Education is not preparation for life...
Education is life itself.
Education is life itself.
Description/Overview
Do you remember the last time you were in a classroom where the lesson was so boring?! Yes, me too! Where all you want to do is watch the clock, to pass the time. Teachers try to recondition lessons such as these. Lesson studies, are a professional development process that systematically examines your practice, with the goal of becoming more effective. While working on lesson studies, teachers mutually draw up a detailed plan for the lesson. One of these teachers can teach the lesson in a real classroom, so other teachers can observe the lesson and learn from their revisions. The teachers then come together to discuss their observations of the lesson. Those teachers then revise the lesson and another teacher can apply it in a second classroom, while the other teachers, again look on to observe and assess. The teachers will then come together again to discuss the observed instruction. The last step, the teachers produce is a report of what their study lessons have taught them, particularly with respect to their research question. In our particular lesson study, we as partners present our evidence from our lesson and assessment(s) to see what we have derived as a conclusion to whether the students got the concept of the learning assessment.
Skills Gained
As our final assessment in this course, we were to construct a lesson study on our middle school learning segment. My partner and I, worked on creating a social studies middle school lesson segment that was based off formative assessments, leading up to a final summative assessment at the end of the unit. Part of the lesson study was to present our findings based off student's formative assessments. Did they learn the information? Was prior knowledge indicated in the assessment? Were your students challenged? These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves. After evaluating what was done, we critique the lesson plan and envision the changes that could be made in the future to make the lesson more successful.
Lessons Learned
I have applied the knowledge, insights and skills learned from this particular learning experience to other education class lessons as well as observing the skills of teachers during my field experience hours. It is there that I witness real-life lessons taking place. I have learned that teachers do not always follow their planned lessons, because things change and things happen within the classroom. Neither teachers nor students can predict what will occur during the lesson. It is good that teachers can think on their feet, even in the most difficult of situations. A prime example of this would be my field experience at In-Tech Academy. Students were not at all understanding how to add mixed fractions one day. The teacher had asked them why they were having trouble today, when they did them so well yesterday?! The teacher wanted to move on to the next part of the lesson segment, but had to reevaluate his lesson in order to cater to his students. Without them successfully knowing how to add mixed fractions, he could not continue. So he took that class period to review and reassess his students, until he knew for certain that they had successfully understood the concept. It is this example, that helps us understand how teachers are to consciously understand their students on the most basic to the most complex level.
Impact/Importance
The learning connects to my goals for this course through the many skills that were obtained during the construction of my lesson segments as well as the importance of the lesson study. It benefited both my partner and I, as well as the other social studies education majors and even other students in other content areas. What benefited them? Well, they learned the importance of interactive learning. It here, students learn to become effective teachers, through the studies and findings of other participants. You not only learn from yourself, but your peers as well.
Do you remember the last time you were in a classroom where the lesson was so boring?! Yes, me too! Where all you want to do is watch the clock, to pass the time. Teachers try to recondition lessons such as these. Lesson studies, are a professional development process that systematically examines your practice, with the goal of becoming more effective. While working on lesson studies, teachers mutually draw up a detailed plan for the lesson. One of these teachers can teach the lesson in a real classroom, so other teachers can observe the lesson and learn from their revisions. The teachers then come together to discuss their observations of the lesson. Those teachers then revise the lesson and another teacher can apply it in a second classroom, while the other teachers, again look on to observe and assess. The teachers will then come together again to discuss the observed instruction. The last step, the teachers produce is a report of what their study lessons have taught them, particularly with respect to their research question. In our particular lesson study, we as partners present our evidence from our lesson and assessment(s) to see what we have derived as a conclusion to whether the students got the concept of the learning assessment.
Skills Gained
As our final assessment in this course, we were to construct a lesson study on our middle school learning segment. My partner and I, worked on creating a social studies middle school lesson segment that was based off formative assessments, leading up to a final summative assessment at the end of the unit. Part of the lesson study was to present our findings based off student's formative assessments. Did they learn the information? Was prior knowledge indicated in the assessment? Were your students challenged? These are the kinds of questions we ask ourselves. After evaluating what was done, we critique the lesson plan and envision the changes that could be made in the future to make the lesson more successful.
Lessons Learned
I have applied the knowledge, insights and skills learned from this particular learning experience to other education class lessons as well as observing the skills of teachers during my field experience hours. It is there that I witness real-life lessons taking place. I have learned that teachers do not always follow their planned lessons, because things change and things happen within the classroom. Neither teachers nor students can predict what will occur during the lesson. It is good that teachers can think on their feet, even in the most difficult of situations. A prime example of this would be my field experience at In-Tech Academy. Students were not at all understanding how to add mixed fractions one day. The teacher had asked them why they were having trouble today, when they did them so well yesterday?! The teacher wanted to move on to the next part of the lesson segment, but had to reevaluate his lesson in order to cater to his students. Without them successfully knowing how to add mixed fractions, he could not continue. So he took that class period to review and reassess his students, until he knew for certain that they had successfully understood the concept. It is this example, that helps us understand how teachers are to consciously understand their students on the most basic to the most complex level.
Impact/Importance
The learning connects to my goals for this course through the many skills that were obtained during the construction of my lesson segments as well as the importance of the lesson study. It benefited both my partner and I, as well as the other social studies education majors and even other students in other content areas. What benefited them? Well, they learned the importance of interactive learning. It here, students learn to become effective teachers, through the studies and findings of other participants. You not only learn from yourself, but your peers as well.
- Understanding the importance of lesson studies and their positive impact on revising a teacher's way of thinking as well as their student's way of thinking.
- The importance of researching a variety of learning strategies and assessments to further enhance your lesson. Creative assessments will influence students to become motivated and enthusiastic about the subject!
- Students and teachers will benefit from further developed lessons. It induces student interest and creates a fun learning environment.