My supervisor conducted my final observation on April 2nd. I was excited this was my last observation. I had spent most of my internship doing my observations with math lessons. I chose math deliberately, because that is the topic I lacked confidence in the most. This time, however, I was finished teaching 5th grade math benchmarks and only had the two weeks before FSA testing to review. I chose to conduct a science lesson instead. Science seems to have a bigger range as far as getting creative with lessons.
I have previously used several different teaching strategies with my science lessons, including group/collaborative work, the 5E’s method, direct instruction, and demonstration (FEAP 3g). I wanted to try something different, so I chose to teach the lesson as an inquiry-based instruction, using the jigsaw method (FEAP 1b). I had already used this method with the students once before and they enjoyed it very much. It was much more informal the first time. This time I created notes worksheets with deliberate questions for each student to answer. I chose questions that were easy to find in the textbook, along with a question they would have to take time and think about. I chose this type of higher order question to encourage discussion within the “expert” groups once they wrote down their notes (FEAP 3f). I was informed during my previous observation that my questioning needed to be more specific in order to get students to use their thinking skills better (FEAP 5f).
Analysis
The lesson went very well, and I was pleased with the collaborative effort I witnessed as I walked around. I noticed my students were engaged, and they all participated. There was an instance during my lesson where I told the students they were going to be the teachers today. As I explained the jigsaw method, I let the students know they would be responsible for their own learning as well as that of their group members. I feel like my students responded well to this strategy. They enjoyed having the responsibility and taking control of their own learning. They were all involved.
I also made a concerted effort to use more positive praise throughout the lesson. As I reviewed my video, I noticed I acknowledged student achievement on at least 5 different occasions. I recorded those instances on my video time stamp. The reason I made this a focus is because I have become aware that I spent more time trying to manage behavior than I have praising my students (FEAP 3i). Specific and positive praise does not come naturally to me. I must continue to use and practice this skill because it is beneficial for my students (FEAP 5f).
Overall, I enjoyed this lesson more than most. The jigsaw strategy is one of my favorite. It requires more planning, less teaching, but is more rewarding for me and my students in the end. As I reviewed my exit tickets, I realized I should have created a space for notes to be written when other group members briefed, in order to encourage and enhance their note taking skills (FEAP1f).
I plan on becoming very proficient with using the jigsaw method in the future because students really enjoy taking control of their own learning and it helps them become a more responsible community of learners.