This week I did my second video teach in my traditional classroom on Nixon and Watergate. I feel much more confident coming out of this lesson because I feel like it went much better than my first. I think the main thing that made me feel better was that the students in the class were more responsive. Not only did they answer the questions I asked, but they also asked some very good questions that showed me they were processing the information. I also think these students were more responsive because they knew me better and I had established more of a rapport with them. I also really like the handout that I gave for them to take notes. Instead of doing a simple question/answer format, I gave them a blank graphic organizer that showed a time line of the events. It worked well because the students were able to follow along without much help because I was able to be very obvious about which step I was in with regular transitions. I really admire the way that my cooperating teacher has set-up her classroom and I think the feel of her class made this video teach more successful for me because it is very close to how I would like my own classroom to be. I am so glad that we did more than one teach, because this time around I felt much more comfortable and happy with my work.
