Teaching to me is like organizing a party – in fact a series of parties for the same set of guests.
Each course for me begins with a plan. No matter how often I have taught a course, I go back to the drawing board to chalk out a road map. A lesson that I learnt as a programmer – never write code without writing the algorithm.
My planning would include breaking down learning outcomes into packages and creating a learning schedule. I would also consider introducing something new or topical into the course, changing the sequence of how outcomes are delivered, modifications to learning material etc. Assessment strategies are planned to include a variety of assessments. Formative assessments and learning activities are planned – in most courses I like to be prepared with material one week in advance.
This is a little laborious at the onset, but I find myself quite in control when guests arrive so to speak. Once a plan is in place, I am comfortable planning the delivery of the lesson itself. Depending on the course this could be anywhere between 30 minutes to 3 days ahead of the lesson.
Each lesson I would then plan for a blend of theory and application. One without the other is either too boring or not challenging enough. Fortunately early in my career, I taught courses in Database Design, Programming and Systems Analysis. By their very nature, these subjects lent themselves to teaching theory and practical simultaneously. Now I am transferring these skills to the business and management courses that I teach. I use discussions based on case studies to apply concepts learnt. Finding case studies specific to this region is a challenge, but having working students in a class helps.
A party is no fun without some banter, humor and guests bonding into smaller groups. In my opinion, learning must be fun otherwise it becomes a dreary activity to the learner. I try to set a relaxed tone in class but with some ground rules – particularly with the younger students. My best lesson is one where students settle into their groups and are working on a task. I would walk around helping the groups or a few students helping their peers. Or there would be a good discussion related to the topic that we just studied with students engaged and happy to express their opinion. Or when students begin to connect the dots and piece together all that they have learnt to produce a piece of work that reflects what they have learnt.
The best planned parties or courses can start to go awry. In such a case, the ability to recognize a problem and having time to reflect on the happenings is necessary. It also helps to have a mentor or a colleague to discuss issues. I have learnt to that making small changes in time is necessary to steer the course back into order and inject enthusiasm back into learning.
Unlike a party, a course has a tangible outcome – grades. Much as I dislike pegging students into predefined slots, it is feels great when I see progress that some students have made and immensely sorry for those that did not. Good teaching and learning is all about pride.
This explains why I don’t have much enthusiasm to organize many parties at home!
Thank you, Sharmila, I like your extended metaphor of the party and guests, although - as you point out - it does break down when it comes to assessments. You certainly give an interesting account of your practice and thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi Sharmila,
ReplyDeleteI like the image of the party in your post. I also find it advantageous to break down the learning outcome into packages. However; I also see the party having explicit (tangible) outcomes.
Thanks
I think you have hit the nail on the head for most teachers, or shall I say nails!! We all want to make our classes more fun as through our own personal experiences we all can vouch that the learning objectives are usually met with less stress and effort if there are a few laughs and wit to break the monotonous voice of the teacher. This is especially true if the fun is directed and becomes a learning aid rather a distraction form the main purpose of the classroom. Planning for your class is as important just as important as being the "content expert". The challenge facing teachers is to find the time to be productive in a similar way when inviting guests and having parties. I am sure one will want to cook a new dish for your guests and avoid making them the same one again and again. Sometimes you know your guests may prefer a particular type of food and to make them happy you will make it again. So, if our students enjoy learning more when the teacher tries some new "fun" learning strategy, you may think I will do this again. The dilemma is that sometimes this may not always work and understanding the class dynamics can be a face saving exercise.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.