To what extent you were
expected to follow a scripted curriculum, or add your own ideas to a curriculum
that already exists, or create a unit that is entirely new?
My
Language Arts MT handed Abby and I our scripted curriculum, it consisted of a
predetermined book (Tuck Everlasting), booklet filled with various
writing prompts for each chapter, and the accompanying teacher guide. I assumed
that this would be our starting point and we could develop our own unique
lessons and adapt some premade lessons. When we pitched this idea to our MT,
she told us that she expected us to follow the scripted curriculum with little
to no deviation. After following her script for the majority of the GLT time,
our MT said that we can adapt the lessons and focus more on finishing the story
rather than writing a great deal every day. It was incredibly frustrating to
feel that all of the hard work that I put into creating my own Tuck
Everlasting was going to waste but with her allowing some adaptations, I was
able to incorporate some of my previous lessons.
What was unproblematic
and/or challenging about planning a unit in this context?
It
was very challenging to follow this scripted curriculum because it was not
benefiting my students as much as it could have been but I was not allowed to
adapt it to their needs. I received very little feedback from my MT on the
unit. One the first day of the unit, she sat at the back of the classroom with
her computer taking notes, however, she stopped that after the first day. She
would pop into discussions periodically but it was sporadic did not always flow
well with the discussion.
What obstacles did you
face? How did you overcome them?
My
field instructor was a wonderful asset for me to gather feedback after she
observed various lessons and suggest improvements. I rarely received feedback
from my MT; it was also rare to hear, “your lesson went well today” or
something along those lines. It was very helpful to have Abby available to
bounce questions and suggestions off of before and after my lessons. Also, I had
the benefit of asking Abby what went well and what her class struggled with
during the lesson so I was able to prepare for it before I taught it to my
students. (Abby taught Language Arts in the morning and I taught it in the
afternoon.)
What dilemmas (if any) did
you face and how did you manage them?
Consider issues that may relate to developing your professional
identity, developing strong teacher-student relationships, constructing
relevant curriculum, or assessing students in meaningful and productive ways.
It
was difficult to determine what specifically I was looking for when I was
observing the book club groups. My MT was never able to provide me with a
concrete answer on what I was looking for during observations despite the
various times that I asked her. I tried to take notes while I observed the book
club groups, but without clear direction on what I was looking for, I gave up
on the notes. Rather than taking notes, I participated in with the groups
during their discussions. I think this strengthened the relationship between the
students and me because they were able to see me interacting with the
literature alongside them.
What enabled you to be
successful?
I
was successful because I feel confident teaching Language Arts and finding
various ways to differentiate instruction to fit the various needs of my
students. I also felt success because I was able to talk with Abby about what
succeeded and what needed a bit of work with her class which allowed me a
chance to change aspects of my lesson.
Did the unit proceed as you
expected? Why or why not?
My
MT and I thought that our students’ writing would be much further along than it
actually was and we were forced to simplify our expectations for them. Since we
were forced to simplify our writing expectations, we ended up “holding our
students’ hands” with their writing. We had to develop starting and closing
sentences for the students’ paragraphs and help guide them with note taking
about what they were supposed to write about in the prompts. During the book
club discussions, the students were able to develop well thought out responses
that reflected their understanding of the text. However, they lacked the
ability to take what they discussed in their groups onto their papers.
What surprises or “aha
moments” did you experience?
I
was pleasantly surprised to see how well the students participated in their
book club groups. The students were actively listening to each other and
responding with appropriate and productive comments/responses, it was amazing
to see. I was shocked to see how limited and under developed my students
writing actually is. They were struggling with writing complete sentences,
using details, and producing writing that is deeper than stream of
consciousness writing. I spent time in fourth grade last year, in one of the
schools that students progressed into my current school, and there was limited
time in the schedule but their writing was close to grade level.
What do you still need to
learn about teaching in this target area, about your developing your ‘core
practice’ and about teaching literacy in general?
I
still need to learn what teachers look for when they are observing book club
groups. If I had this knowledge then I would have a starting point that I could
jump off of if I decided to incorporate book club groups into my future
classroom.
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