Blog Post 5

I would give myself a 6 on assessment. I have tried to get into the habit of always having an exit ticket at the end of class. This is usually in the form of 3-5 questions. I use these to guide my teaching for the next class. If they mastered the concept I don't review it as thoroughly. If they don't do well on the exit ticket I refocus and reteach. The other main way of assessment that I use on a daily basis is I ask lots of questions. I scaffold the questions and switch up whether I call on a student randomly or if I have students raise their hands. I normally start with basic questions and then move towards having students explain entire problems to the class. I think I could become better at assessments by becoming better at differentiating within in my class when it comes to quizzes and tests. I still haven't done a very good job of differentiating questions for both my lowest kiddos and my highest kiddos. All my tests and quizzes are district mandated and I still don't fully understand how differentiation and modification works for district mandated tests. The other area I think I could improve on is I think I could become better at making my assessments more interactive by having students talk to each other more during class (Think, Pair, Share, etc) so they are more engaged in the class.

Prompt #4:

Currently I am feeling overwhelmed and frustrated/down on myself (I am incredibly critical of myself... which is both a good and a bad thing). My largest concern is connected to management and engagement. I am struggling get my students to stop talking while I am talking and also to take me seriously (that is mainly with my older students). I did a class survey and the biggest feedback I got from my students was to be more strict. I feel bad because I can't control my talkative students so my quiet students learning is compromised. I think if I can fix this I will do a better job at getting through to my most difficult students. I am getting through to some of my most difficult students, but most definitely not all. The ones I am getting through to are the ones who I have the most parent contact with.  To increase engagement I have started something called Table Talk, where they turn to their partner and talk to them about a question. We then as a class answer the question after they have had a chance to discuss it.  I did this for the first time on Friday and it worked pretty well. I also use Rally Coach all the time (which I know is a Kagan strategy) and I have seen some really positive things come from the activity.To increase more engagement in the class I think I can use even more Kagan strategies and I also think incorporating more class discussions will help break the class up more and increase engagement. The largest step that I need to make sure I stick with is I need to be consistent in my management and consequences. Once I have that locked down better I will be able to pull small groups, etc. to ensure students are one task.