Focus

Once You Have Empathy on All, You Truly Are Divine.  -Buddha

With the wisdom of the Buddha in my back-pocket   I had little trouble empathizing with my students on this fine October day, as they were lacking a great deal of focus and motivation.  Returning to school after a week long vacation can weaken the resolve of even the most dedicated student, and that was clearly the situation which I faced today.  Fortunately I have built a fairly decent relationship with my classes, and my students seem to be aware that I will work with them as opposed pushing them off a cliff.  However, the key word is "work", and after a relatively slow start, I was very proud of  how well the students responded to the daily lesson.  A typical class consists of me refreshing the students memory from the previous weeks topics during roll call.  I will often ask one student a question regarding a previous class topic, then I will call a random name from the attendance sheet and have the previous student ask the new student a similar question. Since the students are called at random, AND I have incorporated "chaining questions", the class seems more focused, since students are unsure IF I will call on them again.  I  must admit that I have changed my CI techniques considerably since starting SMU, and to my delight, I have found that engaging students with a more Dialogic approach has improved the environment of my classes.  The students seem more willing to speak in class and inform me about their interests, which in turn has made teaching easier, since a positive relationship has been established.

Once roll call was finished today, the students were much more focused and the new material was easier to introduce, due to a more student driven discourse which I now use.  I have also started to make students come up to the front of the class and perform what they have learned, which has improved their attentiveness.  Students seem more focused, since they are being evaluated by their peers, and I also believe that many students relish being the center of attention.  The biggest problem that I have found is that I am often working against the clock, since my classes are fairly large.  However, the results (of my new approach) have been more productive when compared to the teaching methods that I have used in the past.  I assume that with practice, clock management will be less of a problem as I hone my skills, and student participation, and focus, will continue to improve.

Richards and Lockhart:

Today's goal was to teach students how to describe injuries while at the same time incorporating the lessons from the previous weeks in  daily activities, and I believe the goal was accomplished.  As usual, I used the class text book as well as the WB and the internet, which all seemed to be quite effective.  The class wasn't teacher dominated as the students know that I expect them to talk more in class each week, and I always "review" the material form the previous weeks.  The least successful part of the class was due to the students whom still come to class without a book or a pen.  These students contribute the least amount to the class, and being unprepared is the main reason why.  There are usually only 2 students per class that are unprepared and during the class brake I made those students run to the book store and buy what is needed.

One amusing thing that happened today was that and older student (55) told the class that her "bottom" hurts because I hit her (in case you were wondering, I did not hit her).  She seems like a "traditional  Korean grandmother", so her "injury" was quite unexpected.  It was very encouraging to see her have fun in class, while at the same time practicing her English.  That being said, I am still unsure what changes I should make to my teaching style, because I learn something new each week at SMU.  Also, my teaching has changed quite a bit in the past few weeks, and I am sure the more I learn as a student, the better I will become as a teacher.

Many students were missing from class today, due to the long holiday week, but the students that did attend were quite active (after a slow start).  I  am also now using scaffolding techniques to help students whom have trouble, and chaining questions to help ensure that the whole class is attentive, as opposed to just focusing on one student at a time.  I believe that  the students did indeed  learn how to describe injuries as well as inform others on how those injuries may have occurred,  however much work still needs to be done, and I have a limited time to do it in.

I think that my professional development is below average in many areas and above average in others.  My biggest problem is organizing the new skills that I have learned at SMU, and using those skills on a consistent bases.  Although,  I do feel that I have developed quite a bit in the past few weeks, and in time, I am certain that I will find better ways to organize the new information that I am currently learning.