Hello all,
I guess the powers that be have seen me fit enough to be a Master teacher for a couple of student teachers this month. I’ve never had two student teachers in my class at the same time. It’s especially complicated, because I happen to be in one of the smallest classrooms on campus. Our first challenge was trying to find a place for all of us to sit. This week, they are just observing, but next week they begin giving lessons. I gave them the opportunity to introduce themselves to the class, and right away I noticed that they had the confidence and presence to do well in front of a bunch of 8th graders. I want to document their progress in this blog. I always learn something new when I have student teachers in my class. Their energy and enthusiasm is so refreshing. I can’t wait to see what they do. Stay tuned.
Today’s Tip for New Teachers: When lecturing or giving information to the class, ask questions like, “Has anybody here…?”, “How many here have…?” etc. My student teachers did this when they gave their introduction speeches. They talked about their travels, then asked the question, “How many have been…?” It engaged the students and included them in the talk. I would keep my questions to those that can be answered with just a raising of the hands. Otherwise, you may have a question answered with a long time-consuming story, and most students are that good at telling stories.
Talk to you soon.
Sam Rangel
