Part 4 – In regards to technology, be comfortable failing in front of your students

 

 

   Failure is a learning process and in order to learn, look forward to the future and never turn back.  This is a quotation that is written on the diary that I used when I was 12 years old.  It is my mantra as I go through life.

       You had planned a wonderful lesson package where it involved showing a certain Youtube video to the kids.  Lugging the monster-weight LCD was a breeze, setting the tangling wires was a ‘kacang putih’ effort but…the visual was too dark for the students to see.  Scratching the head, looking and thinking, times moved on and the noise grew.  ‘Can anybody figure out what’s going on with this dark visual?’ I asked.  Within mlliseconds, my young Padawanians jumped to action and  press the buttons on the keyboard…..I was saved by my students.  The moral of the story is be comfortable to seek help from these kids as they will love to help you.  You are not a failure to them but a learner in the process.  Just like the kids….

Amidst the cough, vomit, marking and packing part 2...

My 3rd son has finally gone to sleep after vomitting all the phlegm so now, the next point is supposed to be no 13 but I have just realised that it is similar to point no 9 so I have changed to point no 22.  I learn a lot of lessons when it comes to this point.  An essay topic that looks easy and interesting to me does not mean that students would actually want to write on it.  Generation gap and different thinking, intelligence and maturity level have contributed to the awareness that 'It's not all about you - let go of ideas and assignments that don't work.  Based on the article, 'Do Generational Differences Matter In Instructional Design' by Thomas C.Reeves, the factor of of personal and social values of one particular generation do affect their thinking, intelligence and maturity level.  This is reflected in their academic work especially writing.  My weak students cared more for 'The Benefits and Disadvantages of Attending Tuition Classes' rather than 'Ways of Taking Care if of the Environment'.  Thus, it is safer to make a survey of their interest, likes and dislikes and offer 2 writing topics for them to choose one. 

Part 3 – things take longer than you expect

      

       When one plans his lesson plan, time allocation for the each step of the lesson is very crucial.  It is a rare moment if you are able to carry out the steps of a lesson according to the time allocated 100%.  There are so many unforeseen factors that can steal away the time even though you try to foresee it.  Class control, class cleanliness, spot check by prefects, students coming to see the class students and others that will grab your precious 5 minutes of every step.  What do you do? Repeat the mantra ‘things take longer than you expect’ while you try to salvage what ever minutes left to carry out the lesson.

     Another common scenario is you think that your explanation is simple enough for the students to grasp but unfortunately the understanding is not reflected in performance – class work and exam.  My quest to instill modal auxillaries awareness in 5 Mulia started when they were in Form 4.  They just love to write    ‘also can’  or ‘can eats, can buying, can bought’ and other similar mistakes in their writing.  I’ve been explaining the mistakes religiously, slowly and have come up with various drilling practices but there are still mistakes as I am marking their SPM trial essay paper.  Would a technology-infused lesson solve this problem?  With behaviourism as its foundation, would this mantra ‘things take longer than you expect’ finally stop?  This is my focus for my research paper.

Amidst the cough, vomit, marking and packing...part 1

      What  a title!  But those were the things on my mind as I made the 4 choices from the list while waiting for Dr. Musa at KPJ Damansara Utama.
       Don't underestimate the power of fun, play and the unexpected. This point is about to have one or two or even three elements together functioning in your teaching and learning proces) This is one theme that has been dominating most of my English classes this year and I tell you, it has brought wonders to the classes.      
      One example is my writing classes with Form 5 Cermat.  Out of 31 students, 22 students usually pay attention and out these 22, 12 students can write and out of these 12 students, 2 students can write while the rest manage to produce 1-2 paragraphs - depending on the writing topic.  Thus, it is a challenge to keep the momentum of writing on such class.  I use common topics and keywords to deliver the writing topic with fpe as the setting.  The fun part is when every time a kid manages to construct a simple complete sentence based on the keywords on the whiteboard, I will throw a sweet at him or her.  Yup,  I have broken all the rules in the discipline book but it makes the kids pay attention and not asleep, carpe diem.  Those who make mistakes in their simple grammar, sentence construction and spelling will have to donate their sweets to the kid who has given the right answer and this is where the game starts as the kids will work hard to defend their sweets.  At the end of my writing class, I have them actually working together to write a 5-paragraph essay.  I don't practise this method often as I want the students to actually ask me when is the next writing class and I let them choose their topics...to match with their interest so I have writing topics like Facebook, online chatting, tuition classes and others. 
     The unexpected part?  With my good classes, there will be students who love to hand in books way pass the date line so ...they will always think that teachers will scold and nag at them. But, I will officially make these students my babies of the week where they get special treatment from me like sitting at the teacher's table with me and provide them with milk bottles while they work hard to settle their debts.  I will not say anything much at this point because these students will work at a F1 speed to leave my table and return the milk bottles.  Such method varies from time to time....

John Seely Brown Part 1

    After 6 minutes of his lecture, my first conclusion is the present learning process of the 21st century is a democratic and globalized learning process.  No more regimented and restricted learning process - with its social and cultural constraints.  The learning process of the 21st century must be opened to all doors of opportunities; don't leave all the stones unturned.  He said 'We learn in and through our interactions with others and the world'.

     My next conclusion after the 13th minute of his lecture is the present generation have created a fusion of learning and fun in one digital, borderless world.  Thus, if the parents and educators want to be a part of this world, they need to practise and believe the fusion.  'If I ain't learning, it ain't fun' mantra is the core of the fusion...so if you can't beat the mantra, join in the mantra!  Such fusion actually encourages students to adopt learning enthusiastically and excitedly and educators are obligated to echo such fusion on their respective classes.  I see it as a challenge for some as while some educators have their own teaching and learning philosophy that is derived from their own experience, they have to be ready to be flexible towards accepting the whole (or a part of) the students' philosophy in their classrooms.  For example, to create learners who understand, group learning through social interaction must be included in the teaching and learning process of the particular educator so that his and the students' learning objectives are achieved together.
         Unfortunately, by the time of 21st minutes, I began to lose the big picture!

Google Docs and LC experience

Haiya.....that's the word that I can think of at the wee hours of the morning...

Being the first time user of Google Docs and doing the LC at the same time is a challenging experience...it's a normal feeling actually - going into the unknown but leaving the unknown with a victory.

One has to be daring and bold while relying on the past experience of using other applications like Words.  Then, one thing I love about Google docs is that it saves the doc by itself....I can concentrate on the work while the applications focuses on saving my creation....but as I use netbook , the screen is small so I have to scroll up and down to see what I have done.  Full screen can be used but one needs the buttons to do the work....tsk tsk

 Learning Contract....after having a look at the samples, the pressure was there to create similar effective LC.  After some discussions with Jessica and Monica yesterday, I managed to come up with one but I'm not satisfied...more can be out,,,more can be omitted...hopefully we are given time to do that in class today. I feel no personal connection to my LC...how do I make it very personal like Radziah's and Zai's?   

carpe diem @redah aje

Been working on my learning contract using google docs.  Have heard of google docs for so many times but I never bother to find out.  Perhaps it has no use in my world.  But the debate trainer for my English debate team has been using google docs to prepare the script so I have to figure this docs.
     How do you use google docs?  While figuring out the content of my learning contract, I have to figure out the mystery of google docs....does it have any manual on how to use it?
    The key to this mystery is....carpe diem....take the risk and seize the chance...meaning...click any relevant-looking buttons that set up the space for typing.  It looks like Word....the expected buttons are there.....so in the middle of finalizing the content...hmm..how do I link it to Spectrum?  

     Technology is like Harry Potter figuring out Voldermort and his parents....take the risk and go with the flow ....redah aje....

3 attempts and here it is

      I always think that it's a breeze to set up one's own blog..so easy that i've been proscratinating for so long until pxgt 6110 comes along.
      At 5 am, sleepy eyes in front of the 'baby', I've created the blog..3 times to be exact.  Don't want to bore you with the details but the keyword is patience....be patient....carpe diem