Running head: EXTERNAL MICRO-TEACHING REFLECTION PAPER 1

External Micro-Teaching Reflection Paper

Courtney Brantley

Murray State University

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External Micro-Teaching Reflection Paper

For my external micro-teaching, I chose to teach at Lone Oak Elementary School in

Paducah, KY. I taught a second-grade class that consisted of students ages seven and eight.

I had a few goals in mind that I wanted the students to complete and master while I was there.

One of the standards that I used to help master these goals were, NASAFACS REA. The

NASAFACS REA standard that I used for my lesson was REA 4, Implement practical

reasoning for responsible action in families, workplaces, and communities (NASAFACS,

Standards, p. 1). The outcome from this standard was that students completed a germ worksheet

that used their knowledge from the lesson over handwashing to make reasonable and responsible

decisions to stay healthy. The NASAFACS standard used was, 14.4 Evaluate factors that affect

food safety from production through consumption (NASAFACS, Standards, p. 47). This

standard was used when students demonstrate the proper hand washing techniques, the outcome

from this activity was it taught students its important to have clean hands before working with

food so germs do not spread. Lastly, the KOSSA standards for the Culinary and Food Services

career field were introduced which included, AA2 Participate in conversation, discussions, and

group presentations (Kentucky Department of Education, 2017, p. 1). EN1 Assume

responsibility for safety of self and others (Kentucky Department of Education, 2017, p. 4). OB

5 Practice good personal hygiene/health procedures and report symptoms of illness (Kentucky

Department of Education, 2017, p. 4). The outcome of this standard was that students will

assume responsibility of good personal hygiene.

The climate of my external micro-teaching was conducive to teaching and learning

because the classroom had a projector and computer that I could share my PowerPoint with the

students. Since, the students could see my PowerPoint and the visual images on it they were very
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excited to share their thoughts and answers to my questions and begin discussions. The

classroom also had a sink, soap, and paper towels that was great for my hand washing activity so

that the students did not have to leave the room to go to the bathroom, because if that happened I

would not be able to monitor if they were using the proper techniques. Observations that I made

about the interaction between the learners and myself was that they were all super excited to

participate in the discussion and activity. I tried to make sure that I called on different students

throughout the lesson so that all students were heard. During the hand washing activity if

students needed some help with the techniques I made sure to demonstrate with them the proper

way to wash their hands. I gave students positive feedback when they answered a question or

washed their hands correctly, and encouraged students if they seemed to need some help. By

doing so, it seemed to make the students happy.

The content that I gave the students about staying safe and clean was appropriate for the

students because the information that was given was broken down, such as the vocabulary that

was on a second-grade reading level, images were used in the PowerPoint for students to

comprehend, my activity was an engaging activity that allowed myself to assist students if

needed, and my germ worksheet assessment was about five questions that I read to the students

and they had to fill in. I believe that the content was also appropriate because students were

willing to answer the questions and knew some of the information before I taught my lesson

which I noticed through a bell ringer question and during my PowerPoint.

The strategies and techniques that I used that were the most effective for delivering the

content was using the PowerPoint presentation that included text and visuals to help guide the

lesson and questions that I asked students, which is part of Dales Cone of Experiences. I also

demonstrated proper hand washing and the students participated in demonstrating washing their
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hands using the techniques discussed in the PowerPoint. This also relates to Dales Cone of

Experiences because it includes, Demonstration, Contrived Experiences, and Direct-

Purposeful Experiences because students demonstrated hand washing which is a real-life

situation. The hand washing activity was a unique activity because it is not something like a

project or worksheet that is common for students. The least effective strategy was the word

search worksheet that I gave students during the hand washing activity. The word search

worksheet during the activity was effective, but I could have added more words or another part

to it because some students finished sooner than others so I told them to read their books until

everyone was finished washing their hands.

The teaching aids and instructional technology I used was supportive in teaching the

strategies because by having a projector and computer in the classroom allowed me to access my

PowerPoint which was a big part of teaching my lesson. The classroom also had a sink, soap, and

paper towels which allowed students to wash their hands and allowed myself to guide students.

For the hand washing activity, I purchased Glo Germ, which I brought with me. Glo Germ

allows individuals to see where they need to work on washing their hands, provided with the Glo

Germ kit was the lotion that gives you the opportunity to see the germs on your hands and the

backlight that you shine over your hands to see the lotion and germs. The Glo Germ kit really

enhanced the hand washing activity and made the teaching strategy very effective in the lesson.

The assessment techniques that I used with my lesson was a germ worksheet that the

students completed after the PowerPoint and hand washing activity. The worksheet asked

questions such as, Where are germs found? and What can I do to not spread germs? The

worksheet also had two questions that students would answer by filling a happy and sad face to

answer for yes or no. To assess the students, I also asked the students an exit slip question, Why
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is it important to wash your hands? I believe that they were effective in measuring the outcomes

because when looking over the completed worksheet all students answered the questions

correctly using information from the lesson and prior knowledge. When asking the students, the

exit slip question at the end students answered many questions as a class and they all answered

appropriately. When comparing the stated outcomes to the actual outcomes of the lesson I

believe they were accurate with what I wanted the students to get out of the lesson. The students

did well on their germ worksheet and mastered the ability to properly wash their hands. The only

contrast that may be concerning is that I stated that students would take responsibility of good

personal hygiene. I am not fully convinced that students will wash their hands after certain

situations discussed or cough and sneeze in their elbow like mentioned in the PowerPoint.

My planning supported my success for my external micro-teaching experience because I

felt prepared for my lesson. I had visited my external micro-teaching setting a couple of times

before I taught my lesson so I was able to meet the students and see the classroom area. While I

was there I noticed a computer, projector, and sink area which went along with my lesson plan

perfectly. I also made my PowerPoint lesson in advance so that I could look for assessment

activities that went along with it. I found the germ worksheet online and could print those out in

advance so I had them the day of the lesson. When I came up with my lesson idea I instantly

went online as well, and bought the Glo Germ kit so that I would have it on time for my external

lesson. My goals, content, strategies, and assessment were shaped by my planning because I

could do research on what I felt was appropriate for second graders. I wanted to leave the

students with the importance of keeping clean and one of the most important ways to do so is to

wash their hands throughout the day and cut down the spread of germs. By using the PowerPoint

and activity I believe that was successful.

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Changes that I would make to this lesson to improve the effectiveness as an instructor

would be to add a kid friendly germ video so that students could understand more in depth how

bacteria spreads. I would have also added another worksheet or longer word search for students

to work on while others are engaged in the hand washing activity. If I was to do this lesson with

high school students the PowerPoint would have been more complex and detailed. I would

engage the students in critical thinking questions and would include writing assignments

throughout. The students would have worked in groups to work on a public service

announcement about sicknesses and importance of sanitation, especially in the kitchen setting

and workplace.

Given thought to my three in-class micro-teaching lesson and my external I feel that

better understand teaching and myself as a teacher. For my first micro-teaching lesson, I did not

fully understand what it took to teach second graders and what was an appropriate level. By the

second in-class lesson I felt that I had a better understanding of what second graders where

capable of doing and understanding. I worked to include more images and less text for a more

visual lesson for students to comprehend. I felt that my game that I incorporated kept the

students engaged and was a fun learning tool. For my third and last in-class lesson I felt more

confident on what was excepted as age appropriate, but I was difficult to explain My Plate

without going too complex on what certain nutrients are, because I did not want the information

to go over the students heads. To enhance this lesson, I learned that I could have incorporated

measuring cups for portions, as well as incorporated pictures of the food groups in my

PowerPoint. For my external micro-teaching lesson, I felt that it was the easiest of all lessons. I

felt confident in my abilities and knew what I wanted to teach the students. After the lesson, I felt
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that I accomplished what I wanted to get out of the lesson, the students were engaged the whole,

and they were excited.

Through these experiences, I learned that I am capable with coming up with lessons and

activities that are interesting and engaging. Its important to plan of what you want to accomplish

and the goals in mind so that your lessons are effective and that your lesson runs smoothly. Its

also a great idea to practice what you want to say because you will have less errors and more

confidence when teaching. I learned that I do well in the high school level area of teaching

compared to elementary, because I can talk to the students without having to dim down

information or knowledge, and that I really like having complex discussions.

Recommendations and improvements that I need to consider when teaching younger

students is to think about literacy and reading comprehension. I need to continue to include

images, I feel that to improve my lessons I need to include more activities that engage students

and get them doing something. Younger students do not like to sit still so if I can use that

towards my advantage and include more games. When teaching high school students, I need to

allow students to discuss and talk instead of me talking in front of the class the whole time. With

high school students, its also important to add hands on activities and projects so that students

can experience real life experiences and understand the concept fully. I have not had much

classroom behavior problems but I want to continue to strengthen my classroom management so

that students know what to expect and the consequences that come from misbehavior. To do this

in the future, I will continue to give expectations at the beginning of my lessons and work on

becoming more direct with my students.

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References

Kentucky Department of Education. (2017). KOSSA Skill Standards Documents. Retrieved

November 11, 2017, from

https://education.ky.gov/CTE/kossa/Pages/KOSSAStandardsDocs.aspx?&p_FileLeafRef

=NetworkAdmin-Kstnd.xls&PageFirstRow=1&View=%7BBD6A4AE9-D1D8-4C59-

8F1B-79DB2976A22D%7D. p. 1 & 4

National Standards and Competencies NASAFACS. (n.d.). Retrieved August 26, 2017 from

http://www.nasafacs.org/national-standards-and-competencies.html. P. 1 & 47