So...I may have kind of failed at this assignment. I tried using the cold-calling method during one of my classes this week and it didn't exactly go as planned. So right before my lesson, Jessica also used this method in class. So when I put the note cards by the projector, I'm pretty sure the students knew what was going to happen and it may have worked as a sort of intimidation/ motivation factor. The only problem is that i wasn't super careful/ keen about actually using the method and this is why. My class is very small (7-10 students on a given day, 7 on this particular day), but there are at least 3 students who participate on a regular basis. Most of the other kids will answer questions, but they're just not as eager and you have to kind of push them into it more. However, there are also a few kids who are able to get the material after a lot of explanation, but they don't learn as quickly because their reading level is so low. These are the kids that caused me to hesitate in my implementation of the questioning method. I felt really bad (really bad) about potentially calling on a kid that I knew would not immediately know the answer, not because they weren't paying attention or were acting out, but because they learn best from listening to teachers or their peers and get less out of the reading. I did try to call on people unexpectedly and at times used the cold-calling method when I knew the student on the card would be able to answer, but I shied away from the task probably more than i should have in order to keep other students from becoming embarrassed. Overall, I'd probably give myself a b- on the questioning technique.
On the other hand , even just having the cards out there forced me as a teacher to be more conscientious about who I called on, and I did make sure that I called on everyone. For those people who I knew would struggle in answering a question unexpectedly, I made sure to have them share their independent work with the class and I tried to give them the best chance at success by telling them (while they worked independently) that I planned on having them share with the other students. This also worked out well because other students, who I hadn't initially prompted, ended up wanting to share after they saw the other kids present. So even though I kind of failed at doing what I was supposed to, I'm glad I found a way to get all of the kids to participate without making anyone feel embarrassed or picked on...which I think was the point of the assignment anyway. I also learned what I'm comfortable with and what I'm not comfortable with doing as a teacher. I refuse to embarrass a kid who I know is simply not prepared due to special, although not unusual, circumstances, but i do expect all of my students to participate every class, and overall, I'm glad I was able to stick by both of these expectations for myself and the students during my lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment