Sunday, October 22, 2023

Week 3 - Reflective Essay

at October 22, 2023

    During the third week of our lecture, Dr. Lina delved into evidence-based teaching strategies. She reviewed the concepts she had introduced in the previous week, which included dialogic assessment, cognitive knowledge, modelling the metacognitive process, and tools for promoting independent learning.

    In an engaging twist, she treated us to a trailer of the critically acclaimed film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse,” which had earned accolades at both the Academy Awards and the British Academy Film Awards. This introduction added a touch of cinematic inspiration to our class.

    Dr. Lina then encouraged us to write down the names of classmates whose blogs had left an impression on us. This led to an interactive sharing session where we discussed our thoughts and insights.

    The main topic of the day was evidence-based teaching, and Dr. Lina initiated a vote to determine our top teaching strategies. Surprisingly, cooperative learning and interactive teaching took the lead by a very narrow margin. The strategies like graphic organisers, reciprocal teaching, assessment for learning, and manipulative followed closely.

    We were then prompted to discuss our chosen strategy’s effectiveness with our peers. Afterward, each group had the opportunity to share their insights and elaborate on why they found their strategy to be the most effective.

    Dr. Lina backed her teachings with evidence by presenting studies and figures that demonstrated the significant impact of graphic organisers. These visuals are excellent tools for displaying knowledge structures and aiding students in organising their thoughts effectively.

    To promote deeper understanding and collaborative learning, we engaged in a jigsaw activity. In this exercise, each of us focused on a specific strategy and then shared our knowledge within our assigned groups. During our tutorial session, each group was tasked with presenting their insights and understandings on the six strategies we had learned during the lecture two days prior.

    Lastly, Dr. Lina introduced the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model, assigning different groups to explore and present on specific units. This model promises to be an exciting addition to our ongoing learning journey.



    During the lecture, I initially found it puzzling to understand the connection between the film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse” and our class. However, this confusion sparked my interest in hearing my classmates’ perspectives on their blogs.

    To my delight, cooperative learning was ranked as the top strategy in our class, and it was equally surprising to discover that Si Tao and I shared the view that graphic organisers were the most effective.

    While the jigsaw activity initially left me a bit bewildered, I paid close attention as others asked questions to seek clarification, gradually grasping how it should work.



    Afterward, I decided to look up the film’s underlying message and discovered that it aimed to impart a lesson about the importance of love, both giving and receiving. It occurred to me that our lecturer might be encouraging us to appreciate and value one another.

    The reason I found it engaging to hear my classmates’ perspectives is that it provides valuable insights into their backgrounds and viewpoints.

    My surprise about cooperative learning ranking first stemmed from my personal preference for graphic organisers, a format I became accustomed to during my high school years. Our school strongly emphasised using mind maps, as it was considered a helpful way to enhance comprehension and learning.

    Engaging in the jigsaw activity brought back memories of my high school experiences, where group projects were commonplace. We would collaborate, pool our knowledge, and collectively tackle our coursework.



    Dr. Lina encouraged us to recollect the knowledge acquired during the previous lecture, as learning involves connecting new information with the existing framework of the learner’s prior understanding. It is essential for students to reflect on what they already know, what the new knowledge entails, and how to integrate it with their existing knowledge (Ji & Lee, 2021).

    Furthermore, she invited a selection of classmates to step forward and share their thoughts on their respective blogs. Research has indicated that such participation provides opportunities for proactive engagement, inclusivity, enjoyment, and peer support without fostering a competitive atmosphere (Hargreaves et al., 2020).

    The reason for conducting a vote and ranking of the strategies is that digital voting systems can provide valuable support for feedback activities and insights into the thought processes of both students and instructors. Maintaining effective communication is crucial for facilitating student learning, promoting interaction among students, and enhancing the interaction between students and the instructor (Mathiasen, 2015).

    Additionally, research has shown that using a visual tool like a graphic organiser can aid in English reading comprehension. Creating and visualising a graphic representation of the text’s structure with graphic organisers can enhance students’ reading comprehension skills (Qi & Jiang, 2021).

    Studies have also indicated that the jigsaw method is effective for applying cross-cutting skills in a challenging and practical context. Students have reported that this method improved their understanding of complex subjects, maximised class time usage, and broadened the range of learning opportunities (Sanchez-Muñoz et al., 2022; Perkins & Saris, 2001). Additionally, research suggests that sharing knowledge with others through the jigsaw exercise may enhance performance in the assigned topic, although it may initially have a negative impact on topics not assigned (Nolan et al., 2018).

    In alignment with Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, peer discussions during the jigsaw activity facilitate social interactions, serving as a catalyst for human cognitive development and higher mental functions. According to sociocultural theory, mental functioning is seen as a mediated process where certain artefacts play a role in mediating between the social and psychological aspects of human cognition (Vygotsky, 1986).



    In the coming days, my aspiration is to incorporate a variety of teaching strategies in my classroom because I recognise that students have diverse preferences and learning styles. Each student is unique, and tailoring my approach to their individual needs is essential for their academic growth and development.

    To achieve this, I plan to implement a novel approach in my classroom. I will use a video as an educational tool, allowing my students to explore their preferred learning styles. This video will help them identify whether they are visual, auditory, kinesthetics, or a combination of these types of learners. By understanding their learning preferences, I can better address their specific needs, making the learning experience more engaging and effective.

    This approach is supported by the insights of Psych2Go (2022), which emphasise the importance of recognising and accommodating different learning styles. By employing this strategy, I aim to create a more inclusive and adaptive learning environment where each student has the opportunity to thrive based on their unique strengths and preferences.



References

Hargreaves, E., Elhawary, D., & Mahgoub, M. (2020). “One girl had a different idea”: 

    Children’s perspectives on learning and teaching models in the traditional classroom. 

    Education 3-13, 48(1), 87-99. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2019.1586975 Ji, Y. G., & Lee, D.H. (2021). Application of Bloom’s taxonomy to formative assessment in real-

    time online classes i n Korea. Korean Journal of Medical Education, 33(3), 191-201. 

    https://doi.org/10.3946/kjme.2021.199 Mathiasen, H. (2015). Digital voting systems and communication in classroom lectures: An 

    empirical study based around physics teaching at bachelor level at two Danish universities. 

    Journal of Interactive Media in Education: JiME, 2015(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.ah

Nolan, J. M., Hanley, B. G., DiVietri, T. P., & Harvey, N. A. (2018). She who teaches learns: 

    Performance benefits of a jigsaw activity in a college classroom. Scholarship of Teaching 

    and Learning in Psychology, 4(2), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000110 Perkins, D. V., & Saris, R. N. (2001). A “jigsaw classroom” technique for undergraduate 

    statistics courses. Teaching of Psychology, 28(2), 111-113. 

    https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328023TOP2802_09 Psych2Go. (2022, March 22). What kind of learner are you? Quiz [Video]. YouTube. 

    https://youtu.be/reja_Mk6RLo?si=M6cQc8BAsMqQIJln Qi, W., & Jiang, Y. (2021). Use of a graphic organiser as a pedagogical instrument for the 

    sustainable development of EFL learners’ English reading comprehension. Sustainability 

    (Basel, Switzerland), 13(24), 13748. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413748

Sanchez-Muñoz, R., Carrió, M., Rodríguez, G., Pérez, N., & Moyano, E. (2022). A hybrid 

    strategy to develop real-life competences combining flipped classroom, jigsaw method and 

    project-based learning. Journal of Biological Education, 56(5), 540-551. 

    https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2020.1858928

Vygotsky, L. S. (1986). Thought and language. The MIT Press. https://tinyurl.com/Thought-

    Language

2 comments:

Sharifah Mariam on October 22, 2023 at 3:00 AM said...

I really enjoyed reading your blog post about our recent lecture with Dr. Lina. Your detailed account of the session offered a fresh perspective on some key takeaways.

I found it particularly interesting how you initially found the connection between "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse" and our class puzzling. It's a unique way to introduce a teaching topic, and your curiosity about your classmates' perspectives on their blogs is quite insightful. It shows your openness to different teaching methods and your willingness to engage in the learning process actively.

I too, share your fondness for graphic organizers, which have proven to be an effective tool for structuring information and aiding comprehension.

lina's blog on October 29, 2023 at 1:17 AM said...

Great, I am impressed by your week 3 blog again.
I am delighted that you have so accurately represented my intentions. I was worried about that I was trying to give too much info. This once again instills in me the confidence to lead you into a deeper and more passionate exploration of the academic world of education.
Best
Marked
Lina

Post a Comment

 

Xuan Qing's Notepad © 2010 Web Design by Ipietoon Blogger Template and Home Design and Decor