Observation #2

I had my second observation of the semester last Wednesday. I was so pleased and excited that it went so well. My supervisor came during 3rd block, and it just went really well from start to finish. I have AP Language 3rd block, and the students are extremely engaged and invested in the class. It's such a joy to teach them, and I feel that whenever you put special care into planning a relevant and interesting lesson for them, you're paid back in spades with their interest and involvement. My cooperating teacher helps me so much when it comes to planning lessons, and helped me put together a wonderful lesson on narration for my observation. I really liked the way it incorporated media and technology to teach the concept of narration. There is an episode of the tv series How I Met Your Mother that showcases many of the different aspects of narration that we've been studying, for example, flashbacks, flashforwards, in media res, freeze frames, etc. The Episode How I Met Everybody Else is a way to "show" students the different conventions of narration.
I thought that my first observation was just... ok. So I was especially pleased that this one flowed along without any hiccups. It's not that the first observation went badly, but I very much want to improve on something each time. My only problem during the first observation were some minor classroom management issues, i.e. talking. I've had to consciously work on projecting my voice and having a more commanding presence in the classroom. With 37 students in 1st block, I realized that some students honestly just couldn't hear my tiny voice at the back of the classroom, especially when their classmates are talking. My placement is in Advanced 12 English, Advanced Placement Literature, and Advanced Placement Language, so generally the only classroom management issues we have are based around too much talking when they're not supposed to. I definitely realize that my classroom management issues aren't really of the same magnitude as those other student teachers might be dealing with, so in one way I'm grateful for the opportunity to practice pedagogy without serious classroom management concerns, but on the other I'm concerned that I'll be ill-equipped to handle those same concerns when I'm a first year teacher. I'm hoping that I'll have the opportunity to observe some different classes in the coming months. Maybe that will give me some insights.