Through my initial lesson observations, I was exposed to the different pedagogies used by teachers of different experience levels. Teachers fresh out of NIE to Senior Teachers, I was able to compare and contrast how they are able to capture the attention of their students.
Class Profile
For this portfolio entry, I will be writing about a specific Primary 2 English lesson. The class being observed is 2/1 being taught by Senior Teacher Mdm Fadilah for the duration of 1 hour. The topic to be taught is storytelling. As this is a primary 2 class, the class comprises of students of mixed abilities; with the exception of students under Learning Support (LS).
For this portfolio entry, I will be writing about a specific Primary 2 English lesson. The class being observed is 2/1 being taught by Senior Teacher Mdm Fadilah for the duration of 1 hour. The topic to be taught is storytelling. As this is a primary 2 class, the class comprises of students of mixed abilities; with the exception of students under Learning Support (LS).
Tools Used
The tools the teacher will be using are as follows:
The tools the teacher will be using are as follows:
Notebook
Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)
Students notebooks (individual) - yes, Beacon Primary provides P1-3 pupils with notebooks housed in the classrooms.
Lesson Delivery
The lesson begins with a basic tuning-in questioning. Asking about their experiences over the holidays and whether they will be heading anywhere in future. Taking the opinions of the students, the teacher writes the names of some of the travel destinations on the IWB.
Subsequently, the teacher asks more questions regarding the location of some of the places the students went to. "Where is Guangzhou?" "Do you know where China is, in relation to Singapore?" After which, the teacher uses Google maps to show where that particular destination is and hence, in relation to Singapore.
Class Work
Using this as the overall framework to the lesson, the teacher explains the classwork to be carried out by the pupils in the remaining time (about 40min). Pupils will be writing a blog entry about their holiday experiences, whether or not, they actually went overseas. Using tools like Google maps and search engines, students are encouraged to be more specific about the places and activities they are writing about.
Students are instructed to submit their blog entries by the end of the week for review by the teacher. The teacher would then review their blog entries and leave comments on their blogs when necessary. Through the blog its comments, the teacher also helps the students correct grammatical and spelling errors.
Personal Reflection
Through this experience, it can be seen how ICT plays an integral role in the teaching and learning of the English Language. Using Google maps instead of an atlas or world map, teachers can pin-point and enlarge a certain location. At the same time, showing students how to research on their locations. The subsequent classwork and homework encouraged students to use ICT tools to conduct research, thereby further develop their content for their blog entries. Through their blog entries, the teacher was able to review entries, leave comments regarding multiple aspects of the entry.
Speaking to some of my colleagues about how they feel about ICT, it is rather obvious that ICT has been very beneficial to teachers and the general public. Communication is greatly improved through the use of e-mails and now with smartphones, teachers can choose to stay better connected. Teachers are able to use spreadsheets to conduct class/level item analysis to see where their students fall short and to evaluate on their teaching methods. With the use of tools such as a notebook and a visualiser, schools and teachers are able to save on resources (transparencies, OHP lightbulbs). Having a computer on hand allows teachers to access information for students quickly and at the same time, educating students on techniques for independent learning.
Unfortunately, with the introduction of more tools, there will always be the increase of problems that may occur. The general feeling I received from my colleagues is that it's great when things work, but it's a nightmare when things don't. To better the experience of students and teachers, it is very important to have a competent technical support team. As we operate within a Government network, the restrictions in place prevent teachers from solving technical problems themselves and hence have to rely on the technical support crew.
Students are instructed to submit their blog entries by the end of the week for review by the teacher. The teacher would then review their blog entries and leave comments on their blogs when necessary. Through the blog its comments, the teacher also helps the students correct grammatical and spelling errors.
Personal Reflection
Through this experience, it can be seen how ICT plays an integral role in the teaching and learning of the English Language. Using Google maps instead of an atlas or world map, teachers can pin-point and enlarge a certain location. At the same time, showing students how to research on their locations. The subsequent classwork and homework encouraged students to use ICT tools to conduct research, thereby further develop their content for their blog entries. Through their blog entries, the teacher was able to review entries, leave comments regarding multiple aspects of the entry.
Speaking to some of my colleagues about how they feel about ICT, it is rather obvious that ICT has been very beneficial to teachers and the general public. Communication is greatly improved through the use of e-mails and now with smartphones, teachers can choose to stay better connected. Teachers are able to use spreadsheets to conduct class/level item analysis to see where their students fall short and to evaluate on their teaching methods. With the use of tools such as a notebook and a visualiser, schools and teachers are able to save on resources (transparencies, OHP lightbulbs). Having a computer on hand allows teachers to access information for students quickly and at the same time, educating students on techniques for independent learning.
Unfortunately, with the introduction of more tools, there will always be the increase of problems that may occur. The general feeling I received from my colleagues is that it's great when things work, but it's a nightmare when things don't. To better the experience of students and teachers, it is very important to have a competent technical support team. As we operate within a Government network, the restrictions in place prevent teachers from solving technical problems themselves and hence have to rely on the technical support crew.
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