During my last practicum I was learning new things, and teaching them to my students, on a daily basis. But it was all within my comfort zone. I'm not a drama expert, but I have a familiarity and a comfort with how to teach it. My main challenge as a rotary teacher was classroom management. At Glenview I'm teaching subjects that I've never taught before but I have the advantage of teaching three classes as opposed to twelve.
I absolutely adore being able to get to know my students. Last practicum it took me the better part of the month before students would turn to me instead of to my AT. These students have been coming to me since my step days. They've gotten to know me faster because I've been teaching a lot more than during my last practicum, and I have much more face time to interact, answer their questions and get to know them. Caring about them has been the most rewarding and straightforward part of my first week.
My challenge this week is to adjust to the environment at my new school and to working with my new AT. My last AT was extremely committed to me and to my success. He gave me extensive feedback, both detailed and general, to help me improve my practice. This time around the feedback is very minimal, which I suppose is okay for a second practicum. I am now comfortable in front a classroom, I can run and manage a lesson, I can get through to the students. I am a competent, caring teacher. Yet, there is still room for improvement. The feedback that would be useful at this point is how to fine-tune, tweak and adjust my practice in order to improve on what I'm doing. I can always be doing better. My AT isn't paying close attention to what I'm doing and I will have to get used to not getting the feedback that I want. I will learn to adjust on my own and through speaking to other teachers and teacher candidates. Nonetheless I'm logging great practice time in front of the class and gaining significant experience. This time around will certainly be different, which through me off at first, but it will definitely be a learning experience.
I know exactly what you mean! For me however, it was the opposite. Last term I didn't get much feedback, all I was really given was "yes you were great" or "yes that was great" my AT didn't even look at one of my lesson plans. This was really hard for me because I wasn't really sure what I need to change or keep the same or what was or wasn't working so I always felt a little lost and just floating around. This time around my AT is super into my lessons, for the first two weeks he gave me descriptive feedback directly onto my lesson plans with some ideas of how I could change it. This was great and I really appreciated it because I knew exactly what needed to be done and what not. Now leading into the end of my practicum I love that he will leave the classroom and let me have total control. So I guess I really value this feedback and more so because I never got it first term.
ReplyDeleteI guess your right though, it is second term so perhaps you really aren't doing bad at all!! So the brief feedback may be all your AT has to give you but I could see your frustration of not having it either!!
Hope your Geo went or is going well!!!! See you soon!
Miss D
Wow!! My AT switched positions and his job has been divided into two. So I have a new AT for half the day and supply teachers for the other half until they hire someone. I've been getting great feedback from the supplies and my new AT has some great ideas. Sometimes its just a matter of talking something out with someone more experienced.
ReplyDeleteI've only just started Geo. I'm going to be looking at developed vs. developing countries. We started by looking at quality of life and the one thing they can't live without. It's going well so far. Hope you have a great last week!