Week 3

        Week three of my pre-internship has been just as rewarding as week one and two.  Although we were only there for two days, our teacher still had plenty of things for us to do in the classroom.  One of the things that I decided to do this week was observe individual students to see if I could figure out their strengths and weaknesses.  There are several students who excel in certain subjects and others, of course, who work at a much slower pace.  This made me think of how the different learning levels would affect the lesson.  According to "Better Learning" there should be a focus lesson, guided instruction, collaborative work, and independent work in every lesson.  In my class right now there just seems to be the focus lesson, guided instruction, and individual work; there does not seem to be time for the collaborative work.  I think if we were able to fit the collaboration in though, it would be beneficial for all of the students.  The higher level students would be able to assist the students that are having trouble and they can discuss why it is supposed to be the way it is.  It also said in the reading that students should not be asked to do unfamiliar tasks independently and I think my mentor teacher does a good job of activating the students' background knowledge before beginning an activity or assignment.
        There was one student that caught my attention this week with a comment he had said aloud but not directed to anyone; he was just voicing a thought.  He said that school was boring and they just sit in their desks and write all day and that is all they ever do.  And after I thought about it, the majority of their day is sitting at their desks.  So this got me thinking of another wondering:  How can I make the classroom more active and engaging for the students while keeping an effective learning environment?

Week 1 & 2

        The past two weeks at my elementary school have been great!  I'm in a second grade classroom  with 19 students.  In my first week, my teacher had plugged me and my partner into teaching different subjects to the class.  I read stories and reviewed vocabulary words with the students throughout the readings.  This was a good way for the students to see that we are teachers, not just volunteers in their classroom.
        The second week of my pre-internship, our teacher had us co-teach an entire day while she did FAIR testing with individual students throughout the day.  She wrote down and planned the whole day for us because there was very little time for preparation and it was very helpful.  We had a few issues with getting the students settled down while teaching some lessons, especially after lunch and free play.  There were times where we actually had to get pretty stern with the students so they knew that we did not appreciate them being disrespectful while we were trying to teach.
        There are a couple of ways that our practicum has related to our reading.  Chapter 1 discussed teacher inquiry which can be used to our advantage.  Some essential points of teacher inquiry are teacher engagement, intentional reflections, and Professional Learning Communities.  We are always engaged with our students and the classroom and are continuously reflecting on our actions and the students' actions to help us be more effective with our teaching.  I also see our weekly seminar as a type of PLC for a group of us (student teachers) to discuss our experiences with our students and teachers with each other.
        Weekly wondering:  How can I present the material of the lesson to the class so they stay engaged?