Keeping students on task
All praise be to Allah SWT yesterday passed by real fast. The 4th graders have settled down and seemed to be ready to work in class. One of the main challenges of teaching 30 students is keeping them on task, and Sr. N. is an expert on this issue. Whenever she sees students who looked like they didn't get a concept, she asked them if they needed her to explain it again. For students who seemed to be easily distracted, she asked them to explain a key concept.
For math, she made it interactive. She would write questions on the white board after explaining a math concept e.g. numbers in standard and word forms. Students then wrote their answers on a small whiteboard and she'll check them quickly. Only when all students demonstrate that they understand the concept then she moved on to the next one e.g. word problem.
For science, she kept students engaged throughout the lessons by using several effective strategies.
For example:
- She asked students what they know already.
- She introduced additional information based on existing knowledge.
- She told students how each concept related closely to plants, animals and human being
-- (e.g. 5 functions of living organisms: fuel for energy, growth, reproduce, get rid of waste and respond to our environment)
- She taught students note-taking skills (summarize main points for each paragraph in the science textbook).
- She showed students how to peel an onion skin and students observed the cell of the onion skin under a microscope. Students drew a picture of the onion and the cell in the notebook.
In just one day, she was able to identify students who may need tutoring and those whose behavior need to be monitored closely.
I admire Sr. N.'s passion for teaching and her ability to multitask. All praise be to Allah SWT I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work closely with her.
For math, she made it interactive. She would write questions on the white board after explaining a math concept e.g. numbers in standard and word forms. Students then wrote their answers on a small whiteboard and she'll check them quickly. Only when all students demonstrate that they understand the concept then she moved on to the next one e.g. word problem.
For science, she kept students engaged throughout the lessons by using several effective strategies.
For example:
- She asked students what they know already.
- She introduced additional information based on existing knowledge.
- She told students how each concept related closely to plants, animals and human being
-- (e.g. 5 functions of living organisms: fuel for energy, growth, reproduce, get rid of waste and respond to our environment)
- She taught students note-taking skills (summarize main points for each paragraph in the science textbook).
- She showed students how to peel an onion skin and students observed the cell of the onion skin under a microscope. Students drew a picture of the onion and the cell in the notebook.
In just one day, she was able to identify students who may need tutoring and those whose behavior need to be monitored closely.
I admire Sr. N.'s passion for teaching and her ability to multitask. All praise be to Allah SWT I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work closely with her.
Labels: teaching
posted by Jiru at
5:30 AM
