REFLECTION ON PLOT TASK: 1, PROBLEM BASED APPROACH
Darvesh Karim
Assistant Instructor
Professional Development Center, North
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In our teacher learning course, we were introduced PLOT (professional learning on line tool) to support our learning as teachers. I went through all the three sections of ‘pedagogy in action’. I found all three sections very useful for my professional development apart from my learning from teacher education course. But one idea that deeply appealed me was “problem based approach” in inquiry section. Because problem based inquiry can play a significant role in children learning relating to their daily life. Young children enter the world full of curiosity, eager to learn, with a sense of wonder about themselves and an intrinsic desire to actively explore their world that makes them a delight to observe. But we the teachers deprive them from this delight by imposing our ideas on them and not providing them environment to explore themselves. Problem based approach provides opportunity for learners to work on authentic projects that are relevant and important to them. In my traditional way of teaching, I used to teach through text books and solve the questions raised by students rather giving them chance to solve theirselves. Though there are some challenges to apply such types of approaches like burden of curriculum, overcrowded classes and shortage of time but engaging students in investigations connected to real life help student draw key learning areas in authentic ways.
I will apply this approach in my class by involving my students in a projects or an issue they face in their daily life. Children will identify an issue and ask many questions related to that issue. Children will work in groups to collect information about the particular issue. They can get information from different sources such as books, magazines, news papers, radio, TV and especially from people of the context through interviews. The students will be asked to focus on key understandings and concepts and discuss desire learning outcomes and also link it with different areas of curriculum. Once the problem will be identified, students will be asked to use interview, observation, and survey or experimentation according to their own interest. During this process children will be asked to reflect regularly about what and how they are learning and make connections it with other situations and contexts. They will be encouraged to pose their own questions. This is essential in developing self-responsible people who are lifelong learners, effective thinkers and problem-solvers in the new world.
REFLECTION, TASK 2: SELF RESPONSIBILITY
In plot task 2, I read the three section of “Pedagogy in Action” i.e. Collaboration, Self responsibility and Human development. All the three ideas are very thought provoking and helpful for teacher learning. But the idea of self responsibility appealed me immensely because I think self responsibility is the key component for teachers as well as students to become lifelong and self-directed learner. Further the major purpose of education in the 21st century is to develop young people towards becoming self-responsible, self-directed learner and autonomous human being. Before going through plot, to me self-responsibility was to carry out the assigned task carefully and timely but I was unaware of how to develop self-responsibility among students. By going through plot, I came to know that there are seven essential aspects to foster self-responsibility among students. These are: Negotiated approach, intrinsic motivation, self management skills, Empower students, Macro thinking, Build self-understanding and Focus on reflection.
To introduce this idea to teachers in my context, I will conduct a three hours session for teachers on this topic through power point or chart presentation. First of all I will set objectives and plan the session accordingly. In the session, I will give the teachers to write their own definition of self-responsibility as brain storming activity, and then I will share my definition based on. This will help them developing their theoretical knowledge about self-responsibility. After that I will divide the participants into groups of four and ask them to discuss and write how they can foster self-responsibility in student in their class as well as school. Each group will be asked to give 5 minute presentation. After completing this activity, I will summarize the session by showing ways which will support fostering self-responsibility. These will be:
- Help students make their own decisions
- Trust your student so that he will likely feel more confident
- Communicate without over communicating
- Do not solve everything for them
- Stay involved
- Let go a bit
- Keep them in a loop
Beside these things let mistakes be made and encourage your student to make decisions for himself.
Appendix C.1
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REFLECTION ON RUBNRICS
After completing the task rubric, I came to know through the result that I am a little bit strong in fostering human development and effective collaboration. The graph shows that I got less number in foster student inquiry. It was due to my traditional ways of teaching in the school. In my school there is a culture of transmitting knowledge to students. Students are considered empty vessels and teacher is all source of knowledge. Students questioning is not encouraged and teacher is not ready to learn from students. It is because of the environment provided in the school for teaching and learning. Further there is lack of in-house and out-site in-service professional development opportunities for teachers. Therefore majority of teachers are unaware of the new method of teaching i.e. inquiry based teaching. The highest score I achieved in fostering human development and collaboration is the result of my learning from some of trainings which I attended during my teaching profession. These trainings boosted my knowledge about group working, classroom management and setting goals and norms.
REFLECTION TASK: 3
LAMP OF LEARNING; FACILITATING IN TEACHER LEARNING
This metaphor appears to be connected also with active, constructivist theories of learning, that there are three interrelated important stages from the bases of the lamp upwards. Each stage depends on prior stage for effective learning to take place. As the structure of the lamp shows that there are three interconnected stages (i.e. base, middle and top) similarly professional learning must be connected to a strong base which means the learners’ existing knowledge, beliefs, experience and practices should be strong to absorb or to accommodate new knowledge to construct the understanding. Because to teach deep understanding, teacher need to clearly understand how understanding is constructed. Like the lamp, learning has to be carefully constructed parts which interacts new learning. Moreover lamp of learning guides us in understanding on construction of understanding from bottom to upward. Teaching for deep understanding of significant concepts questions, issues and processes requires a lot of conceptuality. The construction of lamp of learning enables us to grapple with, process, organize and internalize new concepts, skills and processes to build on from our knowledge base. In addition effective learning is constructed to make connection between new concepts and processes. Students and their learning needs are the center of effective learning. There are many a number of teaching strategies that can be employed to actively engage students in the learning process, including group discussions, problem solving, case studies, role play, reflection and journal writing. The benefits of using such activities are many including critical thinking skills, increased retention and transfer of new information, increased motivation and improved intrapersonal skills. The overall quality of teaching and learning is improved when students have ample opportunities to clarify questions, apply and consolidate new knowledge. In this case teachers can create opportunities for students to engage new material, serving as guide to help them understand deeply and apply in their daily life. They help “light the lamp” of student learning.
REFLECTION PLOT TASK: 4
In the task 4 of PLOT reading, I went through substantive dialogue and found various quotes and questions about teacher learning. All the quotes I found very relevant and related to teacher learning and knowledge but one quote really inspired me when I related this quote to my own context and teaching learning experiences. This quote is:” If values are the heart of the community, communications are the pulse, bones and physiology. Most teaching groups, isolated from peers for so many years, and to learn ways of talking together” (Garston and Wellman, 1999).
This quote appealed me because it applies to my school context. In my school teachers used to work in isolation due to various reasons. One very important reason is that teachers are not provided such environment to communicate each others ideas, reflections, feelings and thoughts. Most teachers are proud of their seniority and teaching experience. They do not want to discuss teaching learning issues and matters to the junior and novice teachers who are very much familiar with the modern teaching and learning approaches. Therefore such kinds of teachers neither take any initiative themselves nor led others to do something innovative. Consequently teachers’ professional development stops and definitely it affects students learning outcome. In PLOT reading, I read and I agree that the ways we talk together have a profound impact on the learning and professional growth of teacher. There are some values we have to take care in the way when we ask questions, talk to each others and respond to each others. To ensure productive talk, we need to understand the different purposes and outcomes of dialogue and discussion, and the pathway we take to achieve them. Also Palmer, 1998 cited in PLOT says “good talk about good teaching is what we need to enhance both our professional practice and the selfhood from which it comes. So based on the above quote I as a teacher educator will try to develop an environment in my school for teachers as well as students to interact with each others and through professional discourse, teachers can improve their teaching practices.
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