This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Teaching Mastery
Well the title sounds good but I'm not there yet! However, I've come a long way to be sure. I have had several great moments in the last few weeks but one in particular came when another teacher commented on how well a lab activity went in my class and she wanted to know my secret. This particular lab can be quite confusing and the students must follow instructions very closely or the entire activity will not work. An added element is that students are getting to wear gloves, goggles,and masks for the first time - exciting! I was glad to share with her how I gave very specific instructions to my students and did not continue until they could relay to me what their task was. I was also very deliberate in how I asked students to participate and move to stations during the lab. All went very well, the students had a great time, I closed the lesson with a fun review and the bell rang. The teacher said to me, "when I do this lab it only takes about 20 minutes of class time." Thank you NTI for helping me with lesson planning, time management and classroom rules.
Hi, Teresa - what a great testimony to your skills as well! I especially like that you did not let your students move until they gave acceptable feedback to your directions. I'll bet they are used to doing that, too. And I know you were proud of your students for performing well in front of a visitor. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNothing is better than having a peer compliment you. It just shows that when a teacher goes the extra mile how rewarding it can be. We need more teachers like you who will put in the extra effort.
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