This week definitely offered new challenges for me, which I found very valuable to experience as a teacher. This week I picked up my third class, Accounting 1. I found it much more time consuming and different than the two Web Page Design classes that I have been teaching thus far. In the design classes, it is step by step and I can work along with the students through the process of designing websites. With Accounting, I had to have much more detailed lesson plans and try to make it as interesting as I could. I had the students do several activities related to the topics we were discussing such as finding the Sales Tax rate in a variety of different states. I found this to be valuable, because planning is much more involved with a content class. Another aspect of this week that I found valuable was there was PSSA testing this week for juniors and the students seemed to be disoriented. I felt it was valuable to understand what it is like to work with this schedule and the ability to keep everyone on task.
An aspect of this week that I found very valuable that I think we have all experienced or will experience is having to have "the talk" with our class. This week I had to talk with the students about the cell phone and game policy at school, because many times I have been instructing and there have been some problems with students not paying attention. It was frustrating to some of the students in the class and myself so we discussed in greater detail the expectations I had for the class and they did not seem happy and neither did I, but something had to change with their behavior. That talk was on Tuesday and the rest of the week it seemed like a totally different class. They all worked together and cooperated during instruction. It was valuable to learn when enough is enough.
Overall, this week had its ups and downs. Many more positive things have happened this week than the negatives, but there are a some things that I can change and improve on. In Accounting, I will try and incorporate more technology and real world examples and videos into my lessons to show the importance of Accounting to the students. I see the students can be bored with it sometimes so if I can make them more excited, I feel the class will run more smoothly and the students will be more active. Another thing that I can change and improve upon gaining more confidence in Accounting. I have improved my knowledge but know I can be even more knowledgeable about the subject area that I can pass even more information to my students. I also want incorporate more activities into my classes so the students will get a break every once in awhile from the work, work, work.
I hope everyone else is having good luck with their classes and have a great week 5!!
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Chris I totally understand everything you mentioned about accounting. I am also teaching accounting and I feel that it is very hard to incorporate technology and think of activities to get the students interested. Maybe we can all colaborate on ideas together to make it successful for all of us.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree I am picking up accounting I this week and the lesson plans are much more time consuming then my computer apps. classes. I am glad you discussed giving the talk. I am thinking I may have to give the one class I teach the talk, they sometimes can get a little wound and I need to pull them down. I try to understand that they are 14-15 year olds and have a lot of energy to burn but sometimes they go overboard. Sounds like they know your policy now. Good luck with week 6!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more on your comments about teaching Accounting. I picked up Accounting I as my second class and it has proven to be challenging. I don't know where your class is but I picked up a class that spent the last five months on the first five steps in the accounting cycle and I picked up on a chapter that covers the last three steps in one chapter! I think it would be easier if I had worked with the class from the beginning but that was not an option so I'm learning how to teach while they're learning my teaching style along with adjusting and closing entries and trial balance! But we're getting through it and it sounds like you've figured out how to manage it too. I talked about the power of review in my blog this week and it really has been helpful with my accounting class and especially this past week with the PSSA's creating havoc with the schedule.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you were able to whip them into shape! =)
Accounting is a whole new animal; any content area is so very different to plan, prepare, and teach than teaching a technology class. It's unfortunate that we can't start out teaching a difficult content class first before picking up the technology classes. Then, the tables would be turned and a technology class would look like a "walk in the park" after beginning the professional semester with a content class; especially when the content class is Accounting. :)
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