Daily Reflection

Day 1:

I was away due to illness but by listening to my cohorts discussing about definition of effective teaching, I can understand better the definition of effective teaching. Effective teaching is about constructing and delivering lessons that are flexible, inclusive of all learners and addresses the various needs. It helps students to take role in their own learning and aims to get rid of barriers in education.  

Day 2:

One thing that resonates with me today was one of the 5 enabling conditions for collective efficacy. One way professional educators can learn is by observing one another. It increases teacher reflection and can help teachers identify a dark spot and work towards it.  While observing your colleague, you're likely to pick one or two teaching styles/techniques that might interest you or work for your students.

Day 3: The Circle Time

Having shared ideas on moments that we impacted or inspired students and vice versa made me appreciate the effort teachers put into their practices and also how students strive in their learning. Teachers reflect on their daily practices and tries improving their teaching styles/ techniques to meet their individual needs of their students.

Mnemonic- Group 5

In our group, we came up with the acronyms of common understanding of what T.E.A.C.H.E.R.S represents: 

T - Transformation  (shapens or transform learners to become better individuals)

E - Engaging (constantly engages students with variety of activities that enhances learning)

A - Assessment/ Accommodate (assesses and accommodates different views)

C - Committed (passionate about her job and fully committed to it)

H - Harmony/Honoring (creates a conducive environment for all learners and acknowledges student's efforts)

E - Evaluation (measures student's learning by evaluating them)

R - Resourceful / Reflective (reflects on her teaching styles and continuously refines teaching techniques)

S - Self-motivated 

Day 4:

Zone of Proximal Development is a gap between what a student can do independently and what they can be able to do with the assistance of a teacher. It is believed that students learn most when structurally guided by an professional. Culture also plays a significant role in the learning growth of a student. 

Enduring Understanding:

This is simply a transfer of knowledge that students acquire during learning process. It is meant to stay with a learner over a long period of time and not just memorization of facts. It encourages students to apply their knowledge in real-life situations and develop problem solving skills. Students can transfer their problem-solving skills from one context to another. This motivates student to own their learning as they would love to explore other aspects of the knowledge they gained.

Day 5:

Authentic Learning Product:

it's a real-world meaningful task to assess knowledge or skill. The connection to real life makes learning engaging.  This is something that has value for a child. It should be able to showcase students understanding and abilities beyond assessment like exams and quizzes.

 

 Big Idea: 

Learning goal and standard are not the same thing. They guide you to achieve your goal.

Day 6:

Differentiation is not only for struggling students but it's used to meet the learning need of every child in the class. It's an approach to what students needs to learn, how they will learn and what they have learned. 

Assessment is not marking but checking to see what they've learned for the day. 

Barriers to Customization in Education:

Customization is tailoring the experience of any learner to meet their unique needs. However, customization in education has barriers. Some of the barriers are:

• Testing
• Time Resources
• Large Range complex
• Specialization
• Social expectation demands
• Culture

Not all in school have enough staff and time to provide attention to every student. Again, often times, standardized test used for assessing learning can be difficult to adapt to each students' need. Teachers also feel overwhelmed by covering a lot materials in the plan in a limited period, thereby leaving no time for customization. 

Day 7:

Initially, I wasn't sure of the expectations for the final assignments and reflections. Eventually, I was able to find my feet and start working on the objectives for the lesson plans. In general, I would say that this course has enlightened my views and understanding of teachers and their teaching style. To be effective is not the amount of resources you're able to cover with the students but the impact in their learning, what, why and how they have learned.