I decided to have my co pre student teacher record me during Number Talks. Number Talks is how the class starts math every day. They come to the carpet and using the ELMO the teacher writes a problem and the students are supposed to solve it using whatever math strategy they are working on that week. Every session two problems are done and two students get to do each problem to provide multiple examples of how they are learning and comprehending and to provide examples of how to perform the strategies for their peers. When the students are on the carpet there are certain rules like when they think they know the answer and how to solve it they put their thumbs on their hearts to show the teacher they are ready. I enjoy doing number talks with them because this type of math is fun for me and I love seeing how focus and willing to participate they become.
After watching the video I think some effective parts of my teaching were 1) being able to address student who were being disruptive without stopping the lesson or knocking the other students off track, 2) being prepared and having the materials ready to get them started, and 3) having a clear loud voice. When I first started leading the students in Number Talks I did not know how to work the ELMO or I would be nervous about them participating and behaving on the carpet but now as time has went on I’ve learned to be more confident each time I do this and I now to have everything ready and set up before they even get to the carpet so that we are able to get started.
There were also areas where I did need improvement. For example, checking for understanding frequently. I would ask them from time to time did they understand but now I realize that is not enough. I should ask more open ended questions for them to better give me answers that show they truly get the information be provided. The last time I did Number Talks compared to the video where I was recorded I notice a big change in this area. Another thing I need to improve on is referring to the students as “you guys” I know “boys and girls” is more appropriate and I catch it right after I say it every time but saying “you guys” just comes out more natural and the students still respond well to it but I know I should put more effort into changing that.
I’ve had to record and reflect on my teaching and interactions with students before for previous classes and I dread it every time. I hate how I sound and look on camera and when I know I’m being recorded the nervousness sets in heavy and sometimes my lip even twitches so I really need to get over that anxiety of being recorded or watched because I would hate for a student to notice that as I am trying to teach them something.
fj1211 