Hello,
During last week's observation session, I reflected upon:
Creating experiences for students to become independent and responsible :-
Mr. X was approached by a student who claimed that the hadn't handed in his homework because Mr. X didn't ask him for it. Mr. X explained that it was the student's duty to ensure that he hands in his work on time. I totally agree with the teacher's mode of handling such a situation because this helps the students become more aware of their responsibilities and helps them become more independent.
Collaborating with other staff members :-
During the lesson, a student came for Dusty as the guidance teacher asked for him. The teacher, quite angrily said "Uhh, ghadu kemm gie ghax ghadu kemm mar jiehu t-TB; ha jkollu jerga' johrog". Because of this, Dusty hesitated a bit and then he sent him. I think that the teacher's remark didn't show that there was a sense of collaboration and mutual understanding between members of staff as there should be. Although I understand that the teacher said that because he didn't want Dusty to miss the lesson, however if I were the teacher I wouldn't have passed that comment in front of the students because that shows lack of professionality and reluctance to collaborate with other colleagues. Besides, because of such a comment, the teacher sort of underrated the importance of the guidance teacher in the school.
Importance to marks :-
Although much is being said upon gearing students towards appreciating the importance of educating themselves to be more rounded humans rather than teaching so that students pass exams, I believe that the success of such a goal depends primarily on the teacher. As a case in point, I witnessed a teacher reading out aloud the results of the students one by one without making any reference to what sections did the students gone awry. Besides, the teacher didn't even correct the half yearly paper at all; she simply read the marks. Firmly, I believe that this affirmed the culture of studying to obtain a pass mark rather than studying to become more knowledgeable about a subject. Hence, as a future teacher I'll strive not to fall in this pattern of heading my class to obtain a pass mark solely for the sake of passing an exam. I'll try to go beyond that by acknowledging the parts where they excelled in and directing their attention towards those areas where they need to work more.
That's all for today... Good day
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Hello,
It's been quite a long time since I published my last post. However, as I was skimming through the points and reflections that I've jotted down during my last visit, I felt compelled to share some of the things that I've thought about...
The importance of establishing class rules a priori :- Mr. X refused to let 3 students enter the classroom late without bringing a note from the head justifying their lateness. However, this was the first time he took on this stance. Naturally, the students were gobsmacked and went out quietly. When they came in, Dusty rudely threw the note on the teacher's desk. The teacher rebuked by saying, "Int x'izzik tahseb li int!? Jien minix ir-rufjan tieghek." Eventually, he sent him out for the second lesson as well. Personally, although I cannot justify the student coming late when mostly all of his fellow classmates were on time, however, if I were the teacher, I would have had stipulated class rules at the beginning of the scholastic year and definately I won't try to assert my position by speaking rudely to a student. I would be lacking professionality if I were to tackle this matter this way.
Boardwork :- Another aspect which is worth mentioning is the importance of neat and organised boardwork. The lesson prepared by Ms. Y was about binary subtraction. Undoubtedly, this requires working thorough examples and explaining the method more than once. Ms. Y took care of using the board appropriately by dividing it in half and using headings as well. I feel that this will help the students structure their thoughts easily and above all, those who dared to take notes had the chance of copying organised notes which will surely help a great deal when they study for their exams.
It's been quite a long time since I published my last post. However, as I was skimming through the points and reflections that I've jotted down during my last visit, I felt compelled to share some of the things that I've thought about...
The importance of establishing class rules a priori :- Mr. X refused to let 3 students enter the classroom late without bringing a note from the head justifying their lateness. However, this was the first time he took on this stance. Naturally, the students were gobsmacked and went out quietly. When they came in, Dusty rudely threw the note on the teacher's desk. The teacher rebuked by saying, "Int x'izzik tahseb li int!? Jien minix ir-rufjan tieghek." Eventually, he sent him out for the second lesson as well. Personally, although I cannot justify the student coming late when mostly all of his fellow classmates were on time, however, if I were the teacher, I would have had stipulated class rules at the beginning of the scholastic year and definately I won't try to assert my position by speaking rudely to a student. I would be lacking professionality if I were to tackle this matter this way.
Boardwork :- Another aspect which is worth mentioning is the importance of neat and organised boardwork. The lesson prepared by Ms. Y was about binary subtraction. Undoubtedly, this requires working thorough examples and explaining the method more than once. Ms. Y took care of using the board appropriately by dividing it in half and using headings as well. I feel that this will help the students structure their thoughts easily and above all, those who dared to take notes had the chance of copying organised notes which will surely help a great deal when they study for their exams.
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