Self-Feedback of the Mini-Lesson with Early Learners - Case Study Example

Summary of Self-Feedback of the Mini Lesson Name: Institution: Summary of Self-Feedback of the Mini Lesson The context of the class is a private primary school in China with students aged 6-8 years. The class has 20 students at primary grade 1 level. The communicative objective ensures student communication based on knowledge acquired. The linguistic objective is to ensure that students understand the new vocabulary of animals by identifying animals by their names. Discourse objective is to ensure that students familiarize with different kinds of animal and have the ability of developing stories on a specific animal. This will help students in learning how to describe an animal and understand the content of their description. The cognitive objective of the lesson is to help the students in the identification and remembrance of vocabulary and develop the ability to rad, understand animal vocabulary and demonstrate this understanding by giving an example of a shot story about a specific animal of their choice. Response to the reflection of the provided evaluation In terms of identification of the learners and the relevant content for the group, the learners were identified as grade 1 students in a private primary school in China. The tasks provided to the learners were to read and identify different animals and later present a short story about and animal of choice. The timing of the mini lesson was 30 minutes, which was most appropriate for the learners to grasp the new concepts. The objectives of the lesson were in accordance with the stakes that students were expected to engage in. the objectives were in relation to the language, discourse, cognitive and general knowledge objectives. Teaching aid used during the lesson were creative as they enhanced the ability of the students to embrace fluency and accuracy in understanding the concepts. The language used by the teacher during the lesson was error free since it enables better undertaking and easy grasping of the concepts. In addition, it also created a platform for sufficient feedback to be generated. Ways of improving on the mini lesson In terms of identification of learners and the content of the group, the mini lesson would be improved by not only identifying the students in terms of their grade level and age but also embracing approaches that are in line with their surroundings. This is because of the assumption that a successful learning experience must incorporate the environment of the learners. This improves on their ability to grasp concepts and relate the concept to their surroundings (Child, 2007). In the mini lesson it would be important to engage the children in activities that require their participation and enhance easy remembrance such as singing songs that describe the animals an encouraging the children to draw the animals as they perceive them. The timing was relevant and sufficient in fulfilling the objectives of the mini lesson. However, in terms of allocating time to different activities, it will be important to ensure that the activities are learner centred, this will increase the possibility that the learners will be more interested in the acquisition of knowledge and in the performance of the activities that define the lesson (Grimshaw, 2007). This means that the children must execute that majority of the activities in class. In terms of clear communication of goals and matching the objectives with the tasks, it is will be the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that he exercises high level control of the activities in class in the initial stages while encouraging students to actively participate in the sessions (Child, 2007). This is because leaners often attend sessions with skills and knowledge acquired from other socialization agents. Proving the freedom of demonstrating their skills in a relatively controlled environment will ensure that they build on the skills and knowledge that they already possess (Grimshaw, 2007). The teaching methods that teachers embrace need to embrace additional levels of creativity. This is because it is through these methods that the teacher will attract the interest of the learners. More songs and group activities can also help learners to acquire knowledge from each other and these increases on the possibility that more learners will improve on their fluency and accuracy levels in understanding the concepts (Child, 2007). Other than building on the previous knowledge that the students already possess, the lesson plan should also include activities that will provide students with a platform of acquiring new knowledge. This will require the teacher to embrace different tools and methods such as technology, which will ensure that students are not only interested but they are also willing to learn from their teacher. The process of designing learning tool will require the teacher to develop an approach that that incorporates anticipates the existing knowledge structure among the learners at the beginning of the class. This will help the teacher in remodelling the lesson to fit the abilities of his students. The differences in the ability to grasp and understand concepts is founded on the assumption that it is the responsibility of the teacher to identify the existing differences among the students and tailor the lesson such that it embraces the differences and provides a homogeneous approach towards learning. Critical analysis of the lesson Effective lesson planning that focuses on the development of students requires rewards system. For the students to acquire knowledge concerning new vocabulary on animals, it will be important for the teacher to incorporate a reward system as part of the lesson. This is in line with B. F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning. the animal vocabulary are considered as stimulus and the ability of the students to respond to the stimulus by demonstrating that they have learnt must be followed by a positive reinforcement. This increases the possibility that the behaviour will be repeated. In addition, it is through positive reinforcement that the students will develop an interest in the concepts due to the understanding that successful learning of the concepts will guarantee them some form of appreciation. In the lesson plan, therefor it will be important to include techniques on how the students will be rewarded. This can be in the form of physical presents such as sweets, a pencil, or a ruler. It is also possible to give reward in the form of psychological appreciation. This can be through asking other students to clap for a student who demonstrates some level of exemplary performance in learning animal vocabulary. The teacher can also provide positive complements to appreciate students who demonstrate their ability to understand the vocabulary. Other than the reward system, operant conditioning is a behaviourist approach that requires a teacher to allow students some level of freedom as a form of positive reinforcement. While abiding by the tenets of this theory, it will be important for develop a lesson plan that provides time for the students to engage in individual activities. These activities are revision exercise that must be undertaken with limited or without the supervisor of the teacher. The objective of the learning process is to equip students with skills and knowledge on animals by learning the vocabulary. Inspiring creativity among children is only possible when they are allowed to perform individuals of group work. When executing these responsibilities it will be important for the lesson plan to dictate the amount of time spent on individual or group work, as this will condition the students into understanding the essence of time in understanding new phenomenon. For students to realize success they will be required to engage in brain storming initiatives with other members of the class and complete work that is relatively exhaustive for an individual. This is because too much work can result in negative reinforcements, which is a setback to learning. According to Carl Rodgers in his humanistic approach on learning, the role of the teacher is to facilitate but not to direct the learning process. It is the responsibility of the teacher to create an environment that encourages supportive learning and develop affection towards learning (Gould, 2009). Successful realization of this objective is only possible through the development of an informed and supportive lesson plan. Such a lesson plan in the view of Rogers would inspire learning of new concepts since children prefer a learning environment where they are collaborated and encouraged to research and teach each other (Madge et al, 2009). Within the lesson plan, therefore it will be important to create a sense of ownership by proving students with time to brainstorm on their animals of choice while encouraging them to remember songs or stores that focus on these animals. Such an approach towards learning in a classroom setting facilitates the creation of a positive environment for the students (O.Brien and Guiney, 2001). Through this environment, the students will have the ability of understanding their role and that of the teacher in successful learning. These results into ownership of the earning objectives among the students hence enhancing their learning initiatives. The lesson plan must also incorporate ways by which an assessment will be conducted on the students to ensure that they have understood the concepts. For instance, peer assessments can be used especially when the students have been taught the technique of working in groups. It will be inappropriate to assume that they can work in groups especially when they have been working on individual assignments (Gould, 2009). To facilitate an effective peer assessment session, it will be important for the lesson plan to include a question-answer session. This will be made possible using open-ended questions since they foster some level of respect to the perceptions of the students (Grimshaw, 2007). Constructivist approach towards the development of lesson plan that inspires sufficient learning in a classroom setting can also be used. Thrips approach helps the teacher in understanding that learning is an experience emanating from information already acquired and that which is yet to be known (Gould, 2009). Grade 1 students are exploratory by nature since their desire is to make sense of their environment and this can sometimes lead to some level of misconception. During the lesson, it will be important to allow the students express their ideas and understanding of the vocabulary about different animals. The objective of this approach would be to challenge possible misconceptions and allow the students to see their mistakes and embrace the most acceptable ideas about the animals. The development of a lesson from this perspective helps in developing a learner centred lesson plan in which the teacher facilities he learning process rather than giving instructions to the children on what they must learn (Madge et al, 2009). This approach encourages the development of autonomous learners who not only rely on their teachers for the experience but also on their personal experiences (Rogers, 2009). The time provided in the lesson must also be sufficient to ensure that the students grasp the concepts; they can explain it when involved in groups work and in an informed peer assessment process. According to the constructivist, approach t is also important for teachers to develop and use their lesson plans in learning about their student learning styles. This is because different students use varied learning approache4s to understand concepts in a class setting (Child, 2007). There are those who understand with songs that are repetitive in mature. Furthermore, there are also students whose understanding is founded on the use of diagrams. A lesson plan that embrtaces these approaches fulfil the objective of using diverse learning styles as a way of realizing the lewarning objectives of all students. Furthermore, such a lesson plan offers a diverse set of learning experiences, which ensure that all students of all approaches have the ability to grasp the information in ways that suit their personalities (Child, 2007). Such a plan will also provide students with an n opportunity of developing strategies of learning through multiple ways. The teacher in this situation wills not only use songs and drawings but also engage students in group activities for peer and individual assessment roles (O.Brien and Guiney, 2001). Learning and unlearning should also be objective of the lesson plans since a multi-approach technique will provide students with have an opportunity of unlearning false perceptions and learning acceptable meaning of new vocabulary. References Child, D. (2007). Psychology and the teacher, 8th Edition, London: Continuum. Gould, J. (2009). Learning theory and classroom practice in the Lifelong Learning Sector, Exeter: Learning Matters. Grimshaw, T. (2007). Problematizing the construct of ‘the Chinese learner’: Insights from ethnographic research, Educational Studies 33(3), 299-311. Madge, C., Raghuram, P. & Noxolo, P. (2009). Engaged pedagogy and responsibility: A postcolonial analysis of international students. Geoforum, 40(1), 34-45. O.Brien, T. and Guiney, D (2001). Differentiation in Teaching and Learning: Principles and Practice, London: Continuum Rogers, K.M.A. (2009). ‘A Preliminary Investigation and Analysis of Student Learning Style Preferences in Further and higher Education’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 33(1), pages 13-21. Read More