What We Did:
On Monday each member drew three cards from the AFNR standards and selected one card that they would most like to develop a "substitute quality lesson plan" for.
On Wednesday we were surprised when Ms. Morey told us we would have to exchange lesson plans with another student in Lab. We were given 10 minutes to review each others lessons and expectations and that was all.
How it went:
I was paired with Sara Lang, who had a lesson on blind spots, flight zones, and livestock handling for the substitute to give. During the 10 minutes I asked clarification questions and gathered the materials she would have left behind for the sub to use.
I got up, winged some of it, but overall it was an easy lesson plan to follow. The students were engaged and learned the content explained to them.
Overall, the process was less stressful than I thought it would be. I attribute this to the fact that all students in class are Ag Education majors, in real life you could get a retired English teacher for your sub that doesn't have an Ag experience what-so-ever. That I what scared me the most because they would have the content knowledge to educate the students.
What is your real-world advice for planning for a sub teacher?
I have brainstormed ideas like having students know that when a sub is in they have a UPS/Fedex Day. (they can do anything they want as long as they deliver in one day, pertaining to the content being covered in class)
In my past I've seen teachers simply show documentaries all class, but this doesn't seem engaging and motivating for students.
What are your thoughts?
I really enjoyed reading this as I prepare my sub. lessons for next week! With being out 4 days, I consistently try to think - how can I make my lessons interactive and not just movies or note taking for four days. I have utilized platforms such as FlipGrid and include many summative assessments to see what the students are retaining so when I get back we can pick up the missing pieces and move forward.
ReplyDeleteMy advice, try not to default to a full class period movie. It is boring for the students, the sub, and often against policy (you're not allowed to show a movie in our District without Administrator Permission and we are encouraged to focus on clips that are a few minutes in length instead.) I like to leave things for students to try and problem solve with a youtube clip to get them started or to start a project right before I will be out so that the student work days fall on my absence. With Schoology, I post daily assignments called Status Reports where students have to submit a photo/file of the progress they have made that day. This also allows for students to get questions to me and for me to catch any issues in their work before they spend too much time.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though you experienced the objective of this lab, which was to see what it's like to teach from someone else's plan. Your analysis is spot on, you never know what kind of substitute you will get. Alex and Katy offer some great advice, utilize as much technology to help students remain engaged and for you to remain somewhat connected to the class even while you are out.
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