I learnt quite a few things during this week:
a) I thought that the Noodletools were a revelation. The way the entire search categories were neatly arranged and the ease of access that these tools provided are assets to any educator, I hope that this tool is used more and more so that people can move out of googling.
b) The other thing that I found extremely interesting was the ABCD model of learning objectives at the Penn State site. Though I have taught students for the last 15 years, I feel that as educators (at least in India), we take a lot of things for granted. For example, I have found only a few teachers who plan their sessions beforehand since many of them just walk into a class and 'deliver' a lecture. This assumption that students need to be filled in with knowledge can be very well-challenged if the ABCD model can be introduced in the classrooms. I am definitely going to try this out in one of the teacher-education sessions. To my mind, this has two advantages: it structures the thought process of the teacher, and the students know what they are supposed to do.
c) However, the best part of this week was the greater familarity with many of my webmates who generously commented on my posts. I must admit that I learnt a great deal from them. Especially, Celeste, Luis, Natalia, and Laura's posts were both thought provoking and illuminating though I learnt from all of them.
Hope to keep up the interaction in the coming weeks as well with the same intensity (though I know that it will be tough since my coursework starts next week).
Dear Atanu. You said, We learned some good things this week. And I agree with you that teachers take some things for granted, and the ABCD model objectives is very revealing. I defeinitely share your idea of sharing this technique with the colleagues who did not have the chance I have had to participate in this course.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I wish we would explore is "instruction design".
Thank you and see you next week
Daouda, Burkina Faso
Hi Atanu,
ReplyDeleteI also learned a lot from you and your comments, so thank you for sharing your ideas and thoughts.
It's quite interesting that we both focus on the same fact: the familiarity between the participants. I do find this one of the most important achievements of the group so far, and I'm loving every bit of it! :-)
Celeste
Dear Atanu, as Celeste has already said, we also learnt a lot of things from you. In Romania, the English teachers have some official meetings, one per semester, where we share the information we gathered from certain courses, presenting a bit of theory but also the practicality of the things that we have learnt, sometimes applied in demonstrative classes. I recommend you to do the same thing at least in the school you teach, in the Foreign Languages Department. You have wonderfully summarised everything that you learnt during this week.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Laura.
Dear Atanu
ReplyDeleteAs you posted A.B.C. method for designing objectives allows teachers to structure the learning process. I consider one of the errors teachers make is not to design clear objectives neither for a lesson, nor for a whole course. This tool will give us the opportunity to be focused on what we really want to happen in our classroom.
As you said I am also very happy with the friendly atmosphere that we have created, everybody is sharing something and this undoubted will rich our teaching practice
DearAtanu! I also would like to mention that we have so great resources to learn how to teach English (or other subjects) through learning how to use technology asa tool that will help us to concentrate our efforts and make a progress in learning with our students. Good luck, Natalia
ReplyDelete