Reflection 1

This is the reflection I wrote for the first lesson my supervising teacher saw me teach.

I think phonics and mathematics are the two most difficult concepts to teach. They are both building-block subjects. Each new skill to be taught is dependent upon the skills
that should have been previously learned, so its important to make sure that ALL the students are on board. And the speed at which and the ways in which students understand and gain these skills varies so widely. And so, when teaching phonics and math skills, especially at the foundational levels, it is so important to have numerous methods and strategies at the ready, before you start teaching the lesson.

Part of this is getting to know your students, and understanding the ways in which they learn. I think the more phonics lessons I participate in with these students, the more I will learn about how they learn, which will help me to adjust the strategies I use. Unfortunately, all the textbooks in the world on "how to teach phonics" can't really prepare you for a 6 year-old starting at you blankly. I think that is about the scariest thing in the world - seeing that a child isn't understanding what you're trying to teach, and having no idea how to get through to him. Especially when you thought the methods you had planned to use were as clear as you thought they could be.

For future phonics lessons, I will scour books, the internet, etc, for strategies to add to my "bag of tricks" that relate to whatever skill I am trying to teach. I will make sure that for the future, I have not only a plan B, but at least a plan C ready as backup.

I will also focus on slowing down my speech and enunciating more. Believe it or not, I'm actually better than I used to be. I'm hoping that feeling more comfortable (and thus less nervous), will help, but I'll try to find a trick to help me remember to "check in" with myself. Maybe as simple as writing "SLOW DOWN" on the back of my hand, where I'll see it often.