Activity 2 Feedback

Who

Classroom teacher

Date of implementation: 4/13/22

Date of Feedback: 4/13/22

Needs/Goals: To make classroom transitions smoother and more seamless for students and teachers

Blog: 

In between classes there is a lot that goes on in a middle school. There are most times obvious cliques and friend groups that gather to chat before their next class. Some kids might take this opportunity to use the bathroom, get a snack, talk to their friends, cause ruckus or even just breathe. Either way there is a LOT going on in those 5-10 minutes between classes and sometimes it can be hard to get back into a focused state. I have trouble with transitions myself sometimes as a 25 year old so it is no surprise to me that a 12 year old may too. 

My experience so far is that as adults we are more like middle schoolers than we think. From my previous experience in internship with middle school students, I know that they are often unsure of themselves. With this knowledge I wanted to create an activity that would be less likely for students to singled out or embarrassed. The assumptions I had were that the students would be less willing to try a movement activity that could make them seem goofy. I thought the kids would be reluctant to participant and that I would have to be over the top dramatic for them to participate. I also assumed that students with disabilities would need help either completing the tasks or would not understand. Some things I did that I believe helped with this was that I encouraged the classroom teacher to participate and model the requested task with the students. What I learned was that most students did not need much instruction and they were able to simply do what they saw. 

So far my knowledge and skills have prepared me to create age appropriate activities that students enjoy. I was able to adapt the activity to tasks that everyone could participate in . I can improve my skills when it comes to adapting popular songs to fit activities instead of just chords that may have no meaning to the students. Skills that were the most fun to try were to improvise chord changing patterns and rhythms. 

My action plan for activity 3 is to identify a way to incorporate movement and play into course work. This activity showed me that students did enjoy the transition time and were able to be settled and more focused. I would like to find a way to make their actual class time feel just as fun and enjoyable for them.