#10- "The Power Of Open Ended Questioning"

When using open ended questioning, you are most likely looking forward to receiving a long answer. A person who is being asked an open ended question has to think, reflect give opinions and feelings. Most open ended questions begin with what, why, how or describe. These questions don't just give you a 'yes' or 'no' answer, they generate discussion and yield far more interesting insights. Open ended questions allow for a wide range of responses and can be helpful in solving problems in a way that meets more of everyone's needs, getting to know and understand the people around you better and simply creating richer and more satisfying conversations.

#9 - "My Teaching Philosophy Linked With Bloom's Taxonomy"

In my teaching philosophy I believe that a great education is perhaps the most critical factor in determining future success and successful individuals are the key to a successful society. I believe, by inspiring my students to greatness they will achieve great results. I pledge to give my best to each of my students and to work together with my fellow teachers. In order to bring about these successful individuals I've learnt by planning my lessons with the guide of Bloom's Taxonomy it will be more effective on my students. When planning it I will consider the levels of the domains in which my students are working under and write specific and appropriate objectives for my lessons. Bloom's Taxonomy aids a lot in writing objectives because of the use of the capability verbs. Writing objectives with the verbs included gives you a better understanding of what domain and level is considered. By using Bloom's Taxonomy in my Teaching Philosophy, it will benefit both the students and the teacher.

#8 - "Lesson Planning"

When I first thought about having to do a lesson plan, my reaction was dubious because I was unsure of what it entails. I felt that it was a simple brief of how you go about teaching your lesson but to my surprise it was a lot more than what I expected it to be. It is often said that lesson planning is a critical skill to acquire in a teaching degree, however I believe that with practice, research and the aid of my instructor I will be able to manipulate it effectively. I've heard my peers say that lesson planning is difficult and a lot of effort is needed to develop efficient plans. In visiting schools I noticed that effective teachers were those who planned, researched and reflected to improve themselves for progression rather than those who didn't.

#7 - "The Syllabus as a Professional and Personal Document"

Developing a syllabus is beneficial to both the teacher and the student. In creating a syllabus, it can be a reflective excercise which can encourage the instructor to engage in carefully considering details for the betterment of the class. The syllabus serves as a contract where it makes clear what the rules are. This includes details of the course calendar, grading policies, attendance policies, late assignment policy, academic dishonesty and accommodation of disabilities policy. A syllabus is also considered as a permanent record that serves accountability and documentation functions. Another purpose a syllabus serves is as a learning tool which helps students become more effective learners in the course. Therefore a syllabus can be considered both as a professional and  a personal document.

#6 - "Field Observation - Day Two"

The 17th of February 2014, was the second and last day of Field Observation. I was gleamed with enthusiasm to spend yet another day with the students and teachers. We arrived on time once again and everyone seemed delighted to see us again. We met with the friendly principal and staff and greeted them good morning. The day started off with the assembly, and after the assembly the principal mentioned to me that the teacher of the class I was assigned to will be leaving school for the day due to a Sports Event where he has to carry the students who are participating as he is the involved in the sport division. As a result, I was then assigned to the other Standard One class together with my colleague Latifa. On my way to the classroom, the students from my prior class were begging me to come back to their class; I felt so esteemed. Upon entering the other classroom it was quite interesting, due to the fact that the students were so different from one another. Getting to observe the two different classrooms at the same grade was fascinating specifically because of how completely different the students were and the strategies their teachers used while teaching for their understanding. In this class, the students had a aquarium life thing going on and their teacher had fishes to sell on this day in which the students will buy. I decided to buy one in memory of the experience, the students, teachers and school on the whole. The students were nice and very respectful to us. When the day ended, before we left we extended our gratitude to the principal and staff for accommodating and assisting us in our observation and making it a productive experience.

#5 - "Field Observation - Day One"

The first day of Field Observation was on the 10th of February 2014, I was assigned together with three colleagues to the La Romaine Government Primary School. We arrived promptly at 8:00 a.m. eager for this experience. Upon entering the school compound after signing our names at the guard booth, we met the principal; who assigned us to separate classrooms. At the beginning of school, there was an assembly held where we were introduced to the whole school at the end of. When it was over, everyone forwarded to their classrooms including us. I was assigned to a Standard One class whose teacher was quite beneficial to me for my observations. Although resources were not used much in the classroom, technology wise, he implemented several effective teaching strategies in his classroom. Nevertheless, either way you always learn something when observing, whether it is good or bad, you learn what to do or what not to do. From this experience being in an actual classroom I have learnt a lot and it has aided me in preparing myself for what is expected of me.

#4 - "Field Observation Experience"

Semester two begins, and it's all about Field Observations. The purpose of these are to understand how a school is organized, and to gain a new perspective as we observe students and teachers during the day-to-day functioning of the school. This experience would give us a better understanding and improve our teaching. It will guide and give us a clearer understanding before we go out on our observations. Our Practicum lecturer inquired us to ask year two's about their experience with three questions.

The student was asked, "What was your proudest moment?" She replied saying, "My proudest moment would have to be when I was leaving, it was Easter time and I prepared little baskets for each of the students before I left. They didn't want me to leave and just the feeling of them holding onto me begging me to stay was something I felt happy and proud about!" 

I then asked her, "What was your hardest task?" She said, "The hardest task for me was dealing with the noise level, because of how the classrooms were situated. They were close to each other and were separated by blackboards so all the classes were close by."

Lastly I asked, "What was something you wished you had known before the experience?" She answered saying, "One thing I wished I knew was probably the background of the students so I would've known how to deal with them because they were indiscipline and had low attention spans."

After gaining knowledge of their experiences I'm better prepared for my observations.