Eleanor wants us to think deeply about the semester.

 We are finishing up our observation hours in the next couple of weeks.  I remember my first prompt, I was amazed at how quickly September flew by, and look at us now!  How are you feeling about finishing up?  Are you sad to be apart from your students until next semester?  Relieved to have a break?  Excited to begin student teaching?  How are you dealing with these feelings on top of the remaining work for the semester?"

Adelkis and Student Observations

 How are you dealing with classroom management? Where do you feel like you can improve? What have you learned about classroom management from your cooperating teacher? What are some tips that you learned about classroom management that you want to share with the class? 

Veronica and Dr. Ries are both asking questions this week

 1. As we are coming toward the end of the semester and all have been observed, what are some challenges that you have faced during this student observation period? Have all of your lessons gone smoothly? Has your supervisor or your cooperating teacher made any suggestions to you along the way and were those suggestions repeated?  If so, what do you plan to do about making changes in your teaching approach prior to next semester when you begin student teaching? 

And.........finally.........how do you interact with your supervisor and your cooperating teacher in order to make sure that you are meeting the highest standards (for student observers) set forth by the university and the state?  

2. Why is it crucially important to be aware of the fact that students from diverse cultural backgrounds bring different ways of knowing, different styles of questioning, and different patterns of interaction to school?      

Maria has a concern about parents involvement with school

Now that we are almost four months into school and parent/teacher conferences are being held this month,  do you think you will have parents commenting on the curriculum and/or what should be changed/updated especially when it comes to what lessons you are teaching and the topics you are covering in your class? Do the parents of the students within your class make suggestions frequently?   Does your cooperating teacher have some parents who are constantly questioning what is being taught? How does your cooperating teacher handle difficult parents? 

Deanna wants to discuss stress levels

 We’re getting toward the end of our semester and with that comes the stress of assignments and exams! What are some ways that you deal with the stress of school work? And does it help? Also if one of your students ever came up to you and told you that he/she was feeling stressed, what is something you would do as a teacher to help?

Dr. Ries is interested in your outlook on science

 What has been your experience in the area of science?   Did you enjoy science while you were in elementary school?   Which of your teachers was an effective science teacher?   Why was that teacher effective?   What strategies did he/she use to "pique your interest?" Do you think that science should be taught at the elementary level? How many hours a week should be devoted to science at the K-6 level?   How confident do you feel about teaching science at the elementary level?     

Adelkis is interested in how our first lessons have gone

 Most of us have probably taught our first lesson by now. How did your first lesson go? What did you teach? How did the students respond to the lesson? Were you able to effectively manage the class? Did everything go as you expected? What would you change about it if you could go back and change it?