By observing, I noticed my CT focuses most of the day on reading and writing. When the students are reading from their Journeys text book, my CT tends to use reciprocal teaching to increase their reading comprehension. She begins by having the students summarize what they read in their groups. She walks around to make sure they are understanding what they are reading. Then she has the students create at least two questions in each group based on what they read. They go over the questions when everyone is finished, and she has the students clarify any difficult points. Then they have to predict about future content. This seems to work very well in her class and the students seem to really understand what the text is talking about.
When my CT begins to teach math, she always starts by reviewing what they learned the day before and checking their homework. This gives her an idea of what she needs to teach them and if she has to go over certain material from the day before. She then begins to teach the new lesson by discussing what they already know. This process is called direct instruction and the students seem to benefit from it since they get the extra review before they move on to the next lesson. She also comes up with learning objectives to let the students know what they will learn or be able to do after the lesson is over.
When my CT begins to teach math, she always starts by reviewing what they learned the day before and checking their homework. This gives her an idea of what she needs to teach them and if she has to go over certain material from the day before. She then begins to teach the new lesson by discussing what they already know. This process is called direct instruction and the students seem to benefit from it since they get the extra review before they move on to the next lesson. She also comes up with learning objectives to let the students know what they will learn or be able to do after the lesson is over.
- Why is it important to develop learning objectives?
- Can direct instruction work for all subjects?