My second week at University was very different than my first. As I have gotten to know the students as well as their ability levels, I have been able to modify my lessons for each individual student. In a school day, I teach Algebra 1, Algebra 1 Support, and Geometry. When I started to get into harder material, I noticed which students needed the extra help and which could move ahead or be challenged. I've been giving the more advanced students more challenging problems/activities to keep them on task while I work one on one with the students that are needing extra help. In geometry class, I made up my first test and the students took it on Friday. They seemed to really understand the material gone over during the review on Thursday, so I was excited to see how they did.
In all of my classes the behavior issues I dealt with last week have calmed and the students have been giving me a lot more respect as their teacher. I have gotten them on a more personal level, and can talk with them about things as they come into the room or before class ends when there are a few extra minutes. I have noticed that they all get a small boost of confidence when they get the right answer, and I have been rewarding them with small prizes, such as a jolly rancher, or just positive reinforcement.
I still have three more weeks in the high school and I am optimistic that it will keep getting better and I won't ever want to leave my students. I have learned so much from just observing other teachers, students, and administration, and I am sure that I still have much more to gain from being here.
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As I read your post, it provides so much support for how important it is to know your students....and to know more than just their academic "abilities." Knowing your students has enabled you to make more informed and effective instructional decisions and I'm thinking that because you are better able to plan instruction you are providing students with more opportunities to be successful. I was also glad to read that you are providing more challenge to some of your students. Sometimes I think we don't do enough of this. If students are meeting our expectations, we don't always consider that we should be expecting even more of them. Students like to be challenged....and successfully meeting a challenge, I believe helps them to feel more confident in their abilities.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering how getting to know your students on a more personal level is helping you when designing and differentiating instruction.
Sharon