Maria Ricchio-Noticing blog Week 9

This week I realized how important it is for me to plan out my lessons step by step. Sitting down and looking at how I want my lesson to go, what I want to cover, what I want my students to work on, etc is so crucial. It helps me remember all my objectives and how I plan to model for my students. As much as planning step by step is helpful, I cannot wait until I get to the point where these things become second nature and I can come up with a great lesson on the fly. That being said, I know that comes from experience.
Modeling has become something I focus on a lot. I have to come to realize how important it is for students to have the gradual release of responsibility. When I do this, my lessons go so much smoother and students don't have as many questions when completing their assignment. By modeling and practicing together before students are asked to work independently, students gain more confidence in what they are doing and are more eager to participate. It's amazing to go from talking about it in our classes and then actually seeing it come to life in your classroom. I notice my teacher does a really good job at modeling her lessons before letting students do the activity on their own, so I will continue conferencing with her to improve my modeling technique.