Writing on the Board

I picked to complete the task of writing on the board this week as it something I will do daily in my teaching career most likely. After I selected this task, I watched my CT write on the board. She uses the board to display the class schedule, standards, posters for all subjects, and to model how to the write on the board. She said that she does most of these before the students arrive as it makes the day go by smoother. She leaves writing on the board for during class so she can actively model it for the students and they can do it with her. My CT writes and talks at the same time. She models writing for the students and then they copy her. My CT only writes for about 5 minutes. She said she makes sure all students can hear her voice and see the board while she writing.

Writing on the board seems like a simple task; however it is more difficult than it seems as many aspects go into it. My CT lets me model writing for the students, which I enjoy. While modeling how to write, I follow these steps:

1)Pick your topic

2)Draw a Picture

3)Add Labels

4)Write a Sentence

5) Add Detail

While writing on the whiteboard, I make sure all students can see the board and are on task. I let the students pick the topic usually. I addressed the first step and asked for my students to think of a topic. During this, one student was off task. I walked around the room to him while talking before I started writing on the board. I stood close to him to get him back on task. This is an example of body proximity. I also put my hand on his shoulder and patted him as a nonverbal cue to make sure he was paying attention. I then called on a student for a topic and returned back to the front of the room to start writing.

I developed questions to ask myself while positioning my body. These questions can influence my thinking and how I position my body.

Questions:

What can I see?

I am facing a wall?

How can I open myself up more?

How should I angle myself?

Can my students see what I am reading/writing?

My model writing lesson fits into numerous pillars of an effective classroom from the Classrooms That Work textbook by Patricia Cunningham and Richard Alllington. These authors state that an effective classroom is well managed, has high levels of engagement, and strategies that are explicitly taught. They also write that meaning is central in the classroom. I made sure to do these while writing on a board. I asked questions to my students while writing on the board to review the strategies my CT has taught the students and keep the class on task. I videoed taped my lesson to check if I was keeping the class engaged and actively learning. The class was well managed during this time, as my video shows, and most of the student were engaged!

Moving on, the authors of Principles of Classroom Management states that "clear explanations of the content of the lesson proceed in step-by-step fashion" make a positive effect while teaching. I used this advice while completing this task by hanging up the writing steps next to my writing model and following them. This helped the students know what was to follow in the lesson and made the lesson flow smoothly.

I completed my writing lesson as I kept the questions listed previously in mind. I also moved around at the front of the room to reposition myself while teaching. I asked my CT how I did after the lesson and she said I did well! All of the students were engaged, listening, and could see and hear me! Completing this task was helpful, as it will help me in my own classroom one day. I am glad I could reflect on this experience so I can improve. Next time I model writing on the board, I want to call a student up to the board to draw a picture or label one of the drawings. This will give the students a chance to model for their peers and help the lesson be more engaging as it involves student participation. My CT said this was a good idea and that I could put it into action.

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