Daily Blog Challenge Day 169/365
I had my second formal observation this week. While I am a non-tenured teacher I am formally observed once a semester. Observations make me nervous and it is not something I look forward to. I have always received positive reviews, so I don't know why I get so worked up, but I do. This observation took place during 5th/6th Chorus, which made me even more nervous. I am a percussionist and choir is something I learning as fast as I can, which on many occasions does not feel fast enough. It was not a situation I would have picked, but having this observation during Chorus was a valuable learning experience and in the end, I am glad it happened.
Knowing I was going to be observed made me really focus on my lesson plan and make sure I had things setup well. It also made me think about new and better ways of doing things. During this brainstorming time and conversations with the other music teacher in my district; I decided to have my students listen to the other group perform (the girls are doing one song alone and the boys are doing one song alone) and fill out a critique form. I don't think I would have tried this if I was not being observed. I was very impressed with what my students wrote. We only had time for the boys to fill out the form while the girls sang, but they did a wonderful job and I think it was a great learning experience for all involved.
I am incredibly proud of my students during this lesson. Their behavior was wonderful and they sang beautifully. We made it through the song "Africa" for the first time with only the performance track.
Even if I am doing nothing wrong, being observed is a great opportunity to push myself as a teacher and to try new things. What lessons have you learned during or preparing for observations? Thank you for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment