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The following section of my GE UE portfolio will outline my initial perceptions of teaching in Year 1, the application of teaching in Year 3 and how I nurtured the GILOS of creative thinking, critical thinking, written and oral communication through my teaching practice and extra curricular activities.
The following section of my GE UE portfolio will outline my initial perceptions of teaching in Year 1, the application of teaching in Year 3 and how I nurtured the GILOS of creative thinking, critical thinking, written and oral communication through my teaching practice and extra curricular activities.
Teaching to Learn - My Self Arranged Block Practice
We are living at a turning point in history, similar to our ancestors 2022 years ago. My years in university can be marked in between two periods: BC and AC.
Whereby BC stands for ‘before corona’ and AC indicates ‘after corona’.
As an International student studying in Hong Kong, I did not picture my classroom, library, and social gathering spot to be the dining room table.
In spite of this , it was important to me not to delve into how it could've been’s or compare my university to those of my friends’ from school. Instead, it was important to take the situation that I was handed and turn it into an advantage. I understood that the situation’s I would be presented with in life would be highly unpredictable and fluid, what is beyond the shadow of a doubt is my commitment and willingness to continue my education , uninterrupted, either which way.
In the beginning of 2022, I was set to have my first Block Practice at a local school in Hong Kong. Due to the Covid Pandemic I was unable to come to Hong Kong and had to defer my semester as a result. Nevertheless, I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to practice and implement the pedagogical content knowledge I had learnt during the last three years of University.
I reached out to my Alma Mater and met with my high school principal to discuss how I could contribute to my school and I was offered a part-time position as a IGCSE Business Teacher and would work with the Social Sciences department of the school.
Approach to Teaching in Year 1: My Core Values
Before we embark on a reflection on my thoughts and feelings throughout the teaching tenure at my school , it is important to identify my thoughts and aspirations before teaching that I had developed in my first FEX course in Year 1.
The Youtube video below showcases my approach to education that I had developed in my first year of University. My idea that I wish to become an
Inspirational Co constructor. The video outlines my ideas of how I believe a classroom should be and how I wish to approach it as a teacher.
To summarise...
To summarise...
The willingness to experiment is what I believe to be my God-given gift. As such, it has shaped my character and the type of teacher I yearned to become.
That same characteristic that I have cultivated into several “side hustles” throughout my years on planet Earth, I believe will serve me well in my bid to truly encompass what it is to be an Inspirational Co-constructor. Whereby, the entrepreneurial spirit is quintessentially the same trait that inspires effective pedagogy. In that they share the common thread being the willingness to innovate. In education, it is shaped as the application of alternative activities and assessments to keep students engaged, creative and inquisitorial. Cultivate lessons where students are forced to tap into their creative juices and vindictively defend their creations against snickering shareholders, an especially relevant skill in Business Studies. Therefore , incorporating this characteristic into teaching business will aid my attempt of becoming a facilitator of knowledge and not a dictator.
Ultimately, I aim to achieve a classroom culture where students are comfortable to freely express their creativity and thoughts in their work and ambitions.
My Teaching Experience : (GILOS)
One thought encapsulates the essence of this section and my thoughts and feelings about my teaching experience:
The irony in this sentence is that the students are supposed to be the ones gaining knowledge and learning, in reality it was the complete opposite, I learnt more about teaching in this short three month placement than all my pedagogical courses combined. This does not pertain to the fact that I absorbed little knowledge in my pedagogical courses, it was the latter, however I learnt more about myself and my teaching strengths and weaknesses in one hour of teaching than countless hours in the lecture room.
This is especially relevant because in classes we are taught the importance of planning our lessons, the curriculum, structuring the content and knowing basic classroom management and teacher presence techniques. These are important fundamental knowledge used as the foundation of teaching , however we were seldom told that this is not all encompassing of the teaching profession. It is the utilization of all the aspects : Technological , Pedagogical and Content knowledge unilaterally that is the challenge.
In other words...
"Carefully and skillfully designed combination of content, creativity, co-construction, collaboration, communication, context, and community supported by caring, capable, confident and compassionate teachers."
GILO : Creative and Critical Thinking Skills
Economics and Accounting are heavily theory based subjects , where there is little leeway in trying to implement fun and engaging ways to teach the content without utilising direct teaching methods, which are outdated, monotonous and goes against every cell in my body. This is because I truly believe in the constructivist teaching approach.
As a result, it required a lot of thinking and designing of how to teach the concepts without teaching it!
How do I create lessons that allow students to cultivate the core concepts on their own?
This approach required a lot of critical thinking in designing the lessons and required me to follow the following framework Norwanto (2011):
(1) determining learning objectives,
(2) teaching through questioning,
(3) practicing before assessing,
(4) reviewing, refining, and improving, and
(5) providing feedback and assessment of learning.
Therefore, it required a lot of analysis and thought into the essential points in the syllabus since it is very easy to lose focus when looking at all the minor details mentioned in the textbooks or syllabus. It also required me to evaluate and go through years worth of exam papers to identify the core concepts tested in the exam paper in order to create lessons that focus on those core areas. This was important because the way that I wished to deliver lessons is usually more lengthy as it is very student-oriented and it is difficult to determine the pace of student learning.
After identifying the core concepts and objectives, creative thinking skills allowed me to implement the syllabus in a myriad of ways through simulation activities, field trips , project based learning activities for example. All these teaching tools were taught throughout my courses in EDUHK and applying them in my classes was a very challenging yet rewarding experience. I have attached one class that I conducted with my students and their reaction to the activity!
In this lesson students had to apply the economic concepts and create a self-sufficient Island in groups.
A SHORT STORY OF MY FIRST LESSON
For my first lesson I was asked to prepare a class on the determinants that shift the supply and demand curve in Economics. I had prepared a meticulous lesson and would focus on the topic of opportunity cost.
This is a concept that is fundamental to the economics syllabus in school and is taught since the eight grade.
I had predisposed that the 11th grade students understood it and was not expecting to provide a definition or explore the concept.
When a student asked me for the definition I had given them the following answer :
"the next best opportunity forgone."
After the student still not understanding I attempted to explain the concept , however there was no success. I proceeded to give other examples to explain the term and by the sixth attempt I did not know how to convey the definition!
GILO : Oral Communication
This experience had really challenged my communication skills and really developed the following GILO’s :
Written Communication Skills
Oral Communication Skills
This is because I had to try and explain the concept many times over in a way that the students understood me. It took me about 6 attempts to try and explain the definition of economies of scale.
I fumbled trying to draw upon different examples of economies of scale in action and if I was unable to explain economies of scale I could not proceed with my lesson. I went home and reflected on the experience and attempted to research ways on how to deliver the concept. After finding a suitable method and explaining the concept in the following lesson I had realised the importance of communication.
Oral communication is a teachers primary tool of disseminating information to the students , so not being able to pass on ideas in a clear concise manner with focus, energy and passion would negate any attempts of being an effective teacher.
Therefore, this first and initial experience in the classroom taught me the importance of clear oral communication , and I was to achieve and implement this in two ways :
Don’t assume that someone knows what you are talking about
You should speak so clearly that a five year old should be able to understand a concept
These two principles ensure that I disseminate my thoughts and ideas with as much clarity as possible and in turn has influenced my writing as it allows me to condense my thoughts clearly.
GILO : Written Communication
ECE English Project
ECE English Project
Lastly, the development of my oral communication skill that was nurtured during my teaching practice had been recognized in the semester by my English lecturer. She had invited me to join a project to develop a Business English Course for ECE teachers. This is where I was asked to create materials to teach ECE educators how to write emails, memos, reports and presentations in a clear concise manner. Through this experience, I was able to coach those older than me on the art of communication and relayed the lessons I had learnt through experience such as the two principles mentioned previously.
This experience tested my ability to convey my ideas in a clear and precise manner in order to teach and guide others how to write !
A15_Raisa_ProfessionalEmails.movHong Kong Citywide Poetry Competition
Hong Kong Citywide Poetry Competition
Poetry published in this Anthology - "WE TOOK"
Poetry published in this Anthology - "WE TOOK"
We took too much for granted, we walked this Earth like kings,
We didn’t see the disaster that our ignorance would bring.
We took the things we wanted, and things we didn’t need,
We didn’t heed the warning; we didn’t stop the greed.
We took too many journeys, no matter what the price,
We used oil like water, the air choked on our vice.
We took the plastic from our homes and dropped it in the sea,
We didn’t see the damage, or hear the oceans plea.
We didn’t take it seriously, we lost our way somehow,
And when we look for who to blame, lets all please take a bow.
We ignored all the warning signs; we took too long to care.
We took and took and took and took,
Until there was nothing left to share.
We were told to social distance like it was something strange and new,
But ignoring our fellow humans, isn’t that what we always do?
We took the news like children being told they couldn’t play,
We took it with a pinch of salt and went out anyway.
We took our masks off in the street, it didn’t seem the place.
This air we thought so little off, was now our saving grace.
We took our lives for granted and we lost all self-respect,
It took the power of a virus, to showcase our neglect.
So, when this is finally over, will we all look back and learn,
Will we take the warnings we’ve been given or watch our planet burn?
My Blog where I post some Articles:
Overall, there were many mediums in which I could channel my writing skills during University outside of writing academic essays and course work. The concept of embracing fluidity can also be seen particularly in my writing , as I had mentioned in my GEJ 4020 reflective entry that I was able to channel my creativity in different forms of writing and that I do not have to rely solely on University to define my writing opportunities. I was able to generate different forms of writing that fulfilled various aspects of my life through exercising : creative thinking through poetry and critical thinking through my blog posts.
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