Reflection 2

As I finished reading Wong, I learned the most about how to structure tests properly. I had always been curious how to do it in a way that is beneficial to the learning process as opposed to being a method of punishment. I learned how to match up test questions with objectives rather than simply facts or information. I like the idea of having tests that are not composed of rote memorization like so many of the tests I have taken over the years. I can now see why it was so much easier for teachers to make memorization tests, but I hope that I will find the energy as a teacher to make effective tests.

Classroom procedures was an interesting thing for me to think about so consciously. I remember classrooms where the teacher would walk in and say "Good Afternoon, 7th Period!" and the class would respond with "Good Afternoon Mrs. Beck!" With that teacher, I knew that as soon as I came in the door, the assignment for the day would be on the overhead projector and I should copy it down and get my notebook out. Having that simple stability helped get me focused before the instruction time began. I was ready to start when she finished taking role. Other classes, in contrast, were always chaotic and it was much harder for me to want to focus because I would just hope that the class would distract our teacher enough so we would not need to accomplish as much. Those classes were the ones where there was no structure to our time and we had to wait for our teacher to tell us what to do every minute of the period. When I teach, I'm not sure I'll have a "good morning" routine, but I plan to have some sort of procedure for starting class so I can make the most of every teaching minute I have.