Reflection on Lesson Plan

Writing a lesson plan was a daunting task. I have received absolutely no formal training in writing lesson plans (I'm assuming it is much the same for most of the students in the class), and neither do I remember many details of the lesson plans which my teachers gave in secondary school. Much of those high school years are a vague blur in my mind, since it was the teacher's job to do the lesson plan, I just participated and did my part to earn the grade. For this assignment, Sara Kajder did provide an intricate list of demands or suggestions, but rather a simple and straightforward lesson plan rubric. In one sense, this is very freeing, as it gives the students opportunity to explore a large host of possibilities. On the other hand, it is hard to even know where exactly to start on such a project.
I chose my topic, decided upon important themes I wished to highlight, tried to find good sources and media to enrich the lesson experience, and brainstormed teaching activities I remembered high school or had envisioned in my own thoughts. I was apprehensive of what I would actually be doing while on camera, but resolved to take a simple activity and run with it for as long as necessary. The recording process was apparently tedious and difficult for my group-mates, but as I didn't show up until they had already begun recording, I was full of energy and ready to go. The 10 minutes I gave seemed to go buy much faster than I expected, and I covered only a small amount of the information I had planned to videotape. I was very excited as I explained concepts and interacted with my "students," and could envision myself teaching for long periods of time with much exuberance. Thus my overrall experience is very positive, I was very surprised by my confidence and ability to stay calm, cool, and collected. This assignment has been a great encouragement for me as a prospective teacher.