Visits 8 - Reflections

Hello,

Although a bit late, I'd like to share with you some of the things which struck me and hence I jotted down during my 8th observation session.

Firstly, I liked the approach that the teacher took when she asked a question to a particular student and pretended the answer from that student only. This shows that student that the teacher believes that he knows the answer. Furthermore, this also helps to keep the students focused as they never know when it's their turn to answer to a question posed to them by the teacher.

Secondly, I feel that in some cases it's not necessary to show the students step by step what to do on the SmartBoard. I think that they should be left to work simple things out on their own rather than being spoon fed all the time. In this sense, I witnessed the teacher showing them how to change a picture to each of the available formats (tight, behind text, in front of text). If I were the teacher I would have showed them only how to change the picture's format once and then leave them to experiment on their own with the different formats available. In this way, the students are urged to work more rather than being passive receivers of knowledge and moreover, they are given the chance to actively construct their own knowledge.