This was my first pedagogy of education class of the semester since it was a public holiday on the first week.The class started with the lecturer discussing the course plan with us and our assignment.I was really excited when I found out that we have to prepare a lesson plan and carry out that lesson plan in front of our classmates but I just do not exactly know what to teach but I was not too worried,I was pretty sure I could find some teaching material from websites like Ted.com or YouTube.The internet is filled with creative people.
The lecturer then discussed about the types of learning we have.There is student-centred learning and teacher-centred learning.He asked us about the pros and cons and explained in detailed about the pros and cons of the two.He mentioned that student-centred learning taught students to think critically and creatively for themselves and not depend entirely on teachers.I feel that this is a really good way of teaching.I came from a Chinese primary school and majority of our classes were very old fashioned and teacher-centred.Pupils were taught to memorise everything without even understanding the content.This was why I did not enjoy my primary school days because I would often memorise my essays or school work for the sake of not getting punished by my fierce teachers and forget about it after the test was over.It did not train me to think creatively but it did train me how to be discipline.I guess the Malaysian government saw this problem in our Malaysian Education System and decided to abolish PMR and replace it with PT3 because they did not want their students to be robots and they want students in Malaysia to be critical thinkers.We were taught that student-centred learning,although effective,it is time consuming but I feel that the pros of student-centred learning overshadows the cons because what is the point of taking a short time to carry out a lesson when students do not learn much.As the saying goes slow and steady wins the race.He talked about all sorts of learning methods teachers could use.For example,organising debates,field trips and forums.I feel that having debates,field trips and forums are an excellent way of learning compared to the traditional passive way of learning.Debates and forums help with a student's communication skills which is very vital in the working world.I brought up an idea in class I found on Tedx by the founder of Khan Academy.
You can watch the video below.
Our lecturer explained that this method was called the flip classroom method.I feel that this is an amazing idea.Using technology to educate students.I really wished I had known of Khan Academy back in secondary school so that I was able to learn better.Not every student understands the teacher the first time but learning through technology allows students to pause or repeat the lesson anytime they want.
We also learnt about the arts and science of teaching.I do believe teaching is an art and your lesson is a teacher's masterpiece.
For a teacher to create a masterpiece,they have to create good classroom conditions which allows students to hunger for knowledge.They should use creative and critical methods to help students.They should observe their students during the lesson to try to figure our whether their teaching method is effective or putting students into a deep slumber.A good method is by getting to know the interests of the class or latest trends the students are following and try to relate it with any classroom material.This way the information will be carved into the students brain because it is much easier to remember things when what they are learning has a connection with something they already know and love.This is how the brain works.The brain remembers things best when there is a link with something they already know.I believe for a teacher to improve this art of teaching,feedback from students is extremely crucial.Every now and then,teachers should have a session with their students to discuss ways that the teachers can improve their teaching but sadly this method is not carried out because so many teachers do not like being judged but without constructive criticism,there is very little room for growth because you will not know where you went wrong.I have been taught by my fellow ministers in church about the importance of constructive criticism and I recently watched a Tedx video by Bill Gates himself about the importance of feedback and it has reinforced by idea of how important feedback is.Here's the video.
But bear in mind,there is a difference between criticism and constructive criticism.Make sure you mean well before you give someone advice.Feedback is not suppose to put someone someone down but instead build them up to be better people.The truth hurts but we all need to hear it from time to time.
As for the science of teaching,teachers should know the various types of theories to understand students better.There is a lot of psychology involved in the teaching field as well because a teacher needs to understand the minds of students.There are a ton of research that has been done about classroom teachings.I feel that theories are good examples for teachers with little experience in teaching to get a glimpse of what teaching students is going to be like.I will most probably fall back on any theories when I am going to undergo my practicum during my final year.
As for my assignment progress during week 2,I do know that I want to teach the class English but I want to find some creative way of carrying out my lesson.I think I would need to pay a trip to the bookstore to look for some good material to carry out my assignment but for now the progress is not much but I believe that the output of my assignment would be pretty good.That is all from me for now.
References
(2016). 65.media.tumblr.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from http://65.media.tumblr.com/42510cab1a7f128e821b8c103fd4f9db/tumblr_mtnvicOXKs1s3e9lko1_1280.jpg
(2016). Media.tumblr.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016, from http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lkwllw03FZ1qzenzx.jpg
(2016). Lovethispic.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016, from http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/107216-Truth-Hurts-But-Lies-Are-Worse.jpg
Bill Gates: Teachers need real feedback. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 20 October 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Ub0SMxZQo
How to become a memory master | Idriz Zogaj | TEDxGoteborg. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 20 October 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ebJlcZMx3c
Is Teaching an Art or a Science?. (2016). Rice University Center for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved 20 October 2016, from http://cte.rice.edu/blogarchive/2015/09/13/isteachingartorscience
Khan, S. (2016). Let's use video to reinvent education. Ted.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education
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