Reflection journals Ch2 - Essay Example

This essay dwells upon the art of interviewing children. It is clear that this is an effective but complicated and time-consuming approach. One of the greatest challenges is to encourage children to reveal their ideas instead of repeating something or trying to say whatever is expected from them. It is quite obvious that every word counts in this case and educators have to carefully make their questions. Notably, Bell, Osborne and Tasker (1985) mention some common mistakes teachers make. This is especially valuable as a novice teacher can pay more attention to certain aspects of the interview and use the approach in a more effective way.

I will definitely use this valuable information when teaching. In the first place, I will use the approach to test my students’ knowledge and understanding. I will interview individuals and students in small groups. I would like to check whether group interviews can be as effective as interviewing individuals, as I have doubts that all children will be equally active. I believe I will also have to make sure that each child calls his/her name before answering the question (as this will be crucial during transcribing).

Apart from that, I will be able to use some techniques described during my classes. The ability to put the right questions is a valuable skill for any educator. Thus, I will be able to monitor progress of some students during classes. I will choose the right words to encourage students to talk. I will be able to understand what students know and whether there are any gaps in their knowledge. Reference ListBell, B., Osborne, R., & Tasker, R. (1985). Finding out what children think. In R. Osborne & P.

Freyberg (Eds.), Learning in science (pp. 151-159). Auckland, NZ: Heinemann.