Today we focused on measuring angles. The thing that struck me the most about this lesson was the range of abilities among the students. A few students were able to finish the practice worksheet before we had even completed passing them out to the rest of the class. However, there were a number of students who needed to be walked through most of the problems and did not seem to have a strong grasp on the material at the end of the period. As a result, I found it difficult to juggle between the students and meet all of their needs. Everyone in the class seemed to be at a different point and it was hard for me to keep track of everything that was going on. I wanted to challenge the students who understood the concepts, but I always needed to provide others with constant one on one attention. One thing I found helpful was having students who had already finished their work assist someone who needed extra help. Not only did this force them to verbalize what they were doing, but it also allowed me to attend to the needs of more students. I was also glad that while we shortened the lesson to assure that we got through everything, we had a back-up plan in case we had extra time. We brought two extra practice worksheets for students and also had a planned activity that they could do if time allowed. Ms. A had mentioned that she thought we could spend a number of days exploring protractors and I had just assumed this was an exaggeration. After teaching two periods I know the majority of students would benefit from extra instruction. As a result, I think we are going to have to spend a large portion of time reviewing and practicing protractor use next class. I already know that if I were to teach this lesson again I would drastically cut-down on the amount of material. As soon as students start to grasp a concept we have to move onto the next thing. As a result, I do not think the students are developing a strong and in-depth understanding of the material.
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