The learning experience was created to teach students about Greek Tragedies; it also served as a tool for teaching me how to teach a Greek Tragedy. I realized now while standing in front of the class room how little I knew about Greek Tragedies. The students did not know that I was not at the top of my game, but I did. It was not due to lack of preparation but the inexperience that comes with being a student teacher. As a student teacher, you rehearse and rehearse, go over material again and again just to stand in front of the class and draw a blank. I was standing in front of the class teaching, but the words that were coming out of my mouth were not the words that I had rehearsed.
After, the first two days I got on track and things appeared to flow smoothly. My objectives were being met. I had full cooperation from the students and they were eager to learn. When I introduce the seven conventions of a Tragedy the students were immediately engaged. I think they liked the idea of how I connected my experience while in the Corps with Oedipus' life experiences. They enjoyed hearing about how I had to overcome obstacles that I unknowingly put in place myself (self sabotage, like Oedipus). Nonetheless, my job as student teacher was to get them as close as I could to understanding how to interpret text so that that would have a better chance at passing the essay portion of the Regents exam.
South Park High School has a 37% graduation rate. Most of the students give up after they have failed the Regents several times. As we all know, analyzing and interpreting information are key issues when it comes to completing the ELA portion of the Regents. Many of the students in my AP class are functioning below that of the average suburban high school. These students deserve a lot of credit because they get up every morning and come to school fully aware that it is a probationary school. Most of my students come to class every day ready and eager to learn. My students, "did me proud", because the critical lens part of the learning experience was impressive.
My Teacher Learning Experience (TLE) was presented two weeks after the actual lesson. According to my peers, the review went over very well. I presented my Teacher Learning Experience on October 22, 2009, in room DS 326. I was also the first member of my group to present. The focus questions of my TLE were for my peer group to examine and give feedback for my essential and guiding questions, modification table (task) and rubrics.
All members of the peer group agreed that my TLE was a good start. Jennifer Molfese stated, “That my TLE will be difficult to follow.” because it set a high standard. Molfese’s statement was a great compliment considering the fact that she is an experience teacher and has already participated in a peer review and has written a TLE.
Even with my group’s great compliments, I knew that in order to improve my TLE I had to modify to incorporate my group’s suggestions, recommendations and ideas. One such idea was modifying my modification table to include a task and to rearrange my guiding and essential questions. Another recommendation was to number my rubric, which I did. There were also mechanical and grammatical changes made to my TLE as well. Also, prior to my review, I did not have technology listed on my TLE, but after my review, I realized that my usage of an overhead, showing the movie of “Oedipus Rex” and my recording of the students performing their skit was indeed technology.
I have to admit that I was a doubter of this course at first, but now, I see how beneficial this course is and will be in the future. I think the peer review is a great component of this course. I have lucked into having the best peer group ever.
“You love me best, don’t ya Ms Julius” with a wink and a nod
Members of Peer Review: Jennifer Molfese (Teacher)
Shirley McKinnon (Teacher)
Yolanda Soloman (Undergrad Student)
Ashley Williams (Undergrad Student)