Lesson Reflection

On October 21st, 2014, I was able to teach my second lesson at Fossil Ridge
High School. I taught in Mrs. Rigbys 3rd period AP Human Geography class; the
lesson involved migration within the United States. In reflecting upon this lesson I
will assess the degree to which the lesson objectives were achieved, the extent to
which the lesson achieved the mission of the agenda for education in a democracy,
as well as discuss what I would do differently based on feedback from my professor,
match-up teacher, as well as the students.
I took to this lesson with a greater level of confidence than my previous
lesson. Having learned some areas in my teaching that needed improvement in my
first lesson, I felt much more prepared for this lesson. The students were engaged
and interacting well with one another. This class was different than the standard
that they are used to as it was very engaging, they were up and moving around the
room and working together; usually they just receive lecture and power point.
In considering the objectives of the lesson, I would say that they were
achieved in this class. Students did indeed interpret and evaluate U.S. migration in
this class, this was assessed via a ticket out the door, classroom discussion, and a
written personal narrative. Feedback in this realm from my professor, Liz and Tara,
my match-up teacher, suggested that I should have made the objective more
apparent. I did post the objective on the board, but I could have brought attention
to it and mentioned it explicitly to the class.
When looking at the achievement of the agenda for education in a democracy,
I believe that this lesson was completely in line with the mission. This lesson

contained nurturing pedagogy via my creation of a safe environment through

discussing right and wrong answers, as was stated by my match-up teacher; it also
contained equal access to education as was a differentiated lesson that touched on
multiple learning styles, as Liz pointed out; it also adhered to enculturation in a
democracy as students were collaborating, thinking critically and utilizing other 21st
century skills. In considering the agenda, I feel this lesson excelled. It felt really nice
to create a lesson that aligned so well with the agenda, it made me feel as though the
students received the valuable instruction they deserved.
After reviewing the feedback from my professor, match-up teacher, and the
students in the class, I feel that this lesson went very well. An engaging and
differentiated approach was taken with aspects that allowed the students to relate
and interact with the content, it was made relevant to their circumstance. All voices
were heard in this lesson on a number of occasions. Both my professor and my
match-up teacher stated that they thought it was a great lesson. They spoke highly
of my confidence and poise in front of the class. The students seemed to also really
appreciate and enjoy the lesson. Their feedback was positive and constructive.
From the feedback I received there are a few things I would alter if I were to
teach this lesson again. I would be more deliberate in stating the objective and
letting students know why we were doing what we were doing. I would also utilize
a power point just for some key terms and definitions; this was a suggestion from
some of my student feedback. Some students also suggested that I make sure to get
more voices heard during classroom discussion, I believe this could have been
achieved via cold call or other tactics. With these couple exceptions I dont believe

that I would change anything about this lesson. It was engaging, differentiated, and
aligned with the agenda for education in a democracy. It was a lot of fun to teach
like this, these are the lessons I aim to create for my future students.
This lesson went well, and I feel confidant in saying that. There are certainly
areas in which I could improve and will continue to strive for said improvement. I
reflecting upon the lesson I hope the students gathered as much from it as I think
they did and hope that they had as much fun engaging in the lesson as I did.