The Last Class

I was unable to teach them Monday and Tuesday due to all the interviewing. I left them with an assignment to create a presentation of a famous innovator of the Renaissance. I wanted them to use outside research to learn more about the early life, accomplishments and death of each person. When I came back Wednesday I asked the psycho lady whether they finished the assignment. She said they did some work on it but she had to stop them because there was more important work they needed to complete (ie. the crap in the back of the textbook). The students were eager to share their knowledge with the class. As they each gave their presentations I displayed images of each of the people and their major works such as the Pieta, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, David, etc. I asked them at the end of class to provide feedback on my teaching. I started by asking them what they liked the most of the class. Most of them said they liked the videos and giving presentations. I asked what they liked least and the same pain in the butt who flung the rubber bands said that I spent too long on each chapter and she is used to finishing them much sooner. Another student was quick to speak out and got on her case, upset she would say that and I thanked her for the feedback. I said that I wanted to make sure that they learned the material on a deeper level beyond the textbook. I appreciated their feedback. It made me more confident in my methods. They learned best when they knew the material well enough to teach the class. I learned more in this placement because I had more freedom to explore different methods and it was easier to learn differentiation working with a smaller group of students. I'm happy about the way this placement ended.