Evaluations

Today I had my second year evaluation with the building principal.  I know that a lot of people hate being evaluated, but I actually enjoy it.  As a teacher I am constantly reflecting on what my class is learning, how I am teaching it and what I could do better.  I love having someone else give me their opinion, especially someone with a lot of experience and observations of other teaching styles.

When I had my end of the year evaluation last May, Cindy suggested that I meet with another teacher to find out more about inquiry based learning.  I had sat in on meetings before on the same topic.  I thought it might work in my class, but wasn't sure.  Mary gave me a lot of good advice and showed me what has worked for her over the years.  I decided to make that my goal this year.

Thus, the seventh and eighth grade now have an inquiry based FACS class and I have to say I believe that we all love it.  I have been impressed with their knowledge of the scientific process.  The first lesson that we tried this with was "What boils water the fastest - microwave, pan on the stove or tea kettle?"  We studied the difference between microwaves and stoves and even learned a little about open hearth cooking.  They had to come up with a hypothesis, data, a conclusion and a reflection.

Since that first lesson we have worked on "Homemade vs. Store Bought" and have moved on to "Name Brand vs. Store Brand."  Mary had said that it is a great way to provide students with a differentiated education as those who are high ability can follow their own path to what they want to discover.  She is exactly right.  It also allows me to spend a lot of one on one time with students and help those that are struggling.  I have mixed in several standards in their data work, such as measurements equivalences, abbreviations and measuring tips.

So, if you would like to stop by and observe one day, please feel free.  My classroom will seem chaotic to you, but I promise you we are all learning. I welcome all suggestions, just try to throw in a few positive comments as well!