Running head: reflection of aot chapter 7 1

Reflection of Acts of Teaching Chapter 7

Lun Sian Cing

International Teachers College

Dr. J. Spanogle

12th April 2017

reflection of aot chapter 7 2

Reflection:

I have learned four new ways to teach in my classroom. The first way is Presentation. One

thing I have observed during my teaching practicum is that students love to share what they

already know to their friends. If they have seen something that they think their friends might not

have seen before, they could spend their entire school time talking about it. And because of it, I

have found that it would be helpful if I could use Presentation mode in the classroom for them

to share what they knew and learned to the class even if it is an impromptu activity. Children

around age- 5-6 is the most talkative age. So if I am to teach a K3 class again or any classes

above K3, I would collect data about what they love the most and make them present about it in

front of the classroom as an impromptu activity once a week as a way to boost their confidence

and self-esteem. I would ask the parents to cooperate with their children to:-

1. help them research more about their specific topics and to

2. help them know their goals of presentations

3. help them prepare evidences and visual tools for everyone to see.

The second way is Discussion. This is similar with Presentation but with teamwork and critical

brainstorming. Elementary/Primary students are enthusiastic to share their ideas but students of

younger ages will not be familiar with agreeing other peoples opinions. So the teachers have to

be extremely careful with our instructions and they have to remind them that this is a teamwork

which is meant to listen to the teammates as well. However, students from Grade 2 and above

will start to be familiarize with this method. This method is a way to improvise the

communication skills of the students and create more bonding. It is extremely tricky for young

ages but I would bet on it and try to apply this in my mini groups of students.
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The third way is Independent study. I personally do not really think this is applicable for

students under Grade 1. This can be a great help to presentation method but I have not grew up

with this method so this is quite challenging for me. However, for senior students, this is a very

helpful way for them to learn outside of school. They are encouraged to learn anywhere they can.

And Independent study can help the students to spend more time in the library and help them to

love reading.

The fourth way is Individualized Instruction. As we wrote quite a number of lesson plans

throughout the semester, we are encouraged to come up with a differentiated instructions. At

first, it was really hard for me to come up with a different teaching style with the same

objectives. However, during my practicum, I personally had encountered several situations

where I have to explain the same lesson in different ways for some students who are struggling to

understand my lesson. That was when I started to see that it would have been more effective for

me if I did prepare a differentiated instruction so that I would not be panicked when those

moments happen. Not every students learn the same way. And as a teacher, it is my job to

observe from every single perspectives and prepare every single details in order to help them

learn effectively. As a novice teacher, I used to get annoyed when my students could not catch up

with my explanations and blamed them as slow learners. However, I read a statement by Walter

Barbie that really humbles me. He said If you have told a child a thousand times and he still

does not understand, then it is not the child who is the slow learner. I realized that teaching is

not a copy and paste direction for all students.

In conclusion, the learning styles I have read here encouraged me to be more creative with my

teaching styles to create a learning environment where students are motivated to learn effectively

as in groups and individuals.