Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Clinical Observation Hours 8-15

A few random tidbits I would like to share with you before I get down to the real "stuff".
#1- Very rarely do I see a student with a backpack. And certainly no girls have them. If a student does have a backpack it is a boy. All the girls use these cute little side bags that are really more cute purses than anything and most boys use a big folder/binder that zips all the way around. I found this interesting.

#2- Knowing that you have 5 minutes to get from class to class just doesnt seem enough. Now, they play Jack Johnson on the loud speaker for all the school to hear when you have 1 min. or less to be to class. I think this is weird but fun. I can definitely see how this cuts down on tardies.

A rundown of todays activities:
When I arrived this morning Mrs. Dazley asked me if I would present the food demo to her 6th period class and that I could count that as my mini lesson. I was excited/nervous for this because I hadnt planned on it, but I gladly jumped on board. She let me make a batch ahead of time of the recipe so I would know what I was doing.

After that I took the liberty of looking at how she organizes her kitchen labs and the sewing lab. I went around to all the indiv. kitchens and saw what she puts in each of them for the students to use and also the big things like ingredients she needs for the entire class to use.

The mini lesson went really well I thought and it was fun for me to do. It was for what she calls her 'Cluster Class' which is a class of handicapped children and their peer tutors. While I presented I made a point to ask them what abbreviations were for a tablespoon or had them point and show me what a teaspoon was since they had been working on their measuring abbreviations. We also went over why you would use a liquid vs. a dry measuring cup. It was a lot of fun!

Management: Today I got to input the roll into Mrs. Dazleys grading system. She uses a system called 'Powergrade' that she uses to organize not just attendance but also all their grades and citizenship etc. She also manages her classes by color coding their assignments as I have seen a lot of teachers do. Then, since her class isnt one that gives homework, they all have folder that they keep in the room so that way nobody is unprepared. They come in, get their folders and can get to work. I thought this was a good idea.

Discipline: Today was a big change from yesterday. They were a LOT more attentitive toward their teacher than they were on Monday. Maybe just getting off the weekend really did have a lot to do with it. I also think that Mrs. Dazley did give them more things to work on and do today. She would remind them to be on task and what they were supposed to be doing.

Time Management: Mrs. Dazley always is prepared for every class. This is very important especially since she has no free period and teaches every single class. Not even during her lunch time was she getting things out, she already knew ahead of time what they were doing and the items they would be needing for the day.

2 comments:

Owen and Teresa Denison said...

Emily, this is a fabulous reflection. You made some interesting and important observations. I noticed the music in the halls for the first time this year. Did you like demo-ing? I would have liked to hear about the teaching techniques you saw. It was great you took the initiative to ask about organization. She is going to miss you when you finish. Full credit.

Kristen and Garrett Halligan said...

I loved reading this! You are awesome! Hey when your a teacher can I come in and do the Interior Design lesson if you do one?! :) Go UNION BOBCATS!! ha. pss. so just realized you are home for your whole spring break...?