Outline For Master Teaching Unit
Developing the Preliminary Plans:
Carefully observe and
listen to the children in your classroom. Be sensitive to the children¹s
behaviors and aware of what the children have been discussing and questioning
(by themselves and with others). Try and get a feel for what has gone on
in the classroom before you arrived, as well as while you have been working
there. Think about your own interests.... is there a way you could develop a
plan which could integrate your interests and desires with the those of the
children?
It may be helpful to do a curriculum web at this time to help you come up
with many possibilities for study. The best projects are those that
have depth and are rich enough to branch off in many directions. Try to
phrase your ideas in the form of a question - instead of doing a topic on
“houses,” for example, write “Who lives in this house?” or “Whose home is
this?” in order to open your topic up for research and
investigation. It is also important to include the availability and
accessibility of resources in your web.....where might you take the children on
a field trip to investigate this topic, are there any parents or special
visitors you might invite to
your classroom, are there things to see and do in the local community which
would support studying this topic?
When planning, be sure you look for ways to provide the children healthy
cognitive conflicts. We know children will have more meaningful learning
experiences if they have opportunities to negotiate disequilibrium. Plan
something which will delight the children as well; learning should also be
fun. Our goals include helping children develop their problem- solving
abilities, be creative, and foster their sense of inquiry. As a teacher,
you want to aim for becoming a ‘constructor’ of knowledge, not a ‘giver’ of
knowledge.
Many things need to be considered when planning activities for young
children. Please refer to the handout ‘Guidelines for Planning
Activities’ for further information. It is important to go for ‘quality,’
not ’quantity’ when planning activities for master teaching. Rather than
having a large amount of activities going on, try to develop a plan for one or
two ideas which can be built upon during the course of the two weeks. This
is one of those times when less is actually better.
Once you have a fairly clear idea about what you would like to do for your
master teaching, complete a written planning sheet. Bring your planning
sheet to a meeting with your cooperating teacher and UMass supervisor, and
discuss your ideas with them. Be open to receiving feedback and
suggestions at this meeting.
At least two activities should be formally written out to describe your objectives,
materials, methods, rationale, etc. All activities, including circle-time
plans, should be written out on the daily planning sheet. Please remember
that your written plans should be submitted no later than one week before
your master teaching begins.
Getting Ready To
Master Teach:
Once you have the ‘green-light’ to proceed from your co-operating teacher
and UMass supervisor, begin to make your final preparations. This may
involve sending home a letter to the parents requesting donations of items
from home, a trip to the library or an internet search to collect more information
about what will be going on in your classroom for the next two weeks.
Many times teachers have to do their own research on a particular topic in
order to be a step or two ahead of the children, and to provide just the right
amount of information to pose potential problems and successes.
Think about your role...what will you be saying and doing? What will the
children be saying and doing? How will you know the children will be active
investigators? How will the room look? Remember not to change everything
too quickly, try rather to extend upon ideas and activities. So
consider..... if I put this out on Monday, on Wednesday, depending on how
things go, I¹ll add more of this or less of that.
Be prepared to put some extra time into working in the classroom. You may
need to make some things, assemble materials, change the room arrangement,
etc., to get things ready. You will probably work a little more during
your two weeks of master teaching as well.
As You Teach:
Remain open to receiving feedback. Be flexible. Don¹t be afraid to be
spontaneous and veer off from your original plans. Listen to your
instincts and follow them.
Try to become a diligent Documentarian while you teach (or ask someone else to
do it). Documentation is your key for determining next steps when
negotiating curriculum in this way. In order to develop an effective plan
as to what to do next, to determine what are the children confused about or
puzzled with, one needs to constantly be listening and watching. Use
video-tape, audio-tape, children¹s words and artwork to help you charter these
unknown waters.
Take some notes about your own thoughts and feelings. You can note this
in your journal. It¹s important for you, too, to learn how to negotiate
disequilibrium. By articulating your problems in writing, it may prove
helpful when looking for answers and support. These reflections will also help
you when you write up your final evaluation of your master teaching experience.
Try to enjoy yourself. Make an effort not become too stressed out.
Be a professional, come to class prepared. Things go more smoothly when
you allow adequate time for preparation and set up. Convey your needs to
your co-teachers in a cooperative manner. Demonstrate your leadership
abilities; do not be afraid to delegate things to others, ask for help when you
need it. You are very much in control of your own success.
When Your Teaching
Is Done:
Take a deep breath and try to think about all that happened. Complete
your written ‘Master Teaching Self-Evaluation,’ and submit it within one week
of finishing your teaching. Continue to be there for your co-teachers.
Teachers often tend to ³lose their steam² after their teaching is completed.
Please make an effort to continue to give your best to the children and
teachers in your classroom. Provide suggestions for future courses of
study - were there activities you didn¹t have time to do that could still
happen? Continue to offer assistance whenever possible. Feel confident
that you are a stronger teacher for having gone through this experience!
Smile!
Master Teaching Self-Evaluation
The questions below have been developed to encourage you to reflect upon
your two weeks of Master Teaching. Please take some time to think about your
teaching experience; be analytic in your responses, and provide enough
information so the reader feels she was with you as you planned and implemented
your plans (we want to know why you did the things you did, as well as what you
did). Please be honest and strive to accept responsibility (rather than
place blame) for the way things turned out. Our objective for this paper
is to help you grow in your teaching abilities. Responses should be typed
with no specified length; please answer each question thoroughly and
critically.
1. As your master teaching time grew near, how did you begin to formulate
your plans?
2. What was the major theme or project you implemented during these
two weeks?
Analyze the project:
(1) How were the teachers and children involved?
(2) Mention any ‘cognitive conflict’ and/or ‘element of surprise and delight’you provided or facilitated,
(3) Did this project
support a ‘co-constructivist’ approach to teaching and learning? Why
or why not?
3. How did your plans differ from what was actually implemented?
Provide rationale for any changes. Did any form of ³documentation² help
you decide what to do next? (Documentation can take the form of videotapes,
audiotapes, written words from children, photographs, children¹s artwork,
etc.)
4. What will this project look like the next time you implement it?
Would you have done anything differently if this were your own classroom?