Casta Garcia-Rosen

EDUG 863- Seminar/Student Teaching

3/2/15
Formal Observation #1
Reflection
This was my first formal observation in a classroom. I was very nervous and
excited to be presenting a lesson with students. As I reflect on this experience I realize
there is always room for improvement. For starters, I would re-consider making my
power point presentation shorter. Instead of focusing on doing two multi-step fraction
problems I would focus on doing one fraction problem to help students work through the
learning process. I would also spend more time working through the steps with students.
Then, I would instruct students to work in pairs or do a turn and talk and discuss how to
do the fraction problem. This would reinforce the concept of using unit fractions to solve
fraction problems and students would have an opportunity to apply what they have
learned.
I would also engage more students during the lesson by calling on them. At some
point during the lesson I realized that I was calling on the same group of students. It is
easier for teachers to call on students who know the correct answer and overlook other
students who might not. This is a common mistake for new teachers and it is important to
recognize that this is a missed learning opportunity for students. Students often have a
partial understanding of mathematical concepts and need clarification that will inevitably
help all students. Regardless of whether students are incorrect it is important to call upon
all students. Teachers need to allow time for this and address any misconceptions
preferably during the lesson when the information is still fresh in the students mind.

Time management is another important part of teaching that I found challenging.

There are many factors involved with teaching a lesson and it requires knowing how
much time to spend on each part of the lesson and when to move on. In my lesson the
multi lesson was too long and the students were unable to finish their group activity. As
mentioned earlier having a shorter power point presentation and one fraction problem
would have allowed more time for the group activity. Perhaps I spent too much time on
covering the basic concept of what a fraction was and as a result it took time away from
the unit fraction concept. I could have also divided this lesson into two parts where I
presented unit fractions in one lesson and the next lesson present fraction problems and
the math rubric to students. Much of this depends on how well the students understand
the information presented to them during the lesson.
I really enjoyed working with my co-operating teacher who has been guiding me
through the process of standing up in front of the classroom and teaching students math
concepts. During our planning and preparation phase we discussed different ways I could
present unit fraction to students. I used visuals in the power point presentation which was
effective students were able to conceptualize what a unit fraction was and how to create
equal groups. When I used the diagram and scaffold how to break a fraction into equal
groups students were actively participating. This was one of the highlights of the lesson
seeing students understand how to create equal groups and be able to discuss it. Overall,
this was a positive learning experience that helped me reflect on the different ways to
enhance student learning and allow me to grow as a teacher.