This practicum experience in the Spring of 2021 was extremely beneficial to my confidence as an instructor. I was able to get experience with a wide range of students, and now have a better understanding of what to expect for each age range, and how to best be prepared for the likely needs for each group of students. 25+ hours of additional classroom experience has given me more confidence in leading discussions and being an authority in a classroom setting. The prospect of leading classroom activities now has significantly less stress and anxiety for me, I have a better understanding of what I need to do to be prepared, and dwell less on unknown issues that may arise.
In future experiences I will spend more time getting to know the students I am working with. Instead of jumping headfirst into presentations that detail processes, past artists, and project specifications, I need to know exactly who it is that I’m trying to teach so I can make adjustments as needed. I need to create more engagement, so instead of simply asking questions directly to a group I don’t know very well, I need to provide time for students to discuss amongst themselves to get better responses. I want students to feel that they have a say in the projects as well, so I want to set up some flexibility up front with what we will be doing and what will be expected, with the understanding that after we come to this agreement, I’ll expect them to uphold their end of the contract. Getting higher levels of engagement and involvement from the students, as well as getting to know them better personally, should enable me to create a classroom environment that suits them best as individual learners.
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