This video of my practice captures a discussion from part of our biology unit on cell division. In this lesson, we are discussing a cancer case study patient, Abby. Abby has ovarian cancer. In this series of three lessons, we have used Abby’s case study to investigate the general causes of and treatment for cancer. This video clip in particular captures the end of this series of lessons, when students assumed the role of doctor and decided their own course of treatment for the case study patient.
I begin this part of the lesson by instructing the students to “imagine you are Abby’s oncologist, … what would you want Abby to have?” (at time 0:00). I felt that challenging students to apply their knowledge of cancer treatments would engage students and enhance the learning process for them. I wanted to use this activity to review basics about cancer treatments. I wanted students to see the pros and cons of each type of treatment. I also wanted students to observe that, in general, everyone has different ideas and ways of thinking about problems.
After watching the video clip of this lesson segment, I realize that I may or may not want to do this activity if I were a student in my classroom. I would enjoy this activity if I like to role-play and can imagine myself in a different position, as “doctor.” I also would like this activity if I enjoyed talking to my fellow classmates. I may not enjoy this activity if the topics of science and medicine do not interest me or if I do not feel comfortable socializing with the students around me. I may also feel uncomfortable if I do not want to talk about cancer and cancer treatments, for personal reasons. I may also have difficulty with this part of the lesson if I was not present or paying attention during earlier lessons, when we reviewed Abby’s case and types of treatments, or if I did not pay attention to what we were supposed to discuss (although I displayed the prompt on the screen).
From a teacher’s perspective, I would not change my lesson plan, as some of these potential student concerns represent challenges that I want my students to face. Although my students may not enjoy role-playing, I want my students to see the application of science to the fields of technology and medicine. Although my students may not feel comfortable talking to their classmates, I want them to develop social skills in my classroom, not only because science is a social process but also because students will need social skills to succeed in their future jobs and career fields. I hope that I planned and implemented my lessons for this unit in the way that respected student experiences and allowed them to feel comfortable discussing this tough topic with each other and with me.
One piece of evidence from the video suggests that I did just that: helped students to feel comfortable discussing a tough topic with each other. Although I did not circulate to every group as they were discussing (I noted from the video that I spent a majority of the time with the left section of the room), I picked up from the video that one of the boys in the back section shared a personal story with the other three boys. While I noticed those boys fooling around during other portions of the lesson, Adam* can be heard telling the other three boys: “I’m not gunna lie, I want her [Abby] to get surgery done; my mom had ovarian cancer, she, she had her ovaries removed” (at time 0:47-0:57). When I came to check in with their group, Adam also told me this story; however, if I had not captured this earlier exchange on video, then I would not have known that he shared this with the other boys as well. I am happy that I incorporated this small group discussion time into my lesson; however, I wonder if I could have implemented another strategy to hold students more accountable for their small group discussion, such as passing out a small sheet of paper with one or two guiding questions to answer as a group then pass in to me to grade.
Although I carefully plan every aspect of my lesson, I still often feel nervous in front of the classroom. In watching my video, I noticed that I often play with my necklace and walk around with my arms folded, two outward actions that I think indicate nervousness. I also think that I appear guarded when I cross my arms, which in turn detaches from my assertiveness as a teacher. Despite these signs of apprehension and reservation, I feel very knowledgeable about the topic of cancer biology. I think I came across as knowledgeable in the way that I addressed each student’s question. In depth planning and having an organized presentation helps.
Even though I look nervous and guarded in the video, I actually feel more comfortable and confident in front of the classroom compared to my fall teaching experience. I am utilizing classroom space more efficiently. I can use proximity to re-direct students who may be off task. I also think that my lessons flow better; I have worked on making my transitions smoother. I also have focused on fostering diverse student participation. In just this 10-minute lesson clip, I noted ten different students offering ideas during the whole class discussion segment. I make sure to call on students from each section of the room, to show that I value input from each student and that I do not play favorites in my classroom. In this clip, I called on two students from the right section, four students from the back section, and four students from the left section. Since the fall, I have become more comfortable with implementing “wait-time” when I want students to offer ideas or to answer questions.
Overall, I feel that I need to work on the following areas of my practice: pacing, differentiation, teaching to more multiple intelligences (especially kinestetic, musical, and intra/interpersonal) by further diversifying my instructional strategies, and implementing a more regular use of formative assessment. I think that my lessons move somewhat slowly at times, because I need to stop to make sure all students are paying attention, because I sometimes need to rephrase my questions to help students understand, and because I sometimes forget what comes next in my lesson (I get nervous). I would like to have a clearer and stronger classroom management strategy for my classroom next year. I also would like to spend more time in preparing specific questions for my classes. I still find myself leaning toward lecture and video based lessons, probably because I am a visual learner. I would like to adapt my lessons to address other intelligences, especially kinestetic, musical, and intra/interpersonal. I could use more manipulatives for the kinestetic learner, more "write a song/rap" assignments or use rap songs about science for the musical learner, and implement weekly reflective journal assignments for the intrapersonal learner. Finally, I would like to use exit tickets as formative assessment in the future.
I begin this part of the lesson by instructing the students to “imagine you are Abby’s oncologist, … what would you want Abby to have?” (at time 0:00). I felt that challenging students to apply their knowledge of cancer treatments would engage students and enhance the learning process for them. I wanted to use this activity to review basics about cancer treatments. I wanted students to see the pros and cons of each type of treatment. I also wanted students to observe that, in general, everyone has different ideas and ways of thinking about problems.
After watching the video clip of this lesson segment, I realize that I may or may not want to do this activity if I were a student in my classroom. I would enjoy this activity if I like to role-play and can imagine myself in a different position, as “doctor.” I also would like this activity if I enjoyed talking to my fellow classmates. I may not enjoy this activity if the topics of science and medicine do not interest me or if I do not feel comfortable socializing with the students around me. I may also feel uncomfortable if I do not want to talk about cancer and cancer treatments, for personal reasons. I may also have difficulty with this part of the lesson if I was not present or paying attention during earlier lessons, when we reviewed Abby’s case and types of treatments, or if I did not pay attention to what we were supposed to discuss (although I displayed the prompt on the screen).
From a teacher’s perspective, I would not change my lesson plan, as some of these potential student concerns represent challenges that I want my students to face. Although my students may not enjoy role-playing, I want my students to see the application of science to the fields of technology and medicine. Although my students may not feel comfortable talking to their classmates, I want them to develop social skills in my classroom, not only because science is a social process but also because students will need social skills to succeed in their future jobs and career fields. I hope that I planned and implemented my lessons for this unit in the way that respected student experiences and allowed them to feel comfortable discussing this tough topic with each other and with me.
One piece of evidence from the video suggests that I did just that: helped students to feel comfortable discussing a tough topic with each other. Although I did not circulate to every group as they were discussing (I noted from the video that I spent a majority of the time with the left section of the room), I picked up from the video that one of the boys in the back section shared a personal story with the other three boys. While I noticed those boys fooling around during other portions of the lesson, Adam* can be heard telling the other three boys: “I’m not gunna lie, I want her [Abby] to get surgery done; my mom had ovarian cancer, she, she had her ovaries removed” (at time 0:47-0:57). When I came to check in with their group, Adam also told me this story; however, if I had not captured this earlier exchange on video, then I would not have known that he shared this with the other boys as well. I am happy that I incorporated this small group discussion time into my lesson; however, I wonder if I could have implemented another strategy to hold students more accountable for their small group discussion, such as passing out a small sheet of paper with one or two guiding questions to answer as a group then pass in to me to grade.
Although I carefully plan every aspect of my lesson, I still often feel nervous in front of the classroom. In watching my video, I noticed that I often play with my necklace and walk around with my arms folded, two outward actions that I think indicate nervousness. I also think that I appear guarded when I cross my arms, which in turn detaches from my assertiveness as a teacher. Despite these signs of apprehension and reservation, I feel very knowledgeable about the topic of cancer biology. I think I came across as knowledgeable in the way that I addressed each student’s question. In depth planning and having an organized presentation helps.
Even though I look nervous and guarded in the video, I actually feel more comfortable and confident in front of the classroom compared to my fall teaching experience. I am utilizing classroom space more efficiently. I can use proximity to re-direct students who may be off task. I also think that my lessons flow better; I have worked on making my transitions smoother. I also have focused on fostering diverse student participation. In just this 10-minute lesson clip, I noted ten different students offering ideas during the whole class discussion segment. I make sure to call on students from each section of the room, to show that I value input from each student and that I do not play favorites in my classroom. In this clip, I called on two students from the right section, four students from the back section, and four students from the left section. Since the fall, I have become more comfortable with implementing “wait-time” when I want students to offer ideas or to answer questions.
Overall, I feel that I need to work on the following areas of my practice: pacing, differentiation, teaching to more multiple intelligences (especially kinestetic, musical, and intra/interpersonal) by further diversifying my instructional strategies, and implementing a more regular use of formative assessment. I think that my lessons move somewhat slowly at times, because I need to stop to make sure all students are paying attention, because I sometimes need to rephrase my questions to help students understand, and because I sometimes forget what comes next in my lesson (I get nervous). I would like to have a clearer and stronger classroom management strategy for my classroom next year. I also would like to spend more time in preparing specific questions for my classes. I still find myself leaning toward lecture and video based lessons, probably because I am a visual learner. I would like to adapt my lessons to address other intelligences, especially kinestetic, musical, and intra/interpersonal. I could use more manipulatives for the kinestetic learner, more "write a song/rap" assignments or use rap songs about science for the musical learner, and implement weekly reflective journal assignments for the intrapersonal learner. Finally, I would like to use exit tickets as formative assessment in the future.