Due to beginning my part-time teaching position halfway through Term 1, this was my first time participating in the R.I.S.E cycle! I chose to record myself teaching a whole-class explicit lesson on Length in Mathematics in my Year 2 class, as I feel that Mathematics is the key learning area I am least confident teaching.
My first thoughts as I watched my recorded video ... "Oh my goodness. Why do I say the word 'fantastic' so much? Does my voice seriously sound like that? Why on earth is that boy standing over near the door, and I didn't even realise?!"
Recording yourself teaching is one thing - watching it is a whole other story! I think that's what makes the R.I.S.E process so valuable though - how often do we get the chance to evaluate our teaching from an outside perspective?
After the initial cringe watching my video with Lucy, we engaged in effective collaborative dialogue regarding my strengths, and what I can improve on when it comes to whole-class explicit teaching in Mathematics. We discussed how it is difficult as a part-time teacher, as I am constantly having to change my teaching style to adapt to the dynamics and needs of each class. Lucy and I agreed that in order to engage the students and to give them more accountability for their learning, they need to be more involved in explicit teaching sessions. I can achieve this by utilising concrete materials, and allowing students more discussion time with their peers, rather than simply answering questions I ask them.
Lucy and I then developed my R.I.S.E goal for Term 2 - "How can I develop and draw upon a range of strategies to engage students during whole class explicit teaching of mathematical concepts?"
My first time participating in the R.I.S.E cycle has allowed me to evaluate my teaching effectively, and I am looking forward to taking Lucy's feedback on board in order to achieve my goal! Thank you Lucy for all of your help!