First Days of Block

I just wanted to post a general update on how things are going so far. I am really enjoying my Block and I definitely feel that this is where we must all take advantage of our resources because this is the setting in which we will learn the most this year about becoming future educators. The theory behind the classroom environment may be an important ingredient to one's success, however, there is much going on in the classroom that you just tend to never learn about in class.

My students are great, but they still have good and bad days and on those bad days I must be ready to switch gears at any moment. I have learned to not be afraid to change my lesson on the fly to follow the interest of the students and I am definitely not afraid to scratch a lesson completely to do something more interactive and fun with my students. I was initially enjoying the fact that I was given my information well in advance to plan all my lessons and prepare myself for the class, but I am finding that I would rather wait until the last moment to plan lessons so that I can be sure of what they are currently interested in and to give me an idea of how much work they are capable of performing.

My first two lessons were well planned with lots of material available to be covered; however, I had to exclude many of my extension tasks because of the limited amount of time and the pace at which my students work. Other factors such as getting changed before and after recess, getting snack time and long transition times have all affected the length of my lessons as well as limiting my choices of activities for the students. These factors were taken to mind, but never fully considered while lesson planning, but I feel that I can now make more effective lesson plans that will accomodate for these minor disturbances, as well as creating better management techniques to ensure that we move quickly enough to not waste any time in our limited day.

I hope everyone is having a great time at their placements and I wish you all the luck in succeeding with your lesson planning and teaching.