p.a.i.n.t. intern blogs
I would say that I have definitely grown as a teacher in lesson planning and classroom management. While teaching this class, I have noticed that I got much better at being able to clearly demonstrate projects as well. When working with younger children, I learned that if I was able to over-explain steps to complete a project then I was doing just what I was supposed to because they need to have the projects explained over and over in order to understand how to complete the task.
I now understand how important it is to really model how to do a certain project and that if I think I am explaining too much then that is probably perfect because the children find modeling and demonstrating how to do something really helpful. I also find it interesting when doing a wide variety of projects during the semester, when I notice which children really get engaged in which kind of projects. I notice those things and then try to plan future lessons based off of those interests.
I hope to gain more creative lessons that I could actually use in future classrooms. While participating in the P.A.I.N.T program, I have already learned that it really is so easy to include the arts to expand on any school subject to provide more hands-on learning. I also hope to improve my time management skills and knowing how to plan accordingly for any given lesson throughout my experience as a P.A.I.N.T intern.
