Week 10

Week 10!!Last week to put our final reflections! There are so much to say about this course as a whole. To start with it has been a tremendous experience to have worked from colleagues from all over the world. Sharing teaching experiences was great. In the beginning it was quite difficult to adjust but by the time we were more and more confident of ourselves; the course came to an end. 

Each week has been a sort of challenge for me. I was learning and discovering at the same time. I found each and every topic important. For me it was a resourceful course where I have learnt so much. I have a preference for Nicenet. I want to use that with my students. I like Rubistar and also Zunal. So many links and sites have been made known to us. It’s really a great privilege. 

I think slowly but surely, all the topics which we have covered can be brought up in my context. I find each topic having their importance. Assessment for example, there should be some changes in the modes of assessments. About, giving students their autonomy, we should cater for these things in the future. It remains a lifelong process. I believe as long as we are teachers we should be bringing about changes and also cater for new technologies. 

Indeed, I want to continue further in learning and discovering new methods and new strategies. 

I can say that this course has brought about changes in my perception of teaching. My teaching and learning process will be different next year. I am looking forward for January.

I had so much in mind to write but I think I am forgetting them all. I will be grateful to Donna for having so much patience and for having made our journey throughout the course; short, simple and sweet.

I shall end by this quote;

RalphWaldoEmerson

“Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee”

Shavila

Week 9

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere”.  ~Chinese Proverb.

Week 9 has again been a fruitful week. Our course is the treasure which will follow us everywhere. We have acquired so much in these 9 weeks. It’s really amazing that we were able to see and believe in ourselves. Maybe, we did not know that we were capable of doing so many things. The one who deserves the credit is Donna, who has been very patient and a very good guide throughout the course. I shall never stop thanking YOU Donna!

Gardner’s principles have always fascinated me. There should be diversity in learning. As teachers we should cater for diversity in the teaching and learning process. By knowing the different learning styles of our students, we would be able to know their strength and weaknesses. As such, we shall know how they can improve their weaknesses and strengthen their strong points. The theory of Multiple Intelligences is a guide for teachers to devise various lessons so as to be able to cater for students’ needs. 

 This week we had to send our Final project plan. As I am not teaching, it was rather a difficult task for me. I would have loved to experiment what I had planned to do. I could plan but forecasting the results was a problem. I could have had many different opinions on what I had done. I would have had extended my plan to the members of my department so as to implement the project in other English classes. 

It has been a short week. There is a mixed feeling of sadness and also excitement at the end of this week. I am really looking forward to share my experiences and knowledge with my students and colleagues. 

Shavila

WEEK 8

8 weeks! My God! We have been doing so much in 8 weeks. It’s really unbelievable. So much has been done and learnt in 8 weeks. 

This week was the one with the most technical aspect. I started by ANVILL. ANVILL is really an effective tool in the teaching and learning process. I learnt so much. We can devise so many teaching tools in ANVILL. Our students will really benefit from what we are learning. Learning has become so much fun and so interesting. Unfortunately, I could not benefit from such tools when I was at school. I can say that students of nowadays are really lucky!!

I was really looking forward to create my class on Nicenet. I even talked to some of my colleagues on this subject and they have agreed to start their classes on Nicenet next year. I was satisfied when I created mine this week. Though I will not be able to implement it right now, I was happy to give it a try. I think that my students are going to love those discussions. At last, they will be autonomous. Having such a class will also create a different learning atmosphere and students will be excited to comment on their friends’ posts. 

My first experience in a Webinar was on Friday. Indeed, it had been a great experience. It was the first time that I was attending a live Webinar. Although, I had to wait a lot as it was after 10 pm in my country, I was very excited and did not want to miss anything of it. I started very early in case I lost connection or it would take time. I was thrilled by how it was so smoothly done. I learned about Voiceboards which is really an effective tool. The only problem I may get maybe will be internet connections but it s worth to experience it with students.

Planning our projects meant the course was going to end. I was really unhappy on thinking that the course was going to end by the time we submit our final plan. It was a good way of reviewing. The questionnaire was well designed. Finally, we were working in a group which again made me think that group work can be done in that way also. For us group work has always been done in class. 

It’s on a very sad note that I am going to end my reflections. 

Shavila

REFLECTIONS ON WEEK 7

Week 7 has elapsed! Indeed is has been a very fruitful week but very hectic for me. I was overloaded with scripts to be marked and marks inserted in report cards. My plaster has been removed but still suffering. I tried my very best to complete the tasks given but deep within I feel that I have not given my best…

I started with Nicenet discussion on Learners Autonomy which made me go back to my school days where my teachers would ask us to learn by heart and memorize various things, which we found common and easy in those days. But the fact remains that little we applied things and little we understood the real meaning. I was too dependent on my teachers. We were never allowed to work on our own and we had a bookish system. 

As a teacher, I do normally do certain activities so as my students learn to discover things by themselves. They are research work and I also focus on collaborative learning. But I should admit I didn’t give my students the chance to be autonomous to a large extent. As teachers, we have syllabuses to complete, to meet certain standards, to produce good results, to cater for examination papers and to ensure that discipline is maintained all over. When I read the articles, I felt that I deprived my students of certain things. Maybe this would have had an impact on their character formation. We tend to focus more on paperwork. Assessments, examinations and Tests are dominating factors in the educational system. No one has been able to escape from that. It has to change. We are not giving the appropriate education to our students.  

 At conferences, teacher training workshops, in journals and magazines it is unquestioned that promoting learner autonomy is something we should all be doing. The Common European Framework devotes a lot of space to suggesting how to encourage learners to become more autonomous, to be “lifelong learners”. Our mindset should change. In my case, in my country this will take some time but it has to be done.

Also, we had the opportunity to go through many articles and sites which are really useful to us.  Coming to the issue of having computers in classrooms; luckily in my college we have quite a number of computers and laptops. Fortunately, we do have a rather good internet connection which both teachers and students benefit from. Using technology will enhance our teaching, especially, when we are learning so much from this course. We have to put into practice and continue to make changes and innovate in our teaching and learning process. 

Choosing a partner; this is a very nice strategy and also a good way to share information and views. I shall be doing a project plan and I looked for someone having almost the same. 

Designing the lesson plan was a good activity. We were made to think that there are many places and countries which are deprived of such a necessity of nowadays. We should feel lucky and make the most of what we have. 

I am sure next week will be more enriching and will surely do my best.

Shavila

Week 6: Reflections.

This week we had so many interesting issues to think of. We are surely going to improve a lot in our teaching. There will be quality teaching. Of course, the necessary basic technologies should be available. Again days were flying with scripts to correct and deadlines to be met. 

I read about large classes and must say that it has given me new ways to seeing things. By using technology in large classes will solve the problem of indiscipline as everyone will be focused on their computers of learning more interesting and new things. Engaging students is really important in the teaching and learning process. The question is how to keep them focused. If they are not engaged they will not take the subject seriously and will also lose interest in the subject. Through the articles, I came across various ways of engaging my students and am really excited and impatient to implement them in class. 

Power points are really effective tool in the teaching and learning process. I would like to mention that in our college, our Rector always does his assembly by using powerpoints. Even staff meetings are done through powerpoints. Students are very keen to attend the assembly in the morning. Interactive powerpoints are really useful in the sense that students are more engaged in what is being shown to them. They would like to see the whole of it. I tried to create an interactive powwerpoint but was really simple as compared to others. I tried my best to include effects, pictures and hyperlink. I really like using powerpoints but could never make such interactive ones as my colleagues have done; surely, will do more of them in the future. 

I would have loved to have my students so as to implement my project plan. As I already mentioned the problem of speaking in my class, I am planning to use more of videos and also tape recorders. Powerpoints also will be effective as learners will situate themselves and will be engaged till the end of the lesson. When I read the articles on engaging students and large classes, I could picture my own students. I think if I try to engage my students nmore, his would be an advantage in making them improve their speaking skills. 

I am sure next week we are going to learn more interesting and more change can be done in the teaching and learning process.

Shavila