Captain's Log 8

Captain's Log Week 8

This past week in the classroom students have started working on their Social Studies Curriculum Based Assessment essays. The challenge with this work is that students are at this point in the quarter- the last two weeks- where they have disengaged, mentally checked out and a good portion are completely resistant to participating in class. I can’t really blame them because I feel the same exact way with my own college courses.

            The challenge in my class is the learning gap. There is a defined group of students who excel and do well, but its marginal from the larger group that does not fully comprehend the objectives nor do they speak up when they need help until they are asked. With this range in the class, my coordinating teacher and I find ourselves spread thin, trying to re-explain how the lesson that had just been taught. Some students catch on to what were telling them, but a handful just brush us off and say “I have to go to summer school anyways!” and that fact can be discouraging not only to the students but to us, the teachers, as well because it feels fruitless- we want to see them succeed and its difficult to see them just give up!

            Another challenge is the lack of alignment between the CBA essay and the English class content. The ability to brainstorm, research, and write an essay is lacking so much so that I had to teach a lesson of formatting an essay in addition to previous lessons taught over the quarter. Its very redundant for students who get it and remember talking about it but news to those who don’t. The best alternative is to separate the class and develop depth to the essays of those who are at the finish line and aid those who need the basics discussed more.  Having the two learning groups together really prevents students from wanting to admit that they’re not part of that top group.

            I learned that unfortunately everyone, students and teachers, all feel that end of the school year drag and it is killer to trying to finish up leftover work and lessons. My greatest take away is making sure to lesson plan all first year of teaching because its important not just to stay on track but to know how to adjust to requirements like the CBA. Rushing the essays at the end is crippling for students who don’t finish and I don’t want to put my students or myself in that position. 

Captain Raschko, signing off. 

Captains Log 3

Captain's Log 3

This last Friday I taught my first lesson in the Social Studies classroom. Let’s just remember my major is English and a History minor with only two history classes under my belt, so I was pretty impressed with the results. I planned a power point introduction on the Oregon Trail, covering the highlights of the book and then created a note worksheet for students to fill out while I was lecturing. The goal of the worksheet was to help students remember information, allowing them auditory and tactile mediums in which to retain the information. Further, the worksheets would help them learn the information so they could answer questions during the game. After we went through a slide, I would pause and check to see if students had the questions and notes filled out. During the presentation I would prompt students with lead-in questions, for example: “Why do you think Native Americans would have been upset with the pioneers during the migration of the Oregon Trail?” After the presentation, we reviewed the presentation to help students fill in their missing information. Following the presentation, we played a game in which two students at a time faced off, responding to a question. I thought this would be a great game to play on a Friday because students are already in the weekend mind-set as well as they had just completed MSP testing the day before.

            While my lesson was a little too fast for first period, it was down to the last few minutes and ran smoothly. I was surprised and proud by how well students responded to my prompt questions. Everything ran smoothly until sixth period, which was surprising because my fourth period class- which is usually the most disruptive- ran the best. In sixth period a group of boys required attention in the back with their disruptive behavior, so while I was impressed with my ability to teach students from the back of the class, I was a little annoyed by students walking outside the class through the emergency exit that had been propped for airflow. In addition students were not participating in the presentation at all and were instead throwing their worksheets around and tearing them up. While the majority of the class did well, it was difficult for me to know how to discipline while trying to teach lessons; I felt like the most talented chain saw juggler ever.

            What I learned? I learned I still need to practice discipline and familiarize myself with the procedures. The student behavior was out of control, but thankfully my coordinating teacher handled the detention slips for me; however, I felt that I should have more participation in that process. Also, I learned that I do have the confidence to teach! It only took one period for me to slow down, but after the second run-through I felt confident about the topic and comfortable to ask different questions and run with the teachable moments as they arose. I was also very proud of my students! I had a student- the brain of the class- who informed me he had researched the topic before he came to class. I was impressed by their insights and honestly, I would not have thought of half of them myself. 

        So a further conflicting issue for myself is knowing the discipline procedures of the school and when to act on them. I knew in that situation that something needed to be done, but I didn't know what or how. I don't know what I would have done if my coordinating teacher hadn't been there and thats a thought that scares me. I want to be confident that I can handle these situations when they arise. Finally, my coordinating teacher was very impressed with how the lesson ran and decided to create an activity which we will run this Thursday. I was happy to hear this news and slightly embarrassed (in a good way) when he bragged to the Principle about how my lessons went that day. 

This is Captain Danielle Raschko, signing off. 

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