I highly recommend...

I just wanted to post to my followers that I highly recommend using the Khan Academy for any kind of learning! It has been a great resource to me for many subjects, especially math and science, and is so user friendly. I can't help but want to share it with everyone!

What I learned from teaching Mr. Holo's class...

            I was able to teach one period of Mr. Holo’s Med Science class after watching him do the same presentation of direct instruction on Sports and Nutrition and Food Safety Rules the period before.  This lesson fortunately coincided with one of the days of my Five-day Lesson Plan assignment that was submitted for my assessment class at National University. I was able to ask many of the types of pre-assessment questions that I had planned to in my lesson prep. To introduce a topic I would ask questions to the students that followed up their previous studies on the topic. This was a great experience for me but also very humbling as I prepare to student teach soon.

Mr. Holo had some advice for me after my teaching period was over and I took notes because he had great advice. He told me that I did great and that it will get better over time. He explained that he teaches the same topics over and over everyday and he can easily get on a roll and have plenty to say. With years of experience he has been able to really understand the subject area and expound on many of the students favorite parts of the course. We both talked about how I didn’t know the subject areas as well as I needed to in order to answer some of the students questions. The most important advice he gave me was positive, that I did a great job and that it will only get better after teaching more and more.

I feel like I did a pretty good job at making the students comfortable with me and helping them feel confident in asking questions and participating the discussion. I had subbed Mr. Holo’s class before and coached some of the students so the students were somewhat familiar with me and my personality. Although I did ask some assessment questions throughout the lecture I don’t think I had enough assessment planned into what I was presenting. I feel that after a little while of instruction it took me too long to get the students involved and talking about what they were taking notes on. I think I could have made the lecture better by being a funny or asking the students questions about their experiences with the sports nutrition and feed safety rules. The students didn’t have enough interaction and now I know more of how to get the students engagement.

            I will change a few things about my preparations for when I teach. I know now that the depth of knowledge need to have for health science should be more refined in order to answer many of the questions students will ask. I need to prepare lectures better with many stops for assessment and student interaction. I am grateful for the great teachers, like Mr. Holo, that will take their precious time to help students like me get my feet wet in the classroom.

Assessment with Mr. Holo

I worked with Chad Holo this week for my pre-assessment and teaching assignment. Mr. Holo is a Health Science and Introduction to Medical Science teacher at Esperanza High School. There is a Medical Sciences Academy at Esperanza for any and all students to be a part of. They take specific classes all year that prepare them for college studies in medicine. Students also graduate with a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) certificate that will help them work through college in the industry. It is a great and well known program and many teachers are involved in it.

I was able to talk with a handful of Mr. Holo’s students during break on the day that I was teaching one of his periods. I asked them about my pre-assessment technique and what they thought about it. The lesson they had was about sports and nutrition and then food safety rules. So I asked the students if they had read the articles Mr. Holo had assigned them as preparation for the lecture. Most of the students responded that they had and then I asked a follow up question about the type of diets that were described for the specific athletes mentioned in the articles. The students thought my questions were helpful and would help prepare them for the lecture.

Also the students mentioned that Mr. Holo would usually ask them questions throughout the lesson to see if they were listening or if they understood. Because of the nature of the content it was easy to ask the students for examples and personal experiences about the subject matter. For example, during the lecture about food safety rules  I asked questions like, “Have any of you had food poisoning?” or, “Do any of you plan on working in the food or restaurant industry?” These questions peak the students interest and help me to understand where the students are at in their understanding of the topics.

My findings for the pre-assessment were great and humbling. I realize that I was not asking as many questions or open ended questions as I needed to. I realized the importance and effectiveness of this tool as I observed Mr. Holo in the periods before I lectured for him. I think that if I knew the subject matter a little better and had prepared more that I could have asked better questions to assess the students. This experience showed me that I need to spend more time assessing and finding the right types of questions that will help the students open up to what they understand.

My Introduction

My name is Tyler Rex and I am subbing and coaching volleyball at my alma mater, Esperanza High School in Anaheim. I plan on teaching secondary Health Science and possibly get credentialed in another science. I have always been around the sport of volleyball and will always coach the sport. My family is full of educators and so it has always been in my mind to teach and work as a teacher and coach.

 Starting a blog has been on my mind for a while now and so I am glad that this class and assignment has pushed me over the edge to do so. I plan on using it in social media and sharing it whenever possible. I think this can also be a great tool in the classroom when referring the students to my blog for certain materials and class information. I can share video and other content on this blog to flip my classroom or just educate my followers in general.

 One of the ideas from the modules that I thought was important and influential was the impact that role plays can have when you are helping students practice healthy lifestyle choices. I think this can help students overcome obstacles and challenges when role playing the typical conversations that lead to healthy choices. One of the assessments from the module that I thought would be very important would be to track positive behavior change over time. Students should understand the importance of setting healthy lifestyle goals and measuring their progress toward achievement. I feel that this is one of the most valuable lessons students can learn in the course.