Writing this part of the assignment is some what difficult partially because I am reflecting on teaching two sections. If it was only one section, this response would have been quite different because the effect of teaching two sections produced an effect that is only unique to that situation. To avoid reiterating this issue, which is clearly stated in the free-write and moment-to-moment response, I will answer the following questions:
* Do you feel you achieved the objective(s) for this lesson? If so, how. If not, why?
* What appeared to be influencing your instructional decisions the most?
* What do you feel your students gained most from this lesson?
* If you were to teach this lesson again, what might you do differently?
The main objectives of this lesson are to teach the students 1) how to create a counterargument and 2) the benefits of having a counterargument. In regard to creating a counterargument, the students in both sections had no problem creating one. They either illustrated their knowledge of counterarguments during the discussion, class activity, and in the homework assignment assigned that day. The issue that some students had was related to their understanding of the benefits and the usage of a counterargument. Some students were not convinced on how a counterargument would actually strengthen their essay. Although only few students had this issue, I was not satisfied. Thus, I started reiterating the benefits again and again until I realized that the student who understood the benefits in the first place got board. In the first section, the objectives were met. In the second section, not all of the objectives were met by all of the students.
In regard to what influenced my instructional decisions, I would say that students' reaction influenced it the most. My in-flight-decisions on whether I would spend more time on a slide were a result of students' response regardless of whether it was articulated orally or reflected in their behavior. For example, in the second section, I had a student who did not understand the concept of counterargument. As I went to respond, his peers started explaining it to him--and that was fine with me since I was monitoring the discussion. However, when I saw that he continued his same response, I had to move on especially since the rest of the students got board. The students' reaction influenced my speed, my examples (as I was trying to give them an example that they can relate to), and type of activities and assignments I gave.
Although I received mix reactions to this lesson, I believe that the students got the point behind the lesson clearly after the memorable discussion. They learned that their audiences to whom they are writing their essays to are, like their classmates, have different opinions and beliefs. Thus, having a counterargument that includes all of the diverse perspectives would not only make the others (with those different opinions) feel included into the essay essay, but also show that the writer is knowledgeable in the field and that he/she have looked at all of these opinions and settled on a specific argument because it was the most credible one. Having the discussion in the class between the students made the goal behind counterarguments a concrete one as the students participated in making it.
If I were to teach this lesson again, there are a number of things that I would have changed. First, I will begin the lesson by contextualizing it into the assignment that they are doing. Thus, I will begin by discussing the fact that they will be doing an argumentative essay. I will explain what an argumentative essay is and what the characteristics of an argumentative essay are. I believe that the students had a hard time with the lesson because of their misunderstanding of the assignment and their misunderstanding of what an argumentative essay is. Therefore, clarifying these two topics would make the transition toward the topic of counterarguments much easier. Bottom of Form
This particular teaching experience was a learning experience different from the other teaching experiences I had throughout the semester. I taught this class before on the topics of plagiarism and on how to do research. However, each teaching experience was different from the other. For example, what I learned from teaching this lesson was rather different from what I learned when I taught the class on plagiarism (i.e. the topic of plagiarism is dry). I am grateful to have students who are willing to learn from another student who is learning about teaching from teaching them.
The attached document contains the following:
1) One Page Initial Free Response Pg 1- 2
2) Moment-to-Moment Reactions with the Videotaped Footage noted Pg 2 - 8
3) Retrospective Account of the Teaching Experience Pg 8-12
* Do you feel you achieved the objective(s) for this lesson? If so, how. If not, why?
* What appeared to be influencing your instructional decisions the most?
* What do you feel your students gained most from this lesson?
* If you were to teach this lesson again, what might you do differently?
The main objectives of this lesson are to teach the students 1) how to create a counterargument and 2) the benefits of having a counterargument. In regard to creating a counterargument, the students in both sections had no problem creating one. They either illustrated their knowledge of counterarguments during the discussion, class activity, and in the homework assignment assigned that day. The issue that some students had was related to their understanding of the benefits and the usage of a counterargument. Some students were not convinced on how a counterargument would actually strengthen their essay. Although only few students had this issue, I was not satisfied. Thus, I started reiterating the benefits again and again until I realized that the student who understood the benefits in the first place got board. In the first section, the objectives were met. In the second section, not all of the objectives were met by all of the students.
In regard to what influenced my instructional decisions, I would say that students' reaction influenced it the most. My in-flight-decisions on whether I would spend more time on a slide were a result of students' response regardless of whether it was articulated orally or reflected in their behavior. For example, in the second section, I had a student who did not understand the concept of counterargument. As I went to respond, his peers started explaining it to him--and that was fine with me since I was monitoring the discussion. However, when I saw that he continued his same response, I had to move on especially since the rest of the students got board. The students' reaction influenced my speed, my examples (as I was trying to give them an example that they can relate to), and type of activities and assignments I gave.
Although I received mix reactions to this lesson, I believe that the students got the point behind the lesson clearly after the memorable discussion. They learned that their audiences to whom they are writing their essays to are, like their classmates, have different opinions and beliefs. Thus, having a counterargument that includes all of the diverse perspectives would not only make the others (with those different opinions) feel included into the essay essay, but also show that the writer is knowledgeable in the field and that he/she have looked at all of these opinions and settled on a specific argument because it was the most credible one. Having the discussion in the class between the students made the goal behind counterarguments a concrete one as the students participated in making it.
If I were to teach this lesson again, there are a number of things that I would have changed. First, I will begin the lesson by contextualizing it into the assignment that they are doing. Thus, I will begin by discussing the fact that they will be doing an argumentative essay. I will explain what an argumentative essay is and what the characteristics of an argumentative essay are. I believe that the students had a hard time with the lesson because of their misunderstanding of the assignment and their misunderstanding of what an argumentative essay is. Therefore, clarifying these two topics would make the transition toward the topic of counterarguments much easier. Bottom of Form
This particular teaching experience was a learning experience different from the other teaching experiences I had throughout the semester. I taught this class before on the topics of plagiarism and on how to do research. However, each teaching experience was different from the other. For example, what I learned from teaching this lesson was rather different from what I learned when I taught the class on plagiarism (i.e. the topic of plagiarism is dry). I am grateful to have students who are willing to learn from another student who is learning about teaching from teaching them.
The attached document contains the following:
1) One Page Initial Free Response Pg 1- 2
2) Moment-to-Moment Reactions with the Videotaped Footage noted Pg 2 - 8
3) Retrospective Account of the Teaching Experience Pg 8-12
retrospective_account_of_teaching_experiance.pdf |