Beginning teachers

Today group #1 did their direct instruction lesson on the Native American tribes. The time went a lot quicker than I expected because before I knew it, group 1 needed to rap up their activities for the lesson. Overall, I liked the lesson. The kids were engaged, and were very excited to be able to come to the smart board and interact with the teachers. Also, being the first group to teach must have been a very nerve-racking experience. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into designing, and implementing a lesson, especially for first time teachers. Being able to see another group go before you is very helpful because it helps to prepare you for what to expect. With that being said, all of my suggestions/ improvements that could have been made for this lesson are all mentioned with this in mind. I thought group 1 did a great job to introduce their topic but this is what I would have done differently:

1.) The thumbs up/ thumbs down cards were a great idea for something that the children can do to stay engaged, and also express that they agree or disagree with something stated. However, they were noisy, flimsy, and from the back (the side that the kids saw) it was hard to tell which way the thumb was pointing.
One way to improve this would be to cut out each 'hand' individually, and to laminate, and glue a popsicle stick to it. This would make it less flimsy, noisy, easier to use, and easier to distinguish. 

2.) The powerpoint seemed to be used more of an aid for the teachers rather than for the kids. I thought some of the slides included great pictures, and maps that would have helped the students a lot but were too small to really see. Additionally, from the back of the room I could not see many of the shelters and traditions that students were supposed to pick out. So, it would have been helpful to give some of these pictures their own slides, and some more information on the powerpoint slides. 

3.) Transitions could have been smoother. Instead of telling kids that they are going to do an activity, tell them why they are going to do an activity. Tie it into the lesson. 

4.) They should have put more emphasis on the different tribes' shelters since that was on one of their worksheets. Plus, since it was only 3 options many kids could have guessed and got it right anyway. 

Aside from that the lesson was overall, very good. There is a lot of improvement to be made, but it was very helpful to be able to see the first group teach. Our group will take these changes into consideration and incorporate them into our own lesson. 


“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” 
― William Arthur Ward


Photo Credit: Julie DeBellis