During student teaching, we were assigned to create a case study choosing a unit of study. I chose to do a social studies unit based on how people use our environment. Students learned how goods are produced and distributed. Before the unit I had students take a pre-assessment to gather information on what they already knew. The data from the pre-test resulted in 73% of the class got lower than a 75%. I took this information and formed my lessons to match what students needed more practice on. We did a lot of interactive and hands-on activities while reading in our books. The students really learn better when lessons have the hands on approach. After my lessons, the students took their post-assessment. The lowest percentage was a 77% and there were only 4 students who received a 77%. Eleven students received a 100%. The rest of the student missed 1 point, giving them an 89%. I was very pleased with my results and learned how to teach effectively to my student's needs.
For my research methods seminar, we were assigned and partnered up and had to choose a topic to create a professional research paper. For our topic, we chose to investigate the social skills program in Nebraska school districts. We also explored what teachers believe is the most effective aspects of the programs that are in place at their schools. Our research was gathered from seven different participates in elementary schools. Themes we gathered were teaching social skills, the practice and tools they used in their classrooms. We created a 30-page paper along with a 30-minute presentation that was presented on Scholars Day at our college.