard time following courtesy rules, like let one person talk at a time.  I really think that teachers need to have more power than they have.  Teachers are the people who help students function in life.  Students need to listen to teachers, just like they do, to police officers, and by doing this, students will learn how to act to police officers.

            Well, finally the testing period is over, and apparently my students think because taking tests are over that students are done also.  During class, some students talk more and even refuse to take their quizzes and tests.   These students just throw their quizzes/tests away in the trash can.   They try to put on make-up and even try to listen to ipods.  This can cause the students receiving A’s through D’s to fail.   Especially worrisome is the Algebra I curriculum during this time.  24 days left, but we have two long chapters that are difficult to understand, to get through plus a final and its review.  We are covering the topic of parabolas currently, and this material is hard to grasp for many students who are still not understanding what a line is. 

            I think that now is the best time to bring out rewards.   Students who are achieving, those who are doing homework, passing quizzes and tests, need to be rewarded.    I am still deciding on the reward, maybe a cupcake, pencil, or extra credit on the test.   Also, during this time, more scaffolding and making the material a little easier for the students will be helpful for me to do.

Parenting these children during this time is the most difficult part of being a teacher.   Having some of these out-of-control teens sit through a lesson quietly is no easy task.  Some have problems that they are too young to handle and so they act out, yes, in my class.    The hurting students, which I hurt with, only care about themselves when they’re crying for help.  Everyone gets taken down when a student hurts and loses self control. Classmates lose instruction time when the hurting student makes known his/her pain of his/her predicament.    Guiding others’ children is clearly no easy task but clearly teachers must try to do this job.  If I can successfully guide the hurting child, then the parent is off the hook at this time.  Otherwise, the parent might have to get involved and parent his/her own child.  I don’t feel bad about getting the parent involved, by a phone call.  After all, the child belongs to them. 

           

May 10, 2009

            In my pre-calculus class, I covered the material on the CST’s for about 3 weeks.  I gave my students a quiz on the Algebra I material.  Then, I tested them on the subjects - geometry, Algebra II, and probability.  Plotting their grades gave a smooth curve.  It seems that I have students who each have a great background, and students who don’t.  Some work hard and get great grades on the tests, but don’t display a solid background in prerequisites.   I applaud those hard workers.  I have a student who received a 100% on the test covering CST questions, but doesn’t do homework.  This student apparently has great oral communication skills because she grasps what has been said orally.   So different are my students and thankfully, so different are jobs.

            Luckily I got a lot of the material for the review of the CST’s from my cooperating teacher.  I went over practice problems daily.  I only gave about 8 homework assignments out of the 15 days because the students were supposedly studying daily for their CST’s.  Anyway, I was always in the copy room during this period.  I felt more like a secretary than a teacher. 

            I also teach Algebra I, and I spent only a few days reviewing.  One reason is that most of these students don’t understand many, if any, similar questions given on the CST.  I got really tired of “I don’t understand.”  My cooperating teacher didn’t give me any material, so I gave my students some release questions from years past.  I selected the easier questions from these, but that didn’t help my students to answer the questions.   If I get to teach Algebra I in the future, I will incorporate CST test questions into the curriculum from the beginning of the year.  I might give these questions as "Questions of the Week", and let students get prizes for turning these in.   I believe students will be motivated to learn the material in Algebra I throughout the year in this way.

Posting #9                                                                                               3  - 2 – 09

What I’ve Learned and What I Haven’t Since the End of January

     I have learned a lot about teaching 35 students at once since the end of January when I took over three classes.  I passed out a syllabus only in one class thus far, and need to get another ready for my other two classes of Algebra I.  One major point that I’ve learned is that I need to teach to the level of my students.  I almost have the levels down, and in one of my classes my students help in this area by saying “It’s too hard.” And that means that I need to teach at a little lower level.  Also, that means that I ease off a bit for a while and then teach the topic a little later.  I am also learning about how to get students to do homework.  Having updated postings of grades along with discussing the scores helps motivate many students, especially athletes, to do homework and to do well on tests.  

     I haven’t learned to deal with the students with the ghetto attitudes yet.  I think one way to deal with this bunch of students is by having a seating chart and sitting them near the front of the room.  I’ve noticed that changing the seating chart helps in classroom management.  If I spend time figuring out a seating chart, students tend to be quieter.  Also, I’ve learned that when giving lessons, I need to be determined to finish the lesson, so I need to push forward.  I can’t be lax.  Students get too fidgety.  I have been timing my lesson segments along with changing power point slides frequently.  This seems to capture the students’ attention.

     Mostly I’ve learned that there’s always a new day, and that the students don’t remember what happened the day before.  This is what helps me plunge on.  I will continue relating what I’ve learned and what I've failed at, next quarter.  For now, so long.