Inquiry Lesson Fieldwork- Reflection

My Inquiry Lesson

            After teaching direct instruction it was time to teach the inquiry lesson to see if students can take what they learned and apply it to a question they want to solve. I was a little less nervous teaching this lesson compared to direct instruction because direct instruction is mainly the teacher doing the work, but inquiry is mainly the students doing the work. Just like the direct instruction lesson, I believe that the inquiry lesson went well, but can use some changes for improvement.
         Certain things that was done while teaching this lesson went really well. For example, during the introduction while warming up students were to work within their tables to come up with an answer to the questions. This is good because the WHOLE class contributed to answering questions, not just a few students who are called on. Also, students seemed to enjoy the voki that was played. I think that this was a good way to get students engaged and ready to learn as well as any other entertaining video would engage students for the topic! Also, having a model is very important. I believe that I modeled step by step very well this way students know exactly what is supposed to be done. I think that having a WebQuest for the  inquiry lesson was a perfect idea. Students are aware of how to work WebQuest and it meets all the needs for an inquiry lesson which is: for students to think critically while being engaged, exploring, explaining, elaborating, and evaluated . It allows students to work together to explore and model steps of the scientific method and gain a better understanding of what was taught to them by using real life situations. Since the WebQuest requires internet each table had their own ipad that they shared. Students loved the idea of having to work with technology and an ipad. I even had back up articles printed out just incase something happened with the ipads. This was a really good idea because students were still able to get work done if the ipad was being slow or someone on the other side of the table was occupying it. Giving students an organizer was very helpful to them because it allowed them to organize their findings in a coherent way which made it easier to present. I
           Even though overall the lesson went well a few adjustments could be made to make the lesson go even better. The students enjoyed the voki, but some students in the back were unable to hear what he was saying. To fix this problem I could have had another side with what the voki was saying and read it out loud to the class this way everyone could hear. Even though backup copies of the articles were made, I should have made more than one copy for each student. This will allow students have an option of weather or not to use the ipad or a paper article and to each have something to read. Also, when the lesson was over and it was time to assign the students homework and the whole class groaned at the thought of having to do work at home. Instead of saying homework, I could say "become journalists" because that is basically what students are going to be doing for the homework. The change in vocabulary can change the whole attitude and mindset of the classroom. I also learned a lot while observing my classmates teach their inquiry lesson. For example, one group gave students a penpal assignment for homework. I thought this was a great idea and an engaging way to see if students understood what they learned. This gave me my idea of having students create newspaper articles for their homework.

         

Here is a link to my inquiry lesson plan.

Here is a link to my inquiry PowerPoint.

Here is a link to my webquest.

Fieldwork- Direct Instruction Reflection

My Direct Instruction Lesson

            This week was my first time ever teaching a lesson to a class before. The thought was very nerve-racking. Will the students learn? Will they listen to me? Will they have fun? All these questions were running through my mind while trying to come up with a lesson. After a lot of planning and practice it was time to teach. I believe that the lesson went well overall, but there are a few adjustments that could be done to make it even better!

           There were a few things that really stuck out during the lesson that made the lesson flow and students cooperate well. First we introduced ourselves to the class and checked for understanding of previously learned information by asking students three questions. Then I explained tips to take note of during the lesson. For example, using the thinking cap and pencil symbol. The thinking cap symbol was used after a topic was taught and students were asked a question and to reflect on what they have learned. The pencil symbol was used to show students which slides they were to copy down the underlined words into their worksheets. Giving students a worksheet with most of the notes already typed was great because students were not wasting time copying down so many notes. Also, once students saw these two symbols they knew exactly what was expected of them. What also really helped me present was knowing the information well. Knowing the information so well , I was able to have high energy and talk to the class while explaining the topics instead of just reading from the slides. Throughout the lesson I would stop every few slides to check for understanding from the class about what they just learned. Then, at the end of the whole lesson I checked for understanding by doing guided activities. Allowing students to be involved in a smart board activity is very engaging. Although, students were prohibited to come up to the board and complete the activity themselves, I still believed students enjoyed the activities being included in the lesson. The questions throughout the lesson could be answered by going back into their notes; however, the guided practice activities required students to critically think and use what they learned and apply it to a real situation.

          Even though the lesson went well there are always things that need to be improved. One thing that frustrated me while trying to teach was having students talk over me. I had a signal that I used when they started to get loud and that was to put two fingers up in the air. I realized that students got used to this signal and would still be talking even with their hand in the air. To fix this problem for the future I could use multiple signals so that students do not get used to just one. Another thing I noticed while teaching is that the same students are constantly raising their hands and being called on while others are laying back and relaxing. It is a teachers job to make sure ALL students in the class are learning, not just a select few. To make sure that everyone in the class is learning teachers can ask a question and have students work in different groups to come up with an answer. Like I said before, I think that having activities incorporated with the smart board is great for students, however; time permitted us for having students to come up to the board and do the activities themselves. I think having the students come up to the board would have been more exciting for the class. However, these guided activities should be done throughout the lesson not just at the end.

        After teaching my first lesson I am more comfortable teaching a class. I am familiar of what things work and what things do not work while teaching. While observing other teacher candidates direct instruction lessons I got even more ideas of what works and what does not work. For example, the first group spent a lot of time waiting for students to copy notes that is why we created fill in the blank worksheets to not waste time. After every lesson taught there is always something new to learn and ways to improve ones teaching skills. I am very excited to see how far I will come along and improve this year!





  

  

  

 This is my lesson plan about ecosystems.

 This is my PowerPoint presentation corresponding with the lesson plan.





Classroom at Home

         VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS

            Technology has advanced and become so amazing over the years! Class got canceled due to the fact that there was a blizzard, but we were still able to have "class." Our whole class participated in a virtual lesson. During this virtual lesson we were able to see a power point presentation, see our teacher, hear one another, and type in a group message. It felt as if we were all in the classroom together; meanwhile in reality, I was in my bed in pajamas. I really enjoy this experience because even though class was canceled we did not get to miss out on learning! Some other benefits of being involved in a virtual classroom is that it requires students to use many different skills such as: communication through text and vocally and multi-tasking. Having a virtual classroom can also make students and teachers more organized. There are many different papers and assignments assigned to a class and people could lose track of these items; however, having a virtual classroom will keep losing things to a minimum since everything is in one spot, online. Even though having a virtual classroom has so many benefits, I believe that it has some disadvantages as well.

        A virtual classroom is not the same as actually being in the classroom. Getting out of bed, getting dressed, and going to a classroom can set a whole different tone and mindset for class and learning. When someone has a routine he or she is more aware and ready to learn than those who are still in bed. Also, emailing and typing to communicated could be misguided. It is very easy for recipients to read a  message and have a different meaning towards the message than what the sender is actually trying to convey. Even though people communicate from online it is not the same as being face-to-face with someone and the relationship that is formed from this. Being in classroom, students and teachers get immediate responses and feedback, but online this can be a little delayed. There can be technological difficulties at any second. During our virtual class, my computer was delayed a few minutes compared to my roommate's and it took one girl about fifteen minutes to join the classroom.

        Technology is becoming a part of every day life more and more each day. It may take time to adjust to these changes, but overall technology is a very big part in teaching even if it is not a virtual classroom. Technology gives us many new opportunities even though it has its disadvantages.



We Don't All Have the Same Fingerprints

Approaches To Teaching

         I think it is important to teach in many different ways because nobody is the same and every one learns differently from one another. I, personally, am a visual learner and need to see a model or example of something to grip the concept of something  instead of just reading or hearing about it. However, I do believe teachers should incorporate all five teaching styles into each lesson to  meet everyone's needs and to keep the lesson switching up and not being boring to a class.

         Direct teaching is when the teacher is the main focus of the lesson and is doing most of the talking. However, there are different types of lectures teachers can do such as: interactive (discussion), mastery (scaffolding), or traditional. I think direct teaching should be used when introducing a topic and while learning new information.

        Indirect teaching is the opposite of direct teaching, it is student centered; this is known as inqiry. During indirect teaching teachers can perform read-alouds and use different examples of culture traditions and values, or case studies so students can make connections to what they are learning. Also, inquiry is a good method for indirect teaching because it gives students a chance to ask questions and explore. I believe indirect teaching should be used right after a teacher taught a new topic to see how much students understood what you taught, but not in a formal way. This allows teachers to know if they need to or do not need to go back and re-teach something.

        Interactive teaching is when students can interact with peers and discuss and perform their knowledge with each other. Instead of judging people's opinions students should be open-minded and know that their is no right or wrong answer. During interactive learning students can have discussions and build on each others ideas. I think that interactive teaching should be done after teachers teach using indirect teaching because it is way to  go into deeper understanding of a topic and see what your students really know and they can also  learn from each other.

         Experimental learning is active and learner centered. There are different experiments teachers can do with the class to make learning fun and bring what they learned to life. Different types of experiments can be: scientific method, interviews, surveys, role play, and games. I think experimental learning should be used when you think the class has a very good understanding of the topic they just learned and are ready to become experts and test it out for themselves.

         Independent learning is when students know enough about a topic and is ready to plan their study effectively. Students have their own time to focus on what they enjoy, or what they believe they need more time understanding. This is a time when students can reflect on what they have learned and can make improvements and set goals. Teachers can assign a project or paper to see if students can transfer their knowledge into words and show their skills. I think this should be done when teachers are done teaching this topic and ready to move on to a new topic.

Doing is Learning

INQUIRY

There are many different myths about inquiry that people believe are actually true, but in reality they are false. For example, many believe that inquiry is “soft science” but this is not true it promotes active learning, questioning and communication skills. Also, many believe that teachers cannot assess inquiry based learning, but this is not true because one can use portfolios, writing journals, and self-evaluations. In the article, “What is Inquiry?” people explained what they believe inquiry means. If I had to give my own definition of inquiry I would say it is, curiosity that drives one to think critically to produce different experiments and methods to come to a conclusion and apply it to similar situations. Ever since I was in elementary school I remember teachers would always say “think critically,” but I never really understood what that meant until high school. I think it is important for teachers to show us how to think critically and outside the box instead of just saying to do it. I think the 5E instructional model gives teachers ways to allow students think critically without just saying it. By getting students engaged in a topic by having discussions and watching videos etc., they will make connections allowing them to listen and understand the topic more. By exploring and getting even more involved in a topic by doing group work and experiments helps students see their peer’s perspectives and enables them to think in ways they wouldn’t have themselves. Explaining and communicating with classmates and teachers allows students to, reflect on what they have learned and express it to others. The fourth “e” in the 5E instructional model is, extend which allows students to use what they have learned and apply it to something new. Lastly, being able to critique and evaluate yourself is key and will better future problem solving. These five methods grants students a way to explore different skills to get a better understanding of a topic and personal experience while learning because they are being active learners, which is why inquiry and the 5E method go together.