Reflections on engagement and motivation methods

Okay, so I'm a bit behind here. This teaching thing can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. If I was to compare teaching to running, I'd say that I hit my wall about 2 weeks ago and am just now finding my second wind. I feel like I'm setting a new stride for part 2 of this first year marathon. Hopefully I won't be outdoing myself and will be able to maintain a steady pace. It'll get difficult sometimes, but not unmanageable.

In our last meeting we discussed how to engage and inspire students to be active participants in their learning. I found the group lists each table came up with to be particularly useful. There were a couple of things that jumped out at me during our share out. The first one was making a competition out of an activity. I was surprised I had overlooked this method since I myself am an extremely competitive person. The other was giving the students a chance to express themselves, (yet another seemingly obvious way to engage). Well, I decided to integrate both of these methods into some science lessons. The competition method seemed to work well, even when the kids didn't know what they were competing for. It seems if you ask kids to prove themselves, they're more than willing to step up to the plate.

As for the expression method, that one I used in their final product-they had to create a new species. They had guidelines for what information I was expecting about their species, but the creativity part, the method by which they demonstrated their knowledge, was up to them. I'm still grading their final products, but I can tell you this much, I'm seeing a wide range of creatures and they were definitely engaged in the project.

All in all, I learned a lot this first trimester of teaching, (grades are due Monday night, but the next tri starts on the first). I did a lot of experimenting with teaching methods and plan to do the even more in the second tri. Still, it's nice to feel like I'm starting to get some tools in that teacher toolbox...

Honing those teaching skills...

Okay, so I've been slacking a bit when it comes to my blog. Besides struggling to just keep up with my classes, sometimes I'm just not sure what to write about. I feel like I'm learning so much all the time. I'm already thinking about how I can tweak the structure of my classes next trimester. I want my students to get the most out of what I'm teaching, as all good teachers do. It's strange though when you teach the same class more than once and the lesson is a complete hit in one and a complete miss in the other. I guess that just makes it hard to judge how good the lesson was overall. At the same time though, having the opportunity to teach the same lesson plan more than once tends to bring out overall "flaws" in the way you're teaching. I'm finding often times my instruction needs a bit of "fine-tuning." I'm trying to work more on making my targets and objectives very clear and concise. It can be difficult, but thankfully, I do feel like I'm improving!

One more quick thing, anyone who's into chili (delicious homemade chili to be exact), Red Canyon High is having our annual chili fundraiser this Saturday, November 7, at our Edwards campus. I believe it starts at noon. We also have a great silent auction to go with lots of different kinds of yummy chili!! Please come check it out!

Trucking Along...

Well, we're now at the beginning of the second "real" month of the school year. My brain was spinning with information in August and much of September, but I now feel like I'm getting into the groove of things a bit more. I've already had my mentor and master teacher, the principal AND the man who has to interview me for my alternative license all in my class-at least once. Personally, I like the feedback. It makes me more aware of things that need improvement and gives me some possible ways to implement changes. It may be slightly uncomfortable at times having someone taking notes on you while you work, but I know it's for my benefit and the benefit of the students.

Anyway, I could go on and on about how much I've learned already, but I need to get to school and do what I'm in the education business for-teach.

Goals for the Newbie

Well, the school year has officially taken off! I'm trying to hit the ground running and keep a steady pace. I'm certain if I don't stay on top of things my high schoolers will run me right over! So, I have some ambitions and expectations for myself this year. I plan on getting a bit more tech-savvy for starters. It may take some time, but I'm going to get comfortable and competent at building tables, using the Promethean board and creating lessons with Powerpoint and the new Active Expression clickers.
Another thing I'd really like to work on is pacing my lessons appropriately and keeping the flow of the class smooth. We have long class periods at my school and it's tricky to keep an adolescence's attention for more than 10 minutes! Those teenagers sure are demanding and vocal about how they feel, but I honestly wouldn't want them to be any other way!
The third and most important area I'm focused on is keeping my students' interest while teaching them some valuable (and oh so interesting) knowledge. It doesn't matter how much you know if you can't convey your expertise to those who need it most!
So, there you have it-my "to-do" list for 2009-2010. In some ways I can't wait to see how far I progress in a year....

Diving in headfirst...

Okay, so blogging is something new to me. I suppose I should be up on it, since I am under 30, but sadly, I am not. That's all about to change. As a new teacher this year with Eagle County School District, I have been instructed to blog about my experiences as a rookie teacher. Not a bad idea... actually it's a great idea, but that doesn't mean I don't feel like I'm trying to find my way out of a crowded foreign city with limited directions. So, I'm diving in headfirst. I'm going to swim around a little with my goggles and flippers and try and figure out what there is to see in this sea of an education system. I'm excited; I've always been one to explore and I am especially fond of snorkeling.

So here's to the school year of 2009-2010. If anyone has any "species" of particular interest or has some advice on how to be a more productive snorkeler, I'm all ears. And let me just say, I wish everyone who's swimming in this sea with me an exciting first experience in the waters of teacher territory.