Final Project

The matrix that my final projects is based upon a lesson that I planned for my students in Newark a few weeks ago. I could not find my lesson plan adaptations from CURR 310 or 312 because I took those courses over a year ago, so please excuse me for not using them. This lesson was purposely designed not to have technology in it because the kids were at the computer for the week beforehand. So this project gave me the opportunity to add technology into the lesson to support the teaching strategies that were already in place. This is a long lesson and stretches over 3 days.

    The lesson opens up with the Do Now which was just to get the students to remember what they learned about Mitosis. Mitosis is a component of Meiosis so in order for the students to understand Meiosis better, Mitosis is reviewed first. The students can be in groups of 3 or 4 and come up with what they remember and then enter it into a PowerPoint slide so that they are making the slides with their own information and of course I would check to make sure the info is accurate.
    The first standard is to have the students understand that gene combinations from the male and female are what determines genetic variation. The teaching strategies are lecture, group discussion, and guided notes. The technology that I infused these strategies with are PowerPoint, YouTube, and the SmartBoard. With the PowerPoint it allows me to make the material more visually appealing to the students while still getting the information across to them. YouTube gives me the chance to find a video that encapsulates the concepts that they are going to learn in a different way. With the SmartBoard I can add notes to slides and even write on the YouTube page to help explain things that the students may not understand right away. The students can also circle key terms and concepts on slides with the SmartBoard also.
    The second standard also has the students understand that genetic variation comes from the genes of the male and female parent. The corresponding teaching strategy is something I call a “Glen Diagram” which is just a Venn Diagram but with rectangle because I hate writing in circles. The technology that corresponds with this is social networking. I would have the students get on Facebook or something of the like and collaborate for homework to fill out the diagram instead of doing it in class. This would also save class time by having them do it at home.
    The next standard is a NETS-S standard to have the students apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas. I created an Application Sheet for this to have the students apply what they learned into drawings to help them understand everything in a different form. This would change with the blogging technology. I would have the students create a blog entry explaining Meiosis in their own words with the impact it has on genetic variation. Also included in this blog post would be a picture that the students found that best summarizes what they view Meiosis as.
    The last standard is also a NETS-S standard which has the students create original works as a means of expression. I have the students performing Meiosis in front of the classroom as the teaching strategy but the technology totally changes that. The technology for this strategy that I chose was a SmartBoard and a video camera. Instead of having the students perform the processes in front of the class, I would have them go home and make a video of their group performing it any way they want. This would give the students greater freedom in the ways that they express their knowledge.
    Like I said, this lesson was specifically planned not to have technology in it but with the additions that I made to it, the technology definitely opens up the learning even more to the students. It allows them to express their thoughts and ideas in new ways and allows them to customize their learning.

Check out my matrix! 

Observations in Newark 9

Today we continued with the test prep by having class in the computer lab and having them take a practice test again. The continued exposure to these practice tests will hopefully give the students familiarity with what’s expected of them on May 15^th when they take the written state exam. The students acted pretty much the same as they did the week before when they took the practice test for the first time. Many of them were not interested but some of them gave it a legitimate shot.

            When a student would ask me for help I would in turn ask them questions to get them to think about the question differently and have them figure out the answer based on that. I want to get the students to think more objectively about the questions and see if they can figure it out if the answer isn’t immediately available to them. I had one student who told me that they need a calculator to do this problem, so I went over and helped them work through the question in their head and they eventually got the right answer. We will not be able to help the students when they are taking the real test but helping them think more critically when they ask for help on the practice tests can only help.

Observations in Newark 8

So at this point of the school year we’re transitioning into EOC prep mode. The students are taking practice exams every Friday until they actually take the test on the 15^th of May. The students absolutely hate taking the tests. They’ll just burn through it and say they finished or not even take it at all and go on facebook instead. I’d go over and try and motivate them to complete the practice test and some of them would try and answer a few while I was around them but then they’d usually lose interest in the test and get distracted. Even though the students are enjoying taking these practice tests, we figured that the students can’t get enough exposure to the types of questions that they’ll be facing when they take the real test in May.

            I had to break up a fight today between 2 guys. It started out as just something small but then started to escalate and that’s when I jumped in. This was the first time that it’s happened when I was around but I think that the disinterest in the test contributed to them getting off task and disagreeing about something.

            There were periods throughout the day where the students actually stayed on task for 10-15 min at a time but they were few and far between. While the test experience is great for the students, it is leading to some classroom management issues that we are taking care of as they happen.

Interactivity 3

Our group knocked this assignment out of the park. It looks fantastic and all of the technologies are hyper linked for convenience. We all worked together well and rarely hit any speed bumps. Each person's voice was heard and everyone contributed equally. A lot of the technologies that we found were more along the lines of internet labs and resources rather than hardware that we could bring into the classroom to supplement the teaching. A lot of science is based on things that you can't see with your naked eye, so these technologies allow us to bring the concepts to the students in a more interactive and visually engaging way.

Observations in Newark 7

Today was my turn to teach again and the lesson was on Punnett Squares and Probability. I tried to make the lesson more relate-able to the students by making the probability question “If a couple wants to have 3 girls in a row, what is the probability of that happening?” The students liked that question and participated well through that section. Mr. N likes to give them a PowerPoint with guided notes so that they keep up with the lesson and it works really well with them. Ms. P gave me a SpongeBob genetics worksheet to use because the students love SpongeBob and it tied in directly to what I was teaching. I bought a slide changer remote to allow me to walk around the room while I was talking, so I could more effectively use proximity control. I am beginning to learn the students’ names and it definitely helps when I want to get everyone involved with the lesson. Mr. N said that he taught some of this stuff to these same students last year when he taught Environmental Science. 4 out of 5 classes went smoothly, and I was very pleased with that because it is only my second time teaching in front of these students.

            Period 1 gave me no problems. They followed along with the lesson and participated throughout. They completed most of the worksheet and the rest was assigned for homework. Using proximity control allowed me to walk over to a group that was having a side conversation and they quieted down as I got closer.

            Period 4 has the “swizzle stick” but he wasn’t out of line this week. He was participating throughout the whole lesson and stayed on task the entire period. The rest of the class was also very good and I was able to get through the information and help them figure out some of the stuff on the worksheet. Period 6 was my best class all day.

            Period 7 was the hell class. Students were coming in yelling and talking. Mr. N had to step in a few times to try and get the class back on task but that didn’t even work. Eventually we were able to get them on task for periods at a time but it was rough and extremely draining for the both of us.

            Period 8 was great as usual. That class respects me and is always participating and remaining on task. It was a nice way to end the day.

            One thing that frustrated me during the day was Ms. P’s substitute. Usually the sub will just sit in the back of the room and not do anything but she was trying to learn what I was teaching, which I didn’t mind at all. What I did mind was when she would interrupt me and call out groups of students who weren’t particularly on task and criticize them for not following along. I knew that they were aware of what was going on because I made sure to direct my questions to groups of students all around the room.

            I know for the future to incorporate more activities in my lessons. I want to just give them the info and go with the activities. If the class is moving and flowing, they tend to stay on task better than with a lecture.

Observations in Newark 6

Today Mr. N was out and he let me know this the day before. He said that Ms. P knew what was going on and would fill me and the sub in. Well I got stuck in traffic and got there late and the sub got there even later than I did. Mr. N didn’t leave any lesson plans to guide us along in period 1 so we just gave them a study hall. During the prep periods Ms. P came in and filled us in with what they were doing. She is there periods 4, 6, and 7 so it helped when I ended up teaching period 8 by myself. They were finishing their projects and filling out a study guide for their test on Monday.

            Period 4 has the “swizzle stick”. This fella says things to get a reaction out of the teacher and I figured that so when he started making terrorist jokes because of my beard, (nothing I haven’t heard before) I ignored him and he eventually stopped. Period 4 is the class that’s usually behind and they had a case of the Fridays and refused to do their work but we were able to motivate them to a degree to just complete some of the study guide.

            Period 6 was a great example of how when a class is ahead, they do their work and are much more well-behaved. There are a few characters in the class but nothing mean or directed towards anyone. Well, actually one student said Mr. N should take a different job so me and Ms. P could teach them because they “actually learn from us”. That was a nice confidence booster. Period 7 is a rowdy bunch and is male dominated. It was during this class where I felt myself blending with the students more and more. Period 8 was all mine because the sub just sat on his phone all day and played games. Ms. P said that that’s fairly common, so I’m going to apply to become a sub in Newark so that if either of them are out again I can fill in and not waste the city’s money. The students in period 8 were on task for the most part when they were working on their posters but when it came time for the study guide they didn’t care. I kept reminding them about their test on Monday and motivating them be reminding them on how well they did on their last test. It helped a little but they were checked out for the most part.

            At the end of the day I was talking to Ms. P about how the day went and the different dynamics of each class. She noticed that I’m fitting in much better with the students after only being here for 6 Fridays. She also reminded me to not get offended by anything they say because of the homes the grew up in and the influences that they have on their life. It seemed like she was much more understanding with the students while Mr. N was much harder on them and exerted his coercive power much more. I’m listening to the students and being more like I have been because they seem to like the mutual respect and the simplicity in which I present the material.

Observations in Newark 5

So today was my first day teaching to high school students and I was incredibly nervous. I had taught before but it was only one lesson to my peers in my methods class. I got to Central high early and set up the classroom the way I needed it and got everything set up. Mr. N showed up a little later and helped my set everything up. My lesson was an introduction to the NJBCT, which the students will have to take at the end of the year. 80% of Newark and 95% of Central High failed last year so they wanted to make sure the students were prepared. My lesson opened up with them receiving a question sheet with a number on it as they walked in. They were to sit at that group and answer as many questions to the best of their ability in about 10-15 minutes. Then after that I was going to introduce the test and go over the answers with the students.

            So throughout the whole day about half of the students were engaged in the lesson and those who were engaged got the material. I made the mistake of telling them that it wasn’t going to be graded first period and they just shut down and didn’t even try it. Period 1 was just me and Mr. Nazaire and in periods 4, 6, and 7 Ms. P was there also. Periodically throughout the lesson they would interject with something that the students may have learned earlier in the year that would help them understand the question better. Mr. N said that 4^th period my energy wasn’t there but as the day went on it picked up again. He also said that period 1 was my best but I felt that period 8 was. Period 1 students are still sleepy and they just go along with whatever but period 8 students are usually checked out by that point but I got some really good participation out of them.

            Period 7 is a rough class because of the personalities amongst the students. There was a little issue with one of them and Mr. N and him were going back and forth until Mr. N told him to “Go pop a perk”. I know that things aren’t supposed to distract you from teaching but I couldn’t help but laugh.

            For the future I really need to incorporate more motivation into my lessons to get them to participate. Mr. N recommended that I incorporate something to get them out of their seats in the future. He also said that I need to work on my teacher voice in the classroom. I think as the lessons continue I will feel more comfortable in the teaching role and exude more confidence in front of the classroom. I will also figure out what works and what doesn’t to get them motivated and interested in the lesson.