Phase II: Reflections of the Micro Lesson Implementation 1. Instructional Descisions/Teaching

Oh boy...Ok let me start off by saying that I did NOT do enough thinking on what I wanted to teach and how I should teach it. If anything....I re-learned that I need to listen to my gut feeling. My gut told me that "it was too much information, I was over-thinking it, it should be more hands on". My brain though was like "you have to make sure the information is correct!!! it has to be intense!!" Don't ask why...thats just what my brain did. It was ridiculous. I spent more time looking for information than just going with my gut! GAH! That should have been my first indicator of the doom that was going to befall me.....

Anyways, I think my lesson was pretty good. People found it entertaining....they learned a whole bunch, or at least thats what they said. They were laughing at what I was saying...or it was probably more at me...but that don't matter.

What I basically did was what I outlined in my lesson plan on Taskstream... here is my link if you want to check out how I officially wrote it up Animal Adaptations for ETC 447 Summer 2012. The only thing that I added was I explained a little bit about Whole Brain Teaching (I put links up in my previous posts) because I wanted to use it during my lesson to help me cue the "students". I really like it - the key to it is that you have to explain it and TRY it with the students that you are with before you just do it. Otherwise they look at you like you're nuts.

I also added, last minute - probably a bad idea, that my "students" would take two separate types of notes that they "would use later in the class" for a quiz review. Because I was watching the doomsday timer and realizing that I was quickly losing time, I went through their notetaking process really fast! Which I know not to do and I never would do if it was actual students. It was mentioned a few times in my peer feedback forms to slowwwww down. I know! Why didn't I do it?! BAH!

When I was done, I hadn't finished and the "student's" hadn't gotten the chance to create their own creatures. I felt okay being done. But I knew that I could have done MUCH better. I should've gone with my gut. My gut kept going back to this activity that I had found where it was E-Safaris and the kids go through the information on their own and fill out worksheets and then the groups review their information together. That would have been so MUCH BETTERRRR! GAH! BAH!

If I were to keep working with the powerpoint...because I don't think the powerpoint was bad...I just think there was too much information ALL AT ONCE. So I think I would break it up the adaptations into their own powerpoint and the habitats into their own powerpoint. If I were to do this again, I would have the habitats one day with a week's worth of activities and then the next week would be adaptations with its own weeks worth of activities that tie the two together.

My lesson was still aligned with the standards! That is one good thing....right? I still gave the "student's" experience with different animals and how they all adapt so they can survive in their habitat.
The assessment part was a little weird because the clickers that I wanted to use were having issues with the hardware in the lab. So I used an online poll system called pollanywhere.com. Its awesome! Its free! and with the fact that many students bring in their cell phones.....totally use it. My "student's" seemed to really enjoy it.

For individual modifications I should have created it where the students could open the powerpoint at their own computers. That way I could have the option of still saying, "Ok go through the powerpoint and fill out the information as you go" and they could go at their own pace and if a student had a aide, they could do the activity still but in a separate room, if NEED be. I want all of my students together but thats not how it usually happens. Again, I would go through everything much more smoothly and slowly. Now that I think about it my information is awesome!