One thing I have really appreciated about this class is the fact that so many of you are teachers—and experienced teachers at that. In class discussions, whether we’re dissecting literary theory, analyzing a poem, or lamenting the state of the educational system, I’ve personally benefited from hearing the perspective of people who work or have worked in the classroom.
As Ginny, Jennifer, Renee, and others have pointed out, teaching kids and presenting to your peers are two very different things. Most everyone who has posted has commented on the anxiety provoked by this presentation. My experience was no different. I was so nervous, my hands were shaking…not being able to turn off the projector only heightened my anxiety…and then there was the sweating…
I am typically not a nervous person. Public speaking has never bothered me. At work and as a volunteer, I’ve led trainings in which I’ve trained other trainers. So why so nervous now?
My nervousness was caused in part by the main issues others have identified: the artificiality of the presentation (not quite teaching, not quite presenting) and presenting a lesson plan to a group of peers who could no doubt teach my lesson better than me.
In addition to these issues, however, I also experienced a lot of general anxiety about the basic nature of the assignment—not the logistics of the presentation, but the actual creation of the lesson plan. As I’ve pointed out many times in various posts and in class, I’ve never taught children. I’ve never prepared a lesson plan. I’ve never taken a single class from the education school. In fact, this class is the first class I’ve taken that even discussed pedagogy. Even with all we discussed this semester, I still felt unprepared to create my own lesson plan—unqualified even.
I suppose it sounds like I’m complaining: “Woe is me, I have no experience and this assignment isn’t FAIR!!!” To be honest, there is a part of me that feels that way. At the same time, I learned a lot from this assignment. It may not have shown during my presentation, but I put a lot of time and research into the structure of my lesson. I had a plan for how I would present, but once I was up there, I felt so out of place, that I only glossed over activities that I put a lot of thought into planning. The dissection of the fairytale, especially, fell flat during my presentation. I think this is something kids would get into, if only because it validates their pres-existing knowledge. Additionally, several activities (the prewrite, for instance) depended on people NOT having read Marquez’s story already.
Despite these snags, I actually really liked the lesson plan I wrote up. If I were to present again, I would have handed out copies of my lesson plan so that everyone could better follow my thought-process. I also would have spent more time adjusting my presentation to work in this classroom (a class full of peers, rather than students). I felt kind of silly walking through activities designed for children in front of a class full of graduate students…I think this feeling was apparent from the way I rushed through many of my planned activities.
In short, there’s a first time for everything. I consider this a learning experience.
Sara,
You shouldn’t worry that some of the people in the class may have more experience than you do. Really good teachers are always looking for new ideas! This is the essence of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). That is why we go to seminars and conferences: to learn from other people. Randy Bass (see the Poster web site) is a great proponent of this movement.
Though I have been teaching for years, I still look fof new ideas and try different approaches. This is what keeps teaching alive and fresh for me as well as athe students. Personally I was intrigued by the idea of using fairy tales to introduce students to literature, even those all knowing, oh-so-mature freshmen that I deal with.
Edith
Excellent teachers make mistakes. Teachers that appear "perfect" usually don’t engage the class or focus on learning.
I second Edith’s comment – competent teaching is all about the quest for new ideas and personal growth. I’ve come along way from the first day I taught at the ripe old age of 22, and I have a long way to go before I "retire" from the profession.
I thought your lesson was excellent and I really enjoyed your presentation. If you are worried about how to format a lesson plan, I would be happy to pass on some old files to you as examples. You can also google lesson plans and find some great resources if you are willing to sort through the chaff.
Sara,
As a student, I really enjoyed your class. You provided a variety of activities in teaching the lesson, keeping the students engaged at all times. I especially enjoyed the idea of using our common fairy tales to understand literature. We grow up with fairy tales, we see the movies, read the books, identify with the characters as we grow up, so its really a part of us. Your lesson first creates a common ground with students, and then moves on to teach the actual lesson. Great Job!
Sara, sometimes I feel that it’s better not to have the actual teaching experience during this educational process because then you have to use your learned knowledge as well as gut instinct and common sense. It can bring a fresher perspective to teaching. I enjoyed your presentation that compared a more modern and accessible story of Cinderella to your story which I had never heard of, nor magical realism. Susan
Sara, I really liked your lesson. I felt that you had command of the subject matter and the tech. difficulties did not even register with me. They did not detract from your lesson at all. I thought the story was very different and that it would be interesting in class. lc
I disagree that your presentation of the fairy tales fell flat. I thought they did exactly what you would want them to accomplish–with just a couple pictures you illustrated that fairy tale characters start out sad and end happy. The part of the story I would have enjoyed discussing as a class was the subtitle. Because the story was so weird, I wondered if it was really intended for kids or adults. Naomi