Fast and Junk Foods, Planning and Preparation - Essay Example

Reflection on Two Teaching Sessions Reflection is a teaching practice approach that enables the teacher to look back on how he delivered a session, make judgments and alter his teaching behaviour based on his evaluation (Valli, 1997, cited in Jay and Johnson, 2000). It is an important approach because it enables an individual to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Reflecting on how I delivered the previous sessions will enable me to know the areas that I need to improve on (Zhang and Lin, 2014). This paper focuses on reflection on two teaching sessions; “fast and junk foods” and “Asthma”. The reflection is based on my own personal feelings about the session, the student’s feedback and the observatory feedback provided by my supervisor. The reflection on each session is divided into three parts: planning and preparation, delivery of sessions which is divided into before the session, during the session and after the session, and the third section is reflection and evaluation. I will analyse the thoughts and feelings that I had throughout the two sessions. The two sessions involved the use of various teaching resources, in the first session I used quizzes and feedback papers, pictures and a whiteboard, while in the second session I used a computer and the internet, a projector, a whiteboard and markers. During the two sessions, I used two common theories, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory and Bloom’s theory which helped me to deliver the session. These theories enabled me to create a good learning environment for the students, for example, Maslow’s theory enabled me to know how I can motivate the students and enable them to achieve the highest needs. In order for a person to achieve self-actualization, he must have achieved the all the needs in the lower levels of the hierarchy (Poston, 2009). Reflecting on the first session will enable me to identify the good and the bad things that I did in the first session and come up with the solutions. For example, I run out of time in the first session and I was not able to clearly explain some key points but through this reflection, I will be able to come up with solutions which will enable me to avoid making the same mistakes in the future sessions. Reflecting on the second session will also help me to identify problems that I will need to solve before the third session. Session 1 Fast and Junk Foods I chose this topic because most young people across the globe eat junk and fast foods which expose them to health problems (French et al. 2001). I aimed at informing the students about the health complications posed by consuming junk and fast food. I hoped that this would enable the students to be able to make better choices and to advise their future patients. Eating junk and fast foods deny the body proper nutrients such as fibre and vitamins (Kaur et al. 2014). According to Ashakiran and Deepthi, (2012), People should eat healthy so that they can live long. Planning and Preparation I was looking forward to this teaching session because I knew that it would give me a chance to utilise some of the skills that I had learnt such as good communication, leadership and questioning skills and how to bring a lesson to a conclusion (Kilic, 2010). I was a little nervous about the session but to ensure proper delivery session, I ensured that I came up with a proper lesson plan (Cicek and Tok, 2014). Planning helps to identify the course of action that should be taken so as to reach the set goals and objectives (Spooner et al. 2007). A good lesson plan should cover the objectives of the session, the learning activities and the methods used to evaluate the student’s understanding (Milkova, 2012). These lesson plans are important because they not only affect the teacher’s instruction but classroom management as well (TEAL, 2010). I divided this session into sections and allocated appropriate time for each. I divided this session into aims and objectives, the definition of fast and junk foods; examples of junk and fast foods, differences between fast and junk foods; and the potential diseases and tips on how to avoid fast and junk foods. Delivering the Session Before the session The students were nine of my colleagues studying MSc in Nursing Education and they were all studying the LEAP module. I introduced myself and outlined the objectives of the lesson. I asked the students what they knew about junk and fast foods so that I could assess their knowledge and clear any misconceptions (Popovich and Katz, 2009). I defined fast foods and junk foods and outlined the areas that we would discuss in this session. During the session I was nervous at the beginning but after realising that the students were cooperative, I calmed down and this enabled me to deliver the lesson well. I had done proper research on the topic and this enabled me to clearly explain the points. I asked the students questions during this session so that I could ensure that they remained attentive throughout the session. I was audible and I organised my work well but I ran out of time which made me to not give enough attention to some key points. Junk food can be fast to prepare or slow to prepare whereas fast foods are prepared fast but they may be healthy or junk (Ashakiran and Deepthi, 2012). This shows that there is a big overlap between the two. Consumption of junk foods deprives the body of necessary nutrients and its overconsumption may lead to health problems such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart attacks and reduced life expectancy and it may also lead to behavioural issues (Kaur, et al. 2014). I ensured that the students participated in the session by asking them questions so as to create a discussion. I used Maslow’s theory to deliver this session. To meet the student’s physiological needs I ensured the class was not congested and that everybody was comfortable. To meet their safety and security needs, I ensured that the class was orderly and safe, and I treated all the students equally and fairly because I knew that if I did not do this, they would not pay attention to what I was teaching. I engaged the students in discussions so as to give them a sense of belonging. To ensure that esteem needs are met in class, I asked the student’s questions in a way that encouraged participation and I also ensured that I did not embarrass them. I ensured that there was no bullying in class. I was able to help the students to achieve self-actualization because I ensured that I met their other needs in the hierarchy first (Poston). After assessing the student’s performance in the quiz, I encouraged those who did not perform well to work harder (Kerry, 2002 cited in Kyriakou, 2007). After the Session To assess the students understanding, I gave the students a form with a quiz which had four questions and a blank part where they would give feedback about my teaching style (Schuwirth and Van Der Vleuten, 2004). I gave the students some tips on how to avoid eating junk and fast foods, for example, parents and teachers can teach the young people how to make simple, fun and creative homemade alternatives (HLP). For example, they can make meals with proper nutrients such as baked potatoes and serve it with steamed vegetables. This meal is fun to make and eat and it will provide iron and vitamin C and other nutrients, thus enabling them to avoid junk and fast foods. I also responded to the student's questions in this section. Evaluation and Reflection Reflecting and evaluating my performance in the first session will enable me to know the areas that I should improve on during the next session. According to Larrivee (2000), the feedback given by the students is important because it can be used to improve future presentations. Observation sheets provided by the supervisors are important because they enable the teacher to evaluate his teaching skills. Before I began the session I was anxious because I did not know if the session would go well or not. During the session, I realised that the students were cooperative and this helped me to calm down. One of the aims of this teaching session was to improve the student’s knowledge on fast and junk foods and the answers that the students gave on the quizzes that I gave them made me feel that I had done well. However, I should have given them a quiz before and after the session so that I could know if the session really increased their knowledge. I had researched on the subject matter and this made me relax when delivering the session because I knew that I would be able to answer the student’s questions. It is important for a teacher to have a good command of the subject matter as shown in McBer’s report of 2010, which revealed that students consider a teacher who has mastered the content to be effective (cited in Rubio, 2010). My supervisor’s observations helped me to know the areas that I should improve on, for example, time management. Although I had well-organized material I ran out of time and my delivery seemed rushed and cut short. I had so much to cover and when I realised that I was running short of time I covered what was remaining in a hurry. I can deliver in a better way by allocating enough time to the main points and leaving out the information that is not necessary. According to Beck, Livne and Bear (2005), to ensure proper time management, a teacher should allocate enough time to the important areas and avoid covering too much information. I have always been a good communicator and I knew that I would not have communication problems when delivering the session. Rubio (2010), noted that to be an effective instructor, one must be a good communicator. This can enable the teacher to present something that is complex in a way that enables the students to understand. It is important to create rapport with the students as this will ensure that the students stay interested in the lesson. I used questions to help me clarify the main points however, I should ensure that I give ample time for the students respond and support their views (Nicol, 2007). I had clear objectives and ensured that I emphasised and summarised the main points (Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall, 2008). I asked students questions during the session and this helped me to maintain their attention throughout the session. According to Kyriacou (2007), an effective teacher should create an orderly and attractive environment for the students.I had a nice relaxed style of presentation but my supervisor suggested that I should try to smile a little. I should also affirm a student’s response and try to create a conversation so that I can involve the students more. I also had a soft voice that was clearly audible. I used materials such as quizzes, feedback forms and a whiteboard which helped me to deliver the session. A good instructor should have good management and leadership skills so as to maintain discipline and control throughout the session (Whitehead, Weiss and Tappen, 2010). Some of the strengths that my supervisor observed were that I had a nice relaxed style of teaching and that I spoke softly which made the session calm and encouraging. According to Wong and Wong (2005), an effective teacher is able to manage the classroom through proper procedures and routines whereas an ineffective teacher only disciplines his students through punishments and threats (cited in Rubio, 2010). I also kept the question responses on track with re-clarification of the questions and topics. Session 2 Asthma I choose this topic because I knew the dangers that the disease poses not only to the patient but also to the community. Asthma can lead to death of people who had a great impact on the community. According to GINA (2016), asthma affects around 1-18 % of the total population in most countries (GINA, 2016). This is a worrying number and I felt the need to inform the students on various ways that they can help asthma patients when they have an attack. This session would also help the student to identify various substances that can trigger an attack so that they can be able to advise future patients. Asthma can be passed down to patients through their parent’s genes, allergies, respiratory infections and exposure to irritants (ATS, 2013). Planning and Preparation My audience were eight of my colleagues studying MSc Nursing Education who were all studying LEAP module. I choose Asthma as my topic1 in this teaching session so that I could improve the student’s knowledge about Asthma. My lesson plan was divided into two sections which were: aims and objectives and providing an online link which included the definition of asthma, causes, symptoms and treatment, it also contained a quiz which contained two short answer questions and five multiple choice questions. The objectives of this section were to help the students to understand the causes, symptoms, how to manage Asthma and how to avoid an attack. I knew that it is important for a teacher to use various resources to facilitate learning so I used a computer, the internet, a projector, whiteboards and markers in my presentation (MacKnight, 2010). I prepared this lesson using TED website and then presented it in class. On the lesson plan, I allocated eight minutes to watching the video which defined what Asthma is, it described the causes, symptoms and how to treat asthma. I allocated seven minutes to answering the quiz (Cicek and Tok, 2014). The quiz consisted of two short answer questions and five multiple choice questions which would help me to assess the audience’s understanding after watching and listening to the video. According to McDermott, et al. 2014, classroom quizzing and feedback helps to improve students learning and retention. Bloom’s Taxonomy classifies thinking into six cognitive levels of complexity, and a person must master the lower levels before mastering the higher levels (Forehand, 2010). I applied Bloom’s theory in this session by making it clear to the students that they must ensure that they not only understand the definition of Asthma but its causes, symptoms and treatment as well because they are all important. Just like in bloom’s theory, the student cannot treat an Asthma patient if he does not know the definition, causes and the symptoms of the disease. The students, therefore, must master the lower levels like causes and symptoms before mastering the treatment methods. Delivering the session Beginning of session I began by introducing myself and then I outlined the objectives of the session. I then asked the students what they knew about Asthma so that I could create a discussion. According to Popovich and Katz, (2009), it is imperative for the instructor to determine what the students know about the topic of discussion so that he can be able to assess their knowledge and clarify misconceptions. I defined Asthma to the students in this session. During the Session In this section, the students actively listened and watched the video for eight minutes. Initially I thought that the students would not take the video session seriously but I was happy when I noticed that most of them were watching very keenly and some were even taking notes. Some students were murmuring but when I asked them to maintain silence, they complied. This made me happy because I was able to maintain discipline. End of Session In this session, I asked the students to answer the quiz which comprised of both short-answer and multiple-choice questions (McDermott, et al. 2014). I assessed some of their answers and added more information on the topic. I pointed out ways of avoiding Asthma attacks, for example, by avoiding irritants such as chemicals from garden sprays, exhaust fumes from motor vehicles, weather changes and strong odours from paints and colognes. I also explained to the students why managing asthma is beneficial in the long-term because it will enable the patients to control the symptoms and keep it at normal levels. This also helps to minimise the probability of a future attack (GINA, 2016). In order to know how my presentation was, I asked the students to give me feedback about the session. I gave students some pictures that showed some triggers of asthma so that they can know what to avoid. Evaluation and Reflection I was more confident when presenting this session because I knew that I would not make the same mistakes that I had made during the first session. Bell (2001), noted that it is important for an instructor to reflect on his presentation by reviewing the feedback from the students and the supervisor. I used the feedback from the students and my supervisor’s observations to help me prepare this session. According to Kyriakou (2007), an effective teacher should have lesson management skills which enable him to organise and manage the activities that take place during learning so that he can be able to ensure that the students are interested and attentive. I created a good learning environment by identifying myself and by clearly identifying the objectives of the lesson. I encouraged student’s participation and demonstrated good listening and questioning skills (Chaudhary et al. 2015). I did this because I knew that if I did not involve the students, they would not be attentive and this would not allow me to deliver the session well. Since the main content of the session was on the video, my supervisor pointed out that I should have demonstrated my knowledge on the area by providing the sources for some of the video contents and I should also have suggested materials for further reading. This will enable me to improve video sessions in future. It was difficult for me to address the aims and objectives of the session on a video but my supervisor suggested that I can provide this information when answering the quiz. I highlighted the objectives of the lesson and emphasised and summarised the main points so as to help the students to stay interested and to understand what I was teaching. I prepared the session as an online session but I used a blended learning approach during the session that enabled me to introduce the video and set the scene for the audience. However, I should ensure that I provide the information on the aims, objectives, the quizzes, duration and the expectations of the students even when the session will only involve an online video. I provided great rapport during the session and provided the appropriate feedback (Chaudhary et al. 2015). I constantly interacted impartially with the students which helped me to ensure that they were interested in the session. Graham, et al. (2001), noted that classroom discussions facilitate learning and cooperation among the students (cited in Rubio, 2010). According to Kerry (2002), a teacher should use all the student’s responses in a positive way whether they are correct or incorrect (cited in Kyriacou, 2007). I used an online TED-Ed video as my teaching method which was helpful (Wilson and Stacey, 2004). I should, however, ensure that the contents of a pre-made video are in line with the session’s aims and objectives. The use of classroom quizzes and feedback helps the students to understand and retain what they have learnt (McDermott, 2013). I used multiple-choice and short-answer quizzes during the session which helped me to assess the student’s understanding. I used a computer, the internet, a projector, a whiteboard and markers to facilitate the lesson (Kyriacou, 2007) A good instructor should have good communication skills such as maintaining eye contact and ensuring voice clarity (Chaudhary et al. 2015). I have good communication skills and I knew that just like in the first session, I would not have problems clarifying the main points. I demonstrated good presentation skills and delivered the session in a clear and confident way. An instructor should demonstrate good leadership skills by maintaining discipline and control during the session and by using time wisely. I demonstrated good management and leadership skills. In this session, I was able to manage my time properly unlike in the first session thus, showing the importance of reflective practice. Students expect their teachers to treat them equally, fairly and with respect when they are assessing their results or dealing with a misbehaviour regardless of the student’s gender, age or religion (Peart & Campbell, 1999, cited in Rubio, 2012). I responded well to all the student's quizzes and feedback. My supervisor indicated that my strengths were that I exhibited confidence during the presentation and that I used an e-platform properly. I did some research on how to conduct an online session and this enabled to use the e-platform well. However, my supervisor suggested that I should ensure that the content in the video is in line with the aims and objectives. I will ensure that I have a well detailed and evidence-based lesson plan in the next session (Milkova, 2012). References Bell, M., 2001. 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