This belated Halloween lesson was straight out of a horror movie! The students were just coming back from a week off from school, and to make matters worse, their teacher was at professional development for the day, so we were pretty much over our heads to begin with. The lesson Alyssa and I had planned involved making an edible soil profile, showing the three layers of soil and their components with a few different types of cereal and candy. The lesson plan seemed great on paper, but we misjudged how much of an impact the classroom teacher had on her students' behavior, so as soon as candy was thrown into the mix their little minds couldn't handle the excitement! We were more successful with getting the students to wash their hands in an orderly fashion than we had been in our two previous lessons, but we had a hard time with classroom management due to all of the excitement. I also think that their level of comfort with us now that they have gotten to know us a bit better may have played a part in the difficult time we had keeping them under control, but I think their teachers absence was a major factor in their classroom behavior.
I thought overall we did a pretty good job regaining our composure after the first wave of madness considering our odds, but I was really bummed while the lesson was going on because I knew it wasn't going the way we had planned it. Our new goal was simply to make it work however we possibly could, so we focused almost primarily on keeping the class under control while they ate so that we could at least end the lesson with a strong conclusion and make any connections that they had missed due to all of the excitement. One very important thing that I learned as a result of this lesson was to always have a backup plan or an extension activity for the students to do in case the lesson falls apart or does not go as planned for one reason or another. If the lesson ends up taking much less time than you had originally expected for whatever reason, you should always have something else planned that you can turn to if your in a pickle. If you need to call off the entire activity, which certainly crossed my mind a few times during this lesson, then my advice would be that you should not hesitate to do so because some days are better than others, and you could always try again on another day.
I was really stressed out during and shortly after the lesson, but I am definitely glad that I had this not-so-pleasant experience now that it is in the past. I think this experience gave me the understanding that our lessons are not always going to go as smoothly as we had planned them, which they had so far before today, so it is a good learning experience to see that these things do happen and that it is not the end of the world. I am excited to get back into the classroom next week, and I think after our next lesson is over, we will be much more confident with our ability to bounce back and leave this experience in our rear view.
Oh man! It sounds like you guys had a crazy day! I think all of those factors that were completely out of your control definitely made an impact.Your decision to refocus on a strong lesson conclusion was a great idea to bring the lesson back under control. Lessons can definitely be stressful... especially when things don't go as we plan but it sounds like you've taken it as a learning opportunity which can only make you that more prepared for the unexpected situations that can arise or when you find yourself in a pickle! :)
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteI think you had the best experience out of all of us yesterday. I know that sounds weird to say, but I feel like you definitely took so much away from the Halloween lesson straight from a horror movie. You realized and proven to me the importance of an extension activity, and the benefits of just dropping a lesson if it is not going as planned. I had a similar disaster lesson teaching factors to 4th graders at the Murkland. I had students sitting at the carpet and listening to instruction for over 15 minutes, and I totally lost their attention. I learned the mot important thing that day, that it is essential for students to be given more time for exploration. I truly believe we learn the most from our mistakes.
Hi Erik,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to stay positive and see the silver lining in a lesson that did not go how you wanted. Like you said, you learned your lesson about the importance of an extension activity/back-up lesson. It's unfortunate that the kids didn't behave the same way they do when the classroom teacher is there; I remember how my classes used to act on days when we had a sub. :/ I know you can only go up from here and I hope you have better luck next week! :)
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ReplyDeleteErik,
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! Neil and I had a similar experience next door and it was tough to watch the disaster unfold. I too think it was very important for all of us to experience this kind of lesson to prepare us as teachers for when these bumps in the road come along. I think the kids are more comfortable with us, which was bad then but good overall. A solid back up activity is definitely a great thing to keep in the bullpen from this experience! We all weren't prepared for this post-Halloween/snow-day lesson!