Assignments: Classroom Interactions

Fall 2005

J. Smith

This handout describes the requirements for most of the written assignments in this course. There may be additional assignments made.

Electronic Journal Posts

Please see the "Electronic Journal" handout for specific information about how these assignments should be formatted. Since you will be discussing details of real people in a real classroom, each of these posts should either be locked to the class or to me and Sera so that they are not publicly accessible. Your posts will be graded according to the rubric found in the course syllabus, and grades will be posted on BlackBoard.

Journal Entry 1, due 9/8: Introductory post

Introduce yourself to your classmates. What is your major? Why are you interested in being a teacher? What are your expectations for this course? What questions do you have about teaching at this point?

Journal Entry 2, due 9/15: Mentor Teacher Interview

On September 13, you will meet your mentor teacher at Crockett High School from 5:00-6:00 . Along with the others who will be teaching in your mentor teacher's classroom, you should ask your teacher any questions you may have about his/her teaching philosophy, classroom management style, class policies (bathroom, homework assignment/collection/grading), and so on. We will discuss a possible list of questions to ask in class. After this meeting and one classroom observation, write a post summarizing your impressions of the teacher's classroom, teaching style, and classroom management style. Rather than be critical of what you have observed, this post should simply record what you have observed.

Journal Entry 3, due 9/22: Your first classroom observation

This post should describe your impressions of the students and the class in your mentor teacher's classroom. What did you see that you found intriguing? How would your describe your mentor teacher's teaching style and relationship with his/her students? What thoughts or questions do you have about your upcoming teaching experience?

Journal Entry 4, due 9/29: Questioning

We've spent some time in class discussing questioning strategies. Observe the questions your mentor teacher asks and write down three of them verbatim. For each, discuss the form, content, and purpose of the question. Did the question facilitate student learning? How would you suggest rephrasing the question to get a better response? In general, are your mentor teacher's questions teacher-centered or student-centered? What are your thoughts about the role of questioning in the classroom, at this point?

Journal Entry 5, due 10/6: Reflection on Teach 1

In this post, describe how the lessons proceeded, what surprises you encountered, positive and negative aspects of the experience, the extent to which you feel your lessons were successful, and what you plan to improve upon next time. In particular, discuss revisions you would make to your lesson plan if you were to teach it again.

Journal Entry 6, due 10/13: Open post

No topic is specified. Obviously, this post should be related to your field experience or progress in the course.

Journal Entry 7, due 10/20: Cooperative learning

To what extent have you seen (or used) cooperative learning this semester at Crockett? How well did it work? Consider our course readings and discussions about facilitating cooperative learning. What suggestions would you make to improve group interactions and learning in your mentor teacher's classroom? What questions do you still have about designing and implementing group work?

Journal Entry 8, due 10/27: Open post

No topic is specified. Obviously, this post should be related to your field experience or progress in the course.

Journal Entry 9, due 11/3: Observing other teachers

You have had the opportunity to observe other people teaching lessons at Crockett (either your peers or other teachers). What were your impressions of a different class? What did you see that surprised you? You may have seen a very different classroom environment than the one in your mentor teacher's classroom. What factors do you think are affecting these classroom communities, both positive and negative?

Journal Entry 10, due 11/10: Equity

We have discussed equity issues in class during the last week. What are your feelings about a teacher's responsibility for providing a comfortable learning environment for students? Reflect on your own teaching experience. To what extent did you (unintentionally) treat students differently on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.? How might you avoid doing this in the future?

Journal Entry 11, due 11/17: Reflection on Teach 2

In this post, describe how the lessons proceeded, what surprises you encountered, positive and negative aspects of the experience, the extent to which you feel your lessons were successful, and what you plan to improve upon next time. In particular, discuss revisions you would make to your lesson plan if you were to teach it again.

Journal Entry 12, due 12/1: Open post

No topic is specified. Obviously, this post should be related to your field experience or progress in the course.

Journal Entry 13, due 12/8: Reflection on the field experience

You can consider this post a place to "dump" all of your thoughts about your time in the field this semester in preparation for writing your final paper. To what extent were your expectations for the experience met? What surprised you? What was your best moment? Your worst moment?

Other Assignments

Later in the semester, you will receive a handout describing the requirements for your final presentation and final reflection paper.