It is week 8 and we did not exactly have class today but I still did learn something.In class,3 of my other classmates and I did our micro-teaching.I did mine first and it went great.I used many pictures so that my students would know how the different kinds of foods look like and I even went to the supermarket the night before to buy some of the food that I was teaching them about.I am not going to lie,the price of the food I bought was rather steep but I did it for the sake of my students learning because I think that students will remember what I teach them more when they can actually see the object.
In class,I was the first to start my micro teaching and it went quite smoothly.I began my lesson by asking them questions about their favourite kinds of food to warm them up and I even showed them a video of people sharing about their favourite foods and they enjoyed it and found the video amusing.I continued with a spelling test which was actually a bit of a mistake.Mr Wan told me that I should not have a pop spelling test because students will be unprepared which really shows in the results of the spelling test because the highest was 7 out of 10 followed by my friend Lovelyn who scored a 3/10 and Razdi who scored 2/10 and Angela who scored a zero.I think if I were to give a pop test to my students,they will not do so well and it will cause them to believe that they are dumb and it will affect their self-esteem but I never really thought about it that way before till Mr. Wan mentioned about it.Moving on,I continued my explaining each of the words mentioned during the spelling test through pictures,videos and food.I ended the lesson by asking my students what they learnt and showed them a video for them to reflect upon as their homework.Mr Wan said that other than my pop spelling test,he thought that I did really good.He would give me a score of 8/10.I was really happy because I worked hard but he asked me to change my lesson plan according to his advice.
Obviously I was not the only one who did my micro teaching.Three of my other friends did theirs too.Hannee,Lovelyn and Angela.Hannee taught English Grammar.I thought her micro teaching was really good actually.She taught at a slow spaced which is really good because she takes in those weaker students in consideration.This was something my teachers in secondary school did not consider.She even had activities for us so that we could apply the knowledge we have learnt and I think this is a good way to learn actively and reinforce the information learnt.I did not see any problem with her micro teaching but Mr Wan did say that the lesson was not so organised and that it has to be organised so that students would not be confused which is quite true because during my time studying in Unitar,I've actually received a ton of slides and notes that were are jumbled up and not well organised.
Moving on,my friend Lovelyn taught Form 1 Mathematics.She was really patient with us and she explained in detail.She would ask us whether we understood a certain topic before she carried on which is a good thing for teachers to do because we need to learn progressively.One cannot learn to walk without crawling first.Mr Wan did give her some advice though.He said that she should teach a little slower for those weaker students because not everyone is good in Mathematics and to split her lesson into two lessons because there was two much information.I think splitting the lesson into two lessons is a good idea because sometimes there is just so much a student can absorb.We do not learn through osmosis(HAHA biology joke).That is pretty much all I have to say for today.Till next time.
It is week 7 and today during we had a test.Hence,there was no teaching in class but I am going to tell you about my progress for my assignment.So far I think I am making a lot of progress.I had done three lessons plans.Two single period lesson plans and one double period lesson plan.For my first lesson plan,I am going to teach my students about the various types of foods but not those ordinary foods that they often hear about on a daily basis like chicken or potatoes.That is way to simple.I am going to ask them to sit for a spelling test about the different kinds of food and I will make sure I find words that people often misspell or words that are not often heard of like parsley or coriander.I also decided to add videos from famous Youtubers like the Fine Brothers to get my students attention.For my second lesson plan,I have decided to teach about the difference between British English and American English.This is because I notice my friends usually get confused with the two and use them interchangeably.We used to live under the British ruling.So,I think it is best we use British English.
Obviously you cannot learn something without applying it.Hence,I will have tests in my lesson plans or exercises.For my third lesson plan,I have decided to design a class whereby students are to watch an inspiring video about Nick Vujicic about this spirit of never giving up.I want my future students to think critically and creatively jus like how I was taught in youth ministry.I believe that active learning if much more effective as compared to passive learning.To video I am going to show them is down below.
.I followed the example given my the course leader for my lesson plan and thank God she has given us multiple examples or else I would be absolutely lost.I have selected my lesson plan about the various foods to be taught during my micro teaching next week.I am going to show them the videos below to make the class more interesting.Here,you can watch them too.I think you will find them entertaining and you will learn a thing or two.
Will update you bloggers on my micro teaching.Till then and wish me luck.
References
Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). Fanaru.com. Retrieved 29 November 2016, from http://fanaru.com/harry-potter/image/114403-harry-potter-harry-andquot-winkingandquot.gif
FAVORITE FOOD (REACT: Opinions #4). (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 29 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU5-AeI9S1I
KIDS vs. FOOD #2 - VEGEMITE. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 29 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igeUz4cjB5w
Never give up by Nick Vujicic. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 29 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kxSrPD__BA
Oh my gosh.I cannot believe I am half way done with the semester.Anyway,today's class was not very long but we did learn many things.Our topic was about the conceptual foundations for planning a lesson.Mr Wan said when you fail to plan,you are actually planning for failure.He then told us that pedagogy can be divided into two parts which are what and how.Basically it is the study of ways to deliver a subject and what you need to know.For example,what do you need to know?You need to know the content of the subject you are teaching inside out.As I have said before,you will have a really hard time teaching a subject if you are not an expert on it.It is like the blind leading the blind.Mr Wan also asked us why it is necessary to have a lesson plan.My classsmates gave answers stating that the lesson plan acts as a guide for us and Mr Wan said it was right.It is for us to achieve our objectives.There are many other reasons as well.For example :-
1.Substitiutes teachers are able to teach a class with the provided lesson plan as a guide line.
This was something I actually never really thought about till that lesson.Usually teachers who are absent have a substitute teacher to come and sit in for a class and let us do absolutely anything we want and eventually by the end of the day we did not learn anything.What a waste isn't it?But with a guided lesson plan,students do not need to experience the loss of learning.
2.Time management
If you are an extremely forgetful person like me,then I suggest you have a lesson plan to keep track of time.Some teachers are extremely passionate about teaching which is a good thing but sometimes they get to carried away and are basically in their own world to the extent they lost track of time and are not able to focus other material for their students.
3.Confidence
Sometimes,when you are a novice in the classroom,you may lack confidence as compared to some super experienced teachers.Hence,you need a lesson plan so that you are able to keep track of things and not go off topic.A lesson plan prepares you for a class and you are able to reflect upon it to make improvements.Hence,the lesson will go much more smoothly(Another reason to have a lesson plan)
Moving on,we learnt about the instructional action planning.A teacher has to identify the learner preparation activities and get the classroom ready.Furtheremore,teachers need to create personal prompts.They have to be creative in teaching a class so that students would not be bored.A students attention span is really short,just for the record.A teacher also needs to list support technologies.They need to be proficient in things like microsoft excel and powerpoint to help the students learn more because these are excellent tools for learning.They need to be up to date with the latest technologies because young people will not be as interested if you use old technology or old resources to teach them.If you do not believe me,take a look at this video to see how up to date children and teenagers are and how much they despise old technology.
I think that if you are born in this modern era,for example if you're a millennial or born in the 2000s you will not have much problem with modern technology but sadly the older generation have some problems.
Maybe some of you younger people will experience this when teaching your parents how to use technology.I love my father but this is absolutely true when it comes to teach your parents about modern technology.Watch the video below.
But with time slowly but surely even the older generation will be good at using technology.They need to learn because with an ordinary blackboard and chalk,students are not going to interested anymore.
I also suggest teachers continuously update themselves with Youtube videos online.Young people these days spend a lot of their time online and having great educational Youtube videos in class would be a good way of getting their attention.Mr Wan said that maybe one day in the future,students would not need to bring any books in class.Since everything can be found online,all they need to do is bring their laptops.This reminds me of a video I watched on Youtube.Here is it is :
I think you will see the connection.Moreover,teachers need to list feedback instruments.I have said it before and I will say it again.We teachers need feedback,without feedback the room for growth will be so little.There also needs to be detailing follow-up activities.Summative and formative tests should be given to test a students capabilities.With the results,teachers can help themselves improve on their teaching methods.They will be able to see which topics are the topics students are often confused about and reflect upon their teaching method to help them improve.
Other than that,we talked about writing lesson plan goals,objectives and strategies.First of all,goals and objectives are different things.Goals are more on a bigger scale and objectives are on a smaller scale.For example,the targeted level of achievement you want your students to achieve in a YEAR is classified as goals but when it comes to the targeted achievements of a lesson,then it is objectives.Every lesson plan needs goals and objectives.
Moving on,there are also some prerequisites when it comes to planning lessons.Prerequisite or pre-requirements are helpful for weak students.It helps to consider the readiness of students and it helps teachers not teach materials that are too difficult for students to understand.Prerequisite allows teachers to replicate lesson plan to make sure the students meet the lesson objectives.Teachers need to make sure that the possibility of students achieving those objectives are very high because a student's self-esteem can affect his or her performance.We also discussed about the materials in class.It helps a teacher determine how much time they need to prepare their students,management involved in carrying out the plan,materials,books,equipment and resources they will need to have ready.Materials are very much needed for a lesson.You can even say it is the MVP of the lesson.Without materials what would students learn?A lesson plan also needs a lesson description,it provides an opportunity for the author of the lesson to share some thoughts,experience and advice with teachers.It tells people what is unique about the lesson planned,how much did the students like it and what the level of learning is covered by the lesson plan.There is also the lesson procedure,it provides a detailed,step-by step description of how to replace the lesson and achieve the lesson plan objectives.This is usually to provide suggestions to teachers on how to proceed with the implementation of the lesson plan.It can be divided into several components:-
1.Introduction
2.Main activity
3.Closure/Conclusion
4.Follow-up lesson/activities
The follow-up activities is for the teachers to evaluate the students and help students apply the knowledge they have learnt in class.I am currently doing my lesson plan for my assignment and it involves a set-induction,main activity,closure and follow-up activities.I like to ask my students to reflect on videos to jog their creativity and help them think critically.Sometimes I ask them to form groups with their friends to share their thoughts.I would ask them to present their sharings during the next lesson so that I can evaluate them.
Finally,the final subtopic of chapter 9,assessment and evaluation.This is extremely vital not just for students but for students to ensure that they are using the right teaching methods.Without an assessment how would students improve?During my secondary school days,my friends and I often complain about the people who invented examinations and that we hate them for ruining our lives.The funny thing is,the people who created examinations were the Chinese and I went to a secondary school which was predominantly Chinese.So basically we were complaining about our ancestors.I find it funny.Back then,if a student was caught cheating in an exam,they will face harsh punishments like being thrown into jail.I do think assessments are important but sadly it has become more of a bragging tool instead of an evaluation for teachers to help students learn.In my secondary school,when some proud students did well they often put down those students who did not do so well(that includes me) and our self-esteem will usually deteriorate.Some teachers even return test paper scores from the lowest to the highest in front of the whole class.It is a great moment for those who did well but what about those people who do poorly like me?It really affects our self-esteem.Teahcers do not know but there are lots of really proud people in my class who look down upon the weak students.I went home crying so many times because of being looked down upon.I was even called stupid once because of my test scores.Assessments and evaluations are important but I think these days,the education system and society has taken it far too seriously.This needs to change.
References
KIDS REACT TO OLD COMPUTERS. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF7EpEnglgk&t=102s
TEENS REACT TO ENCYCLOPEDIAS. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7aJ3xaDMuM&t=43s
TEENS REACT TO WINDOWS 95. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ucCxtgN6sc&t=141s
When Parents Use Technology. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 22 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSRNvNkThGk&t=190s
Hi fellow bloggers.This week there was no pedagogy in Education class because of the Deepavali holidays.Hence I have decided to do my assignment instead.I went to the bookstore to buy a few lower secondary English reference books for my own reference.We were asked to design three different types of lesson plans and I referred to the example given by the course leader as my guideline.I printed it out and it was really straightforward.I went to the bookstore and tried to find some English references books to help myself with designing my lesson plan.I came across a book about grammar,an book filled with SPM past years questions and also an activity book for SPM English Paper 2.I then decided I wanted to design two 30 minute lesson plans and one 60 minute lesson plan.I tried to remember the activities and things my English teacher asked me to do as a student which really helped me as a student.Then,it suddenly hit me.I remembered my teacher giving us all sorts of words that were outside of our vocabulary or at least my vocabulary and I had a really hard time spelling them out.Hence,I did not do very well during that spelling test but I did learn a whole lot of words.So I have decided to add a spelling test in two of my lesson plans.I also understand that I have to train my students in the future to know the format of the SPM examination inside out.Hence,I wanted to add SPM questions into my lesson plan as well.I want to guide them on how to answer objective questions,explain to them words they do not understand and also give them ideas and tips on writing an essay.Not to toot my own horn but I did score an A1 for my English SPM 1119.Hahaha.I also wanted to make sure that I always ask my students what they have learnt during the end of the lesson just to make sure I taught them right and also I would also want to ask them on ways I can improve my teaching.This not only helps me become a better teacher but it also helps my students speaking and thinking skills.Without constructive criticism how can we improve?Teachers can learn from students as well.I also want to start every lesson by asking my students questions to improve their speaking skills and I want to expose them to the four wives one husband questions because they are going to face a lot of those type of questions in the future.I have written a rough sketch of my lesson plan and I am going to make sure that pictures are used as one of my teaching aids.I will also show students videos and ask them to reflect upon them.Sometimes students get tired of listening to their students talk.So,it is time for the computer to talk.Haha but seriously I want my students to constantly reflect on things and talk to themselves.This helps them think creatively and think of new perceptions and ideas to improve on certain things.People think talking to yourself is crazy but I am pretty sure Mark Zuckerberg did a lot of thinking and talking to himself when he started Facebook.We need to ask ourselves questions to boost the creative mind and a creative mind is needed to write good essays.To do well in an English examination is not just about getting every single sentence grammatically correct but it is also about being creative in expressing yourself through your writing.Do you think people like Nicholas Sparks or J.K. Rowling would be who they are today if they were not creative.I am very sure they have a good grasp of the English Language but creativity plays a huge role.That is all from me for today.I will update you all about my next class and also about this particular assignment.
