Summary and Implications

I am in Lesson Study Two and in the third Technology presentation so I am feeling a little overwhelmed with the material now. I did not realize all the members of the lesson study group had to go through to prepare the lesson study lesson. I have a lot of respect for Group One's members because I am seeing how much time it is already going to take. I realize that both projects are coming up fast and it just shows that as a person who is preparing to be a teacher there is going to be times you are going to feel overwhelmed and not sure if you can get everything done or not. I know that this is good practice for when we get out to teach and will help us be more prepared so I am glad that we are doing both of these projects. It was exciting to see the girl I tutor that attends Elk Point-Jefferson pull on Geometry Sketchpad that her teacher had taught them a lesson on it today. It was a little sad that she was not exactly sure how to do it and that she could not explain to me how to do it, but I was excited to see a teacher using it and knowing what it is from class. I also think that watching the video and analyzing things will be greatly beneficial. I also feel like the more exposure we can get to a classroom will lessen the nerves once we become teachers. I do not think that the nerves will ever not be there, but I believe that it will help. I feel like the lesson study and technology presentation will be helpful as I continue my training. I also have realized that sometimes you have to be extremely flexible when you are a teacher. So, I feel like I am getting valuable knowledge from this class.

New Insights and Their Implications

In the creation of Lesson Study 1 a lot of time and thought went into the format of this lesson. At first, this long drawn out procedure was an experience that was hard to see the outcome and hard to see if it could even be used later on in our profession as a teacher. Once we actually presented our lesson to the classroom we saw an outcome that wasn't quite expected and definately a learning experience. We had many expectations coming into the lesson from the students and that could have been where we made a mistake. If we were to think of every aspect of each student in creating this lesson we maybe could have seen different reactions to it. Also, once we have our first year teaching job, we are going to be making many lesson plans from scratch. Yeah, we may not be able to have a group of people collaborating to put a lesson together, but after one teaches the lesson for the first time one can reflect on how it went and note changes that could happen to better the lesson. After years of doing this many well thought out lessons will be filed and for the different types of classes one has there will be at this point different options for lessons on that particular subject. So, out of this experience reflection after a lesson is taught and observed how students take in the lesson will be incorporated in my career as a teacher.

Summary and Synthesis

Lately, we have been discussing a lot about lesson study one. I really believe it was a success. I was able to think about the lesson and teaching methods in alternative ways. There were aspects I would have never thought about it if I was going to create this lesson myself. I was given the aspect of analyzing student questions and teacher questions. I did not realize how many questions are asked within a single lesson. Our group has been working hard on our technology presentation. I have also been researching for lesson study 2 and 3. Overall, the duscussions we have been having about lesson studies have benefited me the most lately. I have been able to take different view points on how to design lessons. Therefore, this class has improved my teaching methods and strategies

Personal Conerns and Next Steps

Through out this course, I have been concerned with the work load and expectations. Thankfully, I have managed to help my group with the lesson study and my technology group prepare for the Fathom presentation. Now my concerns are focused on the last question and the other lesson studies. I guess I feel that the next two lesson studies are at a disadvantage due to the fact that time is limited and our resourses are spread between many other courses. However, while these limitations will make it more difficult, however, the values of these were well worth the effort. This leaves me with the hope that the other groups will recieve the same opportunities.

New Insights and Their Implications

After observing and watching the video of the first groups lesson plan, I am more aware of how students might view lessons and how reviewing a lesson on video would help with future lessons. Being able to be in the classroom observing how students worked with the technology was my job for the lesson study. I was able to see how the students were responding to the lesson also. I was particularly interested in how the students would did not seem to be forth coming with answers to questions that Brittany would ask. I think that in most cases students will be hesitant to answer questions in a situation where it is new to them or if somebody that they are not used to teaches them. The students for the most part were actively engaged through out the lesson, however they did not seem to have the confidence or as stated earlier were just shy about the situation. Reviewing the video of the lesson is also something that I think is very important. You can reflect on your teaching after you give a lesson but if you watch the video of your lesson you can point out specific examples and ideas you might fix or improve on for next time. I think that lesson study is an effective way of improving your lessons and teaching.

New Insights and Their Implications

Watching the first lesson study group really gave me insight into the real classroom. It was different to watch the classroom from that angle and really investigate the behaviors of the students. I have done both my paraprofessional and internships, and taught lessons during each other experiences. However, while teaching those lessons, I never really had the opportunity to see how the students reacted to me as a teacher and to each other. Observation of the classroom teacher is something that I have done for both experiences, however being a new teacher really changes the way that the students interact in the classroom. It was a great lesson study and was very well planned. Execution for the group was difficult but they had a great deal of challenges stacked against them given the time that the lesson was given. Regardless, I walked away from that experience with a better understanding of the classroom setting then I had ever had, and gained insight into how my lesson study group should approach teaching our lesson.

New Insights and Their Implications

From the first lesson presented at the high school, I learned that student participation is not always very good. I thought that the group presented a lot of interesting and engaging questions and information, but sometimes the class did not respond with the enthusiasm that I expected (and was hoping to see). This makes teaching more difficult because it is essential to plan for a motivation that does not get the anticipated results. I have also learned, particularly from the Fathom presentation, that the classroom experience is continually changing. It seems it has changed more from when I went to high school to the present than between my parents' days in high school and my days there. I understand that I am biased and that this statement is arguable. This seems to have happened because of all the technology. I was a big fan of writing on the white (and even chalk) boards. However, as in my observation of the lesson study at the high school, I know that I have to account for different learning styles and try to get students engaged in learning. Therefore, the new technology may be my opportunity to do so. I have encountered many effective teachers, and I hope to teach using a blend of the best methods and styles that they have collectively used.

Summary and Synthesis

Lesson Study 1 was an eye opening and beneficial experience for me. Our group spent numerous hours on preparing the lesson, however I learned that no matter how prepared or well planed the lesson is not every student is going to partake in the lesson. Motivating the students is a crucial part of teaching, either it being intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. Students have to want to learn the material! I want to become a successful educator and these in class experiences are very important to becoming the teacher I want to become. I can get my college degree in education and still not be fully prepared for becoming a great teacher, experience in the classroom and working with students is important. I strongly believe that the Lesson Study experiences are great opportunities for us. We get to work on lessons that we will eventually teach and get the first hand experience in teaching them. From my Lesson Study 1 experience I also realized how much work it is to develop a unique and intriguing lesson. Teachers do not have the time to develop all their lessons to this extent. I think it was a great opportunity to present a teacher with a different type of lesson that they can use in the future.

Summary and Synthesis

Teaching Lesson Study 1 was a really good experience for me. One thing I learned from this experience is how important it is to motivate students. During the lesson about 1/3 of the class were not very interested in the lesson and spent a lot of time talking. I've realized that some students need a lot of motivation in mathematics, even when doing a technology based activity, which I would think would be something different and fun. Another thing I learned from teaching the lesson study is that sometimes you will ask a question and students will not answer. After teaching this lesson I now know what it feels like to stand at the front of a classroom and hear nothing coming back at you. There was a lot of talking going on during the activity, but when it came time to reflect on what they had learned, the students were all of a sudden very quiet. It was difficult to get the students to share their answers to the activity and to answer my questions. I think that had I known the students it might have been more comfortable for them to answer my questions and I also could have called on specific students. I think the most important thing I learned from this experience is that some things you can only learn from experience. This makes me look forward to student teaching next semester when I will definitely be learning a lot more from teaching experiences.