Jessika Malouf

Reflection on TeachLive Experience:

Link to TeachLive video:

https://echo360.org.au/media/a141e2a8-2e58-4eb2-8785-2ee59502ca0d/public

Link to Flipgrid feedback provided straight after TeachLive session:

Date: August 25, 2:12pm (AWST)

Grid: TeachLive Feedback
Topic: How did you enjoy Teachlive?
View: https://flipgrid.com/906b6b

AITSL Standard 1.2; 2.2; 3.3; 3.5

Going into the TeachLive lesson, I was feeling a little nervous. I was wondering
what my first ever lesson was going to be like, if the student avatars were going
to behave, how they were going to react and whether I was going to pique their
interest.

In terms of my lesson plan, the butterfly life cycle, I was ready having rehearsed
the first 10mins enough times. I made sure I knew my content and flow in case I
got interrupted by one of the students. I couldnt be prepared for the students
interaction, reaction or even attitude, as I didnt know them! I suppose I couldnt
be organized enough for AITSL standard 1 (Know the students and how they
learn). What I did have was plan B for a demonstration, in case students didnt
respond well to the inflatables I had. I had a video featuring the Butterfly Life
Cycle with a musical background and real life illustrations as a back up.

I was inspired by the Bayley video and found it extremely useful in setting the
scene for a first lesson and establishing rapport with students I hadnt met. I
tried to know the students by asking them how they were feeling in order to
gauge their personality and their attitude to learning. I used the opportunity to
establish some classroom management strategies by clearly stating three
expectations: hand up before students spoke, eyes on me, no movement in class.
I made sure students understood class rules by asking clearly: are we clear on
this?, does anyone not understand?, and getting verbal confirmation from
them.
In theory, it all sounded good and well. I thought my flow and content was great,
the use of the inflatable butterfly and its stages was brilliant. I was also able to
present worksheets and go through them with the students verbally by holding
the worksheets up and asking the relevant questions.

What I felt was lacking was sincere interaction from the avatars. It seemed they
were not interested in the lesson. This is despite the fact I made sure I was
confident during the lesson, my voice wasnt monotonous, and I was interactive
and constantly asked for feedback. This may have been due to the simple fact
that one person was simulating all five avatars, time difference between
Australia and the United States of America may have affected energy levels, and
perhaps they had learnt about the butterfly life cycle too many times!

Walking out of the Teach live session, I felt satisfied with my lesson flow and
content but was disappointed that I could not engage the students fully. The
classroom consisted of five students with five different personalities. I suppose I
was not ready to encounter five different personalities in a classroom of five but
I tried to involve them all in the learning process.
Maria was shy and very quiet and would never put her hand up whenever I
asked a question. She had her head down and wouldnt make eye contact. I
directed a question at her directly and assisted her with the answer, making sure
I rewarded her with a compliment.

Sean, on the other hand, always had something to say and would go on for a
while. What I learnt was that I had to intervene otherwise I would run out of
time or other students would not get a turn. In fact, going back to my practicum
in the actual school, I recall being aware of a boisterous student in class and
having to cap their discussion.

CJ, sitting at the back, represented the student that just didnt want to be there.
Effective strategy would need to be used to get her involved and interested. Her
answers to my questions, yeah, whatever, or comments such as stupid
butterfly were actually confronting for me. I tried to tackle her attitude by
ignoring a reply on one occasion, and making a comment on another. In real life,
I would collaborate with a colleague or principal to acquire a better approach to
get CJ involved in class. I would even take the initiative to greet her parents and
try to gain an understanding of her background to ascertain contributing factors.

Kevin had a laid back, happy go lucky attitude. He would sit back in his chair
looking confident. He made a comment once on how good-looking he is and that
nothing is worth stressing about. That was both mature and over confident, I
thought.

Ed was a quiet, polite and conforming student. I could tell he was a smart
student and had an analytical mind. He would not volunteer an answer though.

In my opinion, The Teachlive session is crucial in getting pre service teachers to

understand the importance of thorough lesson plans, knowing the content very
well, devising effective classroom management techniques and practicing
leading a classroom. It was fantastic in instilling some confidence in me going
into my practicum, knowing I will survive and what to be prepared for.

Computerised students limit interaction and emotive engagement. Working out

student knowledge assessment was challenging as I knew I couldnt give hand
outs, or ask the students to sit in a circle. I believe that doing more of these
sessions would prepare you better for a classroom, as opposed to one taster
lesson. I thought I was well prepared for my Teachlive session but got caught
out out with multiple personalities! This also emphasizes that teaching
experience comes with practice and time.

I now appreciate how APST standard 1 has an impact on learning, as knowing

your students and their triggers open the journey to learning. Knowing your
lesson content well (APST 2.1) and delivering it in a coherent matter (APST 2.2)
will enhance the learning experience. Recognizing student abilities helps
establish more challenging tasks (APST 3.1), using teaching and management
strategies (APST 3.3) encapsulates a whole classroom, and effective
communication supports student engagement. I had a go at implementing APST
standard 4.1 and 4.3 by being aware of student personalities and ensuring all
were involved. The use of worksheet and verbal quiz during the Teachlive
session directly relates to APST 5.1.