the teacher as an IMPLEMENTER of teaching strategies :
teaching strategies and methods
- CAEP PRINCIPAL #3 : The teacher understands how students differ in their
approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are
adapted to diverse learners.
- CAEP PRINCIPAL #4 : The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills.
Our day was as follows:
Gym Time: At the beginning of the day, my group started in the gym. During their gym time they played games that had an underlying meaning. I am blessed to have had someone named Mr. Johnny in the gym teacher position who's gift it is to teach gym class. Johnny knew how to adapt to each child and make sense of what he was teaching on an individual level.
Classroom Time: After gym we went to our own classroom. This was a time for a more structured instruction period. Our theme for the summer was the Seven Continents. We learned about a different continent every week and, during our classroom time, learning took the form of a classroom setting. To cater to individualities I varied my instruction from question and answer time, individual research about the continent using National Geographic magazines or personal iPads, sometimes we watched documentaries. I feel confident that I was able to reach all of the diverse learners in the group.
Enrichment: Enrichment time was a great opportunity for the children to read for an uninterrupted hour and thirty minutes. I was so happy that most of my children loved this time. They were able to all get their summer reading finished and, if they finished their two books, they could choose from any other book and we would get it for them to read.
Free Time: Free time was simply that. This was a time that the children got to choose what they did for the period be it go outside, play in the gym, watch a TV show, art, or finish something they had started. A lot of times they also chose to take "flat time", a time that they were able to just lay down and take a nap if they wanted for a brief period. This free time was important because it gave an opportunity for this group to be independent and choose what they wanted to do.
Art: This was also a pretty self explanatory time. We did several art projects that lasted throughout the summer and were relevant to the continent of the week. At the end of the summer we were able to display everything that the children had done.