Technology refers to the ways of making and doing things by dealing with materials. Since education is always moving forward and is always in reform, teachers should be in reform as well and develop their new methods and new knowledge.
That is why teachers should have technological capabilities such as to handle audio-visual equipment and other technological instruments and tools efficiently and correctly.
As a teacher and before I teach my lesson, I have to prepare the instructional objectives (from the learner’s point of view), the content, materials, activities, closure and evaluation and the appropriate time for each activity and of course to set my goals.
In this portfolio activity, I will teach KG2 how to predict story events and put events in the proper order.
I have chosen a story titled “The Doctor’s Visit” in which students will know more about the doctor.
The materials used are the CD player and photos. My aim behind using the CD player is to help students focus on listening, understand the story, and use their critical thinking in order to predict the story events.
Before I start the story, I ask the students the following questions:
who goes to the doctor?
Are you afraid from the doctor?
Why do you go to the doctor?
Ok! Now we will listen to a story about a girl who was very sick.
The story consists of 5 paragraphs, and after each paragraph I stop to ask the students questions to make sure that they understood the event. On the other hand, I give them time to predict what will happen next.
After the first paragraph I ask the students:
why must Katie stay home today?
What do we do if we are sick?
Do you think that Katie likes to go to the doctor? (predict)
Ok! Let’s see together, and please listen carefully.
The second paragraph shows how Katie was scared to see the doctor. So, I will ask them the following questions:
why was Katie so scared?
What do you think will happen after Katie fell deep asleep? (predict)
Let’s find together what will happen.
The third paragraph tells us about the bad dream that Katie dreamt about the doctor which looked like a very bad witch. I will ask the following questions:
how was the woman dressed?
What color was her face?
What did she carry?
Do you think that this bad dream will let Katie totally refuse to see the doctor?(predict), so let us find together.
The fourth paragraph tells us how Katie’s mom woke her up and told her that this was just a dream. I will ask the following questions:
Who came to visit Katie?
Do you think that Katie will let the doctor come close to her? (predict).
The fifth and the last paragraph shows us how the doctor was gentle with Katie and didn’t harm her. I will ask the following questions:
how did the doctor treat Katie?
Is Katie still afraid from the doctor?
After they finish listening to the story, the students must remember the events (comprehension and analysis) in order to be able to put the story events in order.
I display the pictures on the board and students will come and put them in the correct order.
Conclusion:
Students in this lesson were put in active roles, participating in answering the questions and predicting story events.
The role of high quality representation helped students to get more interested and provided them with things to think and answer the questionings which increase students’ motivation and guide their learning.
And in a class where diversity takes place (different language and different learning styles), we can see that some students will find it difficult to follow up the story on a CD player and to put the events in order especially if the student prefers learning visually.
Finally, we can say that “technology brings the complexities of the real world into the classroom and make them accessible to students.”
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Methodology of Teaching
This paper includes my own critical reflection about this course and how it helped me develop and improve through out the year.
Methodology of Teaching is a course that has a package of all the important themes such as: classroom management, effective teaching, teaching planning, student diversity, capitalizing on social interaction, problem-based interaction, constructivism approach, and increasing learning student involvement.
These themes help the teacher improve and develop in her career.
This diversity of themes helped me as a teacher to see clearly where are my weak points in order to correct them, develop and improve.
The lesson Teaching Planning increased my information about how a teacher should include the objectives, materials, activities, closure and evaluation in an effective lesson plan. It helped me know better how my goals should be reached and how the objectives set up should be achieved.
The Classroom Management lesson was very interesting and helpful as well. It opened my eyes to see the big student diversity found in my classroom. This diversity was an obstacle for me at the beginning .
After the deep explanation that Dr. Mohayyar provided about Classroom Management and Student Diversity, it became easier for me to work in my class and in other classes and levels too.
It pushed me to understand students’ characters and try to dive deeply in their personality.
Now it is easier for me to manage with students who have different levels of maturity, cultural and background experiences, languages and learning styles.
Increasing Learning Student Involvement lesson made me realize that students learn more and retain information longer when they are put in active roles than they do when passively receiving information from others.
On the other hand, this course improved my self-confidence and self-esteem and motivated me to give my best in presenting my projects infront of the class.
The projects that I was working on, built in me a creativity that I thought it was not found.
The reflection papers that were given to us helped me develop my critical thinking and know better how to arrange my ideas.
As a teacher and as a teaching diploma student, I had to make observations in different classes. It was easy for me to focus on important points in each class because I got a rich background about Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Since this is my first year in teaching, I was not able to use or experience everything yet.
But I am sure that this course will follow me through out all my teaching years and will help me teach better and learn more.
And the presentation of each lesson that Dr. Al Mohayyar provided us on a clear power point will be my reference whenever is needed.
I am sure that this course will help me improve and develop the quality of my teaching learning process .
A special thanks for Dr. Rabih because he was always ready to answer our questions and ready to correct us in a good and motivated way.
Methodology of Teaching is a course that has a package of all the important themes such as: classroom management, effective teaching, teaching planning, student diversity, capitalizing on social interaction, problem-based interaction, constructivism approach, and increasing learning student involvement.
These themes help the teacher improve and develop in her career.
This diversity of themes helped me as a teacher to see clearly where are my weak points in order to correct them, develop and improve.
The lesson Teaching Planning increased my information about how a teacher should include the objectives, materials, activities, closure and evaluation in an effective lesson plan. It helped me know better how my goals should be reached and how the objectives set up should be achieved.
The Classroom Management lesson was very interesting and helpful as well. It opened my eyes to see the big student diversity found in my classroom. This diversity was an obstacle for me at the beginning .
After the deep explanation that Dr. Mohayyar provided about Classroom Management and Student Diversity, it became easier for me to work in my class and in other classes and levels too.
It pushed me to understand students’ characters and try to dive deeply in their personality.
Now it is easier for me to manage with students who have different levels of maturity, cultural and background experiences, languages and learning styles.
Increasing Learning Student Involvement lesson made me realize that students learn more and retain information longer when they are put in active roles than they do when passively receiving information from others.
On the other hand, this course improved my self-confidence and self-esteem and motivated me to give my best in presenting my projects infront of the class.
The projects that I was working on, built in me a creativity that I thought it was not found.
The reflection papers that were given to us helped me develop my critical thinking and know better how to arrange my ideas.
As a teacher and as a teaching diploma student, I had to make observations in different classes. It was easy for me to focus on important points in each class because I got a rich background about Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Since this is my first year in teaching, I was not able to use or experience everything yet.
But I am sure that this course will follow me through out all my teaching years and will help me teach better and learn more.
And the presentation of each lesson that Dr. Al Mohayyar provided us on a clear power point will be my reference whenever is needed.
I am sure that this course will help me improve and develop the quality of my teaching learning process .
A special thanks for Dr. Rabih because he was always ready to answer our questions and ready to correct us in a good and motivated way.
MIDTERM ASSESSMENT
1-Instructional Objectives
a-Students should be able to identify a circle
b-Students should be able to label center, radius, and diameter of a circle.
c-Students should be able to construct circles using a compass.
d-Students should be able to make up circles that have one point in common, two pints in common or no pints in common.
e-Students should be able to conclude why a circle is not a polygon.
2-Lesson Content
Geometry
Constructing circles.
3-Instructional Materials
Compass, cardboard, chalkboard, copybooks, pencils, ball, coin(for each student)
4-Procedures
Time a- Opening
5 min. - Review: about the shapes that are polygons (square, rectangle, triangle,
trapezoid, parallelogram). Each student will come and show the shape
that he has and explain about it.
- Objectives will be met after the game.
b- Activities
15 min. Take all the students to the playgroynd.
Game: 15 students will line up side by side with a ball infront of them.
And other 15 students will line up on another side in the same way.
Teacher chooses 2 students, one standing close to the ball and another
one far from the ball.
Then the teacher calls the students by their names to run and catch the
ball, the one who catches it first will be the winner.
After the game the students will realize that it wasn’t a fair game.
Teacher asks: why do you think that the game was not fair?
Students must deduce that instead of lining up side by side, they should
form a circle where all will be lined away from the ball(center) at the same
distance.(radius)
7 min. Teacher-student interaction throughout questioning (IN CLASS)
If a circle is formed what will be its center?
What will be the radius , diameter and circumference of a circle?
After answering the questions:
The teacher asks the students to draw individually a circle using a coin (on their
copybooks).
Then the teacher will show them on the board how to draw a
circle using a compass. (label the radii and diameters)
how can you describe the radii and diameters of a circle? (they should know that they
are equal).
8 min. Pair work:
Students will help each other draw 2 circles using a compass (on a cardboard).
Each group will talk about his work and compare it with others.(some might have circles
with one point in
common, others with two points in common, others with no point in common.)
c- Closure
5 min. Does the circle have straight sides as a square?
Does the circles have straight sides as a rectangle?
Students will deduce that a circle is not a polygon.
5- Evaluation
5 min. Visual thinking
Ring the letter of the figure on the right that will correctly complete the relation on the
Left
The most difficult aspect of planning this lesson was the game. It took me time to think about an effective game that will help the students think and create their own understanding about circles.
Questionning is difficult as well in such a lesson because it should be focused on the lesson and should motivate the students to think and answer instead of memorizing.
It is not easy as well to organize and structure the lesson, since it should follow and order to help the students create their understanding.
I think that this lesson will be effective and will help the students build their own understanding about circles . I hope that students will be able to deduce that a circle is not a polygon based on their background about other shapes that are polygons.
Planning a constructivist activity is different from other types of lesson from the way the lesson is introduced. The goals should be precise and clearly identified and the content must follow multiple ways of representations.
The constructivist lessons typically begin with a problem or question focusing on the lesson thus increasing the students’ curiosity.
The students will come out with answers and explanations and not the teacher.
Too much social interaction is used in the constructivist lesson and the teacher help students construct understanding by guiding the interaction and providing the content representations.
The constructivist lesson should give the students the chance and the freedom to learn on their own and use their own experiences to create understanding.
The teacher must use clearly focused questions in her lesson plan to motivate students and later to involve them in activities that help them develop their understanding.
In a consrtuctivist lesson, the materials should be variable and should be used in everyday life, this will reduce memory load and focus more on understanding.
An effective assessment should be planned at the end of the lesson in order to assure that the students constructed effectively their learning and understanding.
a-Students should be able to identify a circle
b-Students should be able to label center, radius, and diameter of a circle.
c-Students should be able to construct circles using a compass.
d-Students should be able to make up circles that have one point in common, two pints in common or no pints in common.
e-Students should be able to conclude why a circle is not a polygon.
2-Lesson Content
Geometry
Constructing circles.
3-Instructional Materials
Compass, cardboard, chalkboard, copybooks, pencils, ball, coin(for each student)
4-Procedures
Time a- Opening
5 min. - Review: about the shapes that are polygons (square, rectangle, triangle,
trapezoid, parallelogram). Each student will come and show the shape
that he has and explain about it.
- Objectives will be met after the game.
b- Activities
15 min. Take all the students to the playgroynd.
Game: 15 students will line up side by side with a ball infront of them.
And other 15 students will line up on another side in the same way.
Teacher chooses 2 students, one standing close to the ball and another
one far from the ball.
Then the teacher calls the students by their names to run and catch the
ball, the one who catches it first will be the winner.
After the game the students will realize that it wasn’t a fair game.
Teacher asks: why do you think that the game was not fair?
Students must deduce that instead of lining up side by side, they should
form a circle where all will be lined away from the ball(center) at the same
distance.(radius)
7 min. Teacher-student interaction throughout questioning (IN CLASS)
If a circle is formed what will be its center?
What will be the radius , diameter and circumference of a circle?
After answering the questions:
The teacher asks the students to draw individually a circle using a coin (on their
copybooks).
Then the teacher will show them on the board how to draw a
circle using a compass. (label the radii and diameters)
how can you describe the radii and diameters of a circle? (they should know that they
are equal).
8 min. Pair work:
Students will help each other draw 2 circles using a compass (on a cardboard).
Each group will talk about his work and compare it with others.(some might have circles
with one point in
common, others with two points in common, others with no point in common.)
c- Closure
5 min. Does the circle have straight sides as a square?
Does the circles have straight sides as a rectangle?
Students will deduce that a circle is not a polygon.
5- Evaluation
5 min. Visual thinking
Ring the letter of the figure on the right that will correctly complete the relation on the
Left
The most difficult aspect of planning this lesson was the game. It took me time to think about an effective game that will help the students think and create their own understanding about circles.
Questionning is difficult as well in such a lesson because it should be focused on the lesson and should motivate the students to think and answer instead of memorizing.
It is not easy as well to organize and structure the lesson, since it should follow and order to help the students create their understanding.
I think that this lesson will be effective and will help the students build their own understanding about circles . I hope that students will be able to deduce that a circle is not a polygon based on their background about other shapes that are polygons.
Planning a constructivist activity is different from other types of lesson from the way the lesson is introduced. The goals should be precise and clearly identified and the content must follow multiple ways of representations.
The constructivist lessons typically begin with a problem or question focusing on the lesson thus increasing the students’ curiosity.
The students will come out with answers and explanations and not the teacher.
Too much social interaction is used in the constructivist lesson and the teacher help students construct understanding by guiding the interaction and providing the content representations.
The constructivist lesson should give the students the chance and the freedom to learn on their own and use their own experiences to create understanding.
The teacher must use clearly focused questions in her lesson plan to motivate students and later to involve them in activities that help them develop their understanding.
In a consrtuctivist lesson, the materials should be variable and should be used in everyday life, this will reduce memory load and focus more on understanding.
An effective assessment should be planned at the end of the lesson in order to assure that the students constructed effectively their learning and understanding.
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