Expectations for Spring Semester

I will be tutoring at North Marion High School in a 9th grade English classroom. Throughout the course of the semester, I would like to learn a lot more about lesson planning and the creation of IEP's. During my last semester my host teacher asked me what CSO my lesson met, however, because we have yet to discuss CSO's I had no idea. Also, I would like to learn more about age-appropriate teaching methods. For example, I do not want to go into a classroom and teach in a way that the students feel is too adolescent for them or too advanced. In previous courses we have learned a lot of psychological theories about teaching, however, most of the time those are easier said than done. I would like to see some real life examples of how teachers implement effective teaching style and classroom management. I am actually somewhat nervous for the coming semester. Facing 19 hours and tutoring once a week will be quite difficult, especially with a focus in English. However, I hope that the assignments and presentations prove to be helpful in improving our teaching effectiveness. I also hope that after each assignment I can reflect and truly gain knowledge from my experiences that will be helpful in my future career as an educator.

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Now that I have been in my PDS a few times (very few, considering all of the snow :D ) I am more comfortable in my situation and not as nervous about the semester. I really enjoy working with my host teacher and she is super helpful when it comes to creating a lesson/tutor activity. I have noticed ways in which she makes the material age-appropriate and interesting for her students and I plan on using these strategies when creating lessons for my own classroom in the future.

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A question for my peers: How do you incorporate the various instruction methods, which we have learned about in our Education courses, into your PDS classroom? Also, how do you make the lessons relevant to the students' lives?

Planning Techniques

While planning a lesson for the English students at my PDS I initially consider the content I am teaching. I ask myself questions like, "How can the students relate to this information", "What information is most relevant to this material", and "What types of activities would be beneficial to the lesson"? I also refer to my mentor teacher for successful teaching strategies for the classroom I am in and also ask what they have already covered. I usually develop an outline for my lesson which I keep with me while teaching. However, if the students are really engaged in one particular area of the lesson I am not against making changes to my lesson plan. Also, I try to use differentiated instruction methods for the benefit of learners who are struggling or those with disabilities.

Leaner-centered education is instruction which focuses on the individuals in the classroom. Rather than spending the majority of the class time lecturing, the lesson tends to focus on direct interaction with the students. This could include experiments, class discussions, small group instructions, and presentations. This type of education really focuses on and involves the students in the success of their learning.

A question for my peers is: We are only in the PDS once a week, for two hours. However, I believe it is important that we get to know the students so that we can make our lessons more interesting to them and make them more comfortable around us. In what ways do you all get to know the students during the two hour time period without interrupting teaching time?