Virtual Observation

Last night I had a bit of insomnia so I went online to watch some education videos. I love watching anything that puts me right inside the classroom during a lesson plan so that I can observe how the lesson plays out, how the teacher approaches it and what the response is from the students. From these videos, I get some great ideas of lessons that I would like to implement someday.
Since English is my concentration and I look forward to working with young writers, I loved this lesson on “Lifting a Line” using student journals. I am a big proponent of journaling. Maybe that is why I love blogging! A journal is a great way to sort through thoughts, order priorities, track goals and deal with the complexities of life. With respects to writing, it keeps a constant creative flow that can help young writers find meaningful topics from every day experiences. I definitely plan to use journaling a lot during my teaching career. A video posted here shows how to clearly explain the concept of “Lifting a Line” to students. I also like how the teacher pulls something from her own journal which is a bit personal because I think it shows kids that their journal can be a safe outlet for their feelings and that writing can be a therapeutic process as well as a creative process.
Another video I watched last night demonstrated a collaboration of a group combined with the delivery in a game show format. I was impressed with how excited the kids were, literally on the edge of their seat! I also vaguely remember a game like this when I was in elementary school and could relate to the sense of anticipation and excitement that the students are clearly feeling during this lesson. This would be a great game for review prior to a test or to leave for a sub if you know that you will be absent.
I also love seeing the different teachers, how their personalities translate to the classroom, what their techniques and styles look like and how the children respond to them. This teacher (video- "Managing Literacy") has a great style to learn from. I love the rhyming instructions she uses that appeal to children, and the animation in her voice. I also notice that she repeats what she says then asks one of the children to repeat the instructions, but she does this all in a way where they feel like they are helping her rather than being told to do something. She has a very kid friendly character she uses in the classroom and the children are completely fixated on her every word.
The videos really put me in a comfortable frame of mind, where I can see what day to day operations in the classroom are like and how real children react. Not that I don’t learn a lot from all the reading I do, but this gives me a concrete experience to relate to.