Video evaluation #2

I nearly fell asleep while watching the video of my lesson. There were several effective and enlivening activities used to demonstrate different types of protist motility, but these were not enough to create a dynamic, effective lesson. My evaluator must have been in a kind mood.

While there may be times that lecturing will be a component of the lesson, in this case talking through the notes and giving examples did not seem to create a memorable information set for the students. A more cohesive, engaging lesson is required.

My delivery did not help. My students do not need to see my self-consciousness, they need to see structure and strength. They'll need to see that I am serious and expect them to do their work, and they'll need to see that I am confident. They will- I don't think this will be a problem when I am in front of a class room of students, rather than a few of my peers, and I will certainly be aware of the self conscious behaviors that came out during TEAM evaluation.

In addition, I am teaching, not pretending to be a teacher. It's an important distinction. When being evaluated, it's easy to try to behave like a teacher, to use mannerisms and phrases other teachers use. To teach effectively, though, it seems important to drop this facade and be yourself, teach honestly, use your strengths. I will need to drop filler words such as "right" and "so".

The video evaluation activity from summer school was less informative than it might have been since I filmed a lesson that required students to do most of the work, whereas the more recent video evaluation provided insight into my teaching style. I am definitely more comfortable when the students are engaged and excited, and the difference was evident between the two lessons.

Overall- my style needs some firming up. The video definitely offered some perspective on my teaching style, and some ideas of what to keep in mind when I begin teaching my own classes.