September 24, 2013
Rachel's Lesson
Overview
Right from the start of the lesson, Rachel made good eye contact with the class, and she spoke to the class with a warm, caring tone. She explained what we were going to be doing in class, and proceeded with the reading. There was a bit of distance between Rachel and the rest of the class, and although she did not gather the group closer for everyone to see well, I think she was still successful in creating an engaging learning environment. She stopped every so often to ask questions about what was happening in the book or what we thought was going to happen. I think even if you are not called on, being asked what your opinion is gets you to think. She also chose a book by an author we had all heard of before from Laura’s lesson. This allowed the students to link this book to the prior knowledge they had of the author. Even though we were at a distance, she read the book in a way that everyone was able to see. She glanced down at the book and then held it out towards the class, slowly moving across for everyone to see. She then went straight into the lesson and vocabulary, which I would have liked to talk about the book as a whole and get some input and interpretations from the students in connection to the concept of uniqueness.
There were times where Rachel’s slideshow seemed a bit teacher-oriented. Some of the questions were limited to a fifty-fifty choice rather than asking how they could be used or how they were used effectively in a situation. Because of time and I am assuming this would have been a lower grade, she kept the lesson moving forward while familiarizing them with new terms. She did mention something interesting after she read the book. She said that warm colors feel like summer, and cool colors feel like winter. This was a great way to show how colors could be used to convey emotions or feelings in this case, which definitely deepened our learning. Using a familiar author is always a wise choice. It is always nice to see new techniques and explore new authors, however if there are two books from a single author that can be utilized to teach two separate lessons, there is definitely nothing wrong with that. Students would be able to immediately link this new information with information they have gained in the prior lesson taught incorporating that same author. She did a good job at pausing every so often to ask everyone what they thought was going to happen.
There was no definite demonstration, and that was this lesson’s downfall. She did go over thick and thin lines and warm and cool colors, however she did not demonstrate how to apply these techniques given these mediums. Although the medium that was chosen, cookies and frosting, was a fantastic way to get everyone engaged, this was also a medium that would be problematic to younger students. Assuming that we as her assigned class knew how to handle applying frosting, younger children might have no clue how much pressure to apply to the tube. In short, the lesson would have gotten very messy very fast without a demonstration.
When we were creating the designs, I noticed that there was a bit of chaos when everyone started. This could be viewed as both positive and negative. There was not much room to move around and easily access the supplied materials, however it forced us to work and communicate with each other. Also, she was walking around assisting people in case something would have come up. The lack of space also gave us the opportunity to see each other at work. We were able to see different techniques that may not have been shown in the lesson, allowing the first pedagogical site to occur.
At the end of the lesson she has us share some of our cookies to the class. In doing this we were able to see that no of ours looked the same, reinforcing the idea of uniqueness. She did not say that they were “unique” which would have reinforced the big idea, however she did say that they were all very different and mentioned all the different types of lines and even concepts that were used that we did not go over in the slideshow. The critique was a bit teacher oriented, yet we were still able to see how each person utilized all the different techniques we had been shown. We got to hear different people explain how they went about making the designs and what the lines meant to the person that made it. I even noticed people observing each other while they were making their designs and giving their input and interpretations. I know there were a few people that did not share their design yet were still given input while they were making it, which definitely models Wilson’s first pedagogical site.
There were times where Rachel’s slideshow seemed a bit teacher-oriented. Some of the questions were limited to a fifty-fifty choice rather than asking how they could be used or how they were used effectively in a situation. Because of time and I am assuming this would have been a lower grade, she kept the lesson moving forward while familiarizing them with new terms. She did mention something interesting after she read the book. She said that warm colors feel like summer, and cool colors feel like winter. This was a great way to show how colors could be used to convey emotions or feelings in this case, which definitely deepened our learning. Using a familiar author is always a wise choice. It is always nice to see new techniques and explore new authors, however if there are two books from a single author that can be utilized to teach two separate lessons, there is definitely nothing wrong with that. Students would be able to immediately link this new information with information they have gained in the prior lesson taught incorporating that same author. She did a good job at pausing every so often to ask everyone what they thought was going to happen.
There was no definite demonstration, and that was this lesson’s downfall. She did go over thick and thin lines and warm and cool colors, however she did not demonstrate how to apply these techniques given these mediums. Although the medium that was chosen, cookies and frosting, was a fantastic way to get everyone engaged, this was also a medium that would be problematic to younger students. Assuming that we as her assigned class knew how to handle applying frosting, younger children might have no clue how much pressure to apply to the tube. In short, the lesson would have gotten very messy very fast without a demonstration.
When we were creating the designs, I noticed that there was a bit of chaos when everyone started. This could be viewed as both positive and negative. There was not much room to move around and easily access the supplied materials, however it forced us to work and communicate with each other. Also, she was walking around assisting people in case something would have come up. The lack of space also gave us the opportunity to see each other at work. We were able to see different techniques that may not have been shown in the lesson, allowing the first pedagogical site to occur.
At the end of the lesson she has us share some of our cookies to the class. In doing this we were able to see that no of ours looked the same, reinforcing the idea of uniqueness. She did not say that they were “unique” which would have reinforced the big idea, however she did say that they were all very different and mentioned all the different types of lines and even concepts that were used that we did not go over in the slideshow. The critique was a bit teacher oriented, yet we were still able to see how each person utilized all the different techniques we had been shown. We got to hear different people explain how they went about making the designs and what the lines meant to the person that made it. I even noticed people observing each other while they were making their designs and giving their input and interpretations. I know there were a few people that did not share their design yet were still given input while they were making it, which definitely models Wilson’s first pedagogical site.
Reflections
Rachel planed this lesson very well and managed her time wisely. I would definitely incorporate a demonstration into the lesson and try to create some more open-ended questions to ask. I thought the medium choice was amazing and appropriate for this age group. I personally made the connection that the sugar cookies looked like the Hueys in the book though. I crafted my cookie into a unique Huey of my own. I thought if she were to point that out and have everyone make their own Huey, the lesson would have deepened the students learning even further. Instead of uniquely decorating a cookie, they would have been creating a unique Huey. It makes the thought process different, and I think this process deepens the concept of uniqueness. Decorating a cookie makes a cookie look different and unique, however using different shapes, lines, and patterns to define a person does not just make them unique. This would allow students to understand that being visually unique can express feelings and show interests and personalities. I think that it would deepen their understanding and allow them to connect this to their everyday life.