Lesson Planning and Teaching New Material

I currently have 3 preps-two different art classes and one science (Astronomy). One of my art classes is only on Fridays, so I only have to plan that once a week. Usually I have to plan twice a week for each of my other preps. Not right now though. For the past week and a half my Art and Astronomy students have been working on projects. In the long run, I think the projects are going to be extremely beneficial. The kids are getting into them too, which is exciting. However, there's one small problem-I'M BORED! It's nice to NOT have to plan a new lesson or two every day, but while I'm in class I'm stir crazy. I spend an hour and forty minutes making the rounds from student to student to make sure they're on track and the assignment expectations are clear. The kids are doing well, but I'm anxious to teach them something new...I wasn't anticipating that. I guess I thought I'd be more comfortable working on the same thing for several days instead of having a new lesson. I'm not though.

Teaching is such an interesting career field. It's in a league of its own really. I honestly find it to be the most rewarding and frustrating job I've ever had. I love seeing the students learn and grow and meet their potential. When they're having bad days and acting out and nothing seems to work-that's when it's frustrating. But I think it's the challenge of getting through to these kids and learning new things myself that drives me. I need to be challenged to grow, just like they do; maybe that's why I want to move on to a new subject.

All and all though, I feel like my kids are engaged in what they are doing and enjoying their projects as they develop. That's a good feeling-it means I've given them assignments that are engaging and provide a little workout for their brains. Maybe I should just enjoy not having to lesson plan right now...

I-touches and such

Last week our staff got out some I-Touches and spent some time in professional development playing with them. I've played a little bit with my friend's I-Phone and like it quite a bit. I'm thinking about getting one myself and can see why they have become so popular.

The I-Touches are really engaging and I'd like to find a good way to work them into my classes. I think they may be a good resource when we get onto the next LTT in Astronomy-learning about the life cycle of stars. I just feel really feel fortunate to have the access to all the technology I've been able to explore in this district.

Flying By...

It's hard to believe that the third trimester is almost half way through! I'm looking at summer on the horizon-I have to squint to see it, but it's there! Part of me is excited for the break and the relaxation, but not all of me. There's a lot of uncertainty in the next couple of months.

Right now I'm focusing on all the good. My lesson plans are taking less time to create and seem more natural. My students are engaged in the material and I feel as if the various balls we all must juggle as teachers are staying in the air. Perseverance pays off!!

What a Nice End to the Trimester!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my anticipation of the fetal pig dissections and how I thought they might go. I was a little excited about the whole process, although I had my reservations. Well, now we're done dissecting and what an experience that was! I heard 15-20 times a day how much the pigs smelled and how gross they were. For the first time this trimester students weren't bringing food into the classroom, (easy to see why!) It was interesting to see which students had aversions to the pigs and which ones were okay with getting their hands dirty while exploring. The students who could get past the smell and see the experience as a unique opportunity to learn, really seemed to get something out of it! I think it was fun for them to get to see and feel organs and a body structure that is very similar to our own.

During the dissections, I took pictures of the kids working and the pigs in their full glory. By the time we were done I had about 50 pictures of the whole thing. Going with a well-advised suggestion of one of my co-workers, I used these pictures to have the kids make a quick video out of their experience. On their last day of class, I loaded the pictures onto two different computers and split the kids into groups. Using Animoto, an online program that mixes photos with text and music to make a video clip, my students were able to build some really cool videos of their dissections in about an hour and a half. The students had to pick 12-20 pictures of the dissected pigs and use them to present the excretory, circulatory, and respiratory systems. They broke the photos up into the correct body systems and introduced them with text about the system's parts and functions. Then they got to pick some music to coordinate the video to.

On Gallery Night, a night that showcases student progress and achievement to their families and the community, one of the videos was chosen to represent the A & P class. A couple of the girls presented it, and overall it was received very well! The idea of watching pictures of a dead pig with all of its body parts sprawled out being jazzed up with techno music may come across as a bit odd, but it really was a neat way to display their knowledge. The students enjoyed making the videos and now they have a final product-and all the memories that come with it-to put into their portfolios!

More Fuel for the Gas Tank

The second trimester is winding down and the kids are, as tends to be the pattern, getting antsy. I don't blame them really, but I find myself having very little patience for their excuses and attitudes.

I'm quite new to the teaching profession. It was not much more than a year ago that I decided teaching was my niche and I wanted to pursue it fully as my livelihood, instead of just teaching a class here or there. A career has never felt more right to me than teaching does, but lately I'm not enjoying it. I feel like my gas tank is on empty and the next gas station is MILES away. It's sheer willpower that's fueling me on right now, and even that is running low. I'm not naive enough to think I'm one of the only teachers to experience this. I do, however, wonder what it will take to get me to the next gas station. I'm too stubborn not to get there, but it's starting to look like I may be walking a mile or two with the ol' gas can.

This profession is SO demanding and sometimes I just get overwhelmed. I'd really like to know what I can do to minimize the stress and maximize the learning. I've tried talking to some of my fellow teachers, but I think it's something I'm just going to have to figure out on my own. So, that walk to the gas station? Well, it may not have been what I had planned, but it'll work. I'm just getting some exercise with the gas I need.

Barrel of Monkeys or Bucket o' Pigs??

Anyone for bacon? How about dead piglets? Anyone? Well, believe it or not, I know quite a few people, teenagers actually, who are excited about the young swine-but not because they get to eat them. Trust me, NO ONE wants to eat these mini bacons. They're preserved in a solution similar to firmaldahyde that doesn't smell quite as bad, but definitely isn't going to be on the market as an air-freshener anytime soon. Still, my science kids are pretty geared up to get the chance to cut into them and do some exploring. I'm a bit anxious too, in an odd sort of way. I don't like the idea of something dying for science, but I'm not about to let their death's be in vain.

This whole mini bacon exploration is going to be at least a little exciting. There's nothing that helps cement your memories and data together like some good old exploring. I still remember the dissection I did in college, which was on a cat. I had issues with that because cats have been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. Yet, once I shoved the idea of the specimen in front of me being someone's beloved Fufu out of my mind, I was able to proceed with the mind of a scientist. Not surprisingly, I learned a lot about anatomy. I have the same hopes for my students.

Ya know, it's funny now looking back to the beginning of the trimester when I had my reservations about teaching anatomy and physiology. I wasn't sure how I could captivate the kids' interests and I needed a bit of refreshing on the content. Now, I'm proud to say, I can look back at this trimester and smile. I truly have had a good time teaching my students about body systems and functions and I think they've had fun too. I wish this class was an entire year instead of only a trimester. There's just so much to learn about and so many ways to tackle that learning. I'm thinking about having the kids play a little with Animoto once I've photographed their work. Then they'll have a solid product to put into their portfolios on this class-a product that they can really show to others to explain their exploration.

Teaching science has been quite the experience for me. I would have laughed at you if you'd told me I'd be educating our youth about A&P a few years ago. Now, I think about how just this afternoon I was carrying 2 large buckets full of preserved specimens out of my car and into one of our buildings. The image makes me chuckle, because I never would have thought I'd grow from playing "Barrel of Monkeys" to hosting a game of bucket o' pigs.

Technology is for the Dragons...

Last week I had my first meeting/training session for the E2T2 technology grant I'm partaking in. Our first session was long, but informative and interesting. I was introduced to several new products or tools that I can use in my classrooms. I haven't decided yet which resource or resources I want to use, or even which classes I want to implement them in, but I am getting excited about what's out there on the world wide web! The sites I'm most interested in are GoAnimate.com and Glogster. GoAnimate is a site that lets you design your own characters and cartoons and Glogster is like an online poster site. Both of these sites I could work into my art classes pretty easily, but the Glogster might be a nice tool for science as well.

Overall, I'm just excited to be a part of the E2T2 grant. It's going to make me a more educated and well-rounded teacher and it's giving me the opportunity to connect to the next generation on their playing field-the internet. It's going to take extra time, effort and energy to get all parts of this grant done, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't believe it was well worth it. And the newbie bringing technology to the dragons? It's about time I teach my students some new ways to operate in cyberspace.

First big observation

Happy New Year!! I can't believe we're about half way through January already! Time flies when you're busy...

Well, I had my first observation last week that counts towards my salary. It was a little nerve racking, but that was just because I knew it was coming and wanted to get it over with. I'm comfortable with my mentor teacher, who did the observing, and I felt really good about the lesson afterwards. The kids were well behaved and engaged for the majority of the lesson, (which can be a trick since our lessons are 100 minutes long). The class also seemed to go by quickly.

I met with my mentor today and discussed my progress and evaluation. It seems my self evaluation and his evaluation were pretty much on the same page. This, of course, is a good sign because it means that I'm fairly self aware of my strengths and weaknesses. It was also good to hear that I'm making a lot of progress! Seems teaching and me work well together!

Anyway, I'm just relieved to have one of the BIG ones over with...

New Teacher Orientation & Back to School

Alright, new year, new start-right? This week has definitely been a shot-gun start to long distance race; I'm off and running. By the time I'm done with this week, I will have taught all of my regular classes, attended 4 meetings, started doing work on the technology grant and got my first "for pay" evaluation. You can say that I've hit the ground running!

Our new teacher orientation meeting last night (one of the 4 meetings I mentioned) went really well. They tend to go by rather quickly and this one was no exception. What was kind of nice was that the first part was review for me. The teachers installed a program on their laptops that I've been using diligently since September. That made me feel pretty good because I am usually not one step ahead of the game when it comes to technology. I even showed one of my fellow new teachers one of the lessons I've done on Active Inspire. It was refreshing to be able to help another teacher. It only goes to prove that we can all provide useful tips, regardless of our levels of experience.

The other part of our meeting was about assessments vs. grading. We went over the difference between the two and how they are often mistakingly interchanged. I think I'm going to try and focus more on the learning aspect of my students' progress vs. the achievement aspect. This is tricky to do, for numerous reasons, but is attainable. I think I can work towards doing this by comparing their work on their daily reflections throughout the trimester. I can also see their progress through their assignments, although those may be a little harder to compare. In addition, I need to just keep it in the back of my head that what we as teachers truly care about is improvement and learning. Grades should reflect learning, not the student's ability to fill out a paper correctly or regurgitate information.

Anyway, back in the saddle-cheers!

First Science Assessment and Guest Speaker

Right before break I wrapped up the first section of my anatomy and physiology class, the section on the muscular and skeletal systems. To teach this class, I decided to use case models to get the basics of structure and function to stick. For the muscular and skeletal systems I focused on the knee and its components. For their assessment, I took students two at a time and had them perform a patient/doctor "skit" where they had to fill in the blanks of the scripts to demonstrate their understanding.

Overall, I think the assessment I chose worked fairly well. The students who had been coming to class, working and paying attention seemed to get through the skit smoothly and scored well. Not surprisingly, the students who had skipped and tuned out scored poorly. I'm going to give the kids their scores next week and have them reflect in their portfolios on how well they believe they met the targets for those first 3 weeks. I want them to have more substantial reflections and documentation of the A&P class than they did from the Planet Earth class.

After I got through all of the assessments, I had Karen from Steadman-Hawkins come in and do a powerpoint on the knee for the kids. Karen was there for just under an hour and kept most of the students' attention for her entire presentation. I think the kids were engaged because they could relate to the material Karen was presenting; they had already learned a lot about it. Karen did a really nice job of showing how the information I had taught them was applicable in a career. For our kids, I think that really hit home. I was really happy I'd made the effort to bring in a professional to talk with them!

In closing, I'd just like to say that I feel like this trimester has flowed a lot more smoothly than last semester did. I have a better understanding of where I'm going, what I'm teaching and ways to teach the students the information. I'm looking forward to seeing even more progress in the coming months!

New Trimester

Yesterday was the first day for second trimester at our high school. It's always refreshing to start something new and I feel like the first day of classes went remarkably well. The kids were well behaved and engaged in class activities. They participated and asked questions, and in general seemed to enjoy the assignments, (yes, even in Anatomy and Physiology).

I'm just amazed by how much smoother "take-off" was for this tri. I look at the disaster of a start that I had last trimester and have to laugh at myself. Teaching is definitely a learning process, and being that I'm a newbie at it, I'm paying special attention to what techniques are successful and what one's are not. I already feel like things are falling into place much more easily with this term. It'll be interesting to see the progress by the start of third tri!

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.