Today I taught my first full lesson since the day of my "high-expectation dramatics"! It was a Literacy lesson and was to the same class as before, Year 2. What a difference today's experience was, no dramatics, just a sense of purpose, fun and enjoyment.
The starter was not as successful as I would have liked, it was an activity the children were not familiar with but towards the end they were more focused on the game than who they were standing beside. I think if we did it again it would be more successful. However, it did serve its purpose and they were thinking of alternatives to "said".
The main teaching went well, I managed to ask the questions I had planned, I kept to the plan and I managed the scholarly distractions better this time. I still need to tighten up this part of the lesson, maybe thinking more carefully about where the children sit so the partner talk is more effective. I need to find a way to make sure that during questioning the others stay focused, I will try to make use of "pose, pause, bounce, pounce" in my next lesson...
My feedback session with my mentor was very positive, she made comments about the same areas I had already considered as weaker elements of the lesson. I find this important as it means I am being critically reflective-in-action and should help me to refine and develop these areas. Hopefully, the fact that we are unanimous on those weaknesses will strengthen the professional relationship we are building enabling mutual trust and a positive experience for us both.
Lesson No. 8 in Learning to Teach is to allow myself a smile when a lesson goes to plan!
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