Blog Entry #6

I noticed the teacher I worked with using a lot of visual aids. I am a huge fan of visuals because they make it easier for me to remember things, especially if I make the visual aid myself. One day, the teacher discussed different sounds like the "th" and the "wh" sounds. She read the students a story with those sounds in it. After she read the story, she asked the students to come up with words that have those sounds. She wrote the words that the students came up with on a poster. Most of the time, visual aids help students remember concepts longer, especially students who are visual learners. However, sometimes visual aids can be distracting, especially to students with disabilities. Teachers need to be aware of the needs of the students in the classroom and make sure not to over stimulate them. I also noticed that the teacher did not assign projects that took a lot of time, and she didn't spend much time sitting in front of the class lecturing. The class flowed fairly quickly from one activity to the next, making it easier for students to maintain interest. This wasn't always effective because some students were left behind because they couldn't finish projects as quickly as their classmates. I think I would like to schedule make-up time into the day so that those students don't have to stress about being behind all the time and students who finish their work early can be rewarded with quiet free time.