Kelsey Magaña

Reflection #4

Actions 

I started writing lesson slides and materials for our weekly S.T.E.A.M. Club and shared these with student leaders, my student teacher, and other teachers at my school. Student leaders balanced the transition to hybrid learning by observing and reflecting on lessons provided by Camp Edmo and Mission Science Workshop. I recorded our reflection sessions to keep our interactions conversational. 

 

What went well?

Student leaders were really excited to be included in the planning meetings and reflection sessions with Mission Science Workshop and Camp Edmo. They showed up on Zoom ready to articulate their needs and the needs of the students. They felt more confident after watching other leaders face challenges of leading science online. They also felt inspired as students got excited about the different projects. We learned that using materials was not simple at home but students were excited to observe demonstrations nonetheless. 

 

Challenges

Mission Science Workshop teachers were unable to attend our S.T.E.A.M. Club sessions, so they came to First grade and my student leaders observed these Zoom sessions. Afterward they repeated the lessons for S.T.E.A.M. Club. All of this extra meeting and planning time is making it hard to manage my other subjects and make differentiated instruction for struggling students. 

 

In general, it is very challenging to manage all subjects in First Grade. I hope that next year, my partner teacher and I can strike a balance and share some of our planning and implementation time. It is also challenging to include student leaders when their own schedules are very busy. Finally I have learned that students who do not have materials such as food dye at home is also a challenge. We want to make our club more inclusive and more sustainable for years to come. 

 

Aha Moments 

 

Mission Science, Camp Edmo, and SFUSD are all adapting to learning online. However, when we keep student engagement at the center of our planning, we can really overcome the technical challenges of teaching online. We have to focus on concepts that are accessible for all grade levels to reach vertical alignment in a fun and inclusive way.

 

Questions

How can I adapt instruction for hybrid learning? Will I be able to keep S.T.E.A.M. Club going once we are back at school? How do I create some kind of assessment for my student leaders?