First of all, it was easier to look at the positives of the presentation and judge myself nicely when I presented in a group. Even though it didn’t go the way we had planned, I still felt like we pulled it together and I was happy with our group. Sue and Vincent were really great to work with, I felt we had similar values in teaching math, we cooperated well, and it was a really positive experience. I’m excited to have them both as colleagues in the future.
Secondly, we really just had too much information for 15 minutes. Looking back, it would have been wonderful to get the class more involved and have them discover the connections better, but we just ran out of time and didn’t get through everything we had planned. I know from this that I really need to work on my timing, especially for areas of math that I’m not as comfortable in, like trigonometry. Even after we cut down a lot of stuff we had intended to do, it still felt rushed and we didn’t get to all the activities we had planned for the class.
Thirdly, I’ve noticed a big difference in my confidence levels when I’m teaching vs presenting. In presentations, I’m nervous and unsure of myself, but in teaching all of that fades away. I’m excited for the practicum and to get started teaching. I want to practice with students and work on my communication skills. Even though I’m more confident teaching, I still always worry that I’m not explaining things in a way students understand. I’m looking forward to working on that and on timing my lessons and unit plans with an experienced teacher.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed learning from others and I really enjoyed working with Vincent and Sue. Actually, I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone I have been with so far in the math cohort. I’m excited for the future of math education and for working with teachers who share my values.
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