It can be seen through my Analysis of Student Learning that I had two lessons in

which all of my students achieved proficiency in the learning goal, they were lessons
two and five. I’ve decided to reflect on my fifth lesson, the Wind Blade Design
Challenge. I believe that this lesson was as successful as it was due to a variety of
reasons. The first being it was very hands-on. This is something I targeted as an
instructional strategy for all of my students based on my interest inventory. It also
connected to the real world in terms of renewable energy and energy production.
Students nowadays are well aware of the strides our country and the world has made
towards transitioning to renewable sources of energy. Ths lesson allowed my students
to explore this even further in terms of energy production via wind.
My least successful lesson was lesson three. Although I had more students attain
proficiency in this lesson than lesson 1. I still feel as though this was the lesson I
struggled the most with as a teacher. The main reason being my uncomfortability with
the topic, electrical systems. When a teacher does not know exactly what they are
talking about students can often tell. This can lead to wavering attention and distrust in
the material being presented. Another reason I feel as though this lesson struggled was
due to the lack of instruction. This might be a good or a bad thing, but there was
minimal lecture and more discussion about the topic for this lesson. This is probably
rooted in my uncomfortability with the topic. So as a class we discussed different
elements of the topic and did informal research during the lecture.
A main goal of mine that I have developed since completing this unit is an
organized grouping of physical objects that I can use to demonstrate many physics
phenomena. Most students especially in science classes are very perceptive and
hands-on. Having a physical demonstration to support a phenomena enriches any
learning experience. This can be anything from “spirit sticks” to help demonstrate
moment of inertia, to simple electric motors. I plan on constructing my own
demonstrations for a variety of topics over the next couple months. I can then bring
these demonstrations into the classroom to provide further enrichment. I have a couple
resources in mind, one being a Youtube channel from Bruce Yanney, as well as an
online resource called “The Book of Phizz”
Another professional goal that I have thought of through this process is coming
up with more modifications and accommodations for my students. Through student
interviews I found that many of my students struggled with ADD, ADHD, or symptoms
related to these learning disabilities. I’m hoping to do further research into these
learning disabilities in order to help my future students.
Although I did not have my students complete a formal reflection on my
performance. I did receive much feedback from my students throughout this experience.
One thing I think my students appreciated was my willingness to develop relationships
with all of my students. When given time at the beginning or end of class, I always
floated around the room asking students what's up? And how are things going. This
would often lead to further conversations about student interests or activities outside of
class. There was also one student in particular that was taking a physics class through
the University of Maine Orono. After building a relationship with this student, they often
came to see me for help on their physics work.