Chelsea Decker

Teaching Analysis

The first few weeks in a classroom full time has been challenging. I have learned
how to walk into a room, and get prepared for the day. I was warned that going into the
classroom is difficult half way through the year because the students are already
learning a certain way. I would have to say that has been the best part of this experience
for me. At first I assumed I knew everything about teaching. I realized after a few short
days I had a lot to learn. I quickly made myself familiar with the text book the students
were using, and the Common Core State Standards to see how I could teach the
upcoming lessons. I began to think about what I know about the topics, and how I would
explain it to the students. I watched my teacher for a few days to see what he did to take
control of the room, keep them focused, and on track. Some of my classroom
weaknesses are revolved around getting the students to stay focused and on topic.
Very often the students venture off topic to discuss random things. Before I know it, the
whole class is now engaged talking about for example, avocados. I have been trying all
different things to try and prevent these random conversations, but I have failed. The
first time I called out the student that started the whole discussion, and that didnt make
her happy. Which in return showed me that I handled that wrong. I should have

addressed the issue more privately with her. Moving forward I found that private
discussion with students has worked better for everyone.
The class starts with a warm up. As the students work on a warm up I go around
and check their homework. They have separate sections in their notebook for classwork,
homework, and warm ups. This allows them to stay organized if they need to locate a
certain assignment. Since I am young and a new teacher I feel like I can relate to the
students well. I have shared and will continue to share little tricks with them that helped
me through my student life. A big strength I have in the classroom is a new perspective
on teaching. Technology is major with students these days. For example they need to
know how to use their calculations correctly if they want to make the most of their
resources. Some teachers argue that calculators stop the child from learning, and I
disagree. While grading students tests most of their mistake are simple addition or
multiplication mistakes. I am personally more concerned about the student knowing the
actual method of solving the problem. Since the students are sometimes not allowed to
use calculators on the test I have stressed ways for students to check their work at the
end. I have three algebra classes, and everything in algebra has a guess and check
method. Every student is usually confident that they got the right answer. I really wanted
to show them that they need to check their work when they are done. I tried a little
something. I gave students a test on linear systems. They had to solve for the

intersecting point. When I got the grades back between the three classes their scores
averaged an 80. The next day they came in I gave them the same test. This time I told
them if they plunged the point back into every equation to make sure it worked they
would receive 7 extra credit points. The total average for the three classes was a 106!
Only 6 students did not get a perfect score. The next day we discussed how important it
was for them to check their work. They were very pleased.

I starting going through my teachers grade book to get an idea of where each
child stands in the class. Luckily for me I am in a gifted and talented school. Majority of
the students have above 90 averages in Mathematics. So for now I have stayed focused
on bringing up the average students from 80s to 90s. One student was not getting the
grades he worked for because he couldnt even read his own hand writing. I told him I
would no longer accept assignments if I couldnt read them. So for the past few weeks
he has been working on his writing with all of his teachers. The improvement in just 2
weeks has showed 50%. In a few more weeks the improvements will be better. He even
wrote me a card for Valentines Day to show me how good his writing is improving.
Being a mathematics teacher isnt just math. A lot of the math problems are
comprehension. If the student is taking notes in class, but cant go back and study them
it really defeats the purpose. I now make it my duty to walk around the class after I

lecture for just 5 minutes. After a week or so of pointing out bad note taking their
notebooks improved.
While teaching I found myself often saying does everyone understand and I
realized I was going about that the wrong way. After my first observation my supervisor
told me that I shouldnt say that because some of the quiet students wont be heard.
Those are usually the students that wont speak up, and end up not understanding the
topic. I have changed my saying to Did anyone else get a different answer and the
students have been more likely to speak up. Then I go through the problem with the
guess and check method to show the student why their answer was incorrect instead of
just saying its wrong. I like to spend only 5-10 minutes to introduce a new topic. Then I
allow them 5-10 minutes to work on a similar problem and discuss their answers with
their peers. After everyone is finished I ask students to come up the board and write out
the solutions. I want to try to get them to teach the class, but I think they are still
warming up to me.
I would like to work on being more assertive without looking nervous in front of
the kids. Being able to be enough assertive without sounding harsh is a huge
professional development every teacher should focus on. I like to address issues with
students after class is over, and not in front of their friends. I took the advice from
another teacher to call them out when they do things, and I dont agree with it. I really

enjoy doing little experiments with students like I mentioned before with the extra credit
points. There must be a ton of ways to show students how important it is to check their
work. The test scores after that test just proved they can all do it! I would say overall it
has been a very busy learning experience for me. I am constantly learning, and
changing. I dont even see how I am going to learn as much as I need in just a few short
months. I really like the feedback from my teacher. He has been so supportive, and very
encouraging. He really challenges me, and lets me try new things even if he doesnt
think its a good idea. This really allows me to learn from mistakes. It also gives him a
chance to see if he was wrong, and if he should use a similar technique. Before class
we discuss the agenda for the day. I update the blackboard with the Common Core
State Standard, the objective, past homework, current homework, and the date. Then I
get the Smart board ready with the warmup problem. Student can now enter the
classroom and get ready to learn. After the day is done my cooperating teacher and I
reflect on the day. We discuss the way the lesson was carried out and new strategies to
improve.