Week 2 Reflection

 One major concept that I learned this week was observation. Observations are so important when it comes to being a teacher because you do it everyday, sometimes without even realizing. There are many reasons for why we observe children and many techniques to do so! It is important to remember to also keep observations bias free and centered on the child. I will use these techniques to monitor the students' progress so that I can be aware of any issues in the classroom, but also what could be happening before or after the behavior. 

For example, if children were playing at recess, I would observe how they are interacting with each other and use an anecdotal record, event record, or time sampling. If a child is struggling in math, I would use an event record or just dot down some informal notes to build into a running record. All of the observation techniques have different purposes, pros, and cons, so it is important to recognize how the technique can fit certain scenarios!

When developing an analytic rubric, I found that the hardest part was not using vague language and being clear about expectations. The benefit to an analytic rubric is that students have the criteria for the assignment in front of them before they complete the assignment. It also provides detailed feedback for the student to review and feedback for each portion instead of just one holistic score. A con is that the students may not understand the rubric depending on their age, or they might not care to review the feedback. Another hard part of constructing the rubric was being able to use it to evaluate the butterfly samples. It is important to be able to justify your grading decisions based on the criteria you have put in the rubric. In the future, I will be sure to avoid ambiguous language like "some" and "a few" and more clearly state the grading criteria. As a student, I also liked when I got a rubric so that I knew what my expectations would be. However, I think it is also critical to give young children assignments where they can be very creative on!