Teaching E-portfolio
H00249406
Reports and Observations
This section includes both of my MST’s and MCT’s feedback on my teaching based on each area of competency. Receiving feedback from them was advantageous in developing my teaching skills and showing clear improvement.
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Professionalism
This is an extract from a feedback that was given to me by my MST on a storytelling session about Splat the Cat story. In this session, I applied many useful strategies to read the story to the students. I started by activating students’ schema and asking them some questions about the cats. After that, I asked the students to make predictions on what is going to happen in the story. I have introduced the story to the students by using puppets of the main characters Splat the cat and his friend Seymour the mouse. When reading the story to the students, I was changing the volume of my voice to match the scenario within the story. This extract shows my MST comment on my understating of using storytelling strategies to engage students and maintain their attention and involvement. Using these strategies helped me to grab students’ attention especially when I was changing the volume of my voice based on the characters and the events of the story. I noticed these strategies helped the students to understand the story and the events better.
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During the feedback session, my MST drew my attention to an important aspect which should be done at the end of the session. Because I was asking the students to make predictions, I had to check with them whether their prediction were correct or not. After this feedback, I began to check with the students if their predictions were correct in order to monitor their understanding of the story while thinking ahead what is going to happen in the story. According to Goodman, Watson & Burke (1996), predicting skills help learners to think critically and improve their comprehension skills (Goodman, Watson & Burke, 1996). In the future, if I applied a storytelling session, I would probably use predicting strategies while reading the story to improve students’ understanding by asking them “what do you think will happen next?”
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Reference:
Goodman, Y. M., Watson, D. J., & Burke, C. L. (1996). Reading strategies: focus on comprehension. Katonah, NY: R.C. Owen.
Due to my adherence to building a good rapport with learners, my MST observed that during my TP in the school for both semesters. I built a good rapport with the students through helping them, supporting students who need help, being a friend to them in the break, which showed my professionalism as a teacher. It helped me to develop my professional skills and maintain a positive and supportive environment.
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Planning for Learning
This extract was given to me in the first semester from My MCT. Coming from a strictly teacher centered background, was a bit difficult to me to apply students centered strategies, so I challenged myself to plan and apply it when planning a lesson. I struggled in the beginning to apply it, but I overcame it and I chose it be one of my goals to be achieved in my professional development plan (see PDP, planning for learning) in order to improve and work on this strategy. After few weeks, I mastered applying students centered strategies and activities as I gave the students a control over their learning. There was a clear improvement in my students centered strategies at the end of the journey of teaching practice and it was admitted by both my MST and MCT.
This extract shows one of my strengths that my MST admired when giving student a lesson about the chocolate factory. Planning for collaborative activities was based on my belief that I discussed in my teaching philosophy (see teaching philosophy, planning for learning). During my teaching practice experiences over 4 years, I realized how much collaborative learning is important in terms of increasing students learning achievements. As a result, I have planned many activities that ensure students collaboration (see PDP, planning for learning). This feedback from my MST shows my ability to plan and create collaborative activities as she believes it is one of my strengths. From my observation, my capacity of planning collaborative learning resulted in improving students’ communication skills as they talk to each other and work as a team.
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Managing and Implementing Learning
This extract was given to me by my MCT on a lesson about reading (Eat a Rainbow). My MCT feedback showed that I used reinforcements such as motivation cards and group performance chart to motivate students. I believe that motivating students is essential in increasing their performance and their learning achievements, as I discussed this belief of students’ motivation in my teaching philosophy (see teaching philosophy, managing learning). I found out that when I used the motivation cards and group performance chart (see PDP, under managing learning), students were very excited to participate to get a gift. I remember when I was saying if you answer this question, I will stick a start on your motivation cards, this made even low performing students to raise their hands to participate. I noticed using motivation charts motivated and encouraged students especially low performing students which resulted in increasing their engagement and involvement.
This extract shows my MCT feedback that was given to me in the first lesson observation in the first semester. In order to apply this strategy, I chose it as a goal to be accomplished in my professional development plan (see PDP, implementing learning). Having implemented it, I realized that assigning roles to students such as leader, assistant, writer and collector, made all the students participate when doing group activities. I noticed that students knew their roles, so we did not lose time when doing the activities because each of them knew her role. I found that students were supporting each other. For example, the leader (high performing student) was helping the collector (low performing student) when doing peer activities and revision for the exams.
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Monitoring and Assessment
This extract shows a given feedback from my MST on a reading lesson. In this lesson, I was monitoring students when doing group reading activity by moving around and checking their answers and answering their questions that are related to the text. From my observation, I found out that monitoring students helps to understand better and to confirm their comprehension through asking questions, modeling and giving feedback. In fact, I started implementing monitoring strategy when I was in year 2. I implemented it based on my MCT suggestion to improve my monitoring skills. Having implemented it, I realized the significance of monitoring students on their learning achievements as it meets students’ needs. It showed me students’ clear understanding of the task when they were monitored.
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Reflection
This extract illustrates a feedback from my MCT on a reading lesson in the first semester. It showed that I had to let the students reflect on what they have learnt in the lesson. I understand the importance of students’ reflation, but I never thought of implementing it. Receiving this feedback from my MCT, made me think of applying it in the classroom. So, one of the goals to implement reflection competency in the professional development plan is giving students an opportunity to reflect upon their learning (see PDP, reflection competency). From my observation on the results on students when applying this strategy, I realized the importance of students’ reflection. I found that it develops students’ reflective skills and prompts students to think about what they have done, what they learned, and what they still need to do.