Mini Lesson Response

1.   What surprised you about your mini-lesson and what happened as your plans were enacted with your students?

I was surprised about the level of excitement the students had from our mini lesson. When creating the lesson our group wanted to make it as relevant as we could for them. The students were so engaged in this assignment and they actually had the opportunity to work together. Our students usually work on their assignments individually or on the computer, and for our assignment they had to collaborate with their classmates.

2.   What is the piece of feedback you gave to a student (or to the class) amidst this minilesson that has stayed with you - or which you believe will be most impactful?

The piece of feedback that stood out to me the most is that in order to argue a point you must base your reasoning behind facts and not emotion. The students were getting very involved into the topics, and they started to fight with one another.

3.   Is there anything you'd want to re-do?  Why?

I would like to re-do the way that we delivered our instructions for the assignment. I think we could have been a little more detailed, because I could tell most of our classroom disruption was caused by that. The students were a little confused by what we expected of them and they got off topic.

4.   What did you learn about yourself as a teacher (keeping in mind that this was a small activity with unusual constraints)?

From this assignment I learned that I am a great collaborator with my co-teachers. We operated very smoothly together, and for the most part it went pretty smoothly. I have also learned that I need to work on speaking louder. I tend to speak quietly and the students could brush me up easier because of that. I also learned that I need to be careful about the ways that I ask questions and be aware of the students response before I ask it.