Solar eclipse x 2

I had my first ever attempt at teaching a class of 13 year olds this week, and wow, what an experience! I have never had so many questions fired at me in such a short space of time!

I was to teach a section in one of Mel Evans’s year 8 science classes, on the topic of the Solar System. The day before, Mel had given me a lesson plan and a video that he would use for this lesson, so I knew what we were planning to teach.

Mel let me introduce myself, and start the lesson off. I began tentatively, in a quiet voice, but by the end of the lesson, I got into my stride and began to relax. It's not easy to remain focussed with so many distractions, questions coming from all four quarters at once, but I'm sure it’s a skill that can be mastered. I found that once the lesson was underway, I could watch the pupils, and move about the class helping or giving a nudge where needed.

My pre-work was worth it's weight in gold, as I knew what was coming next, and could field questions as they occurred. I was even able to handle some questions that we hadn’t planned to cover. Overall, it gave me a huge kick, and I am looking forward to the next time.

By coincidence, one of the topics of the lesson was what happens during a solar eclipse. Then the day after giving the lesson, I read this article on the net. It seems that the earth had experienced a Solar Eclipse the very next day. I wonder how many pupils had noticed this fact, and understood what was happening a little better because of our lesson. Overall, I loved it, and can’t wait to have another go. I think I will be better equipped next time.