This final practicum has been such an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to teach two of the same class back to back which gave me the unique privilege to reflect and implement changes to my lessons immediately. I valued this so much because it let me see what didn’t work and I could make it better for the next time. I had a wonderful support system of teachers within my practicum school who were incredibly welcoming and helpful to me throughout my time there. They taught me that, as teachers, we are not meant to do this alone, we are all there for the same goal; to help the students learn. One important thing I learned in this practicum is how to ask for help. In the past, I tried to work through problems or roadblocks on my own so as not to inconvenience anyone or let anyone know I was struggling. At my practicum school I was surrounded by amazing teachers who I looked up to and seeing them ask each other for help or suggestions during lunches or in the mornings helped me realize that no one is meant to have it all together on their own. It is so important to find those people who will support you and lean on them.
I loved being with a class for a longer period of time in this practicum. It allowed me to get to know the students better and it allowed me to try new ways of assessing. There was enough time that I was able to assess student understanding and change my plans based on the outcome of the assessment. For example, I gave a quiz after we had been working through the concept of balancing equations. On average, the students did not perform well on the quiz so instead of moving forward with new material, I worked with my coaching teacher to create a manipulative activity to reinforce the concept. Teaching a concept in multiple ways like this caters to a much wider demographic of learning styles. When I assess the students’ understanding of balancing equations again, the class average had improved dramatically. Being flexible in my planning was crucial for my students to learn. I understood they needed more time if they were going to be successful. Having a longer practicum allowed me to see more growth in the students as well. I got to recognize how each student learned differently and design my lessons based around those individual students.