Amy’s Observation #1
Amy’s observations of my class were useful. It was encouraging to hear what I was doing well in the classroom. For example, little things like allowing students to call me Ms. V and addressing students by name stood out for Amy. She also recognized that my class agenda was structured with particular outcomes in mind. Based on Amy’s comments, I will be sure to continue teaching with a set agenda that accounts for specific outcomes during each lesson.
Amy recognized my most difficult student during her observation. The student did not change their outspoken and disruptive ways with Amy in the room, so she was able to recognize the student immediately. After class, Amy emphasized the importance of engaging them positively in class activities and discouraging disruptive behaviors. Since Amy observed, we held our one on one conferences during which I had the opportunity to address this student directly. In this conference, I started out by asking the student how they felt the class was going and the semester as a whole. When they made no suggestion of particular disturbances that might cause them to behave in an inappropriate manner, I addressed the problem head on by saying, “I would like to discuss the ways I have felt that your behavior is not appropriate in class.” I told my student that even though college offers us freedom to express things in a much different way than high school, for example the freedom to discuss controversial subjects that might be shied away from, or using language like swear words that would not be tolerated, there are still unacceptable behaviors in a college classroom. I then noted the particular ways that the student was interrupting and impeding my ability to teach at times. Since this conversation, the student has not given me any trouble. Instead, we work together to redirect the enthusiasm towards class material.
One major problem I have in class is the use of technology. Amy recognized this during her observation. Students pull out their phones and get distracted by their laptops during class. While there is no way to eliminate this distraction entirely, I can encourage students to stay on task better by carefully positioning myself within the classroom or circulating as best I can- however the classroom furniture arrangement does not lend itself to circulation. To address the problem, I continue to remind my students of the importance of staying present. I have screened the 3 min. 15 sec. video: Moby & The Void Pacific Choir – Are You Lost In The World Like Me (Official Video) from YouTube to give students a visual artwork to consider in connection to their technology use, watch the video here. It is a dark depiction of our societies inability to separate from their phones. With students constantly looking at their phones in class, I felt showing the video might help me to convey the importance of staying present.
Students packed up a bit early during Amy’s observation. Now, if students start to chat or put away their things before class has ended I tell them, “I still have some things to tell you before I let you go for the day.” I have been more attentive to time and try to end class on time every day. Since I have addressed the issue of students packing up early, they have waited (for the most part) until I dismiss them to pack their things. It is much better as an instructor to dismiss the class. Exercising this authority seems to improve the level of respect because students recognize that they must listen to your cues rather than to end class when they feel like it.
Lastly, I was glad that Amy thought my use of classroom technology was supportive of student learning. I use PowerPoints to aid in transitioning to different tasks each lesson and to remind students of upcoming deadlines. I find that since incorporating PowerPoints, my students are much more engaged in the class. I generally have a PowerPoint prepared each classroom day and might not use PowerPoint on lab days because students are working on their own screens.
Amy’s Observation #2
In her second observation, Amy attended my lab class, which is held in the basement of Ross Hall on Fridays. Having lab on Friday seems to have pros and cons. Students are typically antsy by the end of the week, so if I provide activities for students to complete and specific tasks that involve using the computers, students are more actively engaged. I do not always create PowerPoint presentations for my lab classes because my students accomplish a lot more when I use the time for them to open their projects on their computer and I circulate the classroom to answer questions. In this way, I have adapted my class to suit the student needs.
In Amy’s observation, she notices that I use lecture and individual computer-aided methods for teaching. This follows my general lab day class plans. I start by greeting students, giving them the overview of the day’s agenda and then either a brief lesson or an activity to focus on using the classroom technology.
Amy observed that students felt comfortable approaching me with their individual questions and I did not hesitate providing answers. It is true that I am always eager to share what I know, but there are many times that students ask me questions that I am uncertain about. In those instances, I either suggest ways for them to look up the answer on their own, or ask that they be patient for me to seek out the answer, which I will share in the following class meeting. When students bring up common questions or questions that would serve the entire group, I pause and address the whole class by saying, “I have been asked — a couple times,” or “May I have your attention, a good question has been raised”. Instead of repeating the answer to each student at different times, this approach tends to get information out to my class in an effective way.
Amy noted that I end the class with an exit ticket asking students to write down what they would like to get from their peer feedback sessions. She noted that this helps me to understand student goals as well as getting the students involved with the peer feedback process. I always use the exit tickets as a way to take attendance without using class time to do roll-call, as well as a way to survey students to generate ideas in a way that is a little more private because they know I am the only one who will read them. This allows students an opportunity to make comments or ask questions that they might not want to in the presence of their classmates.
During lab days, I always circulate the room looking for hands. When students are working and nobody has a question, I approach students that I have not heard from and check in. It is important to me that I distribute my time so that all students are at least offered an opportunity to discuss their questions or ideas with me during work days.
Amy suggests that I work on engaging students to help them internalize the material when I discussed successful presentations. Reflecting on my own presentation, I recognize that sometimes I am too eager to put the information out there so students have the majority of class to work on their assignments. Instead, I should be sure to take my time engaging them during the lecture portion of our meeting so that the ideas sink in as they transition to working on their assignments.
During this class meeting, I did not specify to my students how long they would have to work on their presentations. In the future, I will be sure that even on work days in the lab, I will give a layout to the particular timeframe of our lesson and activities.
Delanie’s Observation
Delanie’s observation helped me to recognize places to improve my teaching within the computer lab. For example, she observed on the day that we finished editing Assignment #2. She noticed that the quick edit activity went too quickly. Since she has Delanie pointed this out, I have made sure to use a timer when I give students activities to work on so that I do not rush them. The timer also helps me to give students an idea of how long they will have for an activity, by saying, “I will give you 10 minutes” and then notifying them when half the time has passed, students use their time more carefully.
I had spent the beginning of class reviewing proper MLA formatting for the paper and did not monitor time, so they had less time to actually focus on editing their paper. Since this lesson, I always make sure that students have plenty of time for editing activities so that they are carefully reading their papers and do not feel rushed. Students seem more satisfied when they have had sufficient time to share feedback.
Next we moved on to the reflection activity. Some students did not have their assignment complete, which Delanie notes, makes it difficult to effectively reflect upon the work. Students were mostly focused and got to work on their reflections right away, spending the rest of class completing them. Students did not get distracted during this portion of class because they had questions to prompt their reflections projected in the front of the room and they knew that I would be collecting their reflections. This portion of class has reinforced two things in relation to my teaching practices. First of all, it provided me reinforcement that guiding students’ writing by projecting questions on the board supported focused in-class writing. Students seemed to really refer to the questions on the board and had plenty to write in comparison to classes when I just say what they should write. Students rely on visuals. Secondly, since some students did not have their assignment completed, I have structured my lab days to be flexible in recent weeks. I always have Plan A, the ideal lesson and activity granted students have all done what I asked. Then I have other options for students to work on if they are not prepared for Plan A. This isn’t to say that I do not emphasize the necessity of completing expected work, rather, that I do not let students who have not completed the assigned work opt out of in-class activities just because they did not prepare. Instead, I give them alternatives, Plan B, to finish what they need to in order to catch up with the other students.
Delanie also observed the difficulties of my one inappropriate student. I was glad that Delanie thought I handled the situation well by making them wait until it was their turn to speak with me. I sternly asked that they wait until I was ready to speak to them directly. It is nerve wracking to have to respond to inappropriate behavior or comments in real time while teaching, so it is very reassuring to hear that Delanie was impressed by my reaction. It is one of the things we do not realize until actually put into the classroom, but sometimes we can’t anticipate a situation, so there is no way to plan our approach to that situation. It is reassuring that my natural instincts allow me to respond in an appropriate manner when put into a high pressure or difficult situation during class. As noted in the above, Amy Observation#1, since I have met with this student individually, misbehavior has subsided.