Video Reflection 1

Student Teaching Block 2

December 13, 2019

Kindergarten Video 1:

The biggest thing I noticed in my early teaching (not only this video, but others as well) is the

lack of specific feedback. Lots of times, I would give the class non-specific feedback like “good job” or

“nice” rather than telling them exactly what they were doing well with and what needed work. This is

something that I think has definitely gotten better as I’ve taught at this school longer, but it is something

I will always be working towards. Planning more direct instruction and a more specific script to stick to is

something that I think is important for the first few years of teaching before it becomes habitual to

teach that way.

Another problem I have is waiting too long for students to talk about off-topic things and

waiting too long between activities. Good pacing is something that I think will come with time, but it’s

definitely something that I need to focus on, especially if I end up teaching elementary. Fast transitions

to keep the kid’s attention are very important and I need to get better at them.

Some positives that I noticed are my overall demeanor and attitude towards the kids. I manage

to stay positive and smiling in front of them even though I’m nervous or things aren’t going as well as I

want them to. I think I do an okay job at using remind language and things with them, but I could work

on finding new ways to say things so that I’m not always repeating the same phrase over and over again.
 Video Reflection 2
Student Teaching Block 2
December 13, 2019

4th Grade Video 2:

One thing that I’ve noticed big improvement in with the upper grades is my ability to assess as

we go and to pay attention to individuals and point out issues. When I began teaching recorders, I felt a

little overwhelmed by all the sound and students and did not do a good job of fixing individual mistakes

as we went. That’s definitely an improvement that I’m very happy with, since it was one of my goals to

get better at.

I think the echoing patterns that I started doing with recorders are working really well. The

students are picking up on rhythms and small nuances much better than they used to (things like a half

note versus a quarter note and a quarter rest). Their internal pulses are also improving, and their ability

to echo melodic patterns is starting to get better as well. Watching myself do this activity was

encouraging because it appears to be really working for them. Being able to stop and fix things on

rhythms that are slightly more complex than the music they’re playing right now should be very helpful

when they start playing more complex music.

Another thing that I think I’ve really grown with in the upper grades is the way I offer

instruction. At the beginning, I used to be pretty passive and soft spoken with them. This caused the

students to take advantage and get off track easily. As I’ve gotten more comfortable in front of them,

I’ve found a nice in between where I can be more direct and snappy with them, which they respond

better to. Since finding this balance, behavior management has been a lot easier with these upper

grades.