Having looked at some examples of the type of reflection activities and platforms available, which one would you consider engaging in to start off your journey as a reflective practitioner and what are some of the potential pitfalls you think might hinder you? Do also suggest how you intend to get around these pitfalls. Hit the comment link below and share your thought!
332 comments:
1 – 200 of 332 Newer› Newest»I will start with the observation first, clss or lab, see what the students are really interested in our teaching materials, combine with my industrial experience, make them know what the society really wants from them. I will do reflective pratice to improve my teaching. one barrier to this is that the equipment I want to use in teaching will cost money, because doing life science research is not cheap. another thing is that I need to find a way to teach my student how to think scienticly,culture them with the instict of science, this could be a tough job. but along my teaching, i will get their feedback and observe them realtimely. employ reflective practice as much i can
I will try to understand their expectation and their general interest in the subject I teach so that I can alter my teaching methods to their effective learning. I will be constantly asking for feedback regarding my teaching methods and the subject difficulty.
Another important thing is to build up the trust between me and the students. This might be time consuming but it is worthwhile in the long run.
I think I will use several methods to start off reflective teaching. Group discussions and class observations are incorporated into the staff development program. I plan to start a teaching portfolio. When I attend my first class, I will start Action Research as I learn from the mistakes from my first lecturing experience and also get to know the students in the class. A video diary would be a bit of an obstacle for me as I don't know much about video editing or flash but I will also start a teacher's diary. I could learn techniques of video editing. As for portfolio, there could be an endless mass of material so I would need to plan and reflect on what is important. As for action research, I would need to be learn to think quickly to react to circumstances in class and also to learn more about how to handle difficult situations.
I would start my lecture with a description of my experience and understanding the students session for the first 20 minutes...getting to know them better along the way...plan interesting contest to fuel interest...a pitfall would be to judge a person by their looks .... remind myself of the show, dangerous mind ....
I believe that we will need to combine a few methods. I will start of by observing and also try (very hard) on keeping a teaching journal. I will observe classes and start on group discussions. At the same time, I will start on my teaching portfolio.
The possible setbacks I foresee is:
1) Getting Started
2) Regular Maintenance
3) Time Factor (Everything is urgent...)
Suggestions to get around pitfalls:
- Set a dateline to start the teaching journal
- Create a schedule for updating the journal to cultivate the habit
- Prioritize and multi-task
I have always been strong in verbal communication and I feel that is my strength snd I will bank on it.
I have to observe, feel the mood and sentiments of the students and some background information by having casual discussion or subjects that they can relate to.
The next step is my action plan on where they should improve or have interest in areas where I can customise my lecture notes that are both relevant to my modules and their interest.
Firstly is to observe and get to know the classand discuss with students on the objective of the module and how they can apply in the various industries.(there is no hard-rule to follow).
Engage the students in discussions and feedbacks through blogs and emails.It is important to know whether the messages are put across them.
And most important is lessons preparation and planning.
Two major pitfalls are
1.Getting the students attention and from their gadgets, I have tested in Tutorial lessons is to keep engaging students in activities, discussions and Q&A have kept them away from their gadgets and awake.
2. Secondly is to ensure students attendance and attending class on time.Still in experimentation stage, but getting peers to calland track the late-comers have been effective.
There are several methods to start off reflective teaching. Observe students attitude and interests during academic session to figure out their comfortable zone and level of understanding to tailor the course accordingly. The training should be suitable for deploy them in real life to meet the need of the society.
I think I would try the Teaching Journal - to record my thoughts and ideas for improving my teaching practice. I think the Journal would work fine for me, but perhaps informal Group Discussions with other Lecturers would lead to more useful ideas and I would be able to get advice from more experienced lecturers
I would prefer Teaching Journals, a place where I could share my thoughts and experiences with the other lecturers via versa.
This is a non question:
(apologies, rant beginning)
* group discussion: has potential (I think)
* classroom observation: we have to do this one, so its usable
* teaching journal: don't know what that is
* video journal: saw the example, not able to relate this to anything in particular
* action research: read the slides, still don't understand what that means
* teaching portfolio: again we have to do this one, so its kind of obvious too. Still not clear on what it is (slides say its coming next)
Based upon the format for the course and the amount of emphasis, I would assume the answer is meant to be teaching portfolio.
So why ask the question?
(end rant)
Now out of rant mode & ignoring all I wrote above:
A journal seems like a reasonable idea, though I rarely use them, and almost never read them.
But it comes back to the personal question on how can I teach better, and do I achieve it in an ad-hoc manner or with some kind of structure to it.
I think I will start with group discussion and classroom observation. These are kind of conventional ways to have self-reflection. Other potential reflective activities I would try are to create my teaching portfolio and to write teaching journals.
The possible pitfalls that might hinder me is:
- time management to update teaching portfolio and teaching journals
Suggestions to get around pitfalls:
- Allocate timeslot to update portfolio and journals regularly, e.g. once/twice a week
Probably do a general observcation of the class and classify the students in different categories. Then incorporate group discussion. I am already keeping a teaching portfolio to reflect on what I face everyday and how i dealt with the situation.
I do engage in a lot of group discussions especially with those lecturers who are more senior to me.
My RO has already observed my class and I will take inputs from him especially to know about my "blind spots".
I also hope to observe classes of other senior lecturers so as to learn new ways of delivering the lectures.
I also would like to maintain a teaching journal.
The main pits fall I forsee are to
getting started as well as maintaining the teaching journal.
However I will definitely use group discussionsas a main tool for reflections regularly.
I will definitely start off with doing some research.I dont want to be taken by surprise like Michele Pfeifer or whoever she was in that movie.By doing research also will help me in preparing a good and effective course materials.Feedback from colleague and their experiences will give me tips in handling with situations
The main drawback will be that there is no time to customise materials and methodlogy for each different classes to suit each class.The same class today wont perform and respond the same tomorrow..Thats where I have to come up with a standard contigency system to Identify a problem and rectify the problem
I intend to keep a teaching journal.
Classroom observation. I have been observed by my section head. Strengths and weaknesses have been highlighted. I will be following up with another classroom observation, this time to be observed by mentor, a senior lecturer, to look at areas which I will attempt to improve.
I will start off with a teaching journal that I can literally compose anywhere. While a journal can appear very personal, I can support this pitfall with classroom observations and informal group discussions with my colleges.
I will use classroom observation because through discussion with fellow colleagues, I can improve on their ideas and bring in new ideas of my own to improve on my teaching methods.
It will be difficult to implement new ideas on performance-based modules.
I will start with classroom observation, both having my class observed and also observing another lecturer's class. This allow me learn about my strength and weakness and learn about new strategies that worked in other's class.
I usually start a class with lots of energy, greeting each student as they come in, and trying to engage them immediately...either with checking their names, or asking then if finding the space was difficult, had they eaten etc. In this way, they already feel as if they are 'seen', as individuals.
Then I always allow time to let the class break the ice with each other, not just me. This is done through harmless, fun, loud games.
Then the next and very important time, is to let them share with everyone, their expectations of the class. Everyone talks at once in small teams, then shares with the class.
All this is done before I start teaching.
I record mentally the easy going ones, the leaders, the ones who have lots of interest in the subject, but most importantly, those who had no choice or who really have a chip on their shoulders about being in that class...
First impressions and class time is precious. It leaves them wanting more, and open communication is established.
I have 2 practises in life that I wish to share here:
1. After every presentation in uni, I tend to ask my friend or mentor to comment on my presentation skills - what is good and what to improve. People who knows me well and frank with me are able to give me a very good assessment.
2. When I was in Primary 4, one of my teachers did this - we were told to write our names on a piece of foolscape paper and have it circulated around for all to comment. I find it very useful.
I will use group discussions as my ideal modus operandi is group mentoring. Observation by RO had been done and feedback is helpful. I will also keep a journal to record my thoughts and keep sane.
I think group mentoring will be excellent. However, in present situation, everyone is so busy and so caught up with their projects, it is actually quite difficult to do that.
I like keeping a journal. Not necessary a written one, perhaps like a vocal one.
When I was attached with an ophthalmologist in a hospital in UK, after seeing a patient, he takes out recorder and record down what he saw, what he did and his personal thoughts into it. I thought that was quite interesting and does not take up too much time.
I will observe my RO when she teaches the class and then make reflective thought on my teaching style. I will analyse both and hopefully I will get to understand our students' expectation and then change my style of teaching accordingly.
I think that group discussion with other lecturers will work better with a new lecturer like me ... Sharing from the other experienced lecturers will certainly help one to be able to handle similar situations in a better way.
I would prefer classroom observation, as i am a person whose not too verbal and yet detest keeping journal. I am been observed by my sectionhead,do hope that i could have the chance to observed senior lecturers so as to pick up some tips from them.However this doesnt seems easy as quite anos of lecturers dont really like to be observed by us.
I will start with classroom observation for my class and my colleague's class. I could then learn about my strength and weakness. A teaching journal would help too
Group Discussion: useful for "soft" topic like design, moral, ethics, society etc. not that valid when teaching "hard" topics like programming, engineering. + point: allow students to talk and contribute. - point: topic may digress, time consuming
Classroom Observation: the worst thing is you don't know what you don't know, and thus, by having another colleague to observe and to infom us what we did right and what to improve on would be great. But as others have pointed out, not many have the time to sit in and observe. Which is why classroom observation is only done for the new lecturers and only for once or twice.
Teaching Journal: good to keep but frankly speaking, when the teaching load comes in, there's not much time for lunch much less writing the journal.
Video Journal: again, good to have but need the technology and time to do it.
Action Research: good to do, but due to time limitation, may only do experiment or collect data from 1 or 2 classes.
Teaching Portfolio: somewhat like teaching journal but more specific details about the courses taught.
Personally, I would prefer teaching portfolio as it would detailed what I have done for what class in what course.
I tried several almost all of them and my favoutite is keeping a teaching journal and having senior lecturer or my RO to sit in in my teaching observation as they professionally helped me to improve my teaching
In the first place, I'll will try to get to know the students at and have class discussion and get to know one another. Then I'll share my past experience and relate to the module and lecture that I'm conducting and try to get feedback from the students.
I think I would start with a teaching journal. This would enable me to make notes and file all sorts of relevant material like lesson plans and ideas and teaching examples. It would work for my courses as I teach newspaper writing and I could collate newspaper clippings for examples and file them away with notes too.
Chee How Terry
Personally, I believe action research and teaching portfolios are the way to go but it can be rather time consuming. Group discussion can be effectively short, enlightening and beneficial by seeking and consolidating others opinions. Teaching obeservation may not be an accurate gauge as it is prone to observer prior experience. However, it can serve as a form of feedback for handling unexpected situations encountered on the ground. Also, human nature tends to feel awkward when being obeserved. Teaching and video journals in the form of blog can be potentially a viable idea.
I'll start with discussion and observation cos' as a new lecturer, getting feedback, hints and tips from experienced lecturers will definitely help!
I like the documentative nature of the Teaching Portfolio. It sounds more formal than the journal and a faster process than Action Research. I can imagine it to be an ongoing collection process of a physical record that is easy to reference. A formal collection of evidence and making it presentable always helps me take one step back and post-rationalise the purpose. It is also a good record of events which makes a good reference point for my increasingly selective memory.
The motivation to keep the portfolio going and being conscientious even through lull periods would be a pitfall. Unlike a CV that is sometimes propelled by an impending job application(sometimes spiced up on the eve of an interview), the teaching portfoilio has no deadlines.
I might tag it to administrative deadlines such as the very popular PMP - significant event cut-off date.
I would prefer group discussions and classroom observations which is currently what I am doing with my RO. It is useful as they are very experienced and is able to share a lot of experience to motivate students etc.
I think potential pitfall for group discussions is to be able to find someone who is experienced and willing to share and able to afford the time to guide you. Other than my RO, I also try to create some rapport with the colleagues in the same room.
As for classroom observations, I think the potential pitfall is to find someone who is willing to let you observed during their teaching which can be quite personal to some lecturers. One possible way to overcome can be to approach those colleagues whom won the teaching awards as they might be more willing to allow classroom observations.
I think I am asked what I will do rather than what I am doing currently? Well let me put down what I am doing now:
1. Teaching observation - I observed two of my colleagues classes and spent a few hours and took notes which are not critical in nature. I underscored some of the parts of their classes which seemed excllent to me.
2. I discussed with those two colleagues and got feedback
3. I meet my RO on weekly basis and discuss the difficulties I face and work arounds.
What I am planning to initiate is:
1. Group discussions with colleagues
2. Teaching journal
3. Teaching portfolio (which will serve as a CT deliverable as well).
Some of the difficulties:
1. The students have a specific mindset. They want to score marks hence thinks relevant learning is only exam centric
2. I work on a tightly-packed and given syllabus and teaching plan. Students know what is their due. If I start a new way, it will be shocking to the students.
Way outs: I still mix some of the things which are seemingly exam irrelevant, but students participate on those areas. Not all classes are suitable for this experiment. So I use only receptive classes to experiment on.
Also, in 2 years time, I will have my own (new) subjects to offer course on. Then I will make the structure flexible so that course can be delivered like Anne Johnson. Anne Johnsons technique is applicable to flexi-courses or for a creative subject (e.g. creative writing, Indology, Chinese Culture, Character Development, Comparative Literature, Comparative Religion). Not for a course where you need to solve a "technical problem" for a subject like Statistics or Financial Management. Here we are really under pressure to make the students ready for the Semester or CAs.
I agree that a document like Teaching Portfolio is usefull. But classification may be demanding and taxing if lecturers are to be involved in the documentation when meeting PMP goals is already like 3km running immediately after sit up test. It may not be as easy and convinient like getting advice from a doctor from a clinic down the stairs who is regarded with great approval and respect.
Some records of events may be possible, but I think to reach the level of Dos and Donts could be burdensome. At present, I constantly feedback to my RO and to tap his expertise is easier than to go downstairs to see a doctor.
After each lesson, i would use the last 5 mins sort of chit chat with the students. To check on what they have learned from the last lesson, also listening to the feedback they have on my teacher. By asking leading questions that would reveal to me my teaching to them.
The type of reflection activities and platforms to start off my journey as a reflective practitioner
- Group discussions and class observation
- The teaching portfolio
- The action research
The potential pitfalls
- Continue the activities in regular basis. (thanks to this course, it made us start to be a reflective practitioner)
- Time factor
How to get around these pitfalls:
- Set a schedule on when this should be done and get another person to be involved in order for this to happen at the set schedule.
Will be good to do class observations for a start...journal will be a good tracking tool - like a diary
Am able to sit-in in other lectures of my class...learning a lot from my colleague. Getting feedback from him (he also sits in mine). Must be disciplined enough to do the journal writing...maybe should start filling up my blog...my next goal!...(hmmm...what is the password...lol =p)
I will use classroom observation (teaching observation).
1) I will get my section head to conduct a teaching observation and to evaluate my strength and weakness in teaching.
2) I will get a colleague who I am comfortable with to sit in my class and evaluate and criticise my teaching methodologies and style.
shirlynn says:
I have no idea :(
Time is a factor..doesnt seems to have enough time.
For me practise make perfect.
I just have to reflect on my mistake i did for each on my lecture and improve on it at teh end of the day the rraport and the result of the students seems to be the portfolio of the teacher?
But in terms of paper.. maybe a journal is a good idea but tioo time consumming:(
group discussion, classroom observation, readin their blogs (haven't done tht), jus tryin to understand the class dynamics and lecture feedbacks, might get to keeping a teaching journal. Actually found a new way to get feedbks. Bribe a few students and use them as moles, seem to work so far, muah haha
dioni
It is important to observe the class and discuss with students on the objective of the module and how they can apply in their practicals.
Engage the students in discussions.
And most important is lessons preparation and planning.
Most useful so far has been interacting with students during tutorials and after class. It gives that personal touch and students tend to be more co-operative after that. It's challenging, however, when it comes to lectures and having to hold their attention for 2-3 hours. Yep, it's certainly a long learning process for me manage the students, manage/control my reaction/response to their disruptive behavior and concentrating on delivering content all at the same time.
For me, the difficulty is that the students' behavior tend to be dynamic and what works today may not work the following week. Ha ha.. I suppose that's why we need to constantly reflect... My concern is that I may run out of steam before I find a way that works!
i guess a teaching journal would be a good start.
but potential pitfalls include maintaining discipline and insufficient time.
so would probably require special time allocation or ease of entry if the journal is to be updated anywhere/anytime.
Probably a teaching journal would be a good way to start. But I might have a problem writing the journal regularly, I try to overcome that by making a point to at least do some reflection at least once a week during the weekends.
I would say discussing my teaching styles with people and informal feedback by the students.
The journal is a fantastic idea, but I am really lazy sometimes. I do have an idea notebook to jot down ideas that maybe used even if it does not have any relevance to what I am currently teaching now. Who knows, it may have some uses.
Informal feedback by students is not always accurate as they tend to give popularity votes and plus the student most probably does not know the topic before hand, thus having a fun class with little or no content would be a pitfall.
Discussions with other teachers would prove very useful but time consuming as one person needs to spend time observing another person. Although tapping on similar experiences is a possibility, the difference in personality of the teacher, personality of the student, classroom dynamics etc make things work for one teacher but not the other. At the end of the day, every reflection should be tested and refined to suit the teachers personality and if that is limits the learning of the student, then the teacher has adapter.
I guess i will observe the student behaviour in the class eg day dreaming, talking, sleeping. Constantly ask for feedbacks on how the students find the progress of the lecture eg. its too fast or too slow. And of course from the exam results, i will observe how much content the students have actually absorbed during lessons.
From all these i will then reflect on how i can improve my teaching.
Some of the pitfalls could be class room management, time constrain and time constrain..ha..
Action Research is more accurate in tackling the issues i suppose. It starts off with identifying the problem and then plan for excution. After all issues might differ in every case.
Using teaching journal would be a good however the main pitfall would be lack of time. I guess to overcome it would be time management.
I have actually started a blog (teaching journal) but more related to the things have have learnt in CT. More like recording notes with a little bit of self reflection.
I have recently started using it to blog some thoughts on testing some form of feedback during class.
I find this form of reflection the easiest to begin with, because you can blog anywhere (in school or at home) as long as you have a computer and some time. I suppose the downside of it is 'time' of course.And that it is also used more as a form of self reflection and not quite (as yet) open to others for peer feedback.
The other form of reflection is Group Discussion which I am currently already involved in. Us year lecturers do get together one in a while (though usually not formally- mostly over lunch) to have a discuss about the problems we are facing with the study material/delivery/students. This is done quite easily and without much effort. Though the downside is that IT IS not formal and the problems we raise may not neccesarily imply that a change will happen.
I suppose the best way forward is to use a combination of formal and informal methods of reflection.
I am teaching design studios so I guess most of my reflective moments would occur during classroom observations and action research as an ongoing assessment of the outcomes. It seems that the pitfalls would be constant adjustments to the teaching methods and styles because the learners' outcomes are immediately apparent once the teaching is completed. There might not be even time to do effective extended reflections regularly except toward the end of the term/semester.
I would start off my journey as Reflective Practitioner with:
Group Discussions
Classroom Observations
Teaching journal
and slowly later would be
Action Research.
Potential pitfalls could be the:time factor (Maybe a way of scheduling would help to make time out for reflective thinking to be practised)
Ryan QinJiMing says:
I think i will observe the student behaviour and feedback during my first couple of classes, and depends on those resources to figue out what is they want ,what's kind of content or knowledge they are going to learn,what's their expectation.
and combin with my industry experience to adjust the content of my course from time to time.the popuse is try to let students keep interesting about the course and also make the content match the up to date industry needs .which can help students easy to find a job after they graduate
Ryan QinJiMing
I think I would start with peer discussions and classroom observation. Actually, peer discussions began almost from the moment I joined SP and it's really been helpful and morale-boosting to hear how some of the more experience lecturers handle their students, and also sharing my own experience with some of the new teachers. My colleagues all share generously about what has worked for them, or how they would get around a problem. One of the suggestions is classroom observation, which I am hoping to find time to do.
I think the lack of time is a possible hindrance to some of these reflective activities. And sometimes, a peer discussion might turn into a complain-about-the-students'-attitude session - I'll be the first to admit it! So perhaps this is one of the pitfalls too.
To get around these two particular pitfalls, I guess for the first, the trick would be to set aside time because it's important; and for the second, to keep focused on learning, not gossip!
I have always preferred discussion based classroom teaching, I would like to think I am a good discussion mediator. But I would think that the problem with me is that I prefer to push students to think and reinvent the wheel more than often too much. I think I have to ba aware of those falling behind and those whom we have to be satisfied to be able to teach on an application only level.
Zhou Wei said...
I would like to start from observation. By looking at their response to adjust my teaching accordingly.
Teaching journel is also a good idea, if you can manage your time.
The teaching Journal sounds like a good idea, but for a person with my level of organizational skills.. might not be practical. I guess peer observation and discussion groups might work better for me?
Mei Pheng said...
I will start with the observation, see how students behave and react, it will also be good to let them know my expectations and their expectation, discuss and negiotiate.
(2) I will also list what the industry wants and combine with my experience, their expectation of me, deliver the lectures
3) I will do reflective practice to improve my teaching and obtain students feedback through discussion.
4)one barrier to this is the lack of time, inability to stimulate a real life environment, and equipments available
i've been using some of the teaching methods that we shared in CT, and am glad that it has helped in class discussions and rapport.
so yes, you've got me thinking of trying this out as well.. :)
Moving forward, I'll love to try my hands at teaching journals... I hate writing thou, so its likely I will start with an audio journal perhaps! :)
Classroom observation is something i hope to do as well, not only the RO observation, but also peer/colleague observation if possible.
Agree totally that teaching is a highly personal activity, but i do think you need feedback (not only from students) but also from fellow colleagues....
Hmmm...I think a combination of all would be quite useful at different points in my career.
Group discussion has always worked for me and as a writer, teaching journals is just as appealing.
A couple of things I've learnt - the very beginning and the end are so important.
I'd strive to create quite an impression at the start, something to wow.
At the end, I'd make room for some "quiet time", to reflect and write down what's important.
Writing = seeing the words.
Writing = I have to give this some thought.
So writing is powerful (ok, ok, so I teach creative writing, can't help it!)
practically now engaging on a group discussion, while it is ideal to create an interesting class everyday, being new in teaching industry still has alot to learnt on the teaching strategies.
Chiam Tow Ming said:
I will continue in doing what i am doing at current stage. The only extra input is adding Integrity Value in class.
(i) Classroom Observation: classroom observation affords us the opportunity to get real-time feedback in a real-world setting. The only potential drawback is where remarks that could be could have been intended in a constructive manner is perceived as a personal slight. It is therefore important to couch the comments in as detached and objective manner as possible so as not to offend.
(ii) Group Discussion: useful because it allows you find out the tricks of the trade in a collegial setting. Great way to avoid the mistakes that plague newbies from veterans. A potential drawback with group discussions is that sometimes group harmony is encouraged at the expense of candor. Hopefully bonding will create the trust that will lead to frank and constructive group discussion.
Video Journal: Very useful technology but the setup is complicated and therefore time consuming. To work, video journal needs to be budgetted ahead of time and the format of the session tought out in advance so that the technology can capture the range of expressions and pedagogical technique employed by the lecturer in question.
My preference is for class obervation in combination with group sharing and the occasional chit chat with my mentor.
Julian Ong
Capt Mohit
It works two ways in a class room. You get to know them first & they get you first as well. Reflective thoughts can be shared about the group by obtaining first hand information from other colleagues/ex teachers & fellow students. We need to break the ice but the problem with that it we only see 25% of ice: 75% of ice is always below the water ( Invisible). It may take a while to break that. Students may take some time to know you & we will take a while to know & understand them.
A brief introduction & knowing something special about everyone in a class will be my first way to break the ice. Interactive videos,sessions, pop quiz will be my next steps in connecting with them.
My take will be group discussions & classroom observations.
Both these activities give us 'somehow' an immediate feedback as to whether the intended messages hit the desired outcome or otherwise.
They too provide a platform for engagement which I believed the students would prefer rather than listening to just the lecturers talk.
Nonetheless, the evaluation would be more complete if we share our findings with colleagues/mentor and learn from one another.
So far, attempts to engage with my students seem to be able to draw one reaction very well - blank stares.
Everything that I would like to find out from them, perhaps feels like a test or a quiz to them since they cannot break the barrier of feeling like they have been interogated. Small talk also ends in meaningless banter that border on the namesake of a certain domesticated fowl.
Its really hard to find their 'right' buttons to push to see if they can get their rusty engines to work. Instead of running them only for the production of assignments as a requirement of their 'duty-to-study-and-answer-to-their-parents-and-their-age'.
As responsible educators who hate to add to their inevitable regrets, I will not stop to press their right buttons and to illustrate the urgency of relating their 'chores-of-education' to their lifelong worth as a productive member of society.
At the beginning of teaching a class of new students, it is good to get to know about the background of the students and establish a good relationship with them. Just like the video we watched, a lecturer cannot expect to use the same approach to teach all of his/her students. By knowing the 'demography' of a class, we can plan and design our lectures that work well with certain group of students. However, easier said than done, this approach would require a lot of input of energy and time. However, given enough time and perseverance, I hope I can achieve the goal.
For myself, I will take the observation approach and constantly change and improve my teaching methods. We can sit-in lecture of other lecturer who had received excellent in teaching award, observe and learn from them the best in teaching methods.
Probably some form of group discussion with the students themselves would be an 'easy' start. It would be direct feedback about how/what they are learning. Starting a journal is relatively 'doable' but will probably succumb to the 'lack of time' syndrome!
Vincent Goh: I will go with Group Discussion. Easiest to do. Having a chat over Lunch is a good start. Can do with picking tips on teaching and particularly on handling some groups of students.
Teaching Journals is also do-able. But take discipline to sit and reflect, and note down. Problem at least with me is I don't file up systematically.
Observations is hard to do as we have different timetables. But we have to do it anyway.
Video Journals also harder, require setup and other arrangment.
I think group discussions work best for me. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to do this - informally - with colleagues in my department.
If nothing else, finding out that other people have faced exactly the same sort of situations and challenges in the past and survived is extremely comforting.
-Hans Lee
HE Yingjie's comments follow.
I would choose teaching observation and journal as my starting point as I don't think I have so much time to reflect on my teaching activities and take thoughtful actions accordingly given so much duties at hand. Also I am in the process of learning about teaching as well.
Group discussion would also be fine but it may not be easy to gather a group of colleagues or friends together for a meaningful discussion.
Currently teaching observations of other lecturers or others sitting in my class give me quite a lot of help as the experiences learned can be applied directly into my own teaching. Journal is good in that I can record major events or progress in my teaching so that I can reflect on them over and over again.
In the future, I think action research and teaching portofolio would be some of my further choices. Perhaps videos are still time consuming at the moment but they are very useful so long as we can afford the time.
Yeow Heng said :
Classroom Observation - How fortunate if I could observe how a class is possibly being conducted, prior to jumping into taking a class, like myself.....anyway, I feel classroom observation would allow improvement pointers to be made quickly and apply soonest.
Group discussion - is my next best choice as I could learn many viewpoints from peers in more informal and relaxing way like over a lunch or tea-break. Fortunately, I have peers to share and discuss to reflect on teaching, and I will continue to do so.
Video journal - I find this is quite helpful and "real" in reflecting on how teaching can be improve, and make improvement progress log. Sharing and learning from audience with vast teaching experience would make improvement better. However, hardware and arrangement is needed. Well, do-able!
Teaching journal is great but it seems time consuming to prepare and retrieve to reflect. This may be my last resort.
Yeow Heng said :
Classroom Observation - How fortunate if I could observe how a class is possibly being conducted, prior to jumping into taking a class, like myself.....anyway, I feel classroom observation would allow improvement pointers to be made quickly and apply soonest.
Group discussion - is my next best choice as I could learn many viewpoints from peers in more informal and relaxing way like over a lunch or tea-break. Fortunately, I have peers to share and discuss to reflect on teaching, and I will continue to do so.
Video journal - I find this is quite helpful and "real" in reflecting on how teaching can be improve, and make improvement progress log. Sharing and learning from audience with vast teaching experience would make improvement better. However, hardware and arrangement is needed. Well, do-able!
Teaching journal is great but it seems time consuming to prepare and retrieve to reflect. This may be my last resort.
Classroom Observation - can be done in any time and found most useful as i use it to see what their ineterst are and use examples based on that
- Natarajan Balaji
I prefer talking to fellow colleagues about the students. But would also like to point out that we can even talk to our immediate recepients ie. our students to find out from them what is lacking and what they want. This can foster a closer teacher-student relationship, but it takes some time before constructive honest heart-felt exchange can take place.
Unlikely for me to adopt the other methods eg. journals, video, portfolio etc which are time-consuming and may not translate to the results that I look for.
Adrian Chan:
Observe students attitudes, interests and figure out their what their comfort zone and level of understanding so that we can work out the course/module accordingly to meet real life problems and guide them to be problem solvers.
gopal venkat said,
Keep trying every new trick in your bag. atleast something will attract attention.
Remember what succeeds with one group may not suceed with another .
everyday , every group is different.
Be happy , if the trick works .
Also be happy , if it fails. Atleast you have tried something different .
Your conscience is clear and can try again tomorrow something new .
This is Ro Ann
Classroom observation - observe your own student and observe when you are co-teaching, sitting in, or assisting a lecturer. This will not take more than the time you have as it is in your timetable.
Group discussion - with senior or more experienced colleagues. Not so much time-consuming.
Teaching journal- this is good as you are documenting your experience but may be time consuming (?). Butif someone is up to it, then it may be fine.
Capt. Kyaw Thet Aung from SMA said
I would prefer to adopt the teaching journal, observation and group discussion as resources for reflective practioner. As soon as possible start compiling the teaching port folio to review the journey as practioner and foster the reflection practice to nurture one owns progress and how well this journey had achieved.
Potential pitfall like every else is we had to manage to over come again “Time and Time and Time” which seems never enough!!.
Let’s overcome such obstacle by prioritising the objective, getting some additional help needed and resources from the peer and colleagues.
Classroom observation and group discussion with other lecturers: I'm fortunate that the fellow lecturers in my school are allowing me to sit in on their lectures-- it's a good way to observe the different styles. The discussions I have with them after the lectures are also useful, as they share their tips gleaned from years of experience!
Jacqueline Chua said:
I will start with classroom observation and then have water cooler conversation with students.
I like to be able to connect on a personal level with them. I think the battle is half won if the student finds you sincere and likeable... (quoted by another lecturers).
Lingzi:
Forming a team (actually a pair) with my teaching assistant for the module i am taching will be a good start. I shall discuss all pitfalls after each week and keep a journal of them all for future rferences.
My personal preference is group discussion as this allows a great deal of information download from different lecturers. However, we have to be very on the fact that individual lecturers have different way of handling situations and what was shared may not be indicative of the real outcome for my class. Personal judgement is still the most important tool here.
I intend to start off by sharing my classroom experience with my mentor who is a senior lecturer and getting his valuable inputs. To enhance this sharing, I will try to put into practice his insights in future lessons.
For the group of students I am teaching, they come from different ages and backgrounds. Some have been working outside for many years, and some are fresh graduates.
For me, the key would be to get into their 'comfort zone' - a zone they feel comfortable and confident to share with me. This can probably be done through sharing of my real life practice experience - things happening outside Singapore or things that they do not see/read from the text books.
That should provoke their sense of curiosity, and starting to get closer in sharing.
The only pitfall is the age difference in the class. The gap can be about 10 years apart. To address this, I hope this can be handled through cluster or individual interactions.
Perhaps, a more informal discussion with students to check on what they have learned from the last lesson, also listening to the feedback they have on their teacher might be useful. By asking leading questions that would reveal to me my teaching to them.
I think Teaching Journal will probably work best for me. I can just get a notebook and pen down the thoughts, ideas, questions and experiences.
Two things that can hinder that is probably the lack of time and being unmotivated or lazy to do it.
-Erik
Chris Goh:
Think informal student feedback would be a good first step. Reflecting on delivary styles (eg. Experiential Workshop vs. Lecturing)and what the students respond to would also help. For all practical reasons, think the teaching journal would be the easiest to implement in my schedule.
To kill three birds with one stone:
Teaching Portfolio!
1. I have to do one anyway
2. I truly think it will be a worthwhile and fruitful endeavor to reflect upon all my hurried actions, to watch what I have done, to talk to students about what they think about what I have done, etc...
3. It can be VERY handy just in case...
Major Pitfall: I hate watching videos of myself, hearing my own voice, or anything else in general that is akin to tooting my own horn.
Solution: Get over it.
Probably conduct small workshop exercises to gather students' feedback into a teaching journal, to investigate how to teach less learn more.
I thought the teaching observation I had a week back was good. With feedbacks from my mentors about my classroom teaching, not only did I get to know my strengths and weaknesses, I also gained valuable feedbacks through their experiences on how I could have done better.
I believe a teaching journal may be good to start with as well as more interaction with the students. The greatest pitfall may be the 'Time'. The schedule is often tight.
I don't think there is 1 single reflective activity that I would use. But I have started to use the following intuitively :
1. Classroom observations - observing other lecturers and their styles; pick up strengths to emulate; notice weaknesses not to repeat.
2. Active research - evaluate my own performance in one class and tweak it for the later classes.
3. Teaching portfolio - started to collect resources for a rudimentary teaching portfolio for use in future semesters.
This particular module of CT helps to formalize and concretetize building my Teaching Portfolio.
To get around the pitfall and improve teaching portfolio. First step is to do observation of student during in class lesson. It quite take a lot of energy also to remember how diffrent for each student.
For this semester, for my drawing class. I try observe more about the way that student produced drawing during in class. I try diffrent teaching methode compare with last year student, show them the easier way to draw. More simple way to see & observe the subject of drawing. Talk to almost student with diffrent way of drawing for each student. If my drawing class have more teaching hour, I should be able to cover more of the problem. For the result of how much student improvement, I still have to wait for next semester lesson and try to observer student performance again.
In my first semester of teaching, I have tried the following:
1) Peer Discussion. Very useful to find out from others how they teach to convey the material effectively. The only flip side is that what works for some teachers/classes may not work when tried on another class.
2) Classroom observations. I have observed my senior colleague's lecture and their teaching videos, and find it very useful to observe what worked and what didn't in the classroom. The only pitfall is that this takes up TIME! I have also been observed by my seniors, who analysed my strengths and also gave constructive suggestions on how I can improve.
3) Teaching journal. I will note down the things that I did well, and those things that I could do better. It will be better if I can write down those points on a more regular basis.
I will start with class observation. I know different students behave differently. Some are quiet, some are naughty and playful, some are not interested, and some are slow in learning. I may get distracted and annoyed when some students are so busy doing their "own things" and not attentive. Well, never loss my cool but firmly tell them to pay attention. I will always do my best to explain certain concepts/solution steps for tutorial questions as clear as possible to students who are willing to listen. By doing so, those students who have understood can influence those "naughty" student unconsciously.
By for instance relating my personal experiences when it comes to presenting the leture materials. Also, to reassure the students, esp the weaker ones, that I too went through their stress before, that I do understand what they might be trying to cope with, and that we're all in this together.
Group discussions and classroom observations can run simultaneously. Group discussions allows me to gather all info especially weaker students at one go. And through classroom observation of these students, allows me to handle them more efficiently. However you should not be too subjective for a particular student after you gather from other peers.
For a start, I would probably use the classroom observation as I am currently still not assigned any teaching duties. By sitting-in other lecturers’ class, I hope I can pick up good teaching strategies which I can adopt for my own teaching later.
For video journal, considering the need to setup the equipments and standing in presence of the camera might make me feel a bit more uneasy. However, on the other hand, video journal gives a direct picture for reflections to be made. For an instance, after viewing the video of my recording during the CT training, I realized I keep using the word “OK” at every sentence.
Group discussion will be fine provided it is on an ad-hoc basis in which colleagues can discuss over a meal as it is hard to gather a group of colleagues mainly just for the sole purpose of sharing.
Teaching observation would be good also however, as mentioned, most people react differently when under observation, especially from your R.O. Thus, it might not be the most effective and “true” method for doing reflections. Nevertheless, feedbacks from teaching observations are key pointers which can help us improve on our teaching.
Teaching journal might be too consuming for me in consideration to the amount of work I have; would probably use it only as a last resort to improve.
I guess for me group discussion and observation will have to work hand in hand.. before I seen any of the students I am teaching I approach their lecturers last year and get a feel of what they think and how they handle them.. then I will have my own observation during classes to see as ultimately 'beauty lies in the eye of the beholder' so what may be fine with one lecturer might not be too u.. so the observation will give a clearer picture and of cos the nothing beats sittin down with the students and getting to know them on personal level.
Last June the Architecture division 2nd took the students to KL and I actually took that opportunity to know more about my students - individually over coffee at the hotel lobby cafe lounge.. and that helps alot in how to get 'in' and get the best out of them..
- Muhammad HALIM Bin Ab WAHAB
I like the idea of having groups activities. When the students are brake down into smaller groups, they become closer to you. They are also more concentrated in their jobs. You can have intense discusions which will allows you to go deeper and deeper.
Teaching journals & videos once in a while is good to enrich their knowledge, provided that there is time for all this? I mean if the content is relavent to what you are teaching it is OK, but if not, you can only do it when you have spare time. The other reflective activities can be done as we go along, and do not have to do it in a special way. This is the way I see it.
Like most of the folks here, classroom observation is probably the one I would approach from first, so that I can familiarize myself with the class, so I can best prepare myself to deal with them.
Group discussions, both with the class and other lecturers also help me prepare best how to deal with the syllabi.
Reflection is always a must, as through it I can better understand the behaviours that work best with the class, and to identify key elements that I can better bring to the table.
The jounrnal is a very good idea and something I would try, but I have a tendency to get too caught up documenting too many things and get out of the point. And it does take a lot of time, so I have to find ways to work things around it.
I'd like to have individual students meeting with journal. And I can keep tracking on their improvement and development as well. I also put my comments for each student's page and do check with them regulary.
I have done Peer review by sitting in in my senior colleague classes. I gained a broad insight of the general strength and weakness of certain teaching approach. I also tried out different approaches and modified them accordingly. The ‘shape’ elements of teaching and constant assessment of my students methods works for me.
I will do group discussions with students and gather more feedback from them, so as to improve my teaching. The challenges are some students may not be willing to express their negative thoughts as they are afraid to offen others. It can be overcome by allowing them to express their views anonymously.
2 main things: 1. Reflect, 2. Relate.
To reflect I would probably keep a journal, to keep a record of how students responded, what I did to solicitate that response, and how to refine my lessons from there.
To relate, I would need to have time to maybe talk to them about what songs they are listening, what movies they are watching, share their youtube links, maybe even comment on their dressing etc. I have tried discussing things with my students outside of the syllabus, and it makes me more approachable to them.
Other things I would have to look out for is to be fair and objective to all students, be generous with praise, and to show in intergrity.
Would actually like to try using a blog to achieve the aim as a reflective practitioner. Now I know this is not one of the platforms discussed but I feel that maintaining a blog allows one to reflect upon what he/she has done during the course of the day / week. And u can also refer to earlier entries to see how u've progressed so far. Another good thing abt maintaining a blog is that it invites comments from outsiders. Sometimes these comments could be constructive ones which u urself wouldn't be aware of.
A common pitfall is the need to constantly keep ur blog updated. Now that's sth that I'm having difficulty doing even now. My students are asking "Sir, how come u so long nvr update ur blog?"
It takes discipline to do so. But overall I think the benefits outweigh the cons.
I suppose the way to go is to begin with a journal to of my reflections, records of students responses, what I did to solicit those responses and what I did to refine my teaching approach and lessons from insights gained.
Having watch the last video I am convinced that we cannot effectively teach until we have built a relationship with the students - each one individually.
It is not possible to do so in the short time we have with them - but it is worth trying.
I would need to make time to chat with them just about anything that interest them - know what songs they listen to, movies they watch, share their youtube links etc. In short I need to get into their world.Only then will they trust me and open up to me and that gives me the "right" to talk and instruct them beyond the class room subject.
I think I will start with class observation too...Afterall, the action of the students can reflect a lot of things....
I guess chemistry is a concept based module so if I could see the students feeling bore then maybe I will consider to incorporate more group discussion.
Video journals can be useful when we reflect on something beyond calssrooms.... perhaps by using internet (like facebook) we can influence our students outside school.
Students may sometimes focus too much on marks that they get for their assignment and not really learning from the process of discussion. Maybe we should not have too high weightage on discussion or assignment work.
I am now using a simple note before knowing what it is called a teaching journal. As the understanding on reflective thoughts can directly reflect to student's success I may start to develop it in more detailed writings. The pitfal may be time restriction but I believe I can overcome with a better time management.
I shall brakedown the students into smaller groups and couduct discussion. Tis way you can be moe closer to your students and can find out how much they understand. Mian objective is to konw how much they have learned from you and how much more you still need to teach them. Onthe other hand, journals also can be affective if the contants are relavant to your module.
We path them to be design practitioner, and they are also moving toward an exam free, project based environment. Hence, the way we teach is quite different from other lecturers.
So, to a design lecturer, we must keep observing students’ behaviour in class in order to understand if our teaching method is successful. Some bright students understand the project brief and the syllabus without help, but some required more help and explanation. In order to make sure that a message is successfully brought through, it is important to talk to them and to be observant to their behaviour.
By letting the student know that ‘we are here to give you better grade, not fail you’ does help too.
Major pitfall would be there are always student who disrupts the lecturer. They ask questions to their own interested, which is quite annoying and it distract a lecturer attention and momentum of the lecture itself.
I have chosen the Action research practice as I feel that to continuously reflect and improve oneself will only put lecturers in good stead with students.
Major pitfalls will include not enough data points for proper analysis and time allowed for the paper.
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Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!
I think classroom observations would be a place to start and have already observed one of the senior lecturers at work. I's interesting to be exposed to the very different style of lecturing. For me, I would choose the teaching portfolio over the other methods as the evolutionary nature of the reflection is intriguing. It also has a wider scope and would be a more organised type of relective exercise. Action research may be a bit cumbersome for the limited time a lecturer has.
I do ask my students questions and get feedback from colleague who sit in my class. One of the possible pitfalls I might face could be classroom management.
I have already started off with class observations and I find them really useful. I have taken down notes of the classes I have observed and hopefully can refer to them when I commence teaching. Similarly, I hope that I will also have the chance to have someone observe my lessons and offer me feedback.
I think keeping a personal journal with daily entries of my day in the classrooms and what went on and what was engaged etc would be useful to me.
Getting feedbacks from the students through casual conversations and also feedback forms will be the other option that I will look at.
One of the pitfalls that I think I will face will be time.............will there be time once lecturing commence to carry out all these.....time to think, time to do the journal, time to pass out feedback forms to students and look at each reply.
Probably group discussions and observations first to better understand the culture here. Sometimes, being overzealous is detrimental to the overall good.
We need to do the right thing, at the right time, and at the right place. So probably get to know SP students better, how they respond, and then work out a better plan to engage them.
I think I would like to start with a journal, preferably one that I could work on while traveling on MRT.
Main hindrance would be lack of discipline. But I'm optimistic that as this progresses, and as the journaling aids me in my work, I would be spurred on to continue.
The teaching journal seems like a good start for me. It will allow me to express my thoughts clearly.
Time might be a hindrance factor.
Kelly
I will select classroom observation (teaching observation).
I will get feedback from my RO and the students (who else but themselves) to evaluate my strength and weakness in teaching.
I think I should have participate in 'action', from here the pitfalls and problems will be revealed. Based on the results, the action research should be carried out to resolve the issue.
Having tried conversing with the students informally and in smaller groups (or individually), I have found that a short informal chat can be quite informative for feedback. They are usually less inhibited and more vocal about their sentiments when it's informal.
That, coupled with classroom observation, has so far helped me in digesting and understanding the "audience" better.
KOng Yuen Ho:
I will start off with observation first and share with them my experiences and see which area that they are interested in before I expand on the scope of knowledge which they are keen to find out more. The scope can be expanded by incorporating the industry practices and real life examples into a case study or debate. I will then collect feedback from the students on its effectiveness in stimulating the interest on a certain topic.
I would start with observing their behaviour inside and outside of the classroom. Then I would talk to them to find out more about their perspective and thoughts, and also obtain feedback about my teaching/ the module (I really enjoy talking to my students). The teaching journal would be a good tool to use throughout the entire process. Time would be a hindrance though - I remember trying to keep diaries... to find out that I only updated the entries like once every 6 months or so!
I think to get around the pitfall would be to have some time tabled off to do reflective practice.
Linda Liew shared:
We will have to talk to students more to understand their expectations and the challenges that they face.
Maintaining a journal will be a good tool for reflection. WE will have to be disciplined about it and be consistent in our effort to maintain it.
ONG Chai Lin said...
Talking to students, seeing them as a person (not as a 'subject' that needs to be given lessons to) definitely helps us to understand them better; in their struggles in school and their learning journey.
However, the challenge is time which is a scarce resource. Especially, when one has to develop new modules, job placements etc has to perform. Only way to get around it is to carve out time.
Tan Hai Su:
Build a rapport with the students. Get feedback from the students on the teaching. Time is definitely a contraint. It takes experience and passion to overcome.
I prefer the classroom observations and discussions. I will also collect feedback information from my students. This method can provide me more information about what they are interested in and what they cannot understand. According to the information, I can improve the teaching method and make a progress fastly.
I guess I would start off with a teaching journal, and then evolve into a teaching portfolio for complete overview. Teaching journal will allow me to record events of each day capturing my observation, joy, frustration, morale, issues, problems etc. A teaching portfolio will hopefully capture the solutions, innovative ideas, methodology and improvement on my weakness to most of the challenges encountered. Most importantly, whether the discipline is there and consistently carried out this activities as a habit.
Get to know what I will be teachng and sit-in in the class. At the same time, get the lecturer teaching the subject to share with me his/her experience. That's will be good as a start-off. We will also better understand what the different kinds of students we get to face, what they generally find interesting,...etc.
I may not have started teaching, but I guess the potential pitfalls is peer influence. I sat-in one lecture and saw a group of students going out for a "break" in the middle of the class. At that time, I was thinking what happen if it affect other group of students to do the same thing? Even worse, what happen if there is always an influencing student in the class that leads a group to do something that will affect the class?
To get around such pitfall is not an easy task to me. Telling them off on the spot doesn't seem to be a good solution as students nowsdays have very high self-esteem.
Temporary solution can be to set rules for the students or crack a "hinted" joke. However, solution work the best when we find the root of the cause and tailor made one/few possible solutions for it.
Patrick:
A teaching journal is a good way to start since writing involves thinking. A potential constraint is a lack of time whereby other work usually takes precedence therefore it is more useful to allocate just a short period of time (e.g. 3-5min) to capture what the most important point of reflection is.
I'll start out with taking notes on how the students reacted to my teaching. I'll also have to take not on any comments that they might say or anything that they might criticize.
Also, take note on which areas in a module the students have trouble learning and try various methods to teach it.
A potential pitfall...? Hmmm... Time! Hahaha. The one pitfall I can think of. Guess I need to set time for it or squeeze it in somewhere.
Actually, we all do some form pf reflection, it is just that we do not verbalize it
I might probably start off with group discussions. It is always good to engage opinions of others. Sometimes when I am stuck with some complicated puzzles, keep on thinking about it does not do any good. In contrast, talking to others allow me to have fresh ideas. Hence, I think consulting senior lecturers is a good start.
Apart from that, having a teaching portfolio is pretty useful too. Just like designers, I believe teachers should have their own portfolio which keeps track on their teaching journey.
I suppose the most likely pitfalls that might hinder me from sustaining such efforts will be the lack of motivation and time constraints. Most of us are overloaded with work. Finding time and determination to continue these will be rather challenging.
Reminders from peers could probably keep me going.
Gabrielle Koh.
I'd like to start with classroom observation. This will allow me to see my strength and weakness so that I know where to focus andimprove. Observing other lecturers class will be als helpful.
I will start with gathering feedbacks, students dialogue, discussions and of course sourcing out to senior lecturers where their years of experiences know where are the common errors students made for that particular topic. From there I'll focus more on that common errors, topic or sub-topics and find out out from students what they do not know.
With all the resources, I can plan my teaching focusing on that area. I totally agree that it takes many wrongs to get the correct one but by doing all research from senior lecturers and students, it will shorten the path to the correct methods of teaching.
I do not only want my students to gain knowledge but I want them to learn about morals, interpersonal skills, how to learn from their mistakes and be responsible for what they do and say.
It takes alot of courage to admit mistakes and we should take every wrong decision made as a learning lesson.
Time is definitely something we cannot control because we only have24hours a day. However,we can plan carefully and inadvance.
I start with observation and a little discussion with students. "To win the war, you must know your enemy well", so I will try to win their trust and respect (1st I must also respect them). I will then adjust my teaching accordingly - fine tuning.
Teaching journal is good, unfortunately very time consuming.
Fangyen said:
i find keeping a teaching journal most suitable for me as i have a habit of keeping journals. It is a place and time where i write my observations and thoughts down - my teaching experience included. :-) the pitfall could be the fact that it isnt a journal solely about teaching - i will feel too restricted if it is the case.
I like to gather the feedback from my students by face-to-face method. I think instant feedback is more effective. Also, I will analyse the students development by based on their homework, during class behaviuor, off class as well.
Activity 4: Which one of the reflection activities is for me
• I will start off with ‘Action Research’ as the reflection activity for me in reflection practice
• The pitfalls I could anticipate currently could be:
a. to keep a good record of the teaching activity
b. to investigate the weaknesses
c. to research into the weakness and determine the solution to it
d. time to carry out the task
• How to get around the above pitfalls
a. I will prepare a note book specially for this purpose
b. I will need to identify the root cause of the problem ..may be by fishbone method
c. to surf the internet and consult colleague to find a solution to the problem
d. I will have to keep a record, if necessary daily, and review it every week
1 Often after class, I asked my students about our lessons.
Pitfall: There are times when I am running late for another class as students are asking me questions.
2 I have a learning journal and include my thoughts about the day's lessons.
Pitfall: Sometimes, I am too bushed out and skip writing. zzz...
3 I do ask two of my good colleagues to sit in some of my lessons to give me feedback.
Pitfall: I feel so tense and shy during my lesson!
Would really like to start writing a teaching journal. Unfortunately, it had been relegated by tyranny of the urgent! Must set aside time to do it!
I personally think instant feedback is more effective. Also, we may clarify any feedback instantly and better understand the situation and correct any deficiency.
I meet my Course Manager regularly and we chat over teh si about what worked and what didn't in our classes. I would like to start a journal though. Pitfall: Same old reason... time. But that's a bad excuse. Can I put this under PMP? Then I have no choice but to do it. Ha ha...
I will start with teaching/classroom observation, followed by discussion and communication with students to understand them better. I think the constant feedback from students and colleagues are important for trouble-shooting and indentifying the corrective methods. Pitfall would be time and persistance issue of course.
I will start off with group discussions and then progressively include the others forms.
The pittfalls for me would be mainly becoming lazy and complacent on being reflective.
To avoid this, I need to constantly share about my teaching experiences with my colleagues (hence being involved in a group discussion though done in an informal setting) and be sensitive to feedback either by students or colleagues by reflecting and acting on it. The goal is to make reflective practice as a way of life as a lecturer!
I probably will start off with students' feedback as that will be the most direct and fastest way.
Talking with colleagues and gathering their feedbacks/problems encountered will help to rectify problems or issues that I may have encountered.
One pitfall is being lazy and complacent in wanting to reflect and improve.
I probably will start off with students' feedback as that will be the most direct and fastest way.
Talking with colleagues and gathering their feedbacks/problems encountered will help to rectify problems or issues that I may have encountered.
One pitfall is being lazy and complacent in wanting to reflect and improve.
I will start with a reflective journal since that would be easily set up and done. Furthermore since a journal is a small book, I can carry it anywhere. As i make changes to my teaching style, the journal serves as a record of what I have done and the responses of both myself and the students to the change.
Pitfall is that due to our hectic schedule, I might be too tired by the end of the day to write reflectively.
I would probably start with classroom observations and a board of post-its of 'Good job!', 'Do better', and 'Never do it again'. Put the board on the wall next to my table!
I think classroom observations would be a good start,as more experienced colleagues would be able to provide good advice and feedback.
I would also consider using a journal to log some thoughts and experiences.
Having gone thru a small action research project has made me see the value in collecting data, making sense of the data and reflecting on the results.
I think getting students' feedback is one of the most effective reflective activities we should try, it is direct and fast.
Actually, I ask the students directly for feedback after the lecture. This is fast and I can make necessary changes and improvements in the next lecture. (Instead of waiting for feedback score at the end of semester)
However, the feedback is usually positive because students tend to show you some respect. Probably need to observe the response of students in different sessions of the lecture to see which part they are more interested in.
Building a teaching portfolio should be very helpful in the long term.
Well....Now I see the purpose for us to submit the teeaching portfolio.
I agreed with Kin Wai, we should get the feedback soon after the cls and to icoporate the feedback in next lesson, but one things to add is that, students who came forward shoudn't have much problems compare to those who left within a second after a cls. I may need to think of a way to approach them.
I will probably adopt the classroom observation,not just being observed by RO but also to sit in other more senior staff lessons to observer how they handle their classes. I find this to be more practical and immediate feedback can be gathered and lessons learnt. The hindering factor is time constraint, and some colleague may not be comfortable having another person sit in for her learning purpose.
A classroom observation is helpful, as it will provide us with a different point of view, and thus more things to consider when planning our lessons.
What I have done previously is to recall and reflect at the end of the semester on the strategies I have used, how they can be improved, what to keep, what to throw.
I am currently observing lectures and lab sessions of more experienced lecturers. Often, I will approach these lecturers after class and discuss certain actions or choices they made in class. Eventually, I may try to keep a teaching journal but procrastination and laziness will soon get the better of me. It takes a lot of determination and patience to keep it going.
I ve been doing class observation and group discussion for a while and i will continue to do so.
While I did have a teaching journal, it is limited to what works and what dont. I ll try my best to improve them to be more comprehensive and thorough.
Main challenges? TIME.
Action research is due next semester and I'm sure I'm gonna enjoy it.
I know the pain. Capt Andrew's quote is brilliant "I want to but am caught up with the tyranny of the urgent" whahahahahaha....
I have been doing group discussion, classroom observation and teaching journal so far. However, I must admit that doing this things take a lot of time :(
That is the most luxury things that all of us don't have :p
I'll engage in ad hoc discussions with other lecturers that I teach with, coupled with a teaching journal, where I can record my observations and thoughts while on my commute home. Only problem is the follow-up and tracking of solutions applied. I'll probably have to figure out some kind of system here.
I have been doing the group discussion and classroom observations. I think these 2 are very useful but time consuming, so I think it is better to do these two once or twice a month. The teaching journal is very interesting because it emphasizes to our own ability to identify our strengths and weaknesses that will result with stronger impact. I think the teaching journal can be done in weekly or even daily basis.
I will probably enagage myself in more discussions with other lecturers of the same module, find out more from them and hopefully record more stuff down in my teaching journal. Classroom observations is also good as I can gather observations from a third party point of view, which would help in my journal.
Potential pitfalls? Time and other lecturers time as well!
To start off with, a Teaching Observation is useful in looking at different teaching styles, and also opportunities to see more types of students.
Then, kopi-talk with fellow colleagues. Most of the time, informal meetings like kopi-talks are the most fruitful.
Hmm … journal …? This monotonous task is always overshadowed by the power of time crunch ...
All the different platforms discussed earlier have their own goods. To start off with, my take would be having group discussions with lecturers (which I have been doing on an on-off basis with my fellow lecturers who are teaching the same group of students, though different modules). Things that hinder me? That would be time and stamina!
Well, for me I have personnally tried Group Discussions and Classroom Observations.
Potential pitfalls would be:
1) Diplomacy (I shall not elaborate on this in order to be erm.. diplomatic)
2) Time (If we ever come to a stage whereby the number of hours in a day were to increase or we need less sleep, this pitfall can be avoided).
First of all is the classroom observation to observe where the needs are as different class has different group dynamics and learning needs. Reflect on where to enhance and improve the learning environment and the learning experience for the students. As I try form certain strategies, group discussion to tap on the experience of others would be helpful. Other various approaches such as journal and action consume more time and require greater efforts and planning.
Hi David Tan here.
I have realised that there isn't a right of teaching as it may varies class to class or one cohort to the other. Hence I find it the hardest to walk into a new class and not knowing what to expect. I find the best to check with my peers to understand of any issues in that particular class before delivering a lesson. Classroom observations helps me alot to study on what interests or works and the expectations from that class.
for me, nothing beats direct observation. therefore sitting in my colleagues lectures as a observer coupled with an discussion after that will be useful.
depending on the classroom dynamics, it may be good to ask for feedback directly from the students.
potential pitfalls that may hinder me - time management & distraction.
I think I have started the reflection activities by meeting with the students. The potential pitfalls including the limit knowledge of what the students doing other than going to school. How are they spending their time? The other one is the culture differences which I need to explore further.
I am going to ask my students how they spend their time very soon....
I've been engaged in group discussions and classroom observations and will continue to do so. :D
Although I have been practicing reflective thinking for a long time in my academic career, the last workshop on The SP Students definitely shines a new light on things.
The 2 students who volunteered were extremely forthcoming eventhough they were not sure of my reasons to engage them so. I had a VERY deep glimpse into their personal lives, and it taught me a few things on the aspirations of youngsters today.
I think engagement (at any level) is key so starting off on the right foot helps. So does studying the profile of the students and the composition of the class. I have conducted identical activities in 3 or more classes and had vastly different responses so it's key to getting closer to knowing what works and what is likely to fall flat i.e. not go down too well with the students.
Would certainlty like to start of with group discussions.
I'm totally new to teaching so what has really helped are teaching observations as well as sharing with other lecturers. I think setting aside time to do this would be very useful though we all face a lack of it!
I also think every class is different so we need to get to students and use differnet methods to cater to different learning styles and needs.
I like the idea of keeping reflective journals -- you can be honest and it's easy to get started, just a notebook would suffice. But the challenge would be to update the journal consistently, to note down thoughts before you forget them.
Though I find classroom observations and group discussions useful as you get a different perspective on your classroom practice, they are ad hoc and would be difficult to maintain on a consistent level.
Perhaps, I could try a combination of both. Maintaining a daily reflective journal, and on a monthly basis, have conversations with colleagues.
Teaching observations are useful to me as a new lecturer in a totally new environment. Through the observation, it is easier for me to feel the interaction between lecturers and students and thus allow me to have better preparation before step into my class. Also, group discussions with other lecturers can be taken as a tool as regular reflections. The pitfall for teaching Journals is “TIME”. But if we run it once for each term, that should be okay for me.
I like teaching observation to see how senior lecturers deliver the lesson (or gists) to students. Learning from them in explaining concepts, way of delivering the lesson and controlling the class are great to new lecturer. Thereafter, do a reflection of the teaching style to see whether it suits you in your class.
Chit-chatting with colleagues helps me too to tackling the issues that I face in the class or tutorial. At least, I won't bottle up all frustrations in me.
Journal needs time, as what I can say.
thanks
Keeping a reflective journal is defintely a good way to keep an account of the past and be able to reflect and learn from it. However, laziness and our busy days will prevent us from keeping it for long.
Gathering feedback from students, observation of senior staff conducting their lessons and sharing sessions among teaching staff are all also very effective method which I would like to use.
Teaching observation is useful where i can learn from more experienced staffs on more effective way to deliver my lectures and other methods to better engage the students.
Also i find casual chats with students to provide feedback on classroom teachings and activities to be quite useful.
Teaching observation is useful whereby I can learn from my senior and experience colleagues.Also in group discussion i will be able to know which students are weak in their subject. So I can try help them. I also like video journal, but it seem that time is the factor. So can try once a month...
Group Discussions and Classroom Observations are useful and relistic form of relective activities. Given our tight schedule, it is always practical to have discussion with colleagues. It can even be done in an informal environment.
Classroom observation is a very good way of picking up useful tips in teaching from the experience lecturers.
Understanding the students' habit/style of learning would be the most direct feeback for lecturers to improve on students' learning experience.
I would consider engaging a reflective journal because it is personal.It would be time consuming unless if i do it " on the go" as in on my smart phone.
Teaching observation and understudy is a good way to start off a journey as a reflective practitioner.
Teaching observation can be in the form of videotaping a session of our own lecture so that we can physically see the good and bad of what we have done, it can also be in the form of sitting in or understudying experienced staff's classes.
Potential pitfalls will be time constraints and differentiating between what is "good to learn from this senior" and vice versa. While we observe how our seniors conduct themselves during class and how they teach, we need to bear in mind that afterall we are all different persons, and what works for him may not necessarily work on me. We still need to have a clear mind on our teaching objectives and choose the most suitable methodologies for our lessons rather than just following blindly what a senior has done.
For a start, group discussions will be ideal. However, I think video journals are very helpful as you can really critic yourself or even show it others for review. Insufficient time is a hindrance. Maybe can invest in a video camera and tripod to bring to class and start recording during own lecture and review on a monthly basis.
All the tools have their benefits. However, due to practical considerations, some may be more workable than others.
Teaching journals I feel are a must for every educator. It is incidental and requires minimal time...even if it means making notes in our laptops or handphones/PDAs as we go through our daily teaching.
Class obervations and group discussions may be very helpful to get another perspective and learn from others' views and experiences.
I believe the first course of action would be getting to know your own students first. Following thatm classroom observations would be good as they give you a feel of the situation, learning to deal with unruly classes etc.
I can think of one main pitfall. mainly, the lack of time as we are all very busy and sitting down to observe, though beneficial, time may not be on our side as we have to arrange to sit in with our colleagues.
Ryan J Tan
Yes, I think more classroom observations and video taping would be good.
Action research is another area I think will be useful.
Both require time coordination and action research would require consistency and persistence in order to useful.
I guess if 'it is to be, it is up to me!'
Lorain Kok
I think due to practicality, group discussions and keeping a journal would be the easiest, most frequent tool for reflective practice. Lecturers often hang out together for lunch, tea breaks and other functions so swapping 'war stories' shouldn't be too uncommon. Journaling is also convenient and a common practice for me.
Teaching observations may be rather restricted in availability and in terms of applicability of advice given too. For one thing, the teaching workforce seems to be rather stretched in SP and it would not be easy to ask for frequent teaching observations (why not every class?). Also, advice given may be limited to that of the observer's experience - imaging a trained busker advising a mime to sing to better entertain the crowd...
As for action research, instead of a full-blown formal project, it could be just its procedure (Identify, Plan, Research, etc.) when committed to heart that makes it the most practically useful tool, as it systematically works its way from beginning till resolution of an issue. Personally I find it very similar to the thought process espoused in my training as an engineer.
I believe different class has their own unique characteristics. It is difficult to teach a rowdy class because teacher has to put in more effort in engaging the class to pay attention. It is also difficult to teach a class of quiet students as teacher has to put in more effort to engage them for activities participation. It is the most challenging if there are a mixture of both rowdy and quiet students in the class. I would like to identify the class characteristic first before applying the most appropriate way to teach. Moreover, starting off your first lesson with the class in a seious manner may be useful in my opinion as students always like to "test water" hoping to be on par with the teacher. To me, the most challenging task will be controlling rowdy students.
I would start off any class with introduction of mine self and the students. This is usually time consuming and this might be a setback as time is limited in the classroom.
Next would to be explaining the difficult topics to really life experience or newspaper articles or any other interesting thing I do come across. This will allow the student to understand why they are learning a certain topics.
And during the teaching of the knowledge, we should also impart morale values where student have the correct morale value will benefits them in their life.
Lastly always try to join them for school activities, like industries visit, talks, gathering, project works, one to one discussion or group discussion this will build up the trust between me and the students.
All those suggestion will come with some pitfalls, but with the correct mindset that I want to help them, I hope to overcome those pitfalls.
I think I can start with group discussion. that is easy and comfortable. I will try to do the journaling also.
group discussions, students' observations and feedbacks will get the ball rolling... discussions with other lecturers would be ideal as well.
pitfalls?
when i am pressed for time especially nearing the end of semester, all hell will break loose coz i am just be trying my best to finish the syllabus and prepare them for the exams! only when i received their marks from the exams, then i will have the time for reflection! And wonder why...
I would say group discussion will be the start off point for me. This is a platform whereby we can share with fellow teachers varying from methods to experiences. This will definitely facilitate the learning process and enhance our skills set. Of course, the challenge which I foresee will be the lack of time, which is a luxury in lecturer context. Hence, one can make use of the internet/video journals where posts/sharing can be done unscheduled, anytime, anyday. Read and review at your own time.
To start off, I think I will choose group discussions. I think a pitfall would be to find like-minded lecturers with the same availability to meet up regularly to discuss our teaching. To get around this, I could start off by meeting up with other lecturers that start around the same time as me. Since we are just starting, our workload is similar and there is higher chance of finding available common time.
i am teaching various schools students and student profile vary greatly .Hence I will use a few practices to aid my teaching reflection.Mainly classroom observation, students feedback and group discussion will be useful for me. I believe these practices will provide me with the greatest learning exposure.
Teaching journals and group discussions are most possible for me at the moment. I would also consider videoing some of my lectures and review and analyze it later on. Action research is a great tool, but requires patience and cooperation of students.
Xiong Fangli
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