The first workshop that I hosted in GAL was on the topic of mindfulness and self awareness. We introduced ourselves, played a quick ice breaker, and made posters about different media topics. The day before, I met with Ms. Crump to talk about the plan for my workshop and make any changes that we needed to. She wasn't able to make it to class the next day, so I had the opportunity to run the class with the help of an academic coach.
The most important lesson that I learned from that first class is that lesson plans, no matter how much work and thought you may have put into it. When I made the itinerary outline for the workshops, I didn't take into account the amount of time that it takes to transition between activities or to get the girl's attention. I also wasn't completely prepared to work with a group of middle schoolers of different ages. (In this class , the girls consisted of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.) I learned a lot about class dynamics in middle school during that first workshop. Although it wasn't the easiest class I've lead, I feel that the learning curve was absolutely necessary, and that I will only get better in how interact with this class.
Afterward, I ran into my math teacher who happened to study neuroscience in college. He has a lot of knowledge on teen brains (he is working with them everyday, after all). He looked at the posters that I was carrying with me from the workshop and gave me some awesome tips for activities that I can do in the future to better engage girls and encourage them to be open about these topics.
Updates on the next class are coming soon!
The most important lesson that I learned from that first class is that lesson plans, no matter how much work and thought you may have put into it. When I made the itinerary outline for the workshops, I didn't take into account the amount of time that it takes to transition between activities or to get the girl's attention. I also wasn't completely prepared to work with a group of middle schoolers of different ages. (In this class , the girls consisted of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.) I learned a lot about class dynamics in middle school during that first workshop. Although it wasn't the easiest class I've lead, I feel that the learning curve was absolutely necessary, and that I will only get better in how interact with this class.
Afterward, I ran into my math teacher who happened to study neuroscience in college. He has a lot of knowledge on teen brains (he is working with them everyday, after all). He looked at the posters that I was carrying with me from the workshop and gave me some awesome tips for activities that I can do in the future to better engage girls and encourage them to be open about these topics.
Updates on the next class are coming soon!