Well, it's over. I really can't believe I'm at this point. There were times this day seemed so far away and at times unachievable. In terms of this week, I felt good about it overall. There was one day, Wednesday, that I was a little frustrated with the way the 7th grade music class went, but even then I can't expect perfect days all the time. Having the OAT going on made things interesting and much slower, but after 11 weeks that were very hectic for me, having a slower, more mellow week wasn't too bad. The main downside was that the choirs had less practices this week because of the testing schedule, so going into the Spaghetti Dinner Concert, I think all of us felt a little less prepared than we would've like to have been.
I felt very confident in the general music classes, though having each class alternate with Mr. Suzelis helped a lot. Seeing his teaching style again gave me some more pointers. While I had my fair share of observation hours leading up to this, now that I have actual experience teaching, there are a lot more things I actually take note of when seeing another teacher teach. What I noticed more this time was how he organized information in the general music classes and what he emphasized in a particular lesson. Seeing this again with the perspective I now have helped me to streamline my own lessons so they fit in with his better and kept the material going. My biggest challenge was 7th grade general music because while I enjoyed the students' different personalities, it was actually a pretty volatile class with the potential to spiral out of control in a hurry. There were times I felt like I was almost at that point with them, so keeping things moving without going too fast and losing some of the students was always something I was trying to balance.
I have learned a lot from student teaching overall, and have taken a lot of good ideas away from Mr. Suzelis. Did I agree with everything he did? Of course not, but that's not the issue really. He brings a large amount of experience and expertise and perspective that I cannot compete with or things that without the experience I could not possibly understand or know. I had to learn to sit back and just try things a different way sometimes along with just trial by error. I think Mr. Suzelis tried to let me learn by experience to a degree, but certainly not all the time.
And I really did enjoy all of my students...what a great group of students!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Week 12 Lesson Review
This week I followed a similar schedule with the classes and Mr. Suzelis and I kind of traded off classes each day. It seemed to get the students back into the regular flow of things and make my exit much less noticeable. This week I will focus on my 6th grade lesson on Thursday. This was a lesson that just flowed very well for me; I was incredibly confident teaching it and I felt like I was able to keep the students engaged and under control even with lots of movement. We talked about the C major scale and I actually had them play the first three notes on the piano. For many of them it was their first time ever playing a piano at all. While I certainly recognize how fortunate I was to get such a well-behaved and mostly self-motivated class, that's not to say they were complete angels all the time or were free from disruptions. Even with playing on the piano, the biggest problem was making sure they understood the piano isn't a toy or something to play around with. Most of them were fine with that, but a few felt the need to do their own "improvisation" as they walked to their seats. I definitely should've been more clear about how to treat the piano before having them play as I did so after the first offense (as did Mr. Suzelis).
The rest of the lesson went fairly well. They were all able to at least get the first three notes of the C major scale and seemed to understand the concept of what a scale is. I also reviewed letter names of notes on the Treble clef and reviewed the purpose of the clef symbols themselves. Even I was pleasantly surprised how many remembered their purpose and what letter names go with at least the Treble clef (we haven't covered the Bass clef yet).
The rest of the lesson went fairly well. They were all able to at least get the first three notes of the C major scale and seemed to understand the concept of what a scale is. I also reviewed letter names of notes on the Treble clef and reviewed the purpose of the clef symbols themselves. Even I was pleasantly surprised how many remembered their purpose and what letter names go with at least the Treble clef (we haven't covered the Bass clef yet).
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Weekly Review #11
Despite even more outside pressures and stresses that emerged during Spring Break, I felt like this week went pretty well. To make for a smooth transition back to Mr. Suzelis, I had him take each class at least twice this week and he did the warm-ups in the 7th and 8th grade choirs twice as well since we have different vocal warm-ups. Next week we'll follow a similar schedule in the general music classes, but I will do warm-ups for all the choirs every day and on Friday, my last day of teaching, I will have all the classes.
The lessons mostly went according to plan in general music other than the one I mentioned in my previous post today. Friday was an interesting day as I was informed about 10 minutes before class that the school was having all students who didn't get a D or an F on their report cards last 9 weeks go outside for a reward. Music class is during the "intervention" class (study hall), so the principal said it was mine (and really, Mr. Suzelis's) decision, but he did hope we let those that were able to go outside do so. What it ended up doing was cutting each music class in half, so most of what we did in class on Friday will simply have to be repeated on Monday and will be review for the students who didn't get to go outside. I guess I got another taste of the unexpected surprises a school day can bring. It wasn't the first and for the most part it worked pretty well, though I didn't want the students who didn't go outside to feel like they were being "punished" by having class.
The choirs are all preparing for the spaghetti dinner concert next Friday, so I have mostly taken the role of helper in each choir. I still get things started in all but 6th grade choir and Mr. Suzelis and I sort of co-teach 5th grade choir since they are doing two-part songs. He, however, mostly takes the lead there since we really aren't learning any new songs but just reviewing and polishing the ones they have. If we have time each day I will lead sight-singing in 5th grade. This coming week will be interesting in choir as the OAT will be going on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the middle school and Tuesday and Thursday at the intermediate school. The choir practices will be impacted, but it doesn't look like it will be too much.
The lessons mostly went according to plan in general music other than the one I mentioned in my previous post today. Friday was an interesting day as I was informed about 10 minutes before class that the school was having all students who didn't get a D or an F on their report cards last 9 weeks go outside for a reward. Music class is during the "intervention" class (study hall), so the principal said it was mine (and really, Mr. Suzelis's) decision, but he did hope we let those that were able to go outside do so. What it ended up doing was cutting each music class in half, so most of what we did in class on Friday will simply have to be repeated on Monday and will be review for the students who didn't get to go outside. I guess I got another taste of the unexpected surprises a school day can bring. It wasn't the first and for the most part it worked pretty well, though I didn't want the students who didn't go outside to feel like they were being "punished" by having class.
The choirs are all preparing for the spaghetti dinner concert next Friday, so I have mostly taken the role of helper in each choir. I still get things started in all but 6th grade choir and Mr. Suzelis and I sort of co-teach 5th grade choir since they are doing two-part songs. He, however, mostly takes the lead there since we really aren't learning any new songs but just reviewing and polishing the ones they have. If we have time each day I will lead sight-singing in 5th grade. This coming week will be interesting in choir as the OAT will be going on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the middle school and Tuesday and Thursday at the intermediate school. The choir practices will be impacted, but it doesn't look like it will be too much.
Week 11 Lesson Review
This week's featured lesson will be my 7th grade general music class from Thursday. Pretty much the entire class was taken up with the students trying to learn how to play a few simple melodies on the piano. In the end, I think all of us got frustrated as the second melody proved somewhat difficult to teach and to pick up for first-time piano players. It was definitely one of those, "how will I do this differently tomorrow?!?" kind of lessons. Mr. Suzelis offered some suggestions and then helped the next day in teaching, though the real teller of how well my adjustments go will be Monday at my next evaluation as half the class was out for an activity.
The main issue during the lesson wasn't so much the rhythm as it was the melody and the fingering as they have to use their left index finger and then switch to their right hand. What Mr. Suzelis told me after class was that he usually does the second section last since it is the most difficult, though he also said he tried to suggest it during the class when it became evident that all involved were becoming frustrated; I just didn't hear him! I was trying to make adjustments and challenge the students to not give up and to problem solve, particularly in reading music. A student asked me how "it ended" and so I asked him the same question back after pointing him to the melody on the correct page "how does it end?" My reasoning was helping them to help themselves rather than just giving them the answer. I mean, if they leave music class and have no concept of how to read music, what have I really accomplished other than putting a bunch of facts into their heads they're likely to forget fairly soon?
Another adjustment I tried to make, which I should've done from the beginning, was simply breaking it down to even smaller phrases. When we worked on the next phrase during Friday's class, I did that and we had some better success along with help from Mr. Suzelis in teaching the end of phrase two.
The main issue during the lesson wasn't so much the rhythm as it was the melody and the fingering as they have to use their left index finger and then switch to their right hand. What Mr. Suzelis told me after class was that he usually does the second section last since it is the most difficult, though he also said he tried to suggest it during the class when it became evident that all involved were becoming frustrated; I just didn't hear him! I was trying to make adjustments and challenge the students to not give up and to problem solve, particularly in reading music. A student asked me how "it ended" and so I asked him the same question back after pointing him to the melody on the correct page "how does it end?" My reasoning was helping them to help themselves rather than just giving them the answer. I mean, if they leave music class and have no concept of how to read music, what have I really accomplished other than putting a bunch of facts into their heads they're likely to forget fairly soon?
Another adjustment I tried to make, which I should've done from the beginning, was simply breaking it down to even smaller phrases. When we worked on the next phrase during Friday's class, I did that and we had some better success along with help from Mr. Suzelis in teaching the end of phrase two.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Weekly Review #10
My previous post detailed the main event of the week involving 6th grade choir. It was definitely disappointing to not be able to try any of the strategies suggested after the formal observation on Monday, but in the end I know what happened was for the best and overall benefit of the choir. Of all the classes I teach, 6th grade choir is the only one I ever got the sense from that they truly looked on me as a temporary fixture and knew I'd be leaving eventually. That said, I still want them to be successful and I know the talent is there!
This week was the last week before the school's Spring Break (I am writing this from Laurel, Maryland where I am currently on Spring Break!) so there was a feeling of optimism, but also that kind of worn-out feeling as everyone pushed towards Friday. I felt really good about how classes went as we also began transitioning all of the classes back to Mr. Suzelis. I had him take one day from each of the general music classes and he did warm-ups for both the 7th and 8th grade choirs on a certain day. In 5th grade choir, we essentially team-taught part of the class. I really worked on memorizing names while he taught the music classes and so the rest of the week did much better calling on students and keeping the flow of the lesson going, particularly in 6th grade general music. I was evaluated on Friday by Mr. Suzelis in 6th garde general music and got a generally good evaluation, particularly in classroom management, which I was happy about.
In 5th grade choir I've slowly been working in greatly simplified accompaniments into the songs, not only for my own confidence, but also to help the 5th graders stay excited about their songs. It really helped on Wednesday or Thursday when Mr. Suzelis had to run back to the middle school for something, so he left me with the class and I couldn't ask him to play the accompaniments for me. The other thing this week was solo & ensemble contest on Saturday, so we were working towards that in 7th and 8th grade choirs; also preparing for large group event in May. Mr. Suzelis has largely taken over 7th and 8th grade choirs, though I still do warm-ups and sight singing (once we start that again after break). Most of class was taken up by having the soloists and ensembles perform in class to get experience and practice. I did my best to offer feedback and help to the students. For the most part, they all did well at solo & ensemble yesterday and I was particularly happy that no one gave up on their solo, even some that Mr. Suzelis was almost certain would. All in all a great week heading into the break!
This week was the last week before the school's Spring Break (I am writing this from Laurel, Maryland where I am currently on Spring Break!) so there was a feeling of optimism, but also that kind of worn-out feeling as everyone pushed towards Friday. I felt really good about how classes went as we also began transitioning all of the classes back to Mr. Suzelis. I had him take one day from each of the general music classes and he did warm-ups for both the 7th and 8th grade choirs on a certain day. In 5th grade choir, we essentially team-taught part of the class. I really worked on memorizing names while he taught the music classes and so the rest of the week did much better calling on students and keeping the flow of the lesson going, particularly in 6th grade general music. I was evaluated on Friday by Mr. Suzelis in 6th garde general music and got a generally good evaluation, particularly in classroom management, which I was happy about.
In 5th grade choir I've slowly been working in greatly simplified accompaniments into the songs, not only for my own confidence, but also to help the 5th graders stay excited about their songs. It really helped on Wednesday or Thursday when Mr. Suzelis had to run back to the middle school for something, so he left me with the class and I couldn't ask him to play the accompaniments for me. The other thing this week was solo & ensemble contest on Saturday, so we were working towards that in 7th and 8th grade choirs; also preparing for large group event in May. Mr. Suzelis has largely taken over 7th and 8th grade choirs, though I still do warm-ups and sight singing (once we start that again after break). Most of class was taken up by having the soloists and ensembles perform in class to get experience and practice. I did my best to offer feedback and help to the students. For the most part, they all did well at solo & ensemble yesterday and I was particularly happy that no one gave up on their solo, even some that Mr. Suzelis was almost certain would. All in all a great week heading into the break!
Week 10 Lesson Review
After the observation on Monday I had every intention of taping 6th grade choir this week and talking about implementation of some of the things you suggested. However, neither of those things happened. I will discuss what occurred on Tuesday. The class started out normal enough with warmups and sight singing. I was trying the use of percentages that you had suggested as the choir was far less responsive and involved than they had been the day before, even on simple tasks like singing up the scale in solfege. I was getting a little frustrated, but moreso disappointed as we went through the exercise. It was a somewhat dificult exercise and I anticipated some problems, but not that level of indifference. I tried my best to be excited and encouraging, but also demanding with expectations. Even with that, little response, so we didn't even get through it before Mr. Suzelis stepped in and had a long talk with the choir about attitude. We didn't finsih the exercise, nor did we even sing that day as they got a long lecture on attitude and then had them all answer 5 basic questions about what was affecting them personally and the choir as a whole. One student gave him a slight attitude during the class and by then he was pretty upset, so he yelled at her and she got written up. It certainly got their attention, though he admitted after class he may have "blown his top" a little too much there.
We discussed things after class and decided that it would be best for him to take the choir back over, rather than the gradual transition we had originally planned. The next day had been planned for him to do warm-ups anyway, but now he has taken back over the full-time role as director and I am halping as needed singing with the students and doing anything to help get bthings going. We also discussed ways to get the students "on board" so with the song Siyahamba, we are using the drums left over from 8th grade general music and having the students play the suggested parts on them. It has helped a little. Mr. Suzelis also did a sight singing exercise that was hardly sight reading, but more singing with the piano. He explained his reasoning in building confidence there rather than actually sight reading.
I could feel like a failure, but I don't. When he said it may be better for him to take it back over immediately to get rid of the bad attitude, I told him it was his choir and he needed to do what he felt necessary and that I would help where needed. I was worried he was possibly blaming me for some of the attitude, but the only thing he said was that he felt they needed to get things going at a "quicker pace." The 3 other choirs I have been working with (I am still primarily working with 5th grade choir) are thankfully not suffering from the same attitude problems and this experience has given me a lot of ideas on how to deal with such an occurrence.
We discussed things after class and decided that it would be best for him to take the choir back over, rather than the gradual transition we had originally planned. The next day had been planned for him to do warm-ups anyway, but now he has taken back over the full-time role as director and I am halping as needed singing with the students and doing anything to help get bthings going. We also discussed ways to get the students "on board" so with the song Siyahamba, we are using the drums left over from 8th grade general music and having the students play the suggested parts on them. It has helped a little. Mr. Suzelis also did a sight singing exercise that was hardly sight reading, but more singing with the piano. He explained his reasoning in building confidence there rather than actually sight reading.
I could feel like a failure, but I don't. When he said it may be better for him to take it back over immediately to get rid of the bad attitude, I told him it was his choir and he needed to do what he felt necessary and that I would help where needed. I was worried he was possibly blaming me for some of the attitude, but the only thing he said was that he felt they needed to get things going at a "quicker pace." The 3 other choirs I have been working with (I am still primarily working with 5th grade choir) are thankfully not suffering from the same attitude problems and this experience has given me a lot of ideas on how to deal with such an occurrence.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Weekly Review #9
Every week it seems like it really isn't possible we are this far along, but here is is: Week 9 is history. This was the first week of a new grading period, so I got three new general music classes. I felt like we have gotten off to a good start for the most part. Are there things I could still improve on? Absolutely, but since this was my first time ever starting a new class (as opposed to coming into an existing class) I thought it went well enough. Those three classes did not meet on Friday due to the school's Character Education assemblies, which happen about every 2-3 weeks. Because music class is held during each grade's respective intervention (study hall) period, the assemblies always affect class schedule. My new 6th grade class is almost too good to be real. They are respectful, quiet, and seem to participate fairly well. My challenge there seems to be making sure I talk less and engage more and that I call on all of the students more. I have been making an effort to try and call on everyone at least once, but I admit some times are easier than others. When I ask students to read, that is one I hesitate the most to simply call on someone who doesn't volunteer since I know there are many people who are just uncomfortable reading out loud for others. The rest of the questions I ask, however, are open to anyone and I just need to do better in making sure I don't let some students monopolize giving answers. And not just in 6th grade music, but in all of my classes!
The choirs are going OK. My piano playing continues to be a frustration for me and it seems for Mr. Suzelis as well. I have been trying to practice more at home so I can at least play all the parts, but even then my practicing doesn't always translate into smooth playing in the classroom, in particular in the 7th and 8th grade choirs where the music is more difficult with three parts. This week marked the end of the period where I have the teacher's entire schedule, so I will be turning the 7th and 8th grade back over to Mr. Suzelis, though I will continue to do warm-ups and sight-singing. The 7th and 8th graders have solo & ensemble contest at the end of this coming week, so much of the class time is spent giving students who are performing a chance to perform in front of an audience. Mr. Suzelis has required all solists and ensembles to perform at least once both this past week and next week. 5th and 6th grade choirs are going OK, though 6th grade choir continues to be a challenge for me. I guess you will see that yourself on Monday! It's not that they're bad (though we have a few behavior issues that continue to come up regardless of whether I or Mr. Suzelis is in front of the group), but more getting better sound out of them. So often I feel like I'm giving so much just to get an average sound out of them. It was nice a few days ago when I did get a great sound out of them after quite an effort on my part, though it's hardly consistent. I'm trying to do better at being consistent in my expectations and giving better modeling examples.
The choirs are going OK. My piano playing continues to be a frustration for me and it seems for Mr. Suzelis as well. I have been trying to practice more at home so I can at least play all the parts, but even then my practicing doesn't always translate into smooth playing in the classroom, in particular in the 7th and 8th grade choirs where the music is more difficult with three parts. This week marked the end of the period where I have the teacher's entire schedule, so I will be turning the 7th and 8th grade back over to Mr. Suzelis, though I will continue to do warm-ups and sight-singing. The 7th and 8th graders have solo & ensemble contest at the end of this coming week, so much of the class time is spent giving students who are performing a chance to perform in front of an audience. Mr. Suzelis has required all solists and ensembles to perform at least once both this past week and next week. 5th and 6th grade choirs are going OK, though 6th grade choir continues to be a challenge for me. I guess you will see that yourself on Monday! It's not that they're bad (though we have a few behavior issues that continue to come up regardless of whether I or Mr. Suzelis is in front of the group), but more getting better sound out of them. So often I feel like I'm giving so much just to get an average sound out of them. It was nice a few days ago when I did get a great sound out of them after quite an effort on my part, though it's hardly consistent. I'm trying to do better at being consistent in my expectations and giving better modeling examples.
Week 9 Lesson Review
This week I taped my 8th grade general music lesson for Thursday since we didn't have class on Friday. It was also the lesson that Mr. Suzelis formally evaluated. We discussed his evaluation on Friday, though we also discussed it briefly after school on Thursday. The beginning of the class was spent having the students finish their first project of the 9 weeks, the adufe drum from Portugal. The final part today was finishing the drum heads (made with colored packaging tape) and some cosmetic enhancements with additional tape and/or markers to decorate. This part doesn't need much from me other than monitoring student progress to make sure they are following directions and not doing anything that is unsafe or could negatively affect their projects. One student used some masking tape to decorate his. I was aware he was doing it, but didn't think it would make that much difference, though Mr. Suzelis was worried it may affect the vibration of the drum. I made sure to test it after class to see if there was a noticeable difference and there didn't seem to be, but I guess we'll see when we start playing it on Monday. The only major difficulty was one student's frame cracked while we were putting things together and he had to basically start over from the point where the drum head is actually assembled. Mr. Suzelis ended up taking over that, though I was ready to do so if needed.
After everyone was finished I had them put their drums away, something I thought later wasn't the best idea. We had to go over the notation system used in the book and the best way is to have the students play it themselves. By the time we got to that point there wasn't a whole lot of time left (about 10 minutes), so I basically introduced it and then had the students finish reading the section on Portugal's history. I easily could have done a different way of teaching that lesson, having students actually try and play it, but my thinking was more that even if they did, we wouldn't have class on Friday and then they'd have the entire weekend to forget it and we'd have to start on Monday anyway. So, I used the time to do a basic introduction and then get the reading out of the way. That way, on Monday we can really focus on the notation system right before we start playing rhythms for real.
Something else I need to work on is getting to know the student's names on all of my new classes so I can have more rapport and hold off any potential discipline problems. For the most part, despite the fear that this nine weeks would pose a serious discipline problem in both 7th and 8th grades, things have gotten off to a good start with minimal disruptions. Because the 8th grade class is designed to be more hands-on, that helps a lot with most discipline problems because students have something to do and the time used in putting the projects together gives them plenty of time to socialize, though I admit certain students (especially last nine weeks) seemed to go pretty slow when they were socializing and working at the same time. Some students would get done in a few minutes (and they were usually working on their own with minimal talking) while other students would take the entire period. That is something I will watch for in these last few weeks.
After everyone was finished I had them put their drums away, something I thought later wasn't the best idea. We had to go over the notation system used in the book and the best way is to have the students play it themselves. By the time we got to that point there wasn't a whole lot of time left (about 10 minutes), so I basically introduced it and then had the students finish reading the section on Portugal's history. I easily could have done a different way of teaching that lesson, having students actually try and play it, but my thinking was more that even if they did, we wouldn't have class on Friday and then they'd have the entire weekend to forget it and we'd have to start on Monday anyway. So, I used the time to do a basic introduction and then get the reading out of the way. That way, on Monday we can really focus on the notation system right before we start playing rhythms for real.
Something else I need to work on is getting to know the student's names on all of my new classes so I can have more rapport and hold off any potential discipline problems. For the most part, despite the fear that this nine weeks would pose a serious discipline problem in both 7th and 8th grades, things have gotten off to a good start with minimal disruptions. Because the 8th grade class is designed to be more hands-on, that helps a lot with most discipline problems because students have something to do and the time used in putting the projects together gives them plenty of time to socialize, though I admit certain students (especially last nine weeks) seemed to go pretty slow when they were socializing and working at the same time. Some students would get done in a few minutes (and they were usually working on their own with minimal talking) while other students would take the entire period. That is something I will watch for in these last few weeks.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Weekly Review #8
Wow I really am surprised how fast time seems to be going. Week 8 is already over and only 4 weeks to go. This week was somewhat of a challenge, at least in choir, because of some discipline issues and the ever-present piano playing abilities or lack thereof. Add to that the fact that I got a cold this week and it would seem that the week kind of dragged on. In fact, the opposite was true as it went by fairly quickly. I was pleasantly surprised.
The biggest challenges seem to be coming from choir as I deal with my lack of piano playing abilities. I can get by, but when it comes to combining parts I tend to struggle even after practicing them. Of course that results in confusion and students getting off track, which ends up wasting class time. It's been very frustrating. As a result, I am trying to practice more at home, and Mr. Suzelis has offered to play when needed and has. One day this week I wanted to combine parts and knew it would be a disaster if I did so I had Mr. Suzelis come up and do it. What that allows me to do is get up close with the choir and help them with their parts more, instead of behind the piano. Of course I still want (and need) to get better, but in the mean time, this seems to be a viable option, though I am unsure how I would proceed in a classroom where I don't have the option of an experienced piano player. Mr. Suzelis has also supplied me with accompaniment tracks, so I am able to use those as needed (he uses them too so he can hear the choirs better).
The discipline issues I mentioned last week are still ongoing, at least with one student. The other student wasn't at school much this week, but the one with the biggest attitude certainly was. She did turn in the writing assignment after she had to meet with the assistant principal after both were written up on Monday for not having it. I had asked them to include reasons why they felt their discussions couldn't wait for after the concert and she basically wrote that she was talking because she "didn't care." Later during the week Mr. Suzelis talked with her during class and she told him she was just in choir because her "mom made [her]." On Friday I moved her seat as she was talking to her neighbor at every chance. Of course it wasn't without an attitude and some drama. I'm planning on moving her seat permanently.
The music classes ended well and I was able to get all the grades in. Mr. Suzelis also gave me the site and login info so I can enter grades from my own computer at school or at home. Up until then I always did them at his computer in the classroom, but now we can both enter grades as needed. VERY convenient! I'm a little anxious for the new grading period this week to see what kind of classes I'll be getting and how they are different from the ones I just had. I think everything will turn out OK, but some of the things Mr. Suzelis said about a few students definitely have me nervous for classroom disruption issues.
The biggest challenges seem to be coming from choir as I deal with my lack of piano playing abilities. I can get by, but when it comes to combining parts I tend to struggle even after practicing them. Of course that results in confusion and students getting off track, which ends up wasting class time. It's been very frustrating. As a result, I am trying to practice more at home, and Mr. Suzelis has offered to play when needed and has. One day this week I wanted to combine parts and knew it would be a disaster if I did so I had Mr. Suzelis come up and do it. What that allows me to do is get up close with the choir and help them with their parts more, instead of behind the piano. Of course I still want (and need) to get better, but in the mean time, this seems to be a viable option, though I am unsure how I would proceed in a classroom where I don't have the option of an experienced piano player. Mr. Suzelis has also supplied me with accompaniment tracks, so I am able to use those as needed (he uses them too so he can hear the choirs better).
The discipline issues I mentioned last week are still ongoing, at least with one student. The other student wasn't at school much this week, but the one with the biggest attitude certainly was. She did turn in the writing assignment after she had to meet with the assistant principal after both were written up on Monday for not having it. I had asked them to include reasons why they felt their discussions couldn't wait for after the concert and she basically wrote that she was talking because she "didn't care." Later during the week Mr. Suzelis talked with her during class and she told him she was just in choir because her "mom made [her]." On Friday I moved her seat as she was talking to her neighbor at every chance. Of course it wasn't without an attitude and some drama. I'm planning on moving her seat permanently.
The music classes ended well and I was able to get all the grades in. Mr. Suzelis also gave me the site and login info so I can enter grades from my own computer at school or at home. Up until then I always did them at his computer in the classroom, but now we can both enter grades as needed. VERY convenient! I'm a little anxious for the new grading period this week to see what kind of classes I'll be getting and how they are different from the ones I just had. I think everything will turn out OK, but some of the things Mr. Suzelis said about a few students definitely have me nervous for classroom disruption issues.
Week 8 Lesson Review
I actually did remember to video a lesson this week as this week was a bit more on the "normal" side as far as schedules go. This week I taped my 8th grade general music class, which meets 8th period. On a side note, the video camera has been in the classroom almost as long as I have been there, yet every once and awhile students will actually notice it and comment. Because I forgot to tape last week I haven't even used it in almost two weeks, yet one student asked during class (and during the video) what the camera was for. I was surprised they pointed it out since, like I said, it's been there for weeks. Maybe they noticed the lens cap was off. Who knows?
Although this week was "normal" in terms of scheduling, it was a little different due to the fact that it was the last week of the nine weeks. For this class, it also means it is the last week of the class itself before they move back to their intervention (study hall) class. As a result, most of what is done in the class is kind of play it by ear...see how far we can get in the book before the end of the week without losing anyone. One of the things I like about the curriculum used in the 8th grade class is how flexible it is. While of course I want to get through as much as possible in 9 weeks, there is no way we can get through everything. Not only is it flexible, but it's also very engaging for students. The easiest thing for me was to keep the students engaged in this class as we were mostly playing their drums and reviewing certain rhythms. One of the rhythms we did today was a 9/8 rhythm which the students found difficult yesterday when we started it. I thought they grasped it and got about 3 people tested before the end of class. Mr. Suzelis said he didn't think they totally got it, so we spent some more time in the Thursday class working on it before I tested the rest of the class. Not only did I use the recording for an example, but also broke it down into smaller chunks and added additional sections slower. The result was a better testing!
I still need to work on classroom management, though it seems to be improving. Keeping quiet is always tough in a class like this. Of course one solution would be to take away the drums when students can't be quiet, but that wouldn't work here since they have to have the drum to practice and be tested on. In the end, I have been trying more of the "I'll wait" strategy and not undermining my own words by telling everyone to be quiet and then moving on before they actually get quiet.
Although this week was "normal" in terms of scheduling, it was a little different due to the fact that it was the last week of the nine weeks. For this class, it also means it is the last week of the class itself before they move back to their intervention (study hall) class. As a result, most of what is done in the class is kind of play it by ear...see how far we can get in the book before the end of the week without losing anyone. One of the things I like about the curriculum used in the 8th grade class is how flexible it is. While of course I want to get through as much as possible in 9 weeks, there is no way we can get through everything. Not only is it flexible, but it's also very engaging for students. The easiest thing for me was to keep the students engaged in this class as we were mostly playing their drums and reviewing certain rhythms. One of the rhythms we did today was a 9/8 rhythm which the students found difficult yesterday when we started it. I thought they grasped it and got about 3 people tested before the end of class. Mr. Suzelis said he didn't think they totally got it, so we spent some more time in the Thursday class working on it before I tested the rest of the class. Not only did I use the recording for an example, but also broke it down into smaller chunks and added additional sections slower. The result was a better testing!
I still need to work on classroom management, though it seems to be improving. Keeping quiet is always tough in a class like this. Of course one solution would be to take away the drums when students can't be quiet, but that wouldn't work here since they have to have the drum to practice and be tested on. In the end, I have been trying more of the "I'll wait" strategy and not undermining my own words by telling everyone to be quiet and then moving on before they actually get quiet.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Weekly Review #7
As I mentioned in my lesson review, this week was somewhat hectic, though I enjoyed it and felt good about how it went. We had an in-school concert for the 5th and 6th grade choirs on Thursday that went well for the most part. The biggest difficulty I saw was the behavior of the students, the 6th graders in particular, who had to be bused over from the middle school. While I certainly expected talking and normal behavior for students that age, I was disappointed by their behavior during the concert. The silver-lining of that for me was the opportunity to exercise some authority and sharpen my classroom management and discipline skills. Two students in particular had a difficult time refraining from talking in between numbers and even making less obvious (one girl would turn around and they'd all lean in together). Multiple times during the concert I addressed it as far as telling them to stop, though looking back, I think the next time I may actually move at least one of the offending members. In the end, I discussed it afterwards with Mr. Suzelis and we decided some sort of consequence was in order. I decided, under the advice of Mr. Suzelis, to give them the "Choral Credo" writing assignment where the students copy down a list of commitments they are expected to follow in choir. During class, both of us addressed the behavior issue and our dissapointment in how they did and how it affected their performance. I personally took care of the two girls that had the biggest problems immediately after class. I had to laugh after I did it just because of the attitude they had while I was telling them what I wanted and that while I didn't want to have to write them up on Monday, I would if they didn't have the assignment by then. I guess I'll see what happens come Monday!
I still have a ways to go on classroom management, particularly in controlling talking out of turn. I realize I can't control everything, but I can still do better. All three of my general music classes will change after this coming week, so I'm anxious to see how the next group will be. My 6th grade general music class, as much as they challenge me sometimes, is a class I have really come to know and understand, so starting over with a new class (that will likely have a completely different personality) will be a challenge to say the least, especially given what Mr. Suzelis has mentioned about my students in each class.
I also wrote my first true test (though I have made up my own quizzes) for 6th grade general music. It went pretty well. My main worry is too much information and not enough review and internalization, but from what I have graded, the students did OK and I haven't noticed any consistent mistakes that would lead me to believe that I didn't teach a concept properly.
I still have a ways to go on classroom management, particularly in controlling talking out of turn. I realize I can't control everything, but I can still do better. All three of my general music classes will change after this coming week, so I'm anxious to see how the next group will be. My 6th grade general music class, as much as they challenge me sometimes, is a class I have really come to know and understand, so starting over with a new class (that will likely have a completely different personality) will be a challenge to say the least, especially given what Mr. Suzelis has mentioned about my students in each class.
I also wrote my first true test (though I have made up my own quizzes) for 6th grade general music. It went pretty well. My main worry is too much information and not enough review and internalization, but from what I have graded, the students did OK and I haven't noticed any consistent mistakes that would lead me to believe that I didn't teach a concept properly.
Week 7 Lesson Review
This was a somewhat crazy and hectic (though fast-moving) week due to character assemblies on Wednesday and an in-school concert on Thursday. Because of this, I neglected to videotape my classes. I had originally planned to video my 7th grade general music class because this week I began teaching it full time. It's an interesting challenge because not only are the students well accustomed to Mr. Suzelis's teaching style, but the class ends next week, so no sooner will I get their names learned then I'll be getting a new class! That said, I will reflect on this Friday's lesson, which I had planned to video, but once I get going teaching, I simply did not remember to turn on the recorder. Guess I'm focused a little too much!
For the most part I was happy with how the lesson went, though there are times I feel a little unprepared when something goes much faster than I had even thought possible. First I had to take care of getting some students caught up on a playing test. Not only did they have to play, but all three of them needed to first learn what was going to be tested on. I do enjoy getting to work with students a little more one-on-one, though the challenge for me was keeping an eye on the rest of the class as well. I thought I was doing an OK job, but apparently not as it seemed the very second I looked down at my paper to mark how a student did on her playing test that Mr. Suzelis walked in and saw a student throw a paper airplane and promptly addressed it. He didn't seem upset at me, though I'm sure he thought I should've noticed. I'm betting the students were simply waiting for me to look away and did a pretty good job of doing it without letting me see. Unfortunately for them, there was an extra pair of eyes! That is something I'm still working on; that is having a more panoriamic view of the room and not looking down or away as much. I know it takes time and experience, but I'm definitely making an effort to be watching more. The lesson itself after the playing test went OK, though I am still working on engagement. The students all participated, particularly on the section where we used rhythm sticks to practice the difference between steady beat and rhythm. Not knowing exactly how much they know hurt a little too. I'm interested to see how things go when I actually start a class off myself rather than taking over.
For the most part I was happy with how the lesson went, though there are times I feel a little unprepared when something goes much faster than I had even thought possible. First I had to take care of getting some students caught up on a playing test. Not only did they have to play, but all three of them needed to first learn what was going to be tested on. I do enjoy getting to work with students a little more one-on-one, though the challenge for me was keeping an eye on the rest of the class as well. I thought I was doing an OK job, but apparently not as it seemed the very second I looked down at my paper to mark how a student did on her playing test that Mr. Suzelis walked in and saw a student throw a paper airplane and promptly addressed it. He didn't seem upset at me, though I'm sure he thought I should've noticed. I'm betting the students were simply waiting for me to look away and did a pretty good job of doing it without letting me see. Unfortunately for them, there was an extra pair of eyes! That is something I'm still working on; that is having a more panoriamic view of the room and not looking down or away as much. I know it takes time and experience, but I'm definitely making an effort to be watching more. The lesson itself after the playing test went OK, though I am still working on engagement. The students all participated, particularly on the section where we used rhythm sticks to practice the difference between steady beat and rhythm. Not knowing exactly how much they know hurt a little too. I'm interested to see how things go when I actually start a class off myself rather than taking over.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Weekly Review #6
All in all I felt really good about this week. My post about my 6th grade lesson was definitely a highlight for me finally taking that next step in dealing with a problem. I'm a very sensitive person and so discipline is not something that comes all that naturally, plus I remember being on the receiving end of discipline and how it felt. I feel like I have a teacher presence, but at least in 6th grade music, the students were pretty surprised that I had it in me to do more than just tell them over and over to stop talking out of turn. I'm a little anxious looking ahead to the new nine weeks as I saw my class lists and Mr. Suzelis identified several potential trouble spots in each class, the 7th grade general music class in particular. While that has me a little worried, being able to start with the class will be something I can hopefully use to my advantage in classroom management. Even though I've been with the 6th grade music class for all of my student teaching, I wasn't there the first week, so I wasn't able to establish myself as well as I wanted, not to mention the fact that I was brand new! I definitely don't feel like any of the classes I'm teaching get out of control and I do have a higher tolerance for noise than Mr. Suzelis (we discussed that) in the end, especially for this nine weeks, he's going to be taking back over, so I'd like to hand it over the way he's more comfortable.
The choirs are all going well, though I'm definitely nervous about doing more with the 7th and 8th grade choirs mostly because of my piano playing. I've been doing warm-ups and sightreading mostly since I started, so I know their personalities pretty well, but with my piano playing not where I want it, I feel like it's a major hindrance in teaching the songs I need to as effectively as I want to. We had our concert this week (on my birthday no less!) and I felt like it went well. Definitely could've been better, but godd enough for that concert. On Wednesday Mr. Suzelis had me lead all the choirs in completing a written evaluation of the concert, where each choir listened to their part of the concert and had to write at least one positive comment and one thing they needed to work on in their own part. It was interesting to read the responses and see the thought process but also how well some could and couldn't follow the directions.
The choirs are all going well, though I'm definitely nervous about doing more with the 7th and 8th grade choirs mostly because of my piano playing. I've been doing warm-ups and sightreading mostly since I started, so I know their personalities pretty well, but with my piano playing not where I want it, I feel like it's a major hindrance in teaching the songs I need to as effectively as I want to. We had our concert this week (on my birthday no less!) and I felt like it went well. Definitely could've been better, but godd enough for that concert. On Wednesday Mr. Suzelis had me lead all the choirs in completing a written evaluation of the concert, where each choir listened to their part of the concert and had to write at least one positive comment and one thing they needed to work on in their own part. It was interesting to read the responses and see the thought process but also how well some could and couldn't follow the directions.
Week 6 Lesson Review
This week I videoed my 6th grade general music lesson on Thursday, March 5. This was somewhat significant as it marked the first time I actually went further than simply telling students to stop talking, I actually had a physical consequence. The consequence was given out to two students who repeatedly spoke out of turn was a small writing assignment. While yes, I certainly don't want to create the feeling in students that they start to view writing as a punishment (as I mentioned in our meeting), I did this after much thought on how I could give the assignment not as a punishment, but as a reinforcement. The result of me giving out the assignment was a noted change in the class both that day and the next. Granted, they didn't exactly turn into perfect angels who only spoke when called on, but I could sense a fear of getting an assignment on Thursday and that carried over into Friday. Now, I hardly want to instill fear, but rather making them think about what they're doing
The small writing assignment I gave out was to simply answer the question "Why do I want you to raise your hands and wait for me to call on you?" On Friday I did see one student's response. It was short, but demonstrated some thought, even if it was at the most basic level. My reasoning is not just to make them write for the sake of writing or doing something extra but to get them to think about what they're doing.
I still feel like I can be more consistent with my classroom management, something that will take something that I know will take experience and practice. To help in that area, I am doing my action research in that area beginning in the next 9 weeks (which starts March 23). To prepare I have already begun reading various music and educational journals to get a better idea on what can and what might not work so well in classroom management. The articles not only have ideas for possible solutions, but they also have studies that examine the mind process students use that can help teachers understand and be more proactive in classroom management.
The small writing assignment I gave out was to simply answer the question "Why do I want you to raise your hands and wait for me to call on you?" On Friday I did see one student's response. It was short, but demonstrated some thought, even if it was at the most basic level. My reasoning is not just to make them write for the sake of writing or doing something extra but to get them to think about what they're doing.
I still feel like I can be more consistent with my classroom management, something that will take something that I know will take experience and practice. To help in that area, I am doing my action research in that area beginning in the next 9 weeks (which starts March 23). To prepare I have already begun reading various music and educational journals to get a better idea on what can and what might not work so well in classroom management. The articles not only have ideas for possible solutions, but they also have studies that examine the mind process students use that can help teachers understand and be more proactive in classroom management.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Weekly Review #5
As promised, here is not only the weekly review for week 5, but a summary of my experience thus far. I have to say student teaching is a lot different than I expected. It's a lot more time consuming than I thought, even after the classes I had last semester seemed at times overwhelmingly time consuming. That said, I have grown a lot and learned a lot about teaching in the five weeks. It's been very frustrating at times as it's felt like I'm being expected to know and understand something that I have limited or no experience in, not to mention the confusion that has been so prevalent not only in this semester, but in my entire graduate experience so far. At this point, I wish I had been given actual opportunities to plan units and weekly lesson plans prior to student teaching. I cannot remember doing any type of lesson planning beyond a single lesson plan. While being able to write a lesson plan is, of course, valuable and necessary, most of my experience involved being given a topic and then given a certain amount of time to complete a single lesson plan. So when I was presented with "OK now write weekly lesson plans" it was quite overwhelming. I seem to be getting the hang of it, not only how to think that far ahead, but also to budget my time during the week to make sure I have enough time to actually think it through well enough and still have time to write them and send them off to Mr. Suzelis by Sunday afternoon.
One of the biggest things I have had to adjust to is the schedule. Being in college so long, I have become quite accustomed to having a different schedule every day, so having basically the same schedule every day has taken some getting used to and some adjustments in my home life as well. Really, it's getting to know the protocol of not only teaching but of student teaching itself that has been frustrating at times. While my students have frustrated me at times, I really can't complain about them as they have been great and it's been uplifting when students say hello to me in the hall or just come up to me to talk. True, my 6th grade general music class doesn't know when to be quiet at times, but in the end I have seen some of those "a ha" moments when they get it and even had a student come up to me after a class and tell me he wanted to start piano lessons after we had spent two days learning how to play the C-major scale on the piano. It was a student I never would've guessed had any interest at all in music, but there he was asking me about piano lessons.
One of the biggest things I have had to adjust to is the schedule. Being in college so long, I have become quite accustomed to having a different schedule every day, so having basically the same schedule every day has taken some getting used to and some adjustments in my home life as well. Really, it's getting to know the protocol of not only teaching but of student teaching itself that has been frustrating at times. While my students have frustrated me at times, I really can't complain about them as they have been great and it's been uplifting when students say hello to me in the hall or just come up to me to talk. True, my 6th grade general music class doesn't know when to be quiet at times, but in the end I have seen some of those "a ha" moments when they get it and even had a student come up to me after a class and tell me he wanted to start piano lessons after we had spent two days learning how to play the C-major scale on the piano. It was a student I never would've guessed had any interest at all in music, but there he was asking me about piano lessons.
Week 5 Lesson Review
I know I'm getting a late start on this, but that's what happens when you "fall through the cracks."
The first section is my weekly reflection on a videotaped lesson. The lesson I had recorded was my 6th grade choir on Thursday morning. Now, let me just say it's hard to watch myself on video. I don't know why, but I just don't enjoy watching myself on tape even though I enjoy performing and am comfortable in front of cameras. Go figure. In watching the video, however, I am able to pick up on some positives I saw in my teaching and of course some negatives. First the positives!
One thing Mr. Suzelis mentioned to me in our discussions is that it seemed I wasn't looking up from the piano as much as he would've liked when I was doing vocal warm-ups. Most of it was due to my piano playing abilities not being as strong as I want them to be, so I was looking down pretty frequently to make sure my hands were where they are supposed to be when I was playing the warm-up. My hands when playing can be like a train...if one plays the wrong note, it derails all the rest and suddenly I'm playing a bunch of wrong notes and the choir is giving me a confused look and quickly losing sound. After we discussed this, I tried to be more aware of the choir and focus less on what my hands were doing on the keys. While I couldn't look up 100% of the time, I was able to look up not only more frequently, but for longer periods of time. This allows me to not only become more confident in my piano playing abilities, but also to model the correct mouth formation for the group and above all make sure they are participating. I felt during the rest of class I was looking up more and trying to be conscious of what was going on in the classroom.
On the negative side, my classroom management is still not where I'd like it to be. Too often I either don't see a certain misbehavior or I let it slide. Part of it is my higher tolerance for sound, but another part of it is simply not being experienced in knowing what to look for. As I've discussed this with Mr. Suzelis, he has given me things to look for and suggestions on how to deal with it. I have noticed some improvement, but still have a ways to go. Another thing that would help would be becoming more familiar with the students' names. I know several, but not enough to call someone by name to limit or even prevent a possible disruption when I see it.
The first section is my weekly reflection on a videotaped lesson. The lesson I had recorded was my 6th grade choir on Thursday morning. Now, let me just say it's hard to watch myself on video. I don't know why, but I just don't enjoy watching myself on tape even though I enjoy performing and am comfortable in front of cameras. Go figure. In watching the video, however, I am able to pick up on some positives I saw in my teaching and of course some negatives. First the positives!
One thing Mr. Suzelis mentioned to me in our discussions is that it seemed I wasn't looking up from the piano as much as he would've liked when I was doing vocal warm-ups. Most of it was due to my piano playing abilities not being as strong as I want them to be, so I was looking down pretty frequently to make sure my hands were where they are supposed to be when I was playing the warm-up. My hands when playing can be like a train...if one plays the wrong note, it derails all the rest and suddenly I'm playing a bunch of wrong notes and the choir is giving me a confused look and quickly losing sound. After we discussed this, I tried to be more aware of the choir and focus less on what my hands were doing on the keys. While I couldn't look up 100% of the time, I was able to look up not only more frequently, but for longer periods of time. This allows me to not only become more confident in my piano playing abilities, but also to model the correct mouth formation for the group and above all make sure they are participating. I felt during the rest of class I was looking up more and trying to be conscious of what was going on in the classroom.
On the negative side, my classroom management is still not where I'd like it to be. Too often I either don't see a certain misbehavior or I let it slide. Part of it is my higher tolerance for sound, but another part of it is simply not being experienced in knowing what to look for. As I've discussed this with Mr. Suzelis, he has given me things to look for and suggestions on how to deal with it. I have noticed some improvement, but still have a ways to go. Another thing that would help would be becoming more familiar with the students' names. I know several, but not enough to call someone by name to limit or even prevent a possible disruption when I see it.
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