Self-Assessment for March 10th Lesson

Self-Assessment Questions: Please comment on the following areas:

1. Your presentation of concepts in areas of prepositions and prepositional phrases. What worked well? Where is improvement needed?

I like conducting brainstorming at the beginning of sessions but I wanted to add something new to the equation, which is why I included the squirrel/tree visual presentation. I thought it was an effective way to ease into the topic of prepositions, and it was a cute mnemonic device that students could use in the future. More importantly it was a visual tool that complemented the discussion of prepositions, and it was another means to draw students into participating. I am a proponent of understanding words by examining their etymological roots, and discussion of prepositions particularly benefited from a breakdown in the word; I think it cleared some of the confusion regarding when to use the word. I also liked used the Hemingway paragraph because it lent itself to a discussion of particles, verbal phrases and prepositional phrases. My biggest concern for this lesson was the limited number of students who participated. I need to give them an opportunity to practice the grammar more in groups.

2. The homework assignment. What worked well? Where is improvement needed?

I did not assign homework, but I did say that I would provide students with a worksheet on phrasal verbs because I saw that they were still confused. I have posted that worksheet in assignments and have announced to students that they can fill it out and send it to me for correction.

3. Your communications with students: What worked well? What areas need improvement?

I feel that with the powerpoint the students are less confused and that I often answer their questions before they ask them. There is less need to retrace steps and more opportunity to practice concepts. I just wish there was more participation from the students.

4. Your use of the computer and internet: What worked well? What areas need improvement?

Using powerpoint has become a great tool but at the same time a crutch. The organization that it provides me allows for a structured lesson, yet it hinders my ability to adjust when technical difficulties present themselves. I need to find a balance between creating a structured lesson that is supplemented by the visual presentation of a PowerPoint, and being flexible to talk without it.

5. Your one-page exercise. How effective was it for presenting the concepts to students? Could the flyer be improved? If so, how?

The exercise was a good way to get them talking to each other (and in doing so have them become more comfortable), and the exercise was useful to touch on the different aspects of the lesson that I planned to go over. However, there could have been a better intertwining of the worksheets and the material. One student vocalized her confusion, which was a result of the organization that I chose to use, though I do believe she found things made sense once I began to link ideas to the examples found in the exercise.

6. Additional materials that you might have prepared for this lesson. Would you prepare any additional materials if you could teach this class again? What would they be?

Yes, I would have provided the phrasal verb exercise in class so that they could have a physical copy to work on at home.

7. Student learning: How can you judge student learning during this session? Could anything be added to the lesson to help you assess your students' learning? Or to help them assess their learning?

I would include more group exercises, though I would need to start on time the lesson.

8. Student participation: How would you rate student participation and engagement in this session? What worked well? In what areas is improvement needed?

There are a number of students that are always participating while others sit quietly listening. The nameplates allow me to call on students who are quiet; however, this often means navigating through uncomfortable silences and attempting to tease out answers from the student. I think the best alternative will be to give more in-class exercises so that they could at least become vocal in their groups.

8. Overall assessment of the class: How would you evaluate your lesson overall? Which areas are you most satisfied with? Which areas are you least satisfied with?

I failed in terms of time management. The technical difficulties and my late arrival hurt the lesson. The content worked but I did not get to objects of the prepositions which was the final piece to my preposition puzzle. I cannot afford to be late again for both the students and the integrity of the lesson.