Week of Reflection: 9/9

• Rate your overall experience of the week: 4
• Seven questions to end your week:

• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?
    It's just been a good week! having a day off was nice, but it felt like it put me behind, having the student teaching meeting on Wednesday, and then having the trumpet guest artist from Baylor (Fri-Sat off and on) was just taxing on my time. It was good, but I feel like I couldn't get much done. However, I've started working on some general lesson plans, rebuffing my resume, and the beginnings of Task 1.
  • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
    I learned through a few teaching opportunities, that while students usually respond well, middle schoolers don't really like to sing in band, haha. However, once they did, it really helped them.
  • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?
    One of my long term goals has been to learn how to better teach percussion, I would eventually like to know how to do most of the rudiments, and create a schedule on what is the best order to teach percussion. Anyway, I've had lots of opportunities, particularly this past week, to work with percussion, and it definitely feels foreign. I know rhythm well, and all, but technique and how to improve it is way beyond me.
  • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? 
    Driving... enough said.
  • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
    I got to teach a multiple times this week, often very spur of the moment, and while I was apprehensive about what I needed to teach or how to teach it, it always went fairly well.
  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
    Take some time tomorrow evening, and do some better planning (easier said than done). My video release forms are soon close to being all turned in, and I really need to start planning when I'm going to video tape.
    
    

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?
  The 8th grade low brass really struggle with confidence and it really affects their playing and sight reading. I'm beginning to teach them how to be "autonomous," I began by teaching them that work in class. Lets see what they glean from it. #literacy
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?
• My CT does a great job of teaching literacy in the classroom, Teaching standard 3C, by often using a "big word" in instruction, and then asking the students what it means, and then expanding on it or defining it if the students don't know. He is also a firm believer in using that word again in a couple days, and does this fairly regularly. It's a pretty simple and easy idea to incorporate. I've already tried it, and I like it.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
• • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

    1A- I'm constantly working with groups of students, and working on their team chemistry. This week I worked with the bass line, and talk about trying to get them to collaborate. Wow!

  • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

    2A- It's clear to me that students are becoming more comfortable with my presence in their classroom. I'm trying to be friendly, and they are constantly asking me questions or for help between class.

  • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

    3A-I'm starting to write lesson plans that clearly align with NC Standards

  • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

    4A- Percussionists often get bored, and this week I gave the percussionists a challenging alternate assignment to get their minds working while I taught the rest of the class. Talk about some differentiation.

  • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some 
    activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

    5C- I looked up some research verified strategies this week, I couldn't find any that I wanted to use yet, but it's a start.

• Other:
• • What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?

    Resume, Task 1, & EE6, Professional Goals

  • What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?
    hmmm
  • What support do you need from your university supervisor?
  • I just have a crazy amount of questions, and they are all blanking on me, RIGHT NOW. It's late, I'm going to bed