Student Teaching Experience Reflection
I have learned so much throughout my student teaching experience. I really benefited from having two cooperating teachers. Brian Mierzwa and Stephanie Pourbaix are such different teachers, and it was really to my advantage to learn from both of them. In my discrete math class with Mierzwa, I was able to learn how to create a project-based class where the students are constantly learning from hands-on activities. Rarely in that class do we have a formal lecture, and if we do, it is not for more than 30 minutes. On the other hand, in my college algebra classes, each day is very structured so that we can get through all of the material. The students rely on knowing the routine of the day, but it is fun to switch up the lessons so that students stay on their toes and get to learn in many different styles. By having both of these experiences, one very unstructured and student-based and the other very structured and fast-paced, I have gained a lot of different experiences that I do not think I would have if I had just been with only one of my cooperating teachers.
Throughout the semester, I feel as though I have gained my confidence as a teacher. I understand how long it takes students to write down a definition or problem, how long to give students to talk about an idea or work on an examples, how to walk around the room quickly so that I can get all the students on task and paying attention, and much more. I am not afraid to talk loudly to get the whole class’s attention or stop talking until everyone has stopped chatting with friends. All of these are aspects of teaching that I never really thought about or noticed teachers doing, but by actually being the teacher, I have realized how important those components are. It is these fundamental ideas that really make or break the classroom experience. I have been able to practice these skills because my cooperating teachers have allowed me to have control of the classroom. I have had the experience of having to watch out for many things at once. Perhaps I am helping a student and making sure the other students are on task as well as keeping track of the amount of time that is passing. By having to handle all of these things on my own at times, I have had the opportunity to see what it will be like when I am completely on my own in my classroom. These experiences, although challenging at times, have gone well and shown me what I need to do in order to be the teacher of the class.
In my discrete math class, the students are a diverse group who have many struggles both in and outside of the classroom. Most of them do not enjoy math and have not performed well in previous math courses. They are reluctant to participate and, in my opinion, assume that they will struggle with this course just like they did in their other math classes. I feel like I have done a great job of encouraging the students to keep trying. This is their opportunity to reconnect with math and learn how applicable it is to the real world. They do not need to have formulas memorized, they are able to practice problems every day that involve a method or process that we have thoroughly explained, and they do not need to worry about having to turn in every assignment. I feel like this environment really helps them to try and not worry about making mistakes. They know they can simply try and see what happens. I hope to have this kind of environment in my classes as I move forward as a teacher. While in other math classes there will be more formulas and right or wrong answers, but I want to encourage students that we simply need to jump into a problem and try. We actually learn the most when we make mistakes, and I think that is a great lesson that I have learned and that I can pass along to my students.
Furthermore, I have had some lessons that have gone really well and have shown me how to try and think of new and unique ways to teach the students the content. Even if I am just implementing a stations activity or relating examples to real world situations they may have heard about in history or music classes, it adds that extra level of interest for the students. If they know why something is important to learn and how it can apply to things that surround them every day, I think that really helps them understand the purpose behind it all.
I also was able to make great relationships with my students. This really helped build a fantastic classroom community where students were respectful of myself and one another, and we were all able to learn in a safe and fun environment. I love talking to them about activities they are doing both in and outside of school and they love sharing with me. At the beginning of the school year I would go around and ask students about what sports or clubs they were involved with, what they enjoyed doing in their free time, what television shows and movies they watched, and so on. This helped us all connect, and now instead of me having to initiate the conversations all of the time, students simply come into the classroom and want to tell me all about what is going on. I love the feeling that they enjoy connecting with me and are willing to share with me. That has been one of the most positive aspects of my student teaching experience.
Something I really learned about this semester was how to interact with parents. I understand how to express to them that we all have their child’s best interest in mind and we want them to succeed. If we work as a team, I know that we can get great results out of the student. I have seen how much of a difference can be made when myself and the parent trust one another and are on the same page as to how to help the student. I was nervous before about interacting with parents, and while I am still nervous and I know I will come across uncomfortable situations in the future, I feel better prepared to talk with them and how to at least start the conversation and be professional.
If I had the opportunity to do things differently, I would try to implement more interesting lessons earlier on in the semester. I wanted to start the semester by making sure I was comfortable in front of the classes, knew how to explain ideas to the students, and was able to answer their questions. With all of this, I was not focused on creating more interactive lessons. I think that would have been a good experience early on, even if it was not every day. Now that I am creating more engaging lessons, the more practice I can get, the better. Thus, I would like to be able to go back and adapt some of my lessons. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to do this in the future.
Another thing that I would try to do differently would be to manage my time better. I have gotten a lot more efficient as the semester has gone on, but at the beginning, I would spend a lot of time making sure a worksheet looked perfect or I had worked out every possible problem in preparation. Now I know how to use my time well in order to make quality lessons in an efficient amount of time. I know how to best use my time and what is necessary in order for me to complete. If I could go back, I would not be as much of a perfectionist and allow myself to move on in order to really take advantage of the 90 minutes of plan time that I have in the morning.
Even more, my classroom management skills have greatly improved. I am not afraid to really make sure the entire class is listening before continuing on in the lesson. I love using proximity as a tool in order to get students to notice me and stop talking or using their cell phone. I do not like calling out individuals in class, and this is a great way to let them know I want their behavior to change without making it obvious to the entire classroom. I also love phrasing my redirections in a positive manner. Instead of saying, “You need to be quiet!” I try to say, “Let’s make sure we are all being respectful of those around us and myself in order for us to really make sure we understand the lesson.” This helps them know that I really want them to stop side conversations, but I have a reason for it other than the fact that I want them to quiet down. I also think building those positive relationships with students really helps my classroom management. I trust them and they trust me and know I have their best interests in mind, so the students are willing to follow rules and be respectful of the class. I think the relationships really help in classroom management.
As for my personal and professional goals, I hope to continue incorporating real-world applications into my lessons. It is hard to find good examples for every lesson, but I want to be able to continue adding ideas each semester and year that I teach. I hope to be a part of a great school and community where I can share my ideas and work with the other teachers to make my classes great. I want to establish myself in a school not only in the math department, but in some type of club or extra-curricular activity. I want to be involved and really feel a part of the community. Furthermore, a goal that is both personal and professional is that I hope to get my master’s degree in mathematics in the next 3-5 years or so. I want to continue my education for myself but also be able to teach higher level math courses that I cannot teach until I have a higher degree. I really look forward to that challenge and after getting a job and feeling more established as a teacher, that will be my next major goal.
Finally, I believe my education philosophy will always be changing, but I think I will always have a combination of a teacher-centered and a student-centered classroom. I really feel this is the best way to teach. There are certain topics and parts of each lesson that I want to directly teach to make sure the students really understand all of the details, like set up, notation, how to write the final answer, and so on. I also believe it is incredibly important for students to discover ideas on their own and from one another. I love having lessons where the students are able to practice examples that relate to the real world and that they are really teaching themselves the content. I think if students discover the answers, they understand better and retain the information for much longer than if I simply told them the correct answer. Furthermore, by having a variety of types of lessons, I am able to teach to all styles of learning. Since I will have visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and other types of learners, the more variability of lessons that I have, the more students will get out of it. I think that is incredibly important and so I hope to keep practicing and improving my lessons to teach the students to the best of my ability.
Overall, I have greatly enjoyed my student teaching experience. I feel so much better prepared to run my own classroom and create my own lessons. This experience has been invaluable, and I have loved my interactions with all of the students and staff at Rocky!