3B – this is undoubtedly my most challenging class. The classroom teacher left them with me at the beginning so I could get used to getting them to settle and set them off. They were restless and took a while to settle. I gave them a quick run through of areas of kite and rhombus and set them some questions, and set off round the class myself to check on the homework. Most had attempted the home work and had a reasonable stab at it but I still had to spend time with individuals explaining where they had gone wrong. This took too much time and took my attention away from the class for way too long: result was rising noise and too much chat. I only just got round to check all the homework (with the class teacher's help) and, frankly, most of them didn't get enough done during the lesson without me being on top of them. Those who hadn't done homework have to present it completed to me at start of lunch tomorrow or it's two lunchtimes in detention....
So, overall, the attempt to check on homework while they worked wasn't very successful. I will try it again, but not with that class – there are simply too many of them, the range of abilities is too wide, the tendency to talk is too high. Also I had to rush to get through all of them. On the plus side, as the teacher pointed out, they will be more aware that I might be checking homework. So her advice was to concentrate on those pupils who are most likely not to have done anything or to have struggled, rather than try to get round the whole class. That approach pre-supposes that I have learned something about the class and its pupils.... I don't think I've had that time yet (though I've now got a few pointers about who to concentrate my homework monitoring efforts on).
Need to be more organised (having names of pupils distributing folders ready right at start for instance), keep a better eye on time, know what times the bells go, talk more quietly (sometimes, to make sure they are listening). I thought I also ought to have spent a bit longer on the kite/rhombus stuff, though the teahcer was happy with what I did, pointing out that the class ought to be entirely comfortable with the idea of multiplying two numbers by each other and dividing by two. Yeah, I suppose they should. Don't spoonfeed, make them use their brains!
2R – revising addition and subtraction of fractions, including converting mixed numbers to top-heavy fractions. Again. They are getting it slowly. Minor (irritating) lack of concentration by the remaining two serial miscreants. Otherwise they mostly get on with it. More revision tomorrow (yet another truncated lesson due to Armistice Day) before test on Friday. 5E doing their NAB on Friday so I'll have them full-time from Monday... I'd better sort out what I'm going to do with them.
Key question: am I'm being critical enough (of myself)? I think so. I'm getting useful constructive feedback from classroom teachers as well but I think that mostly I'm aware of the shortcomings anyway. What I'm failing to do adequately is make the necessary change in mid-flow. For instance, I realised today with 3B that I was taking too long to get round the homework, but I felt I had to carry on and complete it, even though I was aware I wasn't spending enough effort on the whole of the class. I'd bitten off a big chunk and had to continue chewing it..... So, smaller chunks and more flexibility when required.
PS It looks like 3B is going to be the class for my crit... oh joy.