SCAFFOLDING

Scaffolding is one of the most effective strategies in teaching where information as a whole is broken down to smaller sections. Scaffolding helps both the teacher as well as the student. The former to prepare more detailed lesson plans and ensure that the learner is ready to move on to the next level, while the latter is able to chew on and digest knowledge in bits rather than attempting to swallow the whole chunk.  Scaffolding also acts as a support to learning until the student feels confident and independent enough to attempt the task alone.

On the other hand, scaffolding could make a student excessively dependent causing them to feel insecure when given a task to attempt on their own. It also does not contribute much to time management and students could end up not being able to complete the task in the given time.

However, the teacher could ensure positive results of scaffolding by making accurate judgment on when and how much of it would benefit the learner.

DIFFERENTIATION

Working with mixed ability groups has always been one of my challenges in teaching and it cannot be denied that differentiation is one of the most important features of a productive lesson in the given environment

Some of the ways I have catered to the different levels are:

·         By providing students with worksheets of different difficulty levels but of the same content.

·         By assigning different tasks to the appropriate group or individual

·         By providing the less able student with clues and fixed phrases to make use of while attempting a written task

·         By providing more able students with extended activities that encourages critical thinking

·         Scaffolding writing tasks

·         Setting different word limits for the same task

·         Mind mapping/writing bullet points

·         Providing students with vocabulary lists

·         Role play

·         Display work

·         Group / Pair work

·         Individual support

How would you like to differentiate in the near future?

I believe I use various methods of differentiation in my lessons however I need to work on acknowledging them in my lesson plans which in turn would enable me to plan more effectively.

MAKING A CHANGE

ICT being the focus of my improvement, I would strive to incorporate more active inspire resources and make it even more interactive as I personally felt the resources used were very basic. I would also like to encourage students to improve their ICT skills by planning lessons that would involve movie making, use of mind mapping software in class.

In order to achieve my target I would have to experiment various methods and resources that could make my lessons enjoyable and productive as well. I would also be looking into signing up for advanced computer courses that would enable me to

ICT being the focus of my improvement, I would strive to incorporate more active inspire resources and make it even more interactive as I personally felt the resources used were very basic. I would also like to encourage students to improve their ICT skills by planning lessons that would involve movie making, use of mind mapping software in class.

In order to achieve my target I would have to experiment various methods and resources that could make my lessons enjoyable and productive as well. I would also be looking into signing up for advanced computer courses to boost my knowledge and abilities in ICT.

EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING

 

One's first step in wisdom is to question everything - and one's last is to come to terms with everything.

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799)

A lesson is never complete without a questioning session. I am recently actually enjoying the way I question and I also feel that even the students feel it is more effective than before.

There are two strategies that I particularly enjoy. ‘Wait time’ that build up a lot of anxiety and excitement in the students and ‘Scamper’ that enables students to explore ideas, modify them and  finally present them  in new light. 

STARTER AND PLENARY

I am finally beginning to feel confident using the Promethean board. This week mostly all my starters and plenaries included the use of Active Inspire. A starter that my students found interesting was the learner’s response. There are six slots and the children move them aside to reveal the question concealed. Questions such as:

·         What did I find most difficult?

·          What did I find easy?

·         What was I most pleased with in today’s lesson?

·         What do I want more help with?

·         What helped me learn something new?

·         New things I have learnt

They are given 3 minutes time to work as a group and come up with answers. Finally the teachers asks random students from each group to come up to the board and share their answers with the class by writing them in the relevant boxes.

The students loved unrevealing the questions as well as using the Promethean pen to write answers.

WHY TEACHING?

You must be expecting to hear the same old reasons – I love children, I love to teach, I am passionate and committed, I want to make a difference etc…

The truth is I never wanted to be a teacher. I never planned it. I wanted to become a famous singer whose voice could reach out to every corner of the world. I wanted people to tune their radios to my songs, watch me on TV, cheer for me, award me… I wanted to be in the limelight.

But unpredictable as life is I found myself whisked away from my dreams into the reality of Iran to wake up one morning just to come face to face with my neighbour’s 9 year old daughter. She had hope in her eyes when she timidly asked me if I could help her with her English homework. Reluctantly I agreed though at the time I did not believe I could really be of much help. I guiltily admit that after an hour of trauma I had felt relieved to see her leave and hoped she wouldn’t come back.

I’d forgotten about the whole incident until she showed up at my door a week later, standing there awkwardly but gleaming with pride. I just stood there waiting not believing what I had already guessed.  Peeping out from behind her was her paper marked 18/20.

That was 15 years ago and I’ve never regretted a single day of my life since.

 I am in the limelight.