Reflection #3

Reflection 3 – Noelle Reardon This course has taught me how beneficial visual aids are when teaching. I have seen firsthand how useful visual aids are when incorporated into the classroom. Visual aids not only benefit second language learners, but benefit all students in general. I am currently working in a 5th grade classroom. There are no second language learners in the classroom, but the teacher of the class is constantly using visuals when teaching. One visual in particular that the teacher is constantly using is a smart board. When the teacher wants the students to take notes she writes them step by step on the board. The students are able to listen to the instructions and look up at the board for any clarification. This helps the students focus on the task in front of them and prevents the students from having to ask the teacher to repeat herself. The notes that the students take in class are used as a resource when they are doing in class assignments, as well as homework. The teacher has seen great improvement in the students, since forcing the students to take notes. Instead of constantly relying on the teacher to answer questions, they have become independent learners. The students know that if they fail to take notes than it is their job to get the notes from another classmate. If the students are still struggling after they have referred back to their notes, than they can ask the teacher for clarification. When the students are not paying attention or taking notes, the teacher will remind the class the importance of taking notes. The teacher explains to the class that when they move on to middle school that note taking will be an expectation. She also explains to the students how teachers will not have any sympathy for students that don’t pay attention. I think it is important for students to understand the purpose or benefits of doing things a particular way. When I was taking math classes in high school, it was hard for me to be engaged in learning math formulas when I had no idea how to apply them in the real world. It was hard for me to apply myself when I did not see how something would benefit me in the long run. When the teacher explained the reason behind their logic, my attitude towards learning drastically changed. After watching different SIOP videos I have learned that explaining the goal of a lesson also helps keep students on task. I have also observed my mentor teacher using the smart board to play instructional music videos. One example is an instructional math music video. This particular math video is on decimals. In the video there are four cartoon characters that sing a math song and as they sing there are visuals that go along with the song. The students absolutely love the video. When it’s time for math the students constantly ask the teacher to play the video to review. The students sing and dance along with the video. When the students are stuck on a particular math problem or trying to remember the next step to do, I sometimes hear the students quietly singing different parts of the song. If a teacher doesn't have a smart board they can make songs and cut out their own visual aids to go along with the songs. When I was learning Spanish in high school my teacher would teach us songs and have the class do movement to go along with the words. I can only recall a small amount of Spanish, but I can remember almost every song that my teacher taught. When I am able to connect information back to something, the chances of me retaining that information is much greater. Before working in the 5th grade classroom I had never thought of using songs for anything other than learning a second language. It may be more time consuming at first for the teachers to find songs and to make visual aids, but I think that in the end they will see how beneficial it is for their students. If students are able to retain information at a faster rate, than teachers will have to spend less time reviewing information.