390 – In my 390 practicum, I was able to observe many wonderful educators teaching in all age groups and demographics. I loved getting to see how the same profession can be done in so many different ways, all personalized to the educator and to the learners. I got to see how personalized a classroom can get based on the group of students and their unique needs. In all the classrooms I went to, I got to look for similarities in teaching styles and gather ideas to bring into my own classrooms in the future.
391 – This first teaching experience for me was amazing. I had taught young kids before, but never a high school class. I learned so much about high school students; what they are interested in, how they learn, and how they act. I loved getting to know myself around older students, I learned a lot about myself throughout this practicum. Getting to teach a subject I am passionate about was such a rewarding experience. I got to show the students how exciting science can be and how creative you can be in a science classroom. I had a lot of fun incorporating other curricular connections like art into the projects my students completed, and i loved seeing how their level of engagement changed with different types of projects (i.e. more art based or more writing based).
490 – In this practicum I had the opportunity to experience the end to a semester as well as the beginning of a semester. This was an incredibly valuable learning experience for me as I recognized the importance of establishing classroom expectations right from the beginning of the term. I found it extremely useful to see the work that goes into ending a term including assessing and reporting, among others. While this practicum was not in my specialty area, I had the unique opportunity to teach two of the same class back to back. I was able to teach a lesson and reflect on what went well or what I might want to change, and implement those changes immediately in the next block. I worked closely with my coaching teacher to improve my lesson planning skills, recognize my strengths, and learn ways to incorporate those strengths into the way I plan my lessons.
491 – I learned an incredible amount about teaching and about myself during this practicum. I was welcomed by all the teachers in the science department and was able to build relationships with so many amazing science teachers. I loved getting to learn from experienced teachers as well as teachers who recently graduated. Hearing their different perspectives and ideas throughout my practicum made me feel so much more comfortable in the school and confident that I could always ask for help if I needed, even though they were not my coaching teacher. This practicum was much longer than the other which allowed me to really establish myself in the classroom and get to know the students much better. Again I had the opportunity to teach two of the same class back to back, so I was able to reflect and implement changes right away. Recognizing what did not go so well in a lesson and getting to make a change right away was such a great way for me to learn. I valued the fact I was able to see myself learn in real time along with the students.