MUSIC 295A - Peer Teaching Self-Reflection
Leading an Activity
Practicum Teacher's Name __ Ryan Stahl_________________
Domain B: Communication with Students
_ √ Verbal cues and directions
-I tried to give to my students the minimum amount of verbal directions for them to succeed in the activity to avoid using unnecessary time for the activity.
-Before every entrance, I would verbally cue the students to pat the tempo beat to reinforce the tempo and prevent rushing
-I was telling the students that we were going to pat the tempo beat, rather than just bringing them in patting the tempo beat. For my next teaching session, I can work on eliminating the extraneous wording before cuing the students to pat the tempo beat.
-When I warmed up the students' voices, I gave a distinct verbal cue in the key and the meter of the song by singing "Echo Me."
-When I tried to cue in my students for their first time chanting, I used a verbal cue that was too personal ("One two/You all chant"). Next time, I'll work to use more professional cues when bringing students in.
- I provided my students with appropriate models for singing and chanting before having them attempt the activity to reinforce my directions.
-During my activity, I did not have an opportunity to interact with the students on an individual basis.
√+ Non-verbal cues and directions
-I used a lot of hand gestures when providing oral directions. Although they helped convey the directions, I should try using fewer hand gestures next time I teach.
-I gave very clear and distinct hand gestures to cue in students when I warmed them up, when I brought them in to sing, and when I cued them in to chant both as groups and individuals.
-After cuing students in for the multiple group chanting portion of the activity, I was slipped up when entering with the tempo beat.
-While giving instructions or modeling the activity, I used friendly facial gestures to encourage student responses and express my enthusiasm for teaching.
√+ Eye contact
-I maintained excellent eye contact with my students when giving instructions to them by looking directly at individual students and looking around the group.
-When I cued in groups for singing and chanting, I made sure to look at the group that I was cuing in to reinforce the verbal and physical cues.
-While chanting as my own group in the three-part round, I noticed I was staring at the ceiling while chanting. I need to be looking at my students at all times and not get visually distracted while teaching.
-When I had the students chant the round on their own, I made sure to make eye contact with each individual as I cued them in.
+ Vocal projection, clarity, inflection
-I used a very clear voice with varied inflection when giving instructions to students.
-While chanting, I spoke with very crisp diction to emphasize the words.
-When I spoke, I made sure to project my voice so that students in the back of the class could clearly understand my instructions.
-I varied my vocal inflection for chanting to make the round interesting and provide an appropriate model to students.
+Proximity to students
-I stood centered in the front of the class, but I was still close enough to the students to interact effectively with them.
-When I was I cuing individual students, I made sure to get as close as possible to each individual to emphasize their cue.
+ Exhibits self-confidence
-I felt very comfortable performing this teaching activity with students and showed great confidence in the front of the classroom.
-I knew my lesson plan very well and didn't miss a step while I was teaching.
-There was only one instance where I didn't feel completely confident, which was when I had a momentary memory lapse and couldn't remember a student's name while showing the motion of the round.
+ Enthusiasm for teaching
-I was very energetic and animated while I was teaching.
-I encouraged my students to put more energy and expression into chanting, even at the end of the activity.
~Its not "This old man...It is This Old Man, and He had One."
-I used creative hand gestures to not only emphasize directions, but pique the interest of my students.
The one area from this teaching exercise that I feel needs the most improvement is verbal cues and directions. After viewing my teaching session, I feel that I need to work on eliminating the extraneous wording to my directions. On several occasions, I noticed that I would tell my students that we were going to pat the tempo beat before cuing them in. This extra speaking takes up valuable time for the activity and causes students to lose focus and interest in an activity. In addition, I need to make sure I am not using inappropriate cues, such as "You all chant." While it is great to form a close bond with your students, a teacher still needs to maintain a professional demeanor while teaching. While I feel that I have made considerable improvements in this area since my first teaching session, I know that there is still more I can do to improve my verbal cues and directions to students.
Overall Performance Rating
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*Rating I gave for my performance