week+3

Read the following power point carefully, and then answer the questions in assignment 3





After reading your reflections from the last class and the reflection of Geography students in another session, I can summarize several points that have been raised frequently by the mentor teachers: 1. Time management is crucial in preparing good lessons. It helps you in classroom management as well as achieving the lesson learning goals. Therefore, I always recommend deciding how long you want to spend for each activity, and of course you can ask the teacher in the school in order to get another professional perspective with respect to this point. 2. Using technology in the Geography class is very recommended. For example, one student mentioned that he planned to use the Google Earth in his class activity. This method will make the class more interactive and the pictures in the textbook more realistic and lively. 3. Sometimes you need to have students work in small groups before you ask them to discuss an issue in the whole class. In fact, this activity (the small group working) may encourage shy kids and let them feel more confident in sharing their ideas in the larger class. 4. Be aware that you explain the instruction for any class activity very clearly. In addition, you need to consider bringing many examples that demonstrate the topic you teach in the class. 5. It is important to recognize that a lesson cannot be separated from previous lessons. This emphasizes the importance of unit planning, and that effective teachers see the whole picture of the curriculum. 6. Taking notes is another skill that you need to consider in your teaching. This skill can be developed over time. It makes students feel more responsible about his- her studying, and helps him distinct between the important and less important points in the curriculum. 7. Giving homework to all students is very important since there is a clear positive correlation (in the research) between doing homework and students’ achievement. In addition, homework can be used as another assessment tool in the class, and it helps you figure out where students stand with respect to the subject matter. 8. Story –telling can be a powerful strategy in your teaching. That is, it helps a teacher to get students’ attention, and to make a connection between subject matter and students’ lives. A short discussion after telling the story is required to help kids see the relationship between the story and the topic of the class. 9. When you ask students to work on a classroom assignment, you need to walk around and to observe what they are doing. In fact, this is one way of supporting students’ learning, giving them a helpful advice, observing and assessing their progress, and delivering encouragement words. 10. Differentiating instruction is one of the hardest things to do in the class. In order to master this skill you need to spend more time in the class, to know students and their funds of knowledge, their needs, interests, and to connect all these points into one lesson.


 * Student's name || assignment 3 ||
 * Jon Budihas || The class that I chose to observe, is actually a class that I have. I have Sociology 488 here at MSU on Mondays and Wednesdays and since my placement (Waverly Middle) does not have any sociology classes, I felt like this would be a sufficient enough class to observe and report on. Since we had a text on 3/28, I will use the lesson from 3/21 as a reference point

1.Do you think that the class was successful or not – analyze it based on the points explained in the power point. I believe that this particular class session was very successful. The instructor was very well prepared with the lesson and presented it with enthusiasm and interest, as he always does. Even though we were assigned a reading previous to the class that dealt with that day’s lecture, he did not assume it read. This is something that you do not see a lot of college professors do. However, he explained every topic thoroughly as if we had no idea what he was talking about,

2. What teaching strategy (lecturing, discussion, using primary sources or pop- culture) is used in the class? Would you teach this class the same way? Why or why not? What would you change, add or remove from the lesson you observed? This lesson was very similar to all of the lessons throughout the semester; meaning it involved a number of teaching strategies. First, we opened with a lecture, which usually lasts throughout the class period. however, the lecture is intertwined with group discussions and class discussions and often becomes very interactive. There was also a short video clip shown during this particular class, giving an example of that day’s topic. This clip led right into a class discussion about the topic; which was “dramaturgy.” I would have to say that I would teach the class in almost the exact same way. This is how I want to teach. I want my classes to be lecture based, but with discussion and some small group activities thrown in to give it a little change of pace.

3. How would you appreciate students’ participation in the classroom? How do you appreciate the relationship between the teacher and students? What evidence supports your analysis? I would greatly appreciate the student’s participation in the classroom. As a future social studies teacher, student participation will be very important to me. Both social studies and sociology are subjects that cannot be effectively taught without student participation in class discussions. I believe that the teacher needs to be in control of the room, and do the most talking. However, as I said, neither of these subjects can be taught without sufficient student participation. This is because both of the subjects deal primarily with people. In order to effectively teach them, we must be able to get input and opinions from all different types of people; our students.

5. What kind of assessment method used in the class you observed? During this single class, there was no distinctive or formal method of assessment used. We have three different exams throughout the semester, as well as three different quizzes. In addition to this, we sometimes have pop quizzes or journals. All of these things are used to effectively measure our understanding of the course material. During this class, even though no formal method of assessment was used, we did have several class and one small group discussions. These discussions were monitored by the professor and it is my feeling that they can be used to actively measure class involvement and understanding.

6. How is teaching (political science or sociology, or geography) is different from teaching the subject matter of your major? Teaching sociology is actually a lot like teaching social studies. First, both subjects directly involve people. So in order to teach them, you need a lot of participation from people. Next, they are both social sciences which gives you the opportunity as an instructor to use different methods of assessment in order to see how well your class is understanding the material. And finally, as both subjects are part of the social sciences, both are relatively easy to connect with the lives of everyday people; like your students. When your students can make connections to what you are teaching, it better allows them to understand the material and consider it relevant to them; which will make it more interesting, which hopefully will make them want to learn more. || (1) I think that the lesson plan was ultimately successful. According to the PowerPoint, an element of a successful lesson is giving the students the impression that you are prepared and organized. I could tell that she was well prepared because she had handouts already printed out, and she knew her lecture without having to reference any of her own notes. I think the fact that she did a warm up activity that was also a review from the day before also contributed to the success of her lesson. The PowerPoint suggests that a warm up activity helps to gain the attention of the students, and the activity that I saw in the classroom gained the attention of the students, and gave them a review of the lesson before. The activity with stock prices made the depression relatable for the students, which is another element of a successful lesson. The students invested in companies that they wanted, and put up their own collateral. I think that pretending that they were using their own money made the activity more real for the students, and I think that they enjoyed it. (2) The teacher used the teaching strategies of lecturing and activities. I think that I would teach this particular lesson in a similar way. I really thought that the stock activity resonated with the students. Not only did they leave with an understanding of how to buy and sell stocks today, they also understood how fast it could take a turn, which can be applied to the great depression. I think that I would add a wrap up to make sure that the students made the conncetion between the modern stock activity and the great depression, which was something the teacher did not really do. (3) I would definitely appreciate student participation in the classroom. The activities that I have done in my PTRs have required student participation in order to be effective. I think that the lesson that I observed also appreciated student participation. Students had to work with each other during the stock activity in order to complete the activity. The relationship between students and teachers is also really important for the success of lessons in this classroom. If the students feel comfortable with the teacher, they will be more likely to participate and complete work in that classroom. I think that the teacher I observed had a good relationship with her students. They all seemed to be willing to participate and were comfortable enough in the classroom to speak in front of the class. (4) The teacher used visual aids effectively. The main points of the lecture were projected on a PowerPoint. Using PowerPoint allowed the teacher to have the main points of what she wanted the students to know right in the front of the room that the students could easily take notes off of. She also used external resources in teaching the subject matter. For the stock activity, she printed of handouts with stock prices for a number of different companies for two separate days. She used real stock prices on these forms, which made the activity more authentic for the students. This is what made the use of external resources effective. (5) The teacher used informal assessments in the class. In the opening activity, she asked five questions and had the students write the answers down. Then, she read off the answers and asked how many each of the students got right. After that, she asked if any of the students needed anything clarified. She also informally assessed through the stock price activity. All of the work was complete on a worksheet that was turned in at the end of the hour. This way, the teacher could see if the students were able to complete the activity and make connections from today’s economic climate to the great depressions. || 1. Do you think that the class was successful or not – analyze it based on the points explained in the power point. I do think that the class was successful; I do think that since the students knew that the class was going to be televised on the school news channel that there were no attention grabbers needed. Also, this was small class of about 10-15 students. It could have been that the teacher picked out which students were going to be partaking in this class but I am not sure. I also feel that perhaps the agenda of the class was presented to the class prior to the recording because the discussion of race and racism was the topic and I feel that you would mostly want students participating that are comfortable with discussing these topics. The teacher was very organized in how the class was ran and there were not many pauses. Although editing for the sake of time could have played a role. The teacher definitely made subject matter that could relate to the students’ lives because most of the discussion dealt with their lives and how they have perceived/reacted towards race and racism. Even though the teacher did not used any written types of assessment or graphic organizers as discussed in the powerpoint, I feel that for this particular class it was not needed because it was discussion based. Perhaps the following day if she wanted to assess her students then she could be able to use some sort of assessment. 2. What teaching strategy (lecturing, discussion, using primary sources or pop- culture) is used in the class? Would you teach this class the same way? Why or why not? What would you change, add or remove from the lesson you observed? The teaching strategy that was used in this class was a discussion, she did not use any primary sources or pop culture, but I do think that since the discussion relied heavily on students’ lives involving their perceptions and experiences of racism then I think those are more concrete than primary sources or pop culture. The discussion talked about what they were taught from their parents about race, how they grew up around different race, what race they see themselves as, have they been a victim of racism or not. I think that this discussion was very insightful. 3. How would you appreciate students’ participation in the classroom? How do you appreciate the relationship between the teacher and students? What evidence supports your analysis? I appreciate the students’ participation very much. As mentioned before the class was smaller and the students were formed in a semi-circle. So a discussion question would come up, every student would answer and then after all students would answer if someone wanted to take the topic further then it would be a wide open discussion. The students were very respectful of each other and there were little if any interruptions that I noticed while watching. The relationship between the teacher and the students was phenomenal as well. The teacher would ask the questions and all students would answer, the teacher would also have other smaller questions to supplement the larger questions. I think that as I explained the relationships, I have given evidence supporting my analysis. 4. Did the teacher use visual aids or other technology methods effectively? Why? Why not? Did he use external resources in teaching the subject matter? The teacher did not use any visual aides or technological methods. I think that since this class was discussion based a large use of aides were not necessary. This is not to say though that you cannot use visual or technology aides in class. They were not needed apparently for this discussion although some could have been used. I do think maybe one external resource that the teacher did bring in and could also fit into the question of primary sources being used, was that the teacher brought up the discussion of Martin Luther King Day. All of the students talked about the importance of it, but I think that one important part that came from that discussion is when a student shared an important story. This story fit into the discussion of racism still existing and being in their community. The student told the story of a man complaining of all the kids being at the mall on Monday and explaining on how it was a day just for black people anyway not being a relevant deal in society. 5. What kind of assessment method used in the class you observed? I think the kind of assessment that was shown in the class, was the teacher having students clarify or go more in depth with their answers. If a student answered a question saying, “ A, B, and C happened to me” the teacher would ask maybe “why do you think that happened and what factors considering your racial makeup do you think it played a factor in what happened to you?” The teacher did not use this in the class but she did mention that the students were going to be writing a reflection paper on the discussion. I think that that is a great way to assess the discussion of the class. || Do you think that the class was successful or not – analyze it based on the points explained in the power point. I think that the class I observed was successful as are all of the other class periods. In this particular class we study a lot of different sociologists and their theories. It is particularly hard for me to memorize information, especially when it comes to relating people with what they did because I have a hard time with names. In this particular class my professor explains things it way that make it a lot easier for me to remember. In this particular class it’s not just memorizing and putting a name with a theory, I actually know and understand the material. My professor uses a lot of examples and also asks us to give him examples that we think are correct. If we are correct he says that’s a good example and if we are correct he will offer us an alternative example. My professor is very good at making sure everyone in the class understands the material. He also uses examples that relate to us as students. For example, for a theory he used Cedar Fest as an example, which is something that as MSU students we could relate to and most people actually witnessed. It was interesting to us and did a good job at helping us understand the concept. What teaching strategy (lecturing, discussion, using primary sources or pop- culture) is used in the class? Would you teach this class the same way? Why or why not? What would you change, add or remove from the lesson you observed? My professor uses lecturing as his method of teaching. What I think is most important about the way he lectures is that he engages the class in his lecturing. Often times he asks our opinion on topics he is discussing, and for us to give him examples. There are also times, not in this particular class that I observed, that he has us work in groups to discuss different questions. I think this is good because it not only emphasizes our understanding but it also gives us a chance to hear the opinion of our peers. I would definitely teach my class in the same manner. I actually have been taking a lot of teaching styles to teach in my own classroom. I think that in sociology class lecturing is important. I like that he incorporates examples that have meaning in our lives that help us to better understand the material. I also like the fact that we sit in groups and get a chance to discuss the different theories, it really helps with my learning of the material. I wouldn’t change anything about the lesson. I think it is the most appropriate way to teach sociology, lecturing with examples that are relevant and group discussions. How would you appreciate students’ participation in the classroom? How do you appreciate the relationship between the teacher and students? What evidence supports your analysis? When the professor asked questions the students answered and participated. The teacher student relationship is very high. The most obvious thing is that the students respect the professor and the professor respects the students, which creates a great classroom environment. When the professor asks questions he waited an appropriate time for students to answer. Enough time so that every question he asked was given a response. The environment of the classroom was very good, one that I hope to mirror in my own classroom. Did the teacher use visual aids or other technology methods effectively? Why? Why not? Did he use external resources in teaching the subject matter? There was no technology used in the lesson that I observed. There isn’t much technology available in the classroom we are in. There have been times in class that he does show clips. I think that my professor is a traditional teacher, but he finds ways to make up for the fact that he isn’t technology savvy. How teaching (political science or sociology, or geography) is different from teaching the subject matter of your major? This classroom is very different from lessons in my major. My major is mathematics and we never lecture. Our lessons are set up based on tasks. Students work in groups a lot more than they work alone. The students are given a warm up activity which is either an introduction to the lesson or it is a bridge from the following lesson. The students work together while the teacher walks around and assists the students. Once the students are finished working, the students are asked to come up and share their solutions with the class. All of the solutions that are shared are not always right, but they all assist in the learning of the students whether it’s the correct answer or a solution to clear up many misconceptions. I think that although the classroom settings are completely different, I think they both are the best way for students to learn that subject. ||
 * Kailey Crowe || For this week’s lab assignment, I observed a lesson in a US history classroom, because my placement school does not have a sociology classroom. The lesson was about the great depression. The teacher started the lesson off by asking five review questions from the day before. Then, she had a short lecture on the depression. The students were required to take notes on the lecture on a fill in the blank work sheet. Finally, the students did an activity with stock prices to show how fast stock prices can fall in the space of a couple days.
 * David Boling || The class that I chose to observe was a video that I found online of a High school sociology class, because my placement does not have a sociology class. The class that I watched was documented for the school news show that airs there. Link to the video http://vimeo.com/9415751
 * Alexandria Sullens || For this assignment I also decided to observe my SOC 488 class. I am also placed in a middle school and because of that I am not able to see a sociology class and I figured it would be more appropriate to observe this class other than a different social studies class.