Cynthia Ajamian

D091: Task 4

 
B.  Reflect on your recorded presentation from part A by doing the following:
Description: 1.  Describe the lesson segment presentation objectively. Include the following details:

Your use of instructional strategies that were implemented:

 I taught a lesson on Phonics and Word Study "r" controlled vowel "ar." I replicated a mix of
online and in-person teaching. The first instructional strategy that I used was prediction. I
had a written list of words on the whiteboard with "r" controlled vowels in each word and
asked if the words had anything in common. After the anticipatory set, I showed a Brain pop
video of the Bossy R to introduce the concept further. I also read aloud and modeled how to
blend the "ar" words, ensuring that I underlined the r controlled vowels as I read them,
ensuring that I combined auditory and visual learning. After modeling how to say and
identify the r controlled vowels, I read aloud a book about Shark Teeth with instructions to
write down any r controlled vowels read during the story. I projected the worksheet given at
the end of the lesson and modeled how to complete the first question.

Your use of resources and technology:

 The resources that I used were a whiteboard, a slide presentation, The Shark Teeth book, a
worksheet, and a Brainpop Video of the Bossy R. I used the whiteboard at the beginning of
the lesson to write down a list of words that had the R controlled vowel in them. I used a
slide presentation with the different parts of the lesson to present during the lesson. I
prepared everything in a google presentation to be used both for in-person and online
instruction. I used the Shark Teeth book to read aloud, and I had the worksheet for the end
of the lesson both in print and on the slide presentation. I showed a Brainpop video of the
Bossy R as a fun way to introduce the concept and so that I was not doing all of the talking.

Your body language, speech, and interactions:

 At the beginning of the lesson, I was energetic and sitting up, excited to teach, making sure
that I waited for answer time after asking a question or asking for feedback. However, when
I got flustered with the technology, I noticed that I lost focus on interacting with the audience.
My teaching became more of a monologue, checking items off of the list and not checking for
understanding as I went along. Since I taught a 2nd-grade lesson to my 7th-grade daughter,
college-age son, and husband, I found that I just assumed that they knew what I was
teaching and did not take the time to explain all of the concepts fully. I also realized that my
voice projected excitement and confidence with my teaching at the beginning of the lesson.
However, once the technology distracted me, the confidence and excitement were not
evident and were replaced with doubt.

The actions and speech of other participants

 At the beginning of the lesson, the audience interacted and answered what the words had in
common. They were interested in the Bossy R video once I got it working correctly.
However, the sound did not work the first time correctly in the slide show I had prepared, so I
had to exit out and go directly to the BrainPOP video site to play it. They waited patiently,
but I could tell that I had lost momentum, and they were distracted after that. When I read
the Shark Teeth book, it was interesting to see that they each had a different list of words.
My daughter had several questions regarding what words to look for during the book's
reading, which made me realize that I had not explained the concept and checked for
understanding along the way before moving on to the next activity.
Feelings
2.  Describe how you felt before, during, and after the presentation and how you think the
audience members felt during the presentation.
 Before the presentation, I was excited to present and teach, as I had spent much time
putting together the slide show and trying to make an exciting, interesting lesson. The
beginning of the lesson went well, as I was confident in what I was teaching. However,
during the presentation, I got flustered from the video sound issues and my daughter's
questions. During the last part of the lesson, I realized that I was going quickly through its
remainder to finish it and check off each part of my lesson plan. After the presentation, I was
relieved that it was over, a bit disappointed that I got so flustered, and started making a list of
what I needed to change the next time to do better. I think that my audience was a bit
confused at times in what I was explaining and the tasks that I was asking them to complete,
especially those at the end of the lesson after I got flustered.

Evaluation
3.  Evaluate your presentation and teaching style.
 In planning and preparing my lesson, my goal was for my teaching style to be more of a
student-centered approach. After viewing the video, I saw that I began strong and made
sure that I included the audience and interacted better when I used the whiteboard to write
and list the words. However, once I moved on to the slide presentation, my focus seemed to
shift to being more worried about the technology, and I was more focused on the slides than
the audience. I interacted and included the audience more when giving hands-on examples
than when using a slide presentation. I saw that I lost momentum during the slide
presentation, and the teaching was more teacher-centered than student-centered. Once I
had the issues with the video, I switched from including the audience to just lecturing and
going slide by slide to complete the lesson. I just read the directions word for word on what
to do when I read the book and did not give any examples of finding and writing down the
words. I also read the book very quickly, which made it difficult to hear and write down the
words with the r controlled vowels in them.

Analysis
4.  Explain why you think the presentation unfolded as it did, including an analysis of the
parts of the presentation that worked well and those that did not.
 I believe the presentation unfolded the way it did because I was more worried and focused
on preparing for the slide presentation and did not take the time to think through what
questions or interactions I should be having with the audience. The parts of the presentation
that went well were when I was not using any technology at the beginning of the lesson.
When I introduced the concept and asked for the predictions of the words, I was very clear in
explaining what I was looking for from the audience. I gave ample wait time for them to
respond, and it was evident that there was an understanding of the concept. I received
responses from all 3 of the participants. However, once I switched my focus to the slide
presentation of the lesson, I got flustered from issues with the video, and I was no longer
focused on the audience. When I gave instructions on what they were supposed to do when
I was reading the book, I got thrown off that it was unclear. I struggled with coming up with
another way of explaining it other than just re-reading the directions. I was able to regroup by
the end of the lesson by handing out the worksheet, leaving a copy of it up on the slide
presentation, and making sure that I modeled the first question using the paper copy and
pen.

Conclusion
5.  Explain what you learned about teaching in general from this experience and what you
learned about your teaching style specifically.
 This past year I have worked completely virtual as a substitute teacher, so I am familiar with
 using google presentations and videos. Going into this assignment, I felt that it would not be
too difficult for me to handle. Upon reflecting on this teaching experience, I found that I either
do well teaching in person or completely online but struggle with combining the different
components in 1 lesson. I learned that to be an effective teacher; you need to be well-
rounded in your delivery of the lesson, ensuring that you can reach the audience with
different means. I did very well with modeling using hands-on materials; however, I
struggled with utilizing the technology in a meaningful way to not just present but also teach
and interact. I learned that my teaching style is more successful when interacting more with
the audience and including them in the learning. The parts of the lesson that were the most
successful were when I participated in the predictions and towards the end of the lesson
when I transitioned back to the worksheet and modeled the first problem.

Action
6.  Write an action plan that details what you can do to improve your teaching and
presentation in the future.
 The first thing I will do to improve my teaching and presentation is to be more familiar with the
technology. I will go over each component in the lesson, including ensuring that the video
content and sound work before presenting the lesson. I also need to be more flexible in my
lesson delivery and anticipate different types of questions that may be asked, thinking through
different ways to explain directions. Before the lesson, I will practice incorporating all aspects of
the lesson, from hands-on modeling to using technology, so that the actual teaching time will
flow smoother. Asking for feedback from the students during the lesson will allow me to be
evaluating myself and if I need to adjust during the lesson. After observing myself teach, I am
more aware that I am more concerned with its execution when using technology than checking
for learning and understanding of the students. Knowing this will allow me to go into the lesson
and be more aware of the students learning rather than the material I am presenting. Being an
effective teacher includes knowing your strengths and weaknesses and striving to improve your
weaknesses. One way to be more effective is by observing experienced teachers and asking for
feedback and advice. Once in a classroom, I will ask for peer reviews and administrator
feedback, and suggestions on improving my teaching. Until I am in a classroom, I plan on pulling
from the teaching connections that I have to build my knowledge of how to be a more effective
teacher.