WEEK 10: Time to Say Goodbye

After 18 years spent teaching, I became a student again for 10 weeks. These weeks were hectic, so very demanding but imagine the feeling of satisfaction that one feels after completing a laborious task. I feel it. I feel that the course has helped me in my professional development not only as a simple teacher but as a teacher of the 21st century.                      

Yes, I  really can redefine my teaching methods, shift gradually from the traditional method of teaching to  more learner centered one. Together with my fellow online learners, we have discovered an unimaginable world of possibilities; a new world that promotes learner autonomy, that eases the teacher's life and that encourages the learner to develop an interest in language learning.

Far too many people relegate language learning and teaching to the second position. What's the use? There are more important subjects to learn: the Sciences, Maths and many others. This same line of thought is passed on to the learners. Consequently, as language teachers, we have to finally do our best to keep our class 'alive', fight boredom, passivity, dropouts and many other problems associated with language classes. An unresponsive class has an effect on the teacher too. What now with Web Quests, PPTs, online exercises, blogs, padlets, online forums? We have many tools at our disposal to revolutionize language teaching. And what would be the use of all these if we do not know our learners? Getting to work on a plan to know what type of learners we have, finding the appropriate tools to work with in class is a good start I think. When we are making use of the different tools available, we are bringing ourselves down to the world of our learners. If we remain high up on the ladder due to the position that we occupy in class, it will be very difficult to reach our learners and finally, teaching will not serve its purpose at all. 

I believe in my students. I believe that I can reach them through technology- they are all so very comfortable with all the devices. If I try to pull them up to my level, I will not achieve anything- no learning will finally take place at the end of the day. They will probably end up attending the class just because they are forced to do it, be passive in class and will  certainly develop a strong dislike for the subject. Up to me now to bring the change, get the support of my willing colleagues...

Of course it is now time to say good bye to all of you my online friends. We have been in the same boat for 10 fruitful weeks. We are all so very far away, yet we share the same interests, the same concerns for our learners. I wish all of you best of luck in your teaching career and thank you for all your enlightened thoughts on the forum. Thank you Courtney. I did it with your help, your positive advice (which reminds me that I must always praise my learners- they will be more productive). 

I hope I am not being too stereotyped here but I also wish to thank my colleagues from the English Department who have always inquired about my progress during the course. A 10-week course for some but an achievement for me. As Seneca says: "Life is a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters." The acting is also made possible by those who work backstage. My backstage favorite: my sweet family. Your collaboration while I was working on the task made it all possible: omnipresent mum and dad to relieve me of some tasks. My three children who manipulate the computer like all kids of the 21st century: daughter Neha , my 13-year old source of inspiration, Keshav my 10 year old son, my strength at all times and my little cutie pie, soon to be 4 years old son, Aarav, who always wanted to have a look when I was completing the tasks. And I did not forget you dear husband... my support. You have a very busy time table, yet you are always here for me.You are the first language teacher whom I am going to share my new skills with... 

And Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all of you!     

WEEK 9:Learning Styles and Technology

When I reflect on my teaching methods, I wonder whether I have given much importance to the learning styles of my learners. Or have I all along taught them according to my own style or rather according to what would ease my life in class? Teaching is not an easy task. But if I plan my work correctly according to the type of learners I have in class, if I get the expected response from the learners, how rewarding it will be!    

A line from the poem, " My Heart Leaps up when I Behold' by William Wordsworth comes to my mind here: 'The Child is the father of the Man'. We are teaching what will be the future generations, the future leaders of tomorrow, the citizens of the world. A great responsibility indeed! So let's do it correctly. Let shape individuals who will live up to the expectations of the 21st century, individuals who can take part in decision-making processes, who can be active members in society...And it all starts in class. The learning styles of the learner is important. Technology is available to ease our life so that we can conduct classes that take into account the styles of our learners. It would have been difficult in the past; would have been tiring to cater for the needs of one and all. The solution today lies a 'mouse-click' away. Let us revolutionize teaching !

We encounter and we will encounter all types of learners: those who talk a lot and those who don't, those who share ideas and those who prefer more personal work, those learn by doing first and those who learn after reading it first. The class is like a market place where you are going to find fruits and vegetables of all kinds, of different colors and taste. Technology is fortunately at our disposal to bring all of these together and cater to the needs of everyone in class. We can make use of online forums for discussions, emails, printouts, flashcards, online exercises blogs and so many more. The possibilities are numerous.

As mentioned in the different readings for the week, many among us have carried on with the class taking into account our own learning style. Drop outs, poor attendance, students not responding to the class are the immediate results of this. We take the learners for granted too often. Technology provides us with the means to change and the right time to change is NOW!

WEEK 8

When I read the posts of my online fellow learners, I realize that all of  you have gone through a very busy Week 8. I am no exception to the rule. Between the first draft of the final project to write, the discussion and the other tasks awaiting us, I felt that it had been a very fruitful and instructive week.

We had to deal with Online Tools to Enhance Learning. After the different readings and checking the sites which provide tools to help the educators and the learners, I can say that I was really kind of lagging behind when it came to integrating technology in my classes. With such a multitude of tools available, one can completely change one's way of teaching- for the very best. We have the means to reach the learners, provide them with tools so that in the end, they like what they are doing.

I was particularly impressed by these two sites:

•  http://www.toolsforeducators.com/ and                                      

•    Hot Potatoes-http://hotpot.uvic.ca/  

These offer much in terms of online and offline exercises.Hot Potatoes is simple and fun to use and will certainly please my learners. We can use this tool to prepare online 'gap fill exercises' , quizzes, matching exercises and many more. The answers are generated automatically and the learner will not have to wait to know about his score.

Of course, I need to speak about the first draft of my final project. It was a very challenging task but in the end, I could make it. I will try to integrate technology in my classes next year and implement the project. My only wish is that it works and let's hope that my students develop an interest for literature. With the support of the administration and my colleagues, I am sure that things will work out fine and we can work towards integrating technology in our classes. 

Project Task 5

My project, as you are all aware now, will not be implemented in class this year. Holiday time for us all. So, as per the objectives for this week, I am going to refine my plans. 

My students of Form 6 will be involved in a Web Quest. They will be introduced to the task through a Power Point Presentation. I will try to motivate them to feel some interest for the play, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. It is a small class of 12- there were 15 at the start but the number has decreased finally. It is thus easy for them to do a personal work for the Web Quest. After a brief introduction, they will get to watch the Animated Tales of the play and after a brief discussion, I will guide them towards the Quest. Of course, for more fairness and clarity, I will provide them with a rubric. They will have to make use of the rubric to proceed with the task. The rubric is thus available here: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?&screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2386369&

A rubric indeed gives direction to the students and they will know how to proceed. They will thus proceed by looking for the appropriate information at the different links provided. For this time, they will have to search on the theme of love. They will have to make use of the ideas to answer these questions:

1. Is love genuine in the play? 
2. What is your opinion concerning the different characters and love in the play?
3. Who is the most honest lover in the play?

Their work must not exceed 900 words in length and they will inevitably limit the marks that can be awarded for their answers if they produce short work.

 

 Let's hope that I am on the right track!

 

WEEK 7: LEARNER AUTONOMY

Do not confine your children to your own learning for they were born in another time. – Hebrew Proverb

It is by this inspiring quote that I would like to start my Week 7 reflection. This week, just like the other six previous weeks proved to be so challenging and so very thought-provoking! We were all taken on the very instructional trip of 'learner autonomy' and how as teachers we could develop this in our students. As a teacher, one must be awed at first glance when one hears about learner autonomy. So many questions are thus raised: what role does the teacher play in the class where the learners are striving towards autonomy? Isn't the teacher now only a passive agent? Won't we finally be replaced by computers and mobiles? Yet, while going through the different readings for the week, it became clear that the autonomous learner needs the teacher. Of course, the usual teacher role- the traditional one- crumbles and has to be replaced by a new shaped one fit for the 21st century . 

Forget about the teacher behind the desk,lecturing. Forget about docile passive students who are note-taking or strangely quiet in class. The new world asks for active student participation where the teacher assigns duties to be accomplished to the students and where there is - if possible- much use of different technological devices to help learning. The student becomes a responsible being, not an empty vessel waiting to be filled.

Undoubtedly, the cooperation of one and all is required. Once the students start to develop a liking for the task at hand, once they get control of their learning, once as teachers we start to give them autonomy, we are thus taking a great leap in the technology-centered 21st century. I realize that in order to developing autonomy in our students is a gradual process. We must blend autonomy with traditional teaching methods until the former takes the lead finally. I am so hopeful that we have the power to shape, to bring the change. Much can be achieved with the help of one and all...

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. –Henry Brooks Adams

My reflections on Week 6

Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science.

Claude Bernard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/claudebern392409.html#w8AMrxljjolRAlvT.99V

Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science.

Claude Bernard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/claudebern392409.html#w8AMrxljjolRAlvT.99

Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science.

Claude Bernard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/claudebern392409.html#w8AMrxljjolRAlvT.99

Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science.

Claude Bernard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/claudebern392409.html#w8AMrxljjolRAlvT.99

 "Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science."  Claude Bernard

Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science.

Claude Bernard

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/claudebern392409.html#w8AMrxljjolRAlvT.99v

What a hectic and fruitful week! There was so much to be done in terms of reading and so much to achieve in terms of tasks. With some organizations and help, I could finally make it. 

Let me start with the discussion of the week: Engaging students. I think that most teachers have at one point or another come up with this problem in their career: lack of students 'interest in the class. However hard we try, once we lose one or two on the way, it is very difficult to get their attention back. I am thus certainly going to stress on the fact that we need to engage them fully in the learning process. Learning is no longer a passive activity. The teacher and the learner both cooperate for the benefit of the class. When I read about interactive lectures, this brings me back to my home situation. All my three children learned the alphabet at a very early age. No one learned it at school. They could barely walk that they had mastered the 26 letters of the alphabet correctly. Neither  my husband nor I sat with them to make them learn by heart. The job was done instead by interactive television programs such as Super Why and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. They participated in the learning process and the alphabets came easily to them. I will certainly apply the same process in class too. Let my students engage themselves in their learning and accordingly benefit from the possible outcomes in the long run.

I also had to devote a large part of my week to a short power point presentation. It was so difficult to master at the start but I finally could master the basics of an interactive power point and hyperlinks. Using this in class, I hope will arouse the students' interest and help to increase their participation in class. The class must no longer be a monotonous one-man show, where the teacher only lectures, asks questions and he himself at times answers his questions because all the students are lost somewhere...Students learn by doing and I hope I will be able to give them the opportunity to do so next year.

Of course, I am going to move to my project task now. Since teaching is over for me this year, I will thus have to refine my plans and speak a little bit more about what I intend to do. I will implement my plan in my Form 6 lower class where I teach literature. I have already spoken about the Web Quest I want to introduce in class. I will begin with a power point presentation to inform them about the tasks lying ahead of them. After one or two introductory slides, they will watch the BBC animated version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Then, we will move on to a short class discussion on 'Love' in general. All their ideas will be most welcome in this short brainstorming exercise. Since it is a small class, it will be possible for them to work on their own for their research. Next, I will proceed to Love in the play stressing on the fact that there are different types of love in the play and they will have to elaborate on these. They will have to search for ideas on this specific theme on:

• http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/msnd/
• http://www.enotes.com/
• http://www.shmoop.com/midsummer-nights-dream/love-theme.html
• http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/m/a-midsummer-nights-dream/critical-essays/major-themes .  

 Their aim is to find as many possible forms of love in the play and organize their ideas as such: 

Love in the couples:

1. Lysander and Hermia
2. Demetrius and Hermia
3. Helena and Demetrius
4. Theseus and Hippolyta
5. Oberon and Titania and later,
6. Lysander for Helena and 
7. Demetrius for Helena and

1. The love of a father for his children: Egeus and Hermia.

In order for the students to know if they are moving in the right direction or not, I will provide them with a rubric specific to the task that they are attempting.

   

I have in mind that once I expose my students to a new technique in class, they will take up the challenge and will feel more concerned about the class. Let us hope that at the end of the day, they develop a strong liking for the play. 

 

Rubrics

When we assess the students at my school, most of the time, we do not make use of any 'rubric' although there are rubrics at our disposal for each level that we teach. We only make use of these when we are marking the scripts for a test or the final year exams. In most cases, many teachers feel that making use of a rubric while correcting is demanding in terms of time and imagine the number of copies we have to correct each week.

Yet, after reading some literature on rubrics and having submitted a task on the topic, I do believe that it is of utmost importance to make use of this in order for us teachers to move towards standardization and fairness. Using a rubric will not only be advantageous to the teacher but to his students as well. Since the rubric explicitly presents the expectations for a task, the teacher ensures himself that his grading standard does not change over time. I think that we wrongly believe that using a rubric while correcting makes the correction exercise become lengthy. On the contrary, making use of a rubric can help the teacher to get rid of uncertainties while correcting and thus he can move along at a quicker pace with the task. Moreover, when there are many teachers involved in the correction exercise, a rubric maintains consistency and all the teachers move along the same line of thought.

A rubric is of great benefit to the students too as they are made aware of what is required of them and they do not attempt a task blindly. The rubric helps them to plan their work properly as they know what is expected of them. Later the students will make use of the same rubric to think about their strengths and weaknesses. Undoubtedly, we need to know where we are heading to. We must not teach by trial and error as we have the future of so many students in our hands.

Sources:
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/rubrics.html
http://help.rcampus.com/index.php/Benefits_of_rubrics

Project Based learning and Web Quests

'Research is creating new knowledge.' Neil Armstrong

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99

Research is creating new knowledge.
Neil Armstrong
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/research.html#rqpL08JZJy3SrTEC.99R

There are some times in my life when I wish I had the time machine of H.G.Wells so that I could go back in time and see where I was and where I am now. I do feel the same today. If only I had this time machine to just go some weeks back to then reflect upon my teaching:seeing where I stand now, with all the tools that I have been provided with in order to improve my teaching and consequently the learning of my students.

Indeed, these 5 weeks have gone by at the speed of lightning. The remaining weeks will also be covered in no time. I juggled between by commitments at school (thankfully school is over for this year so I can devote more time to the course), my commitments at home and the tasks to be submitted. But, I try to find the time though. I finally realize that if I take pleasure in what I am doing, if I take pleasure in what I am learning, the task lying ahead of me is finally not a major obstacle. 

This week's Web Quest and PBL sparked off a new interest in me as to the new tools which will encourage the students to actively participate in their own learning. The students will not gather much if they are passive participants in the learning process. I consider a Web Quest finally as detective work where the students will be given the opportunity to solve the mystery put ahead by the teacher. 

Our students are students of the 21st century, so let us also be teachers of the 21st century. If traditional methods of teaching no longer work so well with them, let us adapt and bring ourselves down to their level. Let us win over them using the tools that form an integral part of their life. 

Our small island is a multiracial community. Our ancestors came from Africa, Asia and Europe mainly. We are rich in festivals, in cultural diversity; we have a varied cuisine, succulent seasonal fruits all year long, large expanse of turquoise seas with golden sand. So, why don't I seize this marvelous chance that I have and make my students develop a project based on these wealthy opportunities that we have? As Susan Gaer mentions, PBL provides ways to help students develop their language skills while conducting a meaningful project. My students will hopefully benefit much from PBL if I give them the chance to work on a project which they feel at ease with, which is close to their beliefs and values, in other words, which is Mauritian-based.   

By taking this course, I realize that we are still learners and whatever we are assimilating during these weeks will be of benefit not only to us, but to those whom we have the responsibility of teaching.

Reading and writing.

I still remember the good old days when, every Saturday, my parents sent my two sisters and I to the municipal council library to borrow books to read for the week. I read a lot and often, the following Saturday seemed so far away. Reading was and still is a source of great pleasure for me. 

I wanted since long to develop the same love in my three children at home. My husband and I had collected so many books for our children to read. But it seems that they read only when it suits them to do so and it is not the marvelous stories that we have so carefully gathered for them. We buy tons of new literature: their choices. They read, but they spend more time on the web, surfing and gaming.

I try as far as possible to inculcate this love and respect for reading in my students of lower levels. Out of 36 pupils, I can get about 6 or 7 who read a lot. The others will read because they are forced to do so and still some will tell you that they have read because they do not want to be bothered further.

Imagine now that we combine both reading and the web. This is what I learned this week. Why not make our kids rediscover the pleasures of reading through a tool that they are most comfortable with. Once they read, and they read for pleasure, they are going to gain so much and in the long run acquire the proficiency that we so long to see them developing. 

I hope I am not going to sound selfish here, but I am going to start using the materials with my three children at home first. I will try it at school when we resume next year of course. I have found enough materials to cater for the needs of my three kids who are on holidays with me at home. My daughter is 13 and is in lower secondary- she reads but is adamant on reading only when it pleases her. My son will be in his final year in primary school next year and he is extremely comfortable with the web. My youngest son is nearly four, so why not teach him the basics through the several wonderful sites for kids provided. 

The new methods of teaching reading and writing will help me redefine my ways of teaching. I am so keen to start the next school year with new tools in hand and see how my pupils respond to the changes that I will try to bring in class. I firmly believe that teaching is also learning. We never cease to learn so I am going to seize this wonderful opportunity to learn further and bring the required changes in my teaching methods; I am also going to share what I learned to my colleagues so that together we can work out a plan for the sake of those we teach.

This whole week has been really hectic with the final exams at school and preparations starting at home for the long awaited Diwali festival on the 3rd of November. I was a little bit awed at the herculean task awaiting me this week for my online course. Doubts gnawed at me from time to time, but I finally realized that with some good planning and regularity, all tasks can be fulfilled within the given deadline.

I did not open my Delicious account at the beginning. I preferred to go through the different reading materials provided and I was really impressed at how much was at our disposal to coach our children on listening, speaking and even pronunciation. I feel that my class can become more interactive and interesting if I make full use of what I have in hand now. Making use of CALL in our classrooms will surely make our learners become more autonomous and more concerned in the learning process.

Opening my own Delicious account gave me such a feeling of relief that now as a teacher, I am moving towards more organization in my job. I really feel that taking this course allows us to know where we stand and in what direction we are moving. All my favorite sites will be easily available at one click and I feel more reassured.

What to say of my fellow learners' posts on Nicenet. You are all so helpful and cooperative, we are all teachers and wherever we are we all have in mind the development of our students. Their future is in our hands. We can shape them into becoming good citizens of the world by what we inculcate in class. This course offers us the opportunity to keep pace with the changes , the challenges of this fast paced world. I cannot help myself by ending my post by a quotation again. This time it is by Mark Twain one of my favorite authors:

"If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear."

 Google is no longer the only word of the day... My dear Google, I thank you for having been always there to provide me with all the answers I was looking for, all the why's and how's, all the solutions and readings. I will not be so very loyal to you these days! Eureka!Other search engines do exist and I hope I will be able to make full use of these. 

I always thought that Google was like Atlas, who in Greek Mythology was condemned to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Well, Google still does it but I realize that the burden is shared now among so many other search engines such as Wikipedia, Newseum and all the other search engines listed on Noodle Tools.

In only one week I learned that the world is available to us at only some few clicks and it is up to us to manage all that we get and make full use of all these. When I was a University student, I went through loads and loads of documents at the archives of Mauritius and at the University to be able to write my thesis. It was a time consuming activity. I do not look down upon the good old ways of conducting research. I still love the feel of opening a book, going through the pages, searching for the correct information, reading and taking down the relevant notes. But I  really impressed at the millions of documents, books, journals and so many other writings made available nowadays just by properly searching on the web. Barriers to learning, to knowledge have crumbled down so let us all benefit from these so that we can as teachers inculcate a new type of culture in our learners. We have the power to do it, so let's do it.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” -- American futurist, Alvin Toffler

I wonder what is more difficult: creating a blog or posting my first message on the same blog...Finally, I realize I have to let go and express myself as sincerely as I can.I get along quite well with technology. I mean I can work my way fair enough with a computer but I am not an expert at it though. I had some difficulty in creating my first blog but I got some help. My 13-year old daughter helped  me a little and she went through the job in less than 10 minutes. It would have taken me longer, I admit. 

Our young people are of the computer generation. Technology is part of their life. As teachers, we meet these people every day so I feel that we have to adapt to new situations, to the new challenges of the 21st century. I sincerely feel that this blog can help me in creating a better student-centered environment, a more lively and interactive class. With the appropriate support from our respective institutions, the teaching profession will flourish and adapt sure enough to this new age.

 I am reminded here of a short story by E.M.Forster 'The Machine Stops'. In this story, Mr.Forster depicts a world enslaved by technology,where all our moves, all our thoughts, our air, our food are controlled by The Machine. Fortunately, our world will not turn out to be like this. As teachers, if we know how to adapt, how to include technology and the web in our profession, we will not be overruled by machines. The computer should become our companion, a close friend, a mean to bridge the gap and to bring us closer to our pupils. And I do really think that a blog is a good start...