This picture was taken when my family went for the Duck Tour. Dad is missing in the picture as he was weak to go sightseeing, so he chose to stay at home. My mum is longer around though the memories of her being around still linger. A lesson learnt: Cherish what you have as nothing is permanent but what is permanent are the beautiful moments you share with your loved ones.
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When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. When the tough gets tougher, the toughest get going. So they say! Am I tough, tougher or the toughest? Well, I have yet to see whether I'm able to weather the IT storm that took over my class yesterday. Too many things to learn and too few days to assimilate the learning. We had to create a website using wetpaint.com for the gurus of learning environment and present the product. As I was reading up on Prof Theo Wubbels, many things crossed my mind.
One striking thinking he talked about in "Paying Attention to Relationships" is the way the pupils perceive the teacher. Students are more comfortable with a teacher who can relate well and understand her instructional methodology. One example is when a teacher administers the Questionaire for Teacher Interaction to 2 different classes of varying learning abilities. According to Wubbels, by gathering both perspectives, teachers can compare the results and gauge the quality of class atmosphere and how well they are communicating with the students. Usually the QTI scores would be similar, which attest to the relative stability in the teacher behaviour.
It could be an exception, if you may call it but doesn't the class dynamics affect the teacher's behaviour in each class? In my case, I portray a Dominant characteristic, to the point of being admonishing in my unruly English class but I'm friendlier, less dissatisfied and critical and most of all allowing my pupils more freedom in my Literature class. The class size matters as a smaller class draws the teacher and students closer. Nevertherless, I realise that the QTI is a powerful tool for teachers to know their own behavioural patterns in each class.
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Presenting learner-centered environment
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Gosh!!what a daunting experience! For someone who is not so IT Savy, yesterday's experience was was indeed overwhelming. The gallery walk not only enabled me to see the different styles one can incorporate in their blogs- the skin, the music etc, it also jolted me out of my comfort zone and see the virtual world my school kids and my own child are immersed in. The creation of the website using wetpaint.com has given me ideas on how I can create a website for Lit. Perhaps I should call it Harper Lee and the Mockingbirds.
Well, in essence, the learning landscape has changed vastly and if we want to connect with present gen, we ought to step into their world and take a peek. Bransford in the "Design of Learning Environments" stated that the "challenges and expectations have changed though schools are functioning as well as ever." If real changes have to come, I believe it has to start with the teachers changing their mindset and daring to do things different. More to come but I'm game for it. Why not, esp with ever eager-to-help-friends around you?
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After attending the first lecture on Classroom Learning Environment and reading a couple of articles, this is what I felt. Change or be ready to become a dinasaur. Yes! though a cliche it is true that the only thing that is constant is change and the education field is no different. Children of today are so different from the children of the past, that is us. While we grew up in a teacher centred background, we cannot as educators follow the same maxim.
As Roger Hiemstra (1991) mentioned in his article, the learning climate and physical environment are vital in the learning journey of the child. While we cannot deny that the child's natural ability would see him or her through the education successfully, a conducive environment plays a major part in creating a positive impact on his learning. This explains why the schools are willing to invest millions of dollars in the state of the art buildings and training of the teachers.
When I started teaching in 1987, I attended many in-service courses pertaining to pedagogy and 20 years down the lane I am still attending courses, but of a different nature. They are are geared towards student centredness. This requires me to change my mindset and understand the expectations of the students. Well, I am glad I am still learning and so that I can keep abreast with the students knowledge of ICT.
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A few things ablout me. I'm teaching at Queenstown Sec El and Lit. Teaching Lit is indeed a joy as I become one with the text. A little bit melodramatic at times. Back homeI have 2 girls. They can be a pain and joy at times. Nevertheless they are what I look for when I come back home after a terrible day. More about them and my family in the next blog. See you.
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Hi friends
welcome to my blog and and my jouney to the unknown territory. Yes!! unknown cos finally i've created a blog (better late than never) right!. Slowly the journey will unfold. Till then cheerio :)
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