It has only been three weeks into the ESE attachment, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my training stint thus far. The lesson observations have been an eye-opener as many useful teaching methods and tips have been learnt. Here at Yuying Secondary, the colleagues that I have met, have been most kind and friendly. The warm feeling that I am endeared to, makes me feel I have been in the school for a long while.
I have the luxury of having an experienced Design & Technology (D&T) supervising teacher, Mr Gan for this four-week internship. With over ten years of teaching experience, Mr Gan has demonstrated his confidence and experience in teaching and managing the class well. I feel that I have gained immensely from the observances of classes and discussions with this well-liked teacher. The lesson that will be highlighted in this blog is the first D&T lesson for class 1E3.
1E3 is the third of three Sec 1 Express classes in the school. Half the class comprises of international students from PRC, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, where the majority of these students are from PRC. In terms of academic abilities, the students are an average cohort. There are some intelligent students who would be first off the blocks in answering questions. Others are slower-learners and more guidance was needed when completing class activities. However, the class as a whole, has shown that they possess an eagerness to learn. They are also generally well-behaved.
A description about the use of ICT in this lesson will be discussed. This serves to highlight the advantages and importance of ICT used in modern lessons. Since this was the first lesson in D&T, an introduction was needed to explain the design concepts of this subject and its relevance in the modern world. The introduction began with the use of Microsoft Powerpoint slides, giving the students a sneak preview to the course overview. The slides were created in highlighted points for easy reading and understanding. Each point was then elaborated with detailed references to familiar objects around us. Questions like "What is D&T?", "What is the course structure?" and a summary of its content were highlighted and explained. Pictures of unique design of objects around us were also shown. A series of these pictures were carefully selected to draw their interest to this subject. They were awed by the creative and unique designs of objects, sometimes even common ones. Although the slides and pictures were few in numbers, but they served their purposes very well. As the saying goes, “Pictures tell a thousand words”. How apt this is, especially when the study of D&T induces the creativity mind of each student. At the end of the lesson, the students were excited by the artifacts that they can create after they viewed the pictures. I believed then and there, the lesson had created a strong positive bond between the students and the subject. The students would be very eager to show their intrinsic creativity in their designs that they will draw in the coming weeks.
There are many other uses of ICT in schools. Whether as teaching and learning tools or assessment tools, there seem to be no boundary in its area of implementation. Throughout these three weeks, I had the chance to consult a few teachers about their thoughts in the use of ICT. The general consensus is that ICT has helped immensely to generate keen interest in the students' learning development. When a lesson is prepared with some form of ICT devices, the same amount of knowledge can be imparted to the students when compared with text-books. But the knowledge understanding can be further enhanced through visual and hearing means. Also, with the lesson made more interesting, the students' attention intensity and span can be greatly increased. With the use of computer-based teachings, the students will also either be quick to adapt to the new-age technology or have already been familiar with its user functions. With the ease of use, they will be encouraged to expand their learning scope by doing individual research for a particular lesson or topic. There are other ways of learning through technology-means as well. The convenient use of a tablet, an interactive whiteboard or just other commercial software is just some examples. Some of these resources will be explored in detail in Blog 3.
Besides benefiting learning and teaching, ICT can also be an essential tool in the assessment of students' knowledge. Apart from having tests or worksheets in classrooms, quizzes and worksheets can also be carried out by means of E-learning. The students can also write about their reflections on lessons or other matters that they would like to share with their teachers. Sometimes, it is easier to pen one's thoughts through social networking rather than to interact via verbal communication. I believe emotions can also be more explicitly expressed using this means. Finally, the use of media like videos and clips are highly advantageous. Science videos, for example, are especially useful because they are able to illustrate certain phenomenon or concepts which may not be feasible to carry out through school experiments. On the other hand, short clips can be used to emphasize an important lesson in a particular class. An enactment of a real story in a clip will be more effective than reading or flashing slides to illustrate the sequence of events.
In a nutshell, I have hugely benefited from this attachment programme and I strongly believe that the use of ICT is an integral tool in the teaching profession. I will most certainly look forward to the Practicum Programme where many essential teaching skills, including the use of ICT, are commonly tested.
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