Adjustments to Practice

Why is this essential?

Experienced teachers know that their classes are different across years. Every lesson is influenced by the student audience which carries different needs, abilities, and desires. The current generation of students has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has become clear that the prior approach to teaching will not bring success to these students. They need slower pacing, more review, and an interactive community after nearly two years of remote learning. In order to serve the students, it is critical for teachers to regularly reassess and adjust their practices to meet student needs. Adjustment could be large-scale, such as a wholistic adaptation of teaching style or routine, or it could be in the moment, such as a teacher adjusting lesson content based on students' questions in class. By tailoring lessons to fit each class, teachers enable the best outcomes for students.

My Experience

During the practicum, I taught most of my lessons twice. Geometry lessons were repeated each day, and algebra lessons were repeated on consecutive weeks. The first time teaching a lesson was always more experimental. a chance to try different modes of teaching and explaining. From the students' reactions, questions, and misunderstandings, along with my own reaction and mistakes, I would adjust the lesson and my approach for the second teaching. This made a significant difference! I would often say to my mentor teacher, "The second time is always better." It wasn't from having radically more teaching experience between periods; I gained insight from the first class, and I used that information to make deliberate adjustments.

Due to the decrease of learning during the remote phase of the pandemic, students have many unidentified gaps in their math knowledge. On certain days, the students struggled to solve problems that they were expected to be comfortable solving. Before continuing the lesson and introducing new material, I would review the past topic and practice examples to solidify understanding. This was an important adjustment to make because student understanding must be prioritized in a math classroom.

As a first-time high school teacher, I knew that I would unintentionally omit examples and statements that my mentor teacher uses or says each year. After the first run of a lesson, I would ask for feedback, and we would discuss about anything I should add to the lesson that, from my mentor teacher's experience, would benefit the students. This adjustment kept consistency between years and was supported by years of direct classroom evidence.

In the eleventh and twelfth weeks of the practicum, my students took a feedback survey with twenty Agree/Disagree questions and an optional space to add comments. After reflecting on the survey responses, I implemented adjustments to practice in my college prep algebra class and geometry classes based on feedback in the comment section (see Reflective Practice). These adjustments improved the quality of homework review and student engagement via group discussion during class.

When I reflect on my own professors whose courses I disliked, it was often because I felt that their teaching styles were so traditional and set from previous years that they no longer supported me as a modern student with current needs. Clearly, students are better conditioned when instructors should regularly adjust their practices.