MaritaUndergraduate
Exceptional Education |
MaritaUndergraduate
Exceptional Education |
This week I had the opportunity to teach a lesson in the Unit of Inquiry. My mentor teacher tasked me with finding examples of different types of theater, for example musical theater, one man shows, circus, etc. I then showed the students sample videos of the different types of theater and taught a lesson where the students wrote their observations and shared the similarities and differences of the different performances. Writing this lesson was very different from writing a typical lesson plan in an American classroom. The students are in the “tuning in” stage of inquiry so the lesson structure is more loose and student interest led. The goal of the lesson was not in the format “student will be able to ____ by ____” but showing them what theater is, finding their interests within the topic, which will guide the remaining unit. The lesson went very well in many ways. The students followed the directions well, completely all aspects of the lesson, and showed interest in the topic. I felt my lesson was effective and the students were able to achieve the goal of observing different performances and making observations about the performances. If I were to reteach this lesson there are many changes I would make. I used too many examples and the lesson filled two periods. By the end students were losing interest and were not participating as enthusiastically. I would pick between five or six examples next time, not 10. I would design the lesson using a hybrid of an IB lesson plan and a NYS lesson plan. I am still unfamiliar with how IB lessons are designed and facilitated. Because of this the lesson was a bit disorganized. If I had retro fitted aspects of the lesson planning I am familiar with, I would be a more effective teacher.
On Wednesday we had a half day. In the morning for Math, my mentor teacher made a treasurer hut for the kids where they need to solve math problems to find the hints that lead to the treasurer. While she was hiding the clues and treasurer, I distracted the kids by playing a game. The game I know as “Down by the Banks” has an Italian version, which we played. Before the game began, we had a student come in for a day visit. She is considering coming to the school for the next school year. She came in when my mentor teacher was outside setting up the treasurer hunt so I welcomed the new student. I had everyone go around and introduce themselves. I let the studnet be pretty silly during this time which seemed to help the new student relax. All of the students were incredibly welcoming and excited to have a new friend. After some introductions we played our game which the students were great sports about. After the game they began the treasurer hut which they absolutely loved. They had a lot of fun running around together, solving problems, and finding clues. They were sure to included their potential new classmate in their hunt. I was very impressed with how welcoming and friendly the students were towards the new student. The new student had come in the classroom very shy and not wanting to participate in the game. After we had our silly introduction circle she was joking and talking with all the students. She enthusiastically participated in all the classroom activities for the rest of the day. It was great to see the children be so kind towards a new student. I think this student is going to have a great time at the school with her new classmates. During my down time, I have been exploring what special education is in the IB system. While I have a few days off from school, I will continue my research into IB special education. This week, my host mother took me to a drum circle! She asked me on her way out the door if I would like to join her in where she was going. I have been trying to say yes to as many experiences as I can, so, I agreed. We picked up two of her friends anad drove out of the city. The one man was from Minnesota and had been speaking both English and Italian since childhood. He would become my translator for the evening. The woman was from Siena but also spoke English and Italian. I was able to have great car conversations with the new people. When we arrived, the building, which was a marble shop by day, rehearsal space by night, was filled with elderly people and many differnt types of percusion intruments. Everyone was happy to introduce themselves and welcome me to their group for the night. A woman handed me an instrument and we played together for the majority of the night. Music, luckily, is a universal language, so I did not need to understand what was being said, I just had to listen to rhythms and copy the spunky lady next to me. I had an absolute blast. Hitting things with sticks is objectively fun and I got to do that for two hours with a room full of older Italians who were also having a blast whacking the drums. I hope to go to future rehearsals. I have noticed that Italians are extremely welcoming. Everytime I am introduced to a group of strangers, everyone is eager to introduce themselves and shake my hand. Whether a group of fourth grade students or old men at a bar also always feel incredibly welcomed. I do not find this willingness and eagerness to meet new people in America. I myself am not super comfortable with introducing myself to strangers so openly. I have learned now how good it feels to be so welcomed to a group, I will continue this open minded introduction when I am back in Buffalo. I am finding myself not homesick but I definitely am developing a bit fomo for my friends in the US. My sister's 21st birthday was this past weekend and my friend's birthday is this coming weekend. I was not able to celebrate with them. Another friend of mine recently has taken a job in the city and will be moving out of Buffalo before I am back in the country. I am very sad I will not be able to go to the going away party and see her before she moves away. I wish I could be in two places at once. In other unrelated news, my host families cat, Meowleena, has really warmed up tp me! She used to run when I approched her. Now, she is excited to see me when I come home. When it is just her and I at home she is happy to get cuddles and pets from me. When my host brother is home, she prefers him.
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AuthorHi! I'm Marita Miller an exceptional education student at Buffalo State student teaching in Siena Italy. Follow my journey! Archives
May 2023
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