1 post tagged “video tape”

Watching myself teach was definitely a treat... for Rob.  I think I would've put most normal people to sleep.  I couldn't even watch myself for the full 50 minutes.  Why is this?  It seems to be fun and learning seems to be happening while I'm teaching. 
I only needed to go so far as to look at my observations and evaluations.  Common comments were, "do more worksheets and activities," "don't stand at the board the whole time," "plan ahead a little bit more," and so on.  I knew what they were saying and I though I was incorporating more fun into my lessons.  Boy was I wrong.  Even though I knew these things and saw them on the tape, I still had a relatively boring lesson on Friday.  Why can't I get away from these terrible habits?  The easy way out would be to say that this is just my teaching style and there's nothing I can do to change that.  We all know that I would just be lying to myself.  I have shown that I can be more fun and have a positive learning environment in the classroom.  I just forget that these kids need that interaction to learn more than I did.
Through these negatives, there was a bright spot or two.  Most of the kids seemed to grasp the concept, eventually.  And none of them fell asleep.  I know that it will be tougher to engage more kids in the fall.  If I don't get better at it now with only 8 students, I'll be in big trouble come this fall.  I can only hope the next video tape is much more exciting and engaging.  Now I'm off to plan my next "fiesta" of a lesson.