A Reflection on the PTE

I think that the Practical Teaching Experience that Katie and I created went remarkably well in the classroom. Once everyone settled on a novel, they seemed to be enjoying the experience. People were creating characters and new voices to defend their novel in a creative and productive manner. I think that this project would be just as well received by an 8th, 9th, or even 10th grade classroom. The students are allowed to pick a novel of their choosing and yet they are still learning the importance of the theme of “Coming of Age”. Students will have that freedom to read what they want (after it is approved by the teacher) and they will feel more in control of their learning. In addition, the teacher is still able to assess whether or not the student grasped the meaning of the concepts they were meant to learn. The radio show implements the use of technology while bolstering team work and creativity. It also asks the student to gather the evidence needed to have a literary debate. Then if there are any more points we want the students to cover, that will be tested with the second piece of the teacher as a caller onto the radio show. So, instead of the typical book report, the students have a fun and exciting radio show that they can share with their friends, family and their parents on their student blog. The only alteration that I would make to the project is to have students use Audacity instead of Vocaroo because they would be able to edit their work and the sound quality is far superior. I think Vocaroo worked best for our short presentation time, but when I have the time to make this a longer classroom experience, I would opt for Audacity.