4.7.17

Week of Reflection: 4.7.17

  

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 5
• Seven questions to end your week:
• • Observe:
    This week, I was really happy to complete my 5th observation and receive my final standard checks!
    
    
  • Reflect:
    I completely lost my voice on Wednesday! I had to get very creative in how to get through the lessons while still being the "instructor". So, since I was unable to talk for most of the week, I was not able to record as much as I would like. Therefore, I would like to get in some more recorded lessons.
    
    
  • Focus
    All of my short term efforts are coming to fruition as I'm seeing the light of the tunnel. I'm beginning to see all of the little things I've been doing become something greater, and I'm very excited to see what will be the product all of these short term efforts. Obviously, graduation is in my future, but I wonder what will come of that as well!
    
    
  • Be Productive
    Honestly, I could have spent less time worrying. I think we're all realizing that it is down to crunch time and we want things to fall into place perfectly. However, I think sometimes it is best to let things fall naturally, as long as we are not completely hands off. For example, the portfolio is something I want to spend more time working on.
    
    
  • Have Courage:
    I'm preparing to take the General Curriculum and Foundations of Reading exams, and I am super nervous for that. It is an expensive test, so I don't want to waste money having to retake it. I spent a lot of time studying for that when I maybe could have spent more time preparing for lessons.
    
    
  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
    
    
    I know it might seem irrelevant, but my first step for next week is going to be to walk into my classroom with an open, grateful heart. I'm beginning to realize that I do not have much longer with my sweet 4th grade babies and I want to teach them with the biggest heart I can. Though they can be a mess, they are all wonderful in their own ways.
    
    

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?
  This week, I was analyzing 3rd nine week data to see if there were any instructional gaps I could fill before I let go of things and gave instruction back to my CE.
  
  
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

Take lots of pictures! As I'm letting subjects go, I'm trying to find time to take pictures and small clips of "funny" video to use in my portfolio. These clips show the personality of the students who are otherwise often portrayed as just a student.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • Standard 1
    With my CE being absent several days the past week, I have had to show leadership in the classroom. Though we still had a sub, I was actually grateful because otherwise, I would have had no one to cover me to conference after my observation on Tuesday.
    
    
  • Standard 2
    In my ELA lesson from Tuesday, I believe that I allowed each student to have an individual voice in determining inferences about the video we were viewing. Many different perspectives can come into play when inferencing, and I was really pleased at what my students had to say.
    
    
  • Standard 3
    Though we have done this before, we started a packet today that is specifically tied to 4.NF.3 and 4.NF.4. Doing this all year has really inspired me to keep close to the standards and, in my own classroom, find and use resources that are tied to standards.
    
    
  • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    This week, I taught a really fun social studies lesson on supply and demand, as well as other economic concepts. I was able to integrate literacy and math into a social studies lesson, which is an achievement for me.
    
    
  • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
    I've done a lot of reflecting over the past week as I begin to look at the beginning of the end. Though this is the end of student teaching, it is only the beginning of an exciting career!
    
    
• Other:
• What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?
  -I've begun clipping videos during the majority of my portfolio work time, as well as beginning to look at a live binder in order to store all of my components.
  
  
• What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?
  -None at this time
  
  
• What support do you need from your university supervisor?
• None at this time