Week2 reflection-Thinking Tools and Teaching Demo

Course Overview

Eager anticipation, we had our second lecture of this semester. At first, we were divided into different groups based on the results of the roulette game. In the lecture, we reviewed second language acquisition, ZPD theory and many other pedagogical theories, being introduced to Cognition and Metacognition theory and Dialogic Assessment for the first time. After that, we were asked to select strategies from a total of 50 strategies given by our lecturer to design the class as well as demonstrate it in the classroom.

In the tutorial, the lecturer concluded our micro-teaching by summarising some of our peers’ teaching methods such as drawing, video and gaming, encouraging us to teach by cutting videos and listening to songs. Finally, she ended the class with the elegant song “Five Hundred Miles”.

New Partners

The lecturer used a roulette game to divide us into groups, which allowed us to break away from the fixed groups in the class and work with different classmates. For most of the Year 1 modules, table groups were mostly stable, we typically chose to sit next to our closest companions. Due to the fact that I had never collaborated with anyone in the new group, this could challenge my social comfort zone. Hence, I was able to be exposed to different learning styles and perspectives.

The lecturer's group approach reminded me of cognitive field psychology, which is characterised by a focus on the individual as he or she is affected by his or her surroundings. Stormshak et al (1999), pioneers in this field, theorized that when a person's life space changes, various methods of thinking, feeling, and behaving become apparent. Similarly, this theory applies to the classroom, by transforming the life space of the individual student, theoretically, the behaviour of the student will change. According to Daniels (2003), the immersion of persons in varied psychological settings may lead to the emergence of new beliefs and values, as well as the adoption of new roles or group memberships. Students are provided with opportunities to encounter many learning styles and views, so fostering the stimulation of their interest and motivation in the process of acquiring knowledge. Students are exposed to various learning styles and perspectives, which helps to stimulate their interest and motivation in their studies.

For example, a member of our group, Aimi, incorporated a small game Simon Says into our microteaching presentation. I had not contemplated the method of incorporating activities into teaching. This method of instruction increased students' focus and participation in class, thereby significantly enhancing its effectiveness. I was inspired to incorporate mini-games into my future instructional design. According to Freitas et al. (2013), the incorporation of games into educational settings has the potential to enhance student engagement and enjoyment, hence fostering increased attention and motivation to actively engage in the learning process.

Micro-Teaching

Our group adopted the pedagogical objective of teaching 'colours' (morphology) to 7–8-year-old children. During the design of the curriculum, we attempted to incorporate the 50 strategies provided by the lecturer.

To build the visual scaffolding, we selected the most daily objects for the corresponding colours on the slides. Visual aids are a great way to scaffold learning. Since the main subject of our teaching is ELL children, they may not understand the names of many nouns in English. Visual aids are regarded as a great way to scaffold learning. Lestari& Misdi (2018) suggested that teachers can apply them to introduce new materials, reinforce concepts, support struggling learners. So when talking about the colour red, we purposely inserted pictures of the strawberry in the slide. Once students see the picture of the strawberry, they will naturally associate it with red. 

We also use the cloze procedure, leaving the sentences with keywords for students to fill in in relation to the contextual meaning. It inspires children to consider word choice so that they can select the word that best fits the blank space. Moreover, the cloze is also an ideal tool to track the mastery level of students. Oller and Conrad (1971) also affirmed that the cloze approach is a very promising device for measuring ESL proficiency. This is because cloze questions are able to test students’ vocabulary, spelling and language skills simultaneously.

Blog and Metacognition

The module is titled "Teaching and Learning Strategies."  The implementation of teaching strategies requires the thinking tools as a means. Therefore, a key aspect covered in this session is a cognitive tool used in the pedagogical and educational process. In addition to the Bloom taxonomy level and Maslow's hierarchy of needs that I had acquired knowledge of in Year 1, I was first exposed to the concept of metacognition, which can be defined as “thinking about thinking or a person’s cognition about cognition” (Wellman, 1990).

As metacognition is the process of continuous reflection about one's own thinking and learning, teachers can implement metacognitive strategies to support students become self-regulating learners and to cultivate a strong sense of agency in their educational journey (Akturk & Sahin, 2011). Our lecturer incorporates metacognitive strategies into her daily teaching, for example, she assigned us the task of writing weekly reflection blogs to document our learning progress and experiences. Paris and Paris (2001) also stated that teachers could use writing activities, such as logs and self-assessment checklists, to promote metacognitive growth because these exercises encourage learners to reflect on their learning processes. Engaging in such writing assignments necessitates

Underway: reflections

consistent reflection, organization, assessment, and planning of the learning process, thereby fostering the growth of metacognitive abilities. Continuous student self-reflection—a significant part of metacognitive awareness—motivates independent learning and prompts learners to become more aware of their progress (Joseph, 2009). 

I also realised that my metacognitive abilities were greatly enhanced in blog writing. Never having done so before, I initiated a continuous process of self-reflection regarding the efficacy of my learning, approximating my level of comprehension and identifying challenges and opportunities for growth

References

Akturk, A. O., & Sahin, I. (2011). Literature Review on Metacognition and its Measurement. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 3731–3736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.364

Daniels, V. (2003). Kurt Lewin notes. Sonoma State University. Retrieved, November, 4, 2008. 

Freitas, S., Ott, M., Popescu, M. M., & Stanescu, L. (2013). New Pedagogical Approaches in Game Enhanced Learning: Curriculum Integration. In www.igi-global.com. IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/book/new-pedagogical-approaches-game-enhanced/72365

Joseph, N. (2009). Metacognition Needed: Teaching Middle and High School Students to Develop Strategic Learning Skills. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 54(2), 99–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/10459880903217770

Lestari, N. F., & Misdi, M. (2018). Using visual scaffolding strategy for teaching reading in junior high school. Academic Journal Perspective: Education, Language, and Literature, 4(2), 131-138. 

Livingston, J. A. (2003). Metacognition: An Overview. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED474273

Oller, J. W., & Conrad, C. A. (1971). THE CLOZE TECHNIQUE AND ESL PROFICIENCY. Language Learning, 21(2), 183–194. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1971.tb00057.x

Paris, S. G., & Paris, A. H. (2001). Classroom Applications of Research on Self-Regulated Learning. Educational Psychologist, 36(2), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3602_4

Stormshak, E. A., Bierman, K. L., Bruschi, C., Dodge, K. A., & Coie, J. D. (1999). The Relation between Behavior Problems and Peer Preference in Different Classroom Contexts. Child Development, 70(1), 169–182. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00013

Wellman, H. M. (1990). The Child’s Theory of Mind. In PhilPapers. Bradford Books. https://philpapers.org/rec/WELTCT-2