The Setup of Class - Blog Post #1

When I was in high school, the majority of my teachers used lectures to take up the majority of the class. I spent these 90 minute periods fighting my drooping eyelids to stay awake.

It has been more than refreshing to work with a teacher who can use interactive learning to get students excited. She begins class with a short introductory activity. Usually as a class, they analyze the title of the work they will be studying. I have seen that this helps them begin thinking about main ideas and themes that they will be looking at.

I have always been afraid of giving students too much time in class to work on assignments. Based upon my high school education, I was under the perception that this was lazy teaching. But Bomer's book and observing my CT have shown me the light! My CT uses all different types of classroom organization. Like I said before, she begins all classes incorporating all the students in the class. She then usually has the students work in small groups or partners to analyze the text or discuss a specific topic. Near the end of class, the students are usually given time to work independently on a project or assignment. I have learned to appreciate and value this independent work time. At this time, we're able to see if the students have actually grasped the concepts taught in the class. It also gives them the opportunity to ask any questions they might possibly have.

My teacher does a great job at managing her class, but they are also college prep seniors. How well would independent work time do with a CWC class of freshmen? My biggest concern would be behavior management and ensuring everyone is on task. In an ideal world, all students would use their time wisely and be on task. In a class where there is only one instructor to 35 students, what could I do to implement independent and group work successfully?

This first week of school has also stressed the importance of communication. My CT and I were talking and she told me about her first year experience. She told me that she didn’t necessarily have every novel read before she taught it. More oft than not she would read the book as her students were reading them as well. She told me that the most important thing was being able to communicate, to ask the right questions. It might not necessarily be having all the right answers at all times, but being able to ask the right questions to get students thinking critically. The students know we have a degree. But vomiting the knowledge we have all over them is not teaching them the skills they will need down the line. I have realized how important it is for me to do my best not to answer every question right away, but instead to ask addition questions that may help them find the answer on their own. My hope is to cultivate a classroom similar to my CT’s, where learning is a group experience and novel ideas are cherished.