This week I have been very impressed with the eighth grade students in all of the computer concepts classes. We have started a new lesson on Microsoft PowerPoint. After doing the exercises in the text book, I had them complete other PowerPoint assignments. I realize that they have been working with PowerPoint since elementary school, but as I moved around the room and started looking at what they were creating I became very impressed with their knowledge, creativity, and skills. I am planning a project which the students will be placed in groups and will research a specific topic. The group will then have to create and present this topic on PowerPoint. I can hardly wait to see what they are going to come up with.
The end of the marking period was this past Thursday and all the grades must be in by this coming Tuesday. On Friday, besides trying to get everything done before leaving for FBLA, I had to get all the make-up work graded and recorded. This has been a new experience for me with all the classes that I have been teaching, but I got it all finished.
The one thing that if I could start the week over would be was when I had demonstrated a specific concept I would now have done it differently. The students had difficulty and it had taken longer then I had planned. The end result though, was that they did learned how to do it.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Week 10
One of the aspects of this week which I have found to be most valuable has been, with the class of tenth graders. After Monday's class and discovering that the students were having difficulty with this chapter, my co op and I decided to just take the lesson each day very slowly. This is a small class of 14 students and a quarter of the students are learning support. The class is very easy to work with and the students are eager to learn. On Friday, at the end of class I asked the students to write down on their Post It one thing that they had learned today regarding the lesson. While making notes regarding the lesson, I pulled out the Post It notes and started reading them. All week long I had been going over the same concept with them. Today on the Post It's each student in their own way said that they had gotten what I had been teaching all week long. Tears came to my eyes.
The other aspect which I have found to be of value this week has been on taking into account that the students had been taking their PSSA testing this week. When the students would arrive in the afternoon, I made sure that I had taken the testing into account when working with them. I was glad to see Friday arrive and return to a normal schedule. I know that the students were glad to be back on a normal schedule,too.
As I look back on this past week, the one thing that I would change if I had the chance would be planning more time for the students to complete an assignment. The assignment was a team activity and I should have planned more than two days to complete it. Planning the length of time that a class has to complete an assignment is very important. Not only do you have to take into consideration the amount of time that an assignment would take, you must also take into consideration the learning level of each student within the class. This has been a learning experience for me and I know that if I use this assignment in the future, I will make sure to plan more time for the students to complete it.
The other aspect which I have found to be of value this week has been on taking into account that the students had been taking their PSSA testing this week. When the students would arrive in the afternoon, I made sure that I had taken the testing into account when working with them. I was glad to see Friday arrive and return to a normal schedule. I know that the students were glad to be back on a normal schedule,too.
As I look back on this past week, the one thing that I would change if I had the chance would be planning more time for the students to complete an assignment. The assignment was a team activity and I should have planned more than two days to complete it. Planning the length of time that a class has to complete an assignment is very important. Not only do you have to take into consideration the amount of time that an assignment would take, you must also take into consideration the learning level of each student within the class. This has been a learning experience for me and I know that if I use this assignment in the future, I will make sure to plan more time for the students to complete it.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Week 9
What a week this has been. It seem like I was on a roller coaster with the first part of the week going up, the middle of the week going down, and by the end of the week coming back up. The first of the week the students were doing fine. They were enjoying the assignment that I had given them and were eager to accomplish it. By Wednesday, I believe with the time change, they seem to have difficulty with adjusting to the change. During the review game in two of my classes on Wednesday, the students just didn't want to get along with each other. This really surprised me with the one class which always has been an excellent group of students and who work well with each other. By the end of the week, the students were doing well and were back to their old themselves.
This week has been one that has been rewarding, too. I have had one student who felt that if they just passed their chapter tests and not do the assignments that they could pass for the marking period. This student had been doing this since the beginning of the year. Another student would do their assignment, but didn't care if the assignments were done correctly, had decided that the computer class was one that they could do their other homework in. Also, when I was doing the lesson, this student would not participate and would just sit there. I had explained to the class on the first day that I taught them, that they were not to do any other work from other classes while in this class. There would be plenty for them to do and when they completed their work, they could select something from the activity center to do.
After speaking to each of these students individually and showing them that I wanted them to succeed, there has been a change in both of them.. The student who just thought they could pass the tests has now been completing their work and handing it in, and now is seeing that their grade has risen because of it. The other student has been turning in better work and participating in the class. This student now greets me when they see me in the hallway, greets me when entering the classroom, and whenever I work with this student, thanks me. This has given me a great feeling.
There are two things that I would do differently if I could start the week over. The first would have been selecting a different game to review the vocabulary for the test in regards to the dynamics of the one class. The second was when in this same class, I had to ask a student to leave the room. I really didn't like doing it, but it had to be done. I have found out that this group of students move from on class to another all day long (my co-op didn't know this either) and when they reach the class in the afternoon, some of the things that have happen in other classes or on the way spill over into the classroom. I need to keep this in mind from now on when I present my lesson or do any type of game or activity with them.
This week has been one that has been rewarding, too. I have had one student who felt that if they just passed their chapter tests and not do the assignments that they could pass for the marking period. This student had been doing this since the beginning of the year. Another student would do their assignment, but didn't care if the assignments were done correctly, had decided that the computer class was one that they could do their other homework in. Also, when I was doing the lesson, this student would not participate and would just sit there. I had explained to the class on the first day that I taught them, that they were not to do any other work from other classes while in this class. There would be plenty for them to do and when they completed their work, they could select something from the activity center to do.
After speaking to each of these students individually and showing them that I wanted them to succeed, there has been a change in both of them.. The student who just thought they could pass the tests has now been completing their work and handing it in, and now is seeing that their grade has risen because of it. The other student has been turning in better work and participating in the class. This student now greets me when they see me in the hallway, greets me when entering the classroom, and whenever I work with this student, thanks me. This has given me a great feeling.
There are two things that I would do differently if I could start the week over. The first would have been selecting a different game to review the vocabulary for the test in regards to the dynamics of the one class. The second was when in this same class, I had to ask a student to leave the room. I really didn't like doing it, but it had to be done. I have found out that this group of students move from on class to another all day long (my co-op didn't know this either) and when they reach the class in the afternoon, some of the things that have happen in other classes or on the way spill over into the classroom. I need to keep this in mind from now on when I present my lesson or do any type of game or activity with them.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Week 8
When I taught the Computer Concepts class this week on databases to the eighth graders, I gave the students a homework assignment. Two out of the three classes didn't have any problems with the assignment, but the one class sure did. You thought that I was asking them to pull out all their teeth and remarked that Mrs. (co-op's name) never has given us homework. My reply was "I am not Mrs. ____, and I am giving you homework. I know that it will be something that you will like." The homework assignment was on gathering specific information from 15 of their own CD collection, such as the title of the CD and the artist. If the student did not own any CD's, or if the student did not have enough CD's, they could use the Internet and look for CD's that they may want to have and bring that to class.
After the students had created their CD collection database and I had asked them at the end of the class specific questions regarding databases and the lesson, one of the students remarked that they had never thought that a computer class would have had homework, but that they enjoyed doing the assignment.
With the other class that I teach, Computer Projects to sophomores, this week I have taken a different approach to the subject. I have incorporated more personal finance into the subject and relating it more to the needs of the students. The students are taking this new aspect very seriously, which I am very happy to see.
As I reflect on this past week, and could change any aspect if I had the chance to start the week over, I would have wanted to approach the concept of spreadsheets to the Computer Projects class differently. I am still learning what their learning skills are since this is the class that I just picked up and a quarter of the class is learning support. I knew that they have had the concept of spreadsheets in eighth and ninth grade. Also, I had them do some review activities, but the lesson I gave them I feel was to advance for them. The next lesson from the text book, which builds on the previous lesson, I will approach differently. Getting to know the skill level of your students is difficult, but at the same time a challenge.
After the students had created their CD collection database and I had asked them at the end of the class specific questions regarding databases and the lesson, one of the students remarked that they had never thought that a computer class would have had homework, but that they enjoyed doing the assignment.
With the other class that I teach, Computer Projects to sophomores, this week I have taken a different approach to the subject. I have incorporated more personal finance into the subject and relating it more to the needs of the students. The students are taking this new aspect very seriously, which I am very happy to see.
As I reflect on this past week, and could change any aspect if I had the chance to start the week over, I would have wanted to approach the concept of spreadsheets to the Computer Projects class differently. I am still learning what their learning skills are since this is the class that I just picked up and a quarter of the class is learning support. I knew that they have had the concept of spreadsheets in eighth and ninth grade. Also, I had them do some review activities, but the lesson I gave them I feel was to advance for them. The next lesson from the text book, which builds on the previous lesson, I will approach differently. Getting to know the skill level of your students is difficult, but at the same time a challenge.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)