Reflect on My Teaching - Assignment Example

1. Reflect on at least 12 hours of your teaching. The total length of your reflections should be 1500 words and they should help to show that you have achieved the learning outcomes. The past twelve hours of my teaching a small class of adults with different learning disabilities has been a like riding a roller coaster of joys and disappointments. At some points, I would give myself a pat on the back for some responses or teaching strategies that I found useful and effective in engaging my students’ interest, attention and cooperation. On the other hand, I question some of my decisions and try to gauge from my students’ non-verbal expressions if indeed I got through to them. Available to me are the diagnostic reports of my students that have evaluated their learning disabilities. It lists each one’s strengths and weaknesses. I planned my curriculum around these learning differences and formulated goals for them such as developing the necessary skills they need in their practical lives. Collectively, my students have difficulties in reading specifically: having a difficult time in comprehension, difficulty in remembering details, comprehends at only a very literal level, difficulty in inferential comprehension, sequencing of events and vocabulary. One student has difficulty in writing his ideas on paper. Such learning disabilities have caused some of them to have poor self-esteem and inadequate social skills. However, these adults are high functioning in their daily lives. Some of them have their own families, most of them hold jobs and all of them have no difficulty in verbal communication. I have designed a curriculum that aims to meet my students’ needs and help them achieve their goals in this class. It is a literacy program that is based on the Whole-Language Approach method. I believe the strategies I have chosen were effective in drawing out the strengths of my students and improve on their weaknesses. My module is literature based, and although most of the stories I will be using in the duration of this course are children’s stories, they should not be underestimated as a lot of rich concepts and activities may be harvested from them. Such activities are bound to develop the necessary skills my students need to achieve their goals. My class usually begins with a brief synopsis of a story read as homework. We unlock some vocabulary words to make sure everyone understands the story. Then they are grouped in two’s or three’s to have a more thorough discussion of a particular theme within the story. Each group is assigned a different theme so that they can altogether contribute different ideas when they get back together for a class discussion. As an example, we will use “Stone Soup” (refer to attached story sheet). One group may be asked to discuss “Why does the soldier keep a special stone?” Another group may be asked, “How come everybody readily contributed what they have to the soup?” Still another group may be asked: “How else do you think the story might have ended?” These questions aimed to engage the students in collaborative thinking as they get deep into the discussions. It also practiced the students’ communication skills After about 5 minutes of mini-group discussions, the students are all called back to the big group to share their discussions. Each one gets to participate by answering the questions posted to their group. Next, I integrate all the concepts we have taken up and write them on the blackboard. This is the time when I remind them to take down notes so they will remember the concepts taken up. I then break them up again in different dyads which I have put together based on my goals for each student. Each dyad will do an activity related to the story. These activities are designed to tap their weaknesses and improve on it. In effect, I create a buddy system with one buddy complementing the strengths and weaknesses of the other buddy. For example, one dyad will sequence the events of the story using picture cards or printed event cards from the story and arranging these in the proper sequence of events. This activity is specifically assigned to the students with difficulties in sequencing events paired with a “buddy” who does it fairly well. Another dyad will remember the list of ingredients in the stone soup and draw and label each. This is assigned to students that have difficulties in remembering details in the story paired with a partner who can help them. They will come up with a recipe. This reflects application to real life circumstances as they have to think of a process that indeed uses such ingredients to come up with a tasty and nutritious soup. The other dyad will be tasked to fill out the blanks of an excerpt from the story using pre-written words on a card. This activity helps those who have difficulty in visual discrimination. Figuring out which word goes where is one challenge that also involves logical and comprehensive thinking. The earlier discussion questions and activities per group were rotated in the next sessions so everybody got a chance to do everything and develop the intended skills. Aside from small group activities, I have also included some dynamic strategies, some done in class and some as homework - writing essays on differentiating facts from opinions; how the whole story may be affected by changing just one detail; coming up with a powerpoint presentation on the value of cooperation, based on the story “Stone Soup” and having simple projects such as shopping within a prescribed budget for ingredients to use for the soup and following a recipe to cook the soup in class and to feed all the people in class. I think the learning strategies I have come up with are interesting enough to keep my students in class. My intended outcomes for these are the following: Small group discussion on different questions about the story – encourages recall of the main point and the noting of details in the story. It also encourages making inferences and conclusions and enhances comprehension of the story. Sequencing picture/ event cards – helps the students focus on the logical flow of the story. It encourages focus and order in thinking. Recall of ingredients and coming up with a recipe – develops recall skills and creative thinking in coming up with an original recipe Filling out blanks with word cards: - practices visual discrimination and logical skills. Essays on differentiating facts from opinions: helps students think deeper than the literal level of the story and apply some concepts to real-life situations. It also encourages expression of ideas in print. Thinking of how the story might be affected by changing just one detail – encourages students to think of causes and effects and promotes logical and critical thinking. Powerpoint presentation on the value of Cooperation – this group project encourages the cooperative spirit in researching for materials and putting up a computerized presentation as a team. It helps build the necessary skills in presenting their ideas to an audience using media. It also hopes to instill confidence in public speaking. Shopping and Cooking Soup- Shopping for ingredients necessary for a particular recipe requires skills in estimation (quantity needed for recipe), budgeting, choosing the best brands for the best price and even thinking of alternative materials in the event that an ingredient is not available or is priced too high for the budget prescribed. Following a recipe while cooking enhances order in following the correct sequence of the procedure. This project likewise promotes cooperation and working as a team. Reflecting on my teaching is overwhelming, considering some of my students were older than I. I was unsure when planning the strategies I used, as I didn’t know how they would react to my activities. Perhaps my students saw through me, as there were times when they tested my authority. These learning disabled adults tried so hard to cover up their difficulties by using humor to divert the class noticing it. However when a children’s story was introduced, everyone loosened up. I guess the charm of something familiar from childhood just holds a key to breaking barriers. At first, the students thought the course would be a breeze, as the material was juvenile and the activities planned out seemed fun. However, as they tried out the activities and realized that their skills were being challenged, they took the course more seriously. Some students intimidated me as they claimed I was giving them a hard time. There were times when I wanted to give in and tell them it was alright to skip the activity if they didn’t want to do it. However, my conscience told me to stick to my guns. I told them there were some things that were non-negotiable and they have no choice but to do it. Although I admit I have a lot more to learn in teaching adults with learning disabilities, my reflections on my teaching inspire me to go on. I believe I have earned the respect of my students as they seem to have made a lot of progress in their reading and comprehension skills through the various activities I introduced. More than that, I believe I was instrumental in their emerging positive self-esteem. If only for that, I know I have done my duty as an educator well. 2. A critical review (1500 words in length) of how you assess your students’ learning. You must use appropriate concepts and techniques drawn from the theory of assessment and must demonstrate your ability to identify, implement and evaluate an appropriate assessment strategy. The diagnostic assessment of my students provided to me before the course began was the basis of my curriculum development. The curriculum I developed for adults with learning disabilities emphasized active and collaborative learning activities. To assess my students’ learning, a variety of assessment methods are necessary. For this adult class, assessment is usually informal. Since each student presents a different learning profile, most assessment materials used need to reflect his or her own progress in the areas of weakness. Standardized tests, quizzes and exams have accommodations that are provided on an individual basis after considering the student’s type of learning disability, the severity of the disability, the specific course content and the course objectives. However, such traditional assessment measures are used discerningly if they accurately measure thinking and problem-solving skills, in-depth subject knowledge or how well the students can direct their own learning. In assessing the skills of my students, I would give accommodations according to their specific disabilities. For instance, I can allow students to answer exam questions using methods other than writing for those who have difficulty putting their thoughts on paper. The answers of the students may be delivered orally, tape-recorded or typed. Another accommodation is to allow students to clarify or rephrase the questions in their own words as a comprehension check before answering the questions. I analyze not only the final product but also the process the student used to come up with it. According to Susan Vogel and Stephen Reder (1998), there are four elements of informal assessment in learning environments: “ observation of student characteristics and manifestations within the classroom or learning environment; use of checklists and surveys to gather information that helps to identify a need for further informal assessment; analysis of authentic skill or task demonstration to evaluate student performance and implementation of an intensive interview or self-report questionnaire” (Vogel & Reder, 1998, p. 113) From the beginning, I have kept a journal where I logged in my observations of each student per session. I try to keenly observe their communication skills specifically their auditory or receptive abilities and oral expressive language abilities. Non-verbal gestures speak volumes. Does the student show that he has heard and received well the message addressed to the class? Does he verbally express his ideas well or does he usually shrug his shoulders or frown in frustration at his inability to communicate well? How about his visual abilities? Is he accurate in visually processing information? When he reads aloud, does he skip partial or full line of print? Or does he squint his eyes in an attempt to read the notes on the blackboard? This may also affect his visual-motor abilities as observed in his accuracy in copying notes or quality of penmanship. Is he prone to forgetting small details or retaining information given just a few moments before? Does he follow directions in proper sequence? Is he organized and coherent in this thinking process as manifested in his participation in the discussions? Is he easily distracted by the minutest auditory or visual stimuli? Does he find it difficult to concentrate and keep to a task to its completion? I try to write down as much observation as I could to help me create a more appropriate material or lesson to support each student. Using checklists or surveys either filled out by the students themselves (e.g. Payne Learning Needs Inventory) or by other people who know their characteristics or learning styles may be very useful to me as their teacher so I could develop activities suited to their needs and preferences. Usually, these checklists are useful when the student has validated them himself. Authentic Skill or task analysis provides a performance or competency-based analysis of skills and tasks necessary to reach the specified goals. I, as the teacher clearly identify the areas of accomplishment and areas requiring targeted, specific instruction by observing the manner in which my student approaches a task or skill and evaluate accordingly if he can perform the skill or task adequately. An example is the sequencing of events. Does my student remember enough details to guide him to arrange the events correctly in both the activity with picture cues, printed sentence cues and also orally when he is asked to re-tell the story himself? Can he adequately display the same when another story with the same number of events is heard? Put simply, can he apply his acquired skill to a new situation? If so, he would have been authentically successful in reaching his goal of being able to sequence events. Authentic assessment is based on authentic learning, and this is the kind of assessment that I constantly use for my students. It allows me to modify my strategies in order to fit them to my students’ evolving needs. While observing student performances and reviewing their work, I use a predetermined criteria in scoring these alternative assessments. This rubric lists important features that should be present in the performance or product of student. It likewise indicates levels of quality for each feature. For instance, in scoring reading comprehension based on a written response to a story, I would score 3 if the written response is complete; indicates a very good understanding of the story and its problem and provides accurate and relevant details, information and supportive reasoning. The score of 2 is for partial responses that indicate a fairly good understanding of the story and the details given are mostly accurate, although some may be irrelevant or unrelated to the story. A score of 1 is given if the response is fragmentary and indicates only a minimal understanding of the story’s problem. Details given are random and irrelevant. I give a score of 0 if there is little or no response, inaccurate and irrelevant details and ideas that indicate a serious misunderstanding of the story. “Scoring rubrics communicate to students that certain identifiable skills are valued and expected such as synthesizing information from several sources, speaking clearly and making eye contact during oral presentations, developing a good introduction in an essay or research paper or using transitions between paragraphs.” (Shalaway, 1998, p. 147) Since this is an adult class, I think the most valuable assessment is the students’ self-assessment. This way, students take charge of their own learning experience when they see the direction they are taking. It is important that they know how to reflect upon their own progress and report it objectively so they can get the necessary help to reach their goals. This is possible in an atmosphere of trust wherein they do not fear judgement from others. However, there are those whose self-esteem may be so low because of their inabilities that they constantly report that they are not possibly improving. These are the students who are in need of more patience and positive reinforcement in seeing their strengths. Teaching an adult class with learning disabilities require a teacher’s sensitivity to the students’ issues. Most of them look at their disabilities with shame and it is pride that keeps them from seeking help. Breaking through that tough exterior is a challenge for educators who have sincere intentions of helping them. It is good that modern times have brought about conveniences such as computers that read aloud, has spell check features, etc., that may indeed help people with learning disabilities. However, it is still essential that these people learn the basics so that they survive even without these technological advances. It is possible with the help of a dedicated teacher who can offer human feedback. Assessment not only evaluates the concepts and skills learned by the students in class. It also helps the teacher develop more appropriate learning materials and activities that would suit the evolving needs of the student. The success of the assessment process also reflects the effectiveness of the curriculum. Eventually, it also reflects on the efficiency of the committed teacher. The Story of Stone Soup From : http://stonesoup.esd.ornl.gov/stonesoup.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once upon a time, somewhere in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night. "Theres not a bite to eat in the whole province," he was told. "Better keep moving on." "Oh, I have everything I need," he said. "In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you." He pulled an iron cauldron from his wagon, filled it with water, and built a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a velvet bag and dropped it into the water. By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come to the square or watched from their windows. As the soldier sniffed the "broth" and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism. "Ahh," the soldier said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- thats hard to beat." Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage hed retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. "Capital!" cried the soldier. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king." The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for all. The villagers offered the soldier a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell and traveled on the next day. The moral is that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved. References Brockbank, A., & McGill, I. (1998) Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education. Buckingham: SRHE & Open University Press Brookfield, S.D. (1995) Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers East Bay AIDS Education Training Center, Principles of adult learners. Retrieved on February 14, 2007 from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-1.htm General Strategies for Teaching Students with Various Learning Disibilities. Retrieved on February 19, 2007 from http://www.hometown.aol.com/msmillerthetutor/mem/ld2.html Kim, H., ed., (2004) Learning Disabilities. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Lee, M. (2005) The Inquiry-based Course: A Self-Assessment Inventory. UNH Center for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved on February 14, 2007 from http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence-1 Lifelong Learning UK (2007) Development Of A Teacher Qualifications Framework For The Lifelong Learning Sector. Retrieved on February 14, 2007 from http:// www.lluk.org. Lifelong Learning UK (2007) New overarching professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector. Retrieved on February 14, 2007 from http:// www.lifelonglearninguk.org National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2004.) “Preparation Program Self-Assessment.” National Leadership Summit on High Quality Teacher Preparation, Barton Creek, Austin, Texas, June 28 – 30, 2004 Shalaway, L. (1998) Learning to Teach. New York: Scholastic Professional Books Vogel, S.A. & Reder, S., (1998) Learning Disabilities, Literacy and Adult Education. Baltimore: Paul Brookes Publishing Co. Read More