One Door Closed, Another Opened

My time at Bishop Dunn Memorial School for fieldwork this semester has concluded. Throughout this fieldwork experience, I have learned greatly through the creation and implementation of my lesson plans, as well as through seeing other teacher candidates implement their lessons. I have received beneficial feedback on my lesson implementations, as well as provided my peers with honest feedback. In my efolio, I have written and commented on my own work, as well as my peers' lesson plans and some projects. Here is the link to these reflections. I strongly feel that feedback allows teachers to better their teaching instruction so students can receive the necessary education. Reflection is essential and a valuable tool that teachers and students benefit from. 

During this fieldwork experience, I had to create three lesson plans (direct instruction, inquiry, and cooperative learning) with two other peers. These lessons allowed me to see what worked in the classroom, what did not work, and what could work with extra effort. The Direct Instruction lesson allowed me to teach new content to the students, making this lesson a teacher-centered lesson. The inquiry lesson allowed me to teach, as well as allowed the students to use their knowledge ad research skills to answer a question, making this lesson teacher-centered and then transitioning to student-centered. The cooperative lesson allowed students to work in collaborate groups to complete an assigned task and then present their findings to the class. This approach was student-centered. What made this fieldwork experience even more memorable was the students. Every single student wanted to be there and wanted to learn. They were eager to participate, never seeming bored. After my first lesson implementation, a student created a PowerPoint presentation on what she learned from our lesson, all by herself. It is instances and experiences like these that make myself love teaching. 

The teacher candidates I collaborated with on fieldwork, made this experience even greater because we all worked greatly together. We each completed our tasks and were organized. I strongly believe a critical attribute every teacher needs is organizational skills. I believe that through my fieldwork experiences, through the feedback I received, and through my own personal reflections, I will be able to be the best teacher I can be in my future classroom.