21 October 2016
Friday. The students are doing Reading Practice 7. I can see only the tops of their heads. Sunlight on a purple headscarf. My head is full of a cold. Ted the gardener has walked past the window carrying a bundle of twigs and leaves. Friday afternoon is time for preparing for Monday and Tuesday, tidying my desk, and writing some thoughts and reflections.
1 November 2016
Tuesday: I want students to 'Achieve' the Learning Outcomes for my courses of course but more than that I want them to enjoy learning and discovering, and forming questions. The concentration on assessments and outcomes can overtake the curiosity about life, the world and the subject at hand, which is central to being a student at all.
Sometimes I think the difference between a good teacher and a not-so-good teacher is about five seconds. The time it takes to suppress the urge to correct another person. To allow the student time to reflect on what they've just said or written. Then to hold their contribution up to the light to see the good in it and appreciate it, and, if necessary, with a gentle question, to guide them to make their contribution even better.
23 November 2016
This week is week 17 of 18. It's a summative assessment week. I find it stressful. So much hangs in the balance for students. Parents' expectations. Their own hopes and dreams. Some students will have to redo a whole semester, which for international students costs a lot of money. We support, encourage and cajole students as much as we can but in the end, it's their effort that will get them over the line. I check and check every box on my Excel Spreadsheet to make sure I've got everything right for each students - different columns for different Learning Outcomes - Achieved or Not Achieved, each for different types of texts.
8 February 2018
Ako: Teaching and Learning Directions
In te ao Māori, the concept of ako means both to teach and to learn. It recognises the knowledge that both teachers and learners bring to learning interactions, and it acknowledges the way that new knowledge and understandings can grow out of shared learning experiences. This powerful concept has been supported by educational research showing that when teachers facilitate reciprocal teaching and learning roles in their classrooms, students’ achievement improves (Alton-Lee, 2003).
Ko taku reo taku ohooho; ko taku reo taku mapihi mauria.
My language is my awakening: my language is the window to my soul.
(Maori proverb)
AKO; Teaching and Learning Directions
Teaching & Learning theory & practice
Principles
Learner-centred Approaches
Authentic Learning
Inquiry-based Learning
Approaches
Project-based Learning
Flipped Classroom
Inclusive Practices
Work Integrated Learning
Blended Learning
Semester 2, End of year, 2018
Discussions went between Level 3 and Level 4 students, talking about what's ahead for the L3 students.
20 February 2019 Semester 1, Level 4D (Academic)
They are moments to savour when you prepare and set up an activity that draws the students in and their energy and effort takes over. Students are studying assigned parts of an article on acculturation by Mesidor & Sly, in preparation for mini-presentations in pairs.
31 May 2019
I'm learning from chatting with counsellors and reading Alice Morgan's book on Narrative Therapy to make a distinction between the person and the problem. I remember being struck by a sentence from a Japanese visitor (Masatoshi) - "The person is not the problem; the problem is the problem."
So, for example, I don't say to a student, 'You've made many grammatical errors.' I say, 'This piece of writing has some errors that need to be corrected.' It seems to take some heat out of the interaction.
April, 2020
During the lock-down in New Zealand, with the Covid 19 virus rampant, we have been teaching online, using Zoom. I've found it intense and extremely tiring. I'm not sure why. There may be some kind of mini-break (like blinking) that you don't get when facing a class of 20 individuals on the Zoom screen. One feature I'm learning to use is the Break-out Rooms, when students 'go into' rooms with two or three classmates for discussion or to work on problems.