Lesson Reflections

Direct Instruction

Reflection:

Introduction:

1. Was there enough focus on the vocabulary for the students to match the vocabulary at the end of the lesson?

Yes, I believe there was enough focus on vocabulary. Students were using the academic language amongst themselves and while answering check for understanding questions. Students were able to follow and correctly match their vocabulary terms with their partners.

2. Was how the way I  introduced the question to the students engaging?

I introduced the question to the students by playing a video that introduced our topic and vocabulary. After the video, I asked students climate change questions to gage their prior knowledge on the topic. I think it could have been more engaging if i introduced pictures or a story instead of the video because the video I selected gave the students too much information and went into what I had planned on teaching the students myself.

Development:

1. Did the videos and vocabulary provided to students help to facilitate the students learning throughout the lesson.

Yes, I believe the videos and  vocabulary provided to the students was helpful to facilitate learning. Students were using the academic language amongst themselves and while answering check for understanding questions. Students were able to follow and correctly match their vocabulary terms with their partners. I also believe the video gave them visuals to tie the vocabulary words we were learning to images to help them fully grasp the concept.

2. Was the student able to successfully complete the tasks with the material given to them?

Students were able to follow and correctly match their vocabulary terms with their partners. The students also shared new concepts they learned today in writing while we waited for everyone to complete the activity. Each student took something different away from the lesson including the causes of climate change and what they can do to help it.

Evaluation:

1. Was the conclusion statement at the end a good enough way to evaluate students progression after the lesson?

Yes i asked students to share what they had written when asked to write about new ideas or concepts they learned today. All students learned something and the introductory material that was presented was the foundation of future lessons. Students referred back to their notes they had taken and remember the academic vocabulary discussed in this lesson.

2. Was the informal assessments an effective way to measure students progress throughout the lesson?

Yes, all students were engaged, worked on the assignments and the students needed very little redirection. All students were excited to learn and completed all of the activities.

Independent Practice:

1. Was there enough background information to further students knowledge about the overall lesson taught today?

Yes, students incorporated the academic language they learned when writing their independent practice. Students discussed the concepts and topics learned in the lesson and continued to use this information in future lessons that built upon this introductory lesson.

2. Was there enough support throughout the lesson that the students were able to complete the independent practice effectively?

Yes all students were able to complete the independent practice effectively. Students were asked to write a letter to a non-believer of climate change and all students used the concepts we learned today. The students all completed the activity but the level of detail and completion depending on the student and their academic level.

Inquiry Lesson

Reflection: Introduction:

1. Was there enough introductory material for students to write a conclusion statement at the end of the lesson?

Yes, there was enough introductory material for students to write a conclusion statement but not every group had enough time to finish the experiment to completion. All students were able to see the changes throughout the experiment which showed the effects of greenhouse gases on the planet.

2. Was how I  introduced the question to the students engaging?

No, I could have introduced the question to the students better by having each group form their own question after giving them the problem. Student were not able to come up with the question on their own without help and prompting.

Development:

1. Did the videos and charts provided to students help to facilitate the students learning throughout the lesson.

Yes, I believe the videos and charts provided to the students was helpful to facilitate learning. Students were using the academic language amongst themselves and while answering check for understanding questions. Students were able to follow and correctly match their vocabulary terms with their partners. I also believe the video gave them visuals to tie the vocabulary words we were learning to images to help them fully grasp the concept.

2. Was the student able to successfully complete the experiment with the material given to them?

Yes, there was enough introductory material for students to complete the experiment but not every group had enough time to finish the experiment to completion. All students were able to see the changes throughout the experiment which showed the effects of greenhouse gases on the planet and form conclusions but not all students were able to document the conclusion.

Evaluation:

1. Was the independent practice at the end of the lesson a good enough way to evaluate students progression after the lesson?

Students were asked to write a letter to a 3rd grader about the effects of climate change but sadly I ran out of time and students were unable to start the independent practice. The independent practice had to be assigned as homework.

2. Was the informal assessments an effective way to measure students progress throughout the lesson?

Yes, all students were engaged and worked on the experiment without needing redirection. All students were excited to learn and completed the experiment. I informally assessed their willingness to participate in the experiment and perform the procedures correctly.

Independent Practice:

1. Was there enough background information to further students knowledge about the overall lesson taught today?

Yes, students incorporated the academic language they learned when writing their independent practice. Students discussed the concepts and topics learned in the lesson and continued to use this information in future lessons that built upon this introductory lesson.

2. Was there enough support throughout the lesson that the students were able to complete the independent practice effectively?

Yes all students were able to complete the independent practice effectively. Students were asked to write a letter to a non-believer of climate change and all students used the concepts we learned today. The students all completed the activity but the level of detail and completion depending on the student and their academic level.

Research in teaching Science- Fairwell!

Check out my Efolio!!

During this class I learned about a lot of different technologies I will incorporate when I am a teacher. During this class I learned about Voki, Thinklink and glodster, which I will incorporate into future lessons. I really like these websites for students to share and present their work. I think using these kinds of websites are a lot more fun and interactive then having students create posters or book reports. During this class I also learned a lot about how to structure an inquiry lesson plan. This is the first time I have written a inquiry lessons and I think I now have a good grasp of how to do this.

I liked having the opportunity to watch my colleagues teach because I learned from each of them. In previous research classes I had previously been "tutoring" one or two students. In this class my partner and I taught a whole class for one day and during the other days we observed our colleagues. I really liked this format because it allowed me to see how someone else saw the assignment of teaching climate change and how everyone had their own take on teaching climate change.

KA 6 Reflection

Key Assessment 6—Math and Science: Reflection on Assessment and Instruction

Date: 11/8/17                        Content Area: Science

Student(s): After School Science Program

Practitioner: Caitlin Higgins

1. Did your learner meet your lesson objectives this session? Use academic language to document what your assessment data told you about your student today by recording specific examples of your student’s strengths and challenges.  What can the student do independently… with your support? What challenges occurred? Attach all assessments and student work. (INTASC 6; ACEI 4)

My learners met my lesson objective in this session. When teaching my direct instruction lesson plan, I tried to incorporate fun and engaging videos to activate my students’ prior knowledge. This was successful presumably because it introduced the vocabulary words we were going to learn and provided general background information for students who may not have previously known about climate change. After the video, I segued into vocabulary terms and climate change concepts. Students were engaged, and many raised their hands to answer questions. They used academic language to answer the questions and displayed a sense of understanding of the concept of climate change. I had students work in groups to match their vocabulary terms and definitions, grouping students of mixed abilities with those who were less confident with the vocabulary terms. I walked around and monitored students, signing off that they had correctly matched the terms before they were instructed to glue their terms and definitions to flash cards.  I could both see and hear students becoming more confident with the terms as they discussed the words with their groups.

My students also met the objectives of my inquiry lesson and gained the knowledge from the experiment that I was hoping they would. I explicitly taught students the scientific method and modeled the process of inquiry. I then introduced our problem and helped students form their hypotheses and questions. Because the experiment was pre-planned, I instructed the students as to how to setup the experiment and how to monitor their findings. I did run out of time for this lesson, therefore students were not able to conduct the experiment to completion but were able to identify the findings and infer their conclusions.

Overall, I feel that I had much success with my direct instruction and inquiry lesson plans. All of the students seem engaged during all activities, and I could see them having fun with the matching game and the experiment.

2. How has working with your student today helped you to develop your understanding of Science? Connect today's experience to our course content/ readings. Articulate your understanding of the professional literature by discussing at least two sources and making connections to your practice.  List sources in APA style, (INTASC 1)

Working with my students while teaching my direct and inquiry lessons has helped me develop an understanding of science and to find techniques to bring their thinking from concrete to abstract. According to researchers, “One’s goals for engagement in achievement-relevant settings are assumed to influence the kind of strategies and behaviors one will deploy, and the amount of effort one will invest in a learning situation. Performance-avoidance goals have been demonstrated to be related to low motivational engagements, low intrinsic motivation, high anxiety and poorer math achievement”. I will continue to make learning science fun for my students, to praise my students, and to build up their confidence with regard to science. I will continue to use activities such as matching, experiments and games, which the students like and find entertaining (Magi, et al. p. 295). Working with the students in the science program has shown me the importance of keeping students engaged throughout the whole process. According to DeRosa & Abrusacato (2015), “What matters is that the students got totally wrapped up in the problem, remembered what they learned and got a handle on a range of disciplines.”

3. Which instructional methods/topics are appropriate for advancing your learner's content skills and use of academic language as a young scientist? Articulate your understanding of the professional literature by discussing in your response at least two sources that will inform your future practice. List sources in APA style. (INTASC 7; ACEI 1)

As stated previously, I plan to continue to focus my work with my students on climate change. My goal is to enhance their knowledge and understanding of this subject. I would also like for topics such as the scientific method and how to correctly conduct experiments to become autonomous to the students. I will plan lessons that allow them to play, discover and create while learning science. I want to have the students communicate their understandings and misunderstandings both verbally and in writing in order to help reaffirm their knowledge and to allow me to identify any confusion. To advance the students’ content skills, I will continue to challenge them, According to DeRosa & Abrusacato. p. 271“Problem situations are used in science instruction, for developing conceptual understandings, teaching higher level thinking, problem-solving skills and applying a variety of scientific ideas. I also plan to advance the students’ use of academic language. I will do this by explaining correct terminology and using it throughout the lesson. Moreover, I will continue to give praise and positive feedback because I want to make the students believe they can be a successful young scientists. It is important to change the way students see science by incorporating their interests into experiments and activities; according to Magi et al., “Maintenance of a positive achievement motivation may be especially important for better achievement in science (p. 297).”

4. How will you foster critical thinking and problem solving? Articulate your understanding of the professional literature by discussing in your response at least two sources that will inform your future practice. List sources in APA style. (INTASC 5; ACEI 3.3)

I will foster the development of critical thinking in my student through the use of communication, games and inquiry. The use of games and inquiry allows the students to see science as fun and engaging. This will better their attitude towards science, and it will aid in their learning. I want my students to have a positive attitude toward science and believe in her capabilities. I will continue to make the lessons harder each week and go in a progressively challenging direction, “The instructional goal is that children not only know how to write, read and discover,  but more important, know how to apply all of these skills when learning science. (DeRosa & Abrusacato. p. 231). I will continue to stress the strategies we have been working on, according to Magi, et al. p. 297 “When teaching science it is important to make it as real as possible”.  I want to give Addison the skills she will need to succeed in mathematics, including how to problem solve and think critically.

References

Magi, K., Lerkkanen, M.K., Porkkkeus, A.M., Raashu-Puttonen, H.R., and Kikas, E. (2010). Relations between achievement goal orientation and math achievement in primary grades. Scandinavian Journal of Education Research. Vol. 54. No. 3, 295-312.

DeRosa,D., & Abrusacato, J. (2015). Teaching Children science: A discovery approach, Enhanced Pearson eText- Access Card. 8th Edition. ISBN- 10:0133824624. ISBN-13: 9780133824629