Paul Pearson

ECUI 531
Scott Reilly
First Grade Lesson Reflection
This exercise was designed to test our ability to step out o our co!ort "one and adapt to
an en#iron!ent o students uncharacteristic o those we will instruct as uture educators$ %y
peers did an excellent &ob o portraying irst grade students$ 's I began this lesson( I i!!ediately
reali"ed that I did not ocus enough on classroo! !anage!ent during !y planning$ I had spent a
signiicant a!ount o ti!e creating an instructional plan that would be well)paced or students in
this age group( but I had not counted on delays concerning the beha#ior o the students$ *hile
the students+ de!eanor was not negati#e in any way( !uch !ore eort should ha#e been placed
on ,eeping the students engaged in #arious acti#ities tailored to their respecti#e de#elop!ental
stages$
The issue o excessi#e lecturing is one that I a! continuing to battle during this course(
and it was e#ident that I still tend to struggle with it$ %y S!artboard presentation( while colorul
and si!pliied( is still ocused on !y tendencies to dri#e a lesson with lecture$ I had run o#er !y
ti!e due to the distractions in class and !y inability to ,eep students on tas, and attenti#e$
'lison+s acti#ity in#ol#ing water and ood coloring to si!ulate irewor,s was an excellent
exa!ple o how an ele!entary teacher uses un acti#ities to relay concepts to students and ,eep
the! positi#ely and constructi#ely e!ployed$
I I were to conduct this lesson again( I would ha#e a presentation less lengthy( and I
would ha#e had students interact with the S!artboard !ore$ There are unli!ited possibilities
how this technology could ha#e been used to ,eep the students interested in the !aterial$ -or
exa!ple( I would incorporate an acti#ity where students can co!e up to the board and use
pictures o ob&ects or actions and identiy the! as nouns or #erbs$ Students can then use these
pictures to create their own sentences$ Since %ichael+s !ad lib exercise went o#er so well and
can add hu!or to a presentation( such an acti#ity would be !uch !ore entertaining that ha#ing
the! write words on slips o paper$
.oredo! is a huge roadbloc, in instruction( especially or students o this grade le#el$ It
is the instructor+s &ob to instruct as well as !a,e class an en&oyable experience$ This strategy
!ust be at the oreront o !y uture planning$ I ha#e notice !y tendency to bore students with
instruction that lac,s de#otion to indi#idual learning styles and preerences$ .y incorporating
#arious !ethods( I a! stri#ing to brea, out o the conining /chal, and tal,0 !ethods Ito which I
ha#e beco!e accusto!ed$