Most of you have probably heard about No Child Left Behind. This federal mandate has put a lot of pressure on schools to be accountable for student achievement. It has encouraged districts to realign their curriculum with the state standards. The curriculum is not a guide that sits on the teacher’s shelf. It consists of the course content. You will learn a lot more about curriculum in your program here at LU. However, you should be able to observe the following from your cooperating teacher regarding curriculum and content.
Does the teacher:
• Have a course plan which identifies the units, topics, tasks and skills which will be covered during a specified period of time?
• Have a daily plan or structure which identifies the skills and supportive facts, concepts and principles needed for the lesson?
• Begin the lesson with a review of what was covered during the last session?
• Provide exercise activities or skills practice where students can practice and apply the material learned?
• End the class with a summary of what was covered and “learned” during the class period?
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My teacher begins every class period going over the assignments due for the next week and what the schedule is. After that they usually pick up where they left off last class period because a lot of time is allotted to the students to finish work that should have been homework. A major focuse in the classroom is spelling. Every week they grade the spelling workbook, take a pretest and take a post test at the end oft the week to see how well the students improved. The class ends at the bell and there really is no summary of what was covered.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher has a unit plan that goes with each activity that will be taught in the PE class that particular week. He posts these pages of the plan on the bullatin board inside the gym for all the students to see what will be going on each day. Below each day he puts the skills that will be taught that particular day. He does this so the students can master these skills. Once skills are mastered, then the kids can put them to use by playing the activity as a whole. This is usually a couple days later. He always begins the class with a review, and a controlled practice of what was taught earlier in the week. At the end of class he brings the kids togethar reviews the key concepts taught that particular day, so the students will know them for the next day and the midterm at the end of the semester.
ReplyDeleteAlly, I really agree and appreciate the way your teacher handles his class activities. I know I personally love when the teacher reviews what was taught earlier in the week, because it keeps you fresh, and you can pick up on stuff left out. Also I love the pre/post test format because you as a teacher not only see how well the students know the material, but if you taught it well or need to make adjustments.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I really like that your teacher gives the students the point to the lessons they are going to learn. It helps enhance awareness and understanding. Also, reviewing the key concepts assures the students that if they don't understand in class, their peers may and can explain it to them. I really like the way he approaches his lessons!
ReplyDeleteIn all the classe,s except for one, that I observed the teachers would go over what they had previously gone over. The only time it did't happen was a test, but the teacher let them go over notes and study guides.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher has the same structure for the day each day. While the class is having circle time, she usually gives them a "message" that is written on the board that tells them one of the activities they will be doing for the day. She then tells the class what each of the small groups will be and explains how to do the activity they will be doing. This is where most of the learning is done. Since it is preschool, they work on matching, patterns, motor skills, etc. She doesn't really go over what they did that day, but at the end of the year the class has a post test that will test their skills to see if they have improved since the beginning of the year. Also, at home visits the teacher practices things with the students with the parents there. They go over things they are learning in class and things they can keep learning at home.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I think it's great that your teacher posts exactly what is happening in the classroom for that week. It is a good way to get the kids involved because they can actually see what is going on rather than it just being told to them. It is important for them to be able to know what they will be learning and how to apply it.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher may have a course plan for the whole school semester/year but if so, I have not seen it. He does for sure however, have plans for each week that he shows me. The thing is, for directing his choir, he does not always know how long it will take the kids to learn a piece of music. AND he is also directing the school's musical so he can only think so far ahead. Those weekly plans include different skills that he wants the kids to learn, whether through basic warm ups, singing rounds, their concert songs, or the songs for the musical. He reviews some at the beginning of the week and adds new stuff as the week goes on. As far as using exercises to get the kids ready for the new material being learned that lesson, he always has the kids sing the intervals in warmups that they are going to sing in the new song he is about to introduce to them later in the class. He does not always review what they learned in class at the end of each day but at least he does that at the end of every week.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher that I am observing is very organized. She starts off each class with the daily agenda posted on the smart board or on the dry erase board. There are also random reminders written on the right side of the dry erase board. For example, today there was a reminder about dressing up for the group speeches in order to earn extra credit. This keeps the students informed on important things going on in the classroom. Usually every few weeks, the students are given a calendar of assignments so they will know when everything is due and when they will need to perform their speech. This is really helpful in a high school classroom because the students tend to be very busy with work, sports, and other extracurricular activities. With knowing their schedule in advance, they can plan ahead and schedule around important assignments. After going over the agenda for the day, the teacher usually reviews what happened in class the day before. Prior to starting a new unit, she will have the students participate in various exercises and activities to introduce it. These range from group work, book work, all the way to games. Her planning is very effective and the students have a very easy time following it.
ReplyDeleteAndrew- The PE teacher you are observing seems to be very organized and effective. I think its cool how you said that he posts the calendar of activities in the gym for the students to see. Its always nice, as a student, to be able to look ahead and know when a test or new activity is coming up.
ReplyDeletefor my preschool class its a little different. yes the teacher has lessons she wants to get across to the students but at this age group she has time to be flexible and get all of the student to understand and finish the project. her lessons are usual short its hard to keep 4 and 5 year old listening and really interested. the lessons are a lot of time followed with the kids making something. their are some kids who need help more then others and need the directions to be explained again. she always does an example to show the kids exactly what they should be doing. the main thing about the class is they always stay in their routine they do the same activities at the same time the kid know what and when they should be doing things. its very organized.
ReplyDeleteI observe in a first grade classroom and structure is for sure needed, it is not always followed exactly but there is always some sort of plan. The teacher usually goes over what they're going to be discussing then actually does go over the content. She almost always reviews what the students did last period. This is super helpful because the kids are usually building off of what they learned the time before. After the students and teacher have talked about the new material they always get some sort of exercise to put what they just learned into action. This always seems good because then the teacher can see if they're actually grasping the concept or not. The class/subjects are not usually ended with a review. I am thinking this is probably because they are first graders that are restless and ready to move on.
ReplyDeleteNicole, your teacher seems to be very on top of things. I find it very helpful to see the whole class period laid out and broken up in front of me.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher has a calender behind his desk, that he has two months planned out and knows what he is going to do each class period. He also has a box on the bored, that tells the students what he has planned for the day. On fridays, the kids always have a review packet to do in class.
ReplyDeleteIn the school I'm observing they constantly change how the lesson is given, the teachers in the school have been going to workshops where they're learning of new ways to teach a lesson. Therefore the plan they had in the beginning has been changing. The class I observe, which is Communication Arts, is mostly practical. The teacher covers "mini-lessons" which I guess are the theoretical part of the class. The rest of the class is spent doing practical things, like writing and discussing stories or poems. They also have reader's workshop every day: around 20 minutes of class spent reading the books of their choice. There isn't really a summary of the content "learned" at the end of each class since it is mostly all practical. I really like the way the class works, I feel the kids are really learning even if they donn't realize it sometimes.
ReplyDeleteNicole - The teacher you're observing sounds really organized. I like what she does of giving the students a schedule of all the assignments they'll need to do. It's true, it is really helpful to know when everything will be due, that way students are able to organize their time well. Do you think this makes a difference for the students who tend to forget to do their assignments?
ReplyDeleteMy teacher probably has a course plan for what her students are learning for the semester or year but I have not seen it. I know she has a course plan though for what the students are learning within the week and for each subject and lesson plan. After each lesson she has an activity or homework assignment for her students to practice these skills. Before the next lesson she goes over what she previously taught them to refresh their memory.
ReplyDeleteMatthew - It is a very good idea for your teacher to have a calender with everything planned out for the next couple of months. It is always very helpful to be organized and know what you are doing for each class. This not only helps the teacher but also the students. If the teacher is organized in class this helps the students become more organized. Also I like how your teacher lets them know what they are going to be covering during the class period.
ReplyDeleteMy host teacher posts a daily class schedule up where all the students can see with everything thing they will do for the day, as far as what subjects and activities, in order and some have what time they will do it. For example at the top of the chart it will say class schedule and under the topic have music, reading, math, recess, lunch 11:55 and so on. The teacher also has a big file cabinet by her desk with all of her files seperated by the different subjects and I believe it has her lesson plans and maybe even IEP's and paperwork such as these in there. When she teaches a lesson she explains it fully first before she starts, after she hands out the material and shows the stundents exactly how to do it. Then in some activities if it is a hands on lesson she does it with them in front of the class for everyone to see and walks around to make everybody is doing it right.
ReplyDeleteKylie I agree when you say it is good for her to review the previous lesson since the students also learn from not just new information but from information they already know or have learned before.
ReplyDeletemy teacher i am observing is very organize he always goes over the past lesson and assk if anyone has questions and then he will answer them if any. the he will begin the next lesson and ask if anyone has questions over that.. he will of coarse give homework to help with learning the material.. then he will give a summary of the class the last five minutes so the students do not forget
ReplyDeleteKylie my teacher actually does the same thing your discussing
ReplyDeleteTraneika, I would love to be a student in your teachers classroom! It sounds like she is great. Having the schedule planned out for the day so that the students know what to expect and what time, and being so organized and involved with her students. After working with special needs students, I have learned that more structure and less surprises in the daily schedule (even for reg ed students) helps to lower anxiety and keep behavior problems at a minimum.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher I am observing has her schedule posted in the front of the classroom each morning and at the end of the day, each student writes in their agenda book what they didn't complete in each subject, and it is homework. Each day is pretty routine as far as scheduling is concerned, it is the concepts learned that changes. I have seen her lesson plan book as I was grading papers and she sends home letters to parents each week explaining what will be taught in the following week. This way, parents know what to expect as well as each student. She is well organized as far as planning and preparing. When she is teaching, she explains what is being taught, goes over it in detail, asks questions, and then meets with small groups of those who need the concept explained in more detail. For reading she does things a little differently. She identifies each students strength and goes from there. Those that work well independently, she checks in with; those that need a little help, she meets with in a group; and those that need even more help, she meets even longer with.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing from the list that my host teacher does not is the review of the class. I think that this is because of the naturality of my PE class that doesnt allow us with enough time to give reviews to the students.
ReplyDeleteNicole, your teacher looks very organized... but in my case I think that Physical Education Classes are absolutely different than the rest of the classes. we have some organization and rutines, but our guidelines are not as strict as others... for example, it is hard to develop homeworks for the students.
ReplyDeleteMy teachers daily routine consists of reviewing the previous homework. Then he proceeds to give out a daily warm up that he collects. Next he covers the new material for the day and lastly he assigns the nights homework. My teacher does have a course plan that he gives to each of the students and he follows it carefully/
ReplyDeleteJosh, it sounds like our teacher are very similar in how they go about business. Since i am observing a math teacher the lesson plans tend to be very similar. Everyday usually consists of the same routine, unless of course it is a quiz or test day.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher's lesson plans for the week are due every Tuesday. However, by Friday most of them are outdated and rarely is he able to stick to them. As he teaches a band class, he usually writes out what he feels needs work this week. However, how far they got in previous rehearsals, including those after school, heavily influences what he does from day to day. In addition immediate student needs can set things back. If the band cannot get past one part in a song, then he works on that instead of sticking to his lesson plan as it is written. As it is a private school he does not have an in class aide of any sort, except when I am there observing. If one student is having difficulty, he will have me work with them privately on whatever needs work. If it's a problem in terms of the student playing with the band, the teacher will stand next to them and help them to count out their part or whatever it is that needs help.
ReplyDeleteLaura, I think that's part of the challenge of teaching something like choir or band. You never know how fast a group will learn something, so you always have to prepare accordingly. Your director seems like he has it all together.
ReplyDeleteNo my teacher does not have an outline of the topics listed, but due to the fact that I was placed in a school for behavior disabled Children, he tends to work one on one with the students to teach at a level to where each individual learns and understands at his or her own level. I have observed that some of the students are at seventh grade level while others are ready for college level academics.
ReplyDeleteI am observing in a kindergarten classroom and they have the same set time for all the ir different areas and activities every day like reviewing their numbers, story time, learning stations, art, music, and nap time. Every morning they sit down and review their numbers and the days of the week. The last time I went to observe my host teacher administered an individual test to the students to see how well they were learning to count, and the students that were struggling she asked me to work with seperately by doing counting puzzles. She was worried that a lot of her students had trouble with the test and were apparently behind in the curriculum for as far as they are into the school year.
ReplyDeleteFlorencia- I wish I could have been put in a class like that so that i could see the differences between how my current assignment and how a structured environment work, because in this kind of environment the students tend to run the class. If one becomes frustrated or upset the instructor must stop what he is doing to tend to that student. Being in this kind of environment it is really hard to see how a structured classroom is suppose to work.
ReplyDeleteKristina and Kylie, my kindergarten classroom sounds a lot like your classrooms. The teacher has a time schedule of what to do every day, but she is flexible with the schedule. The teacher introduces the material, like a new word or letter, and has the kids do a project to see if they grasped the concept. Most of the lessons are very short, and if they're doing an activity and they start to lose interest and get rowdy, she wraps it up and moves on to the next area. If they are enjoying the lesson or need more time, she ususally extends the lesson a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, I like how the kids have to do everything that is listed on the agenda sheet for the day... even if it ends up being homework. I just wonder how that would work for a choir... hmmm. I dont know.
ReplyDeleteTo me the no child left behind means that no child will be taken out of any grade and will be caught up with all the possibly help that the school can provide.
ReplyDeleteMelissa that is how my class room is set up in the class i am observing it helps the kids so much I think it is really the best way you can do things with kids. They seem to stay focused and dont ask the questions like is it time for lunch or anything because the teacher makes it clear with the agenda she gives them.
ReplyDelete