Paul Pearson ECUI 521 Scott Reilly January 29, 2014 Live Lesson Reflection

Unless the same person has con ucte a lesson o!er a lon" perio o# time to a similar au ience, it ne!er turns out e$actly the %ay you plan it& 'y military e$perience, com(ine %ith my recent classroom o(ser!ations, has ma e this a(un antly clear& )espite my preparations #or to ay*s lesson, some o# my less e##ecti!e ha(its once a"ain impe e the e##ecti!eness o# my presentation& +s 'r& ,urman e$plaine , it is my -o( to teach the process as much as it is to teach the physics& ,ein" pro#icient in intro uctory physics topics o#ten pre!ents me #rom #ocusin" on each step o# a process an e$plainin" it clearly& I o#ten com(ine .or completely omit/ %ithout consi erin" my au ience& 0his class %as in their #ourth #ull ay o# physics material, so ma1in" assumptions a(out %hat they 1ne% se!erely inhi(ite their a(ility to complete the %or1sheet& I instantly notice that I ha not spent su##icient time on the concept as soon as I istri(ute the assi"nment&

I reali2e no% shoul ha!e co!ere at least one more e$ample more thorou"hly, an I shoul ha!e maintaine or er %hile I co!ere the steps& 0here %as a chaotic #eelin" across the room as the stu ents (e"an their in i!i ual %or1& 3ortunately, 'r& ,urman an I %ere a!aila(le to more #ully e$plain the #actor la(el metho #or stu ents& +#ter the %or1sheet ha (een complete , I shoul ha!e also spent time re!ie%in" the pro(lems that the t%o stu ents ha put up on the %hite (oar & I eli(erately as1e them to sho% pro(lems %ith multiple steps, (ut I completely #or"ot to sho% the entire class %hy I chose to sho% these pro(lems as e$amples&

+#ter this portion o# the lesson, I re"aine my (earin" some%hat, an I ensure that I spent su##icient time on the ne$t topic& I pro!i e enou"h e$amples, an I spent enou"h time repeatin" an rein#orcin" ho% to i enti#y i"its that are an are not si"ni#icant& I (e"an to #eel more con#i ent in the stu ents* un erstan in" than (e#ore&

4!erall, I thin1 I maintaine my composure throu"hout the lesson, %hich I #oun to (e i##icult at times& It is encoura"in" to hear that I i not appear to (e ner!ous, an I trie to "et a #e% lau"hs out o# my lac1 o# #amiliarity %ith the lay o# the classroom an the Promethean (oar & I trie to 1eep a consistent pace throu"hout, %hich helpe me han le my an$iety& I thin1 this is somethin" that I can correct o!er time, an it is important to (e com#orta(le an #amiliar %ith your surroun in"s %hile teachin"&

5ith a #e% more li!e lessons, I thin1 I %ill (ecome more com#orta(le %ith teachin" material at the appropriate pro#iciency le!el& I also (elie!e "ettin" to 1no% a class is an inte"ral part o# teachin" %ell& I notice a strati#ication o# a(ility le!els in this particular class6 o!er time, I %ill (e a(le to mo i#y my instruction to a more i##erentiate an in i!i uali2e style& +n e$perience li1e this early on in one*s career is !ery (ene#icial, an I loo1 #or%ar to ha!in" this opportunity a"ain in the #uture&