Reflection #9 : Final Discovery

Looks like I finally made it to the last post for this assignment! Boy, what an experience this course has given me. It definitely wasn't an easy ride, but I'd say it was worth it. During this course, I have discovered a couple of things that I would like to share :

1. Blogging can be quite fun!

I've come to realize that blogging is like window to your mind. True, it can be a little tough to find inspiration sometimes. But when it does hit you, the thoughts just flow so easily and you're done before you know it! At first I thought having to do reflections every week seemed a little tedious, but in hindsight I realize that it was actually a pretty good idea to recall whatever we learnt and have it archived so we can always come back to it in case we forget. It's so much more personal and understandable compared to the conventional note-taking method we were previously exposed to in other classes. It's also really nice to read blog posts from my fellow classmates too. I didn't know so many of them had such a flair in writing! Moreover, I find it easier to write when you discuss about the topics with your friends. When ideas are shared around, sometimes all it takes is just a sentence or even a word  to trigger the creative train of thought in you to start writing. I might even consider continuing to blog on my own after this. Thank you Madam Ng, for introducing us to the world of blogging!

All aboard the train of thought! :p

PS : ''Inside Out'' is a must watch! You are never too old for Disney :p

2. School of Thoughts

In this subject, we got to be exposed to 3 schools of thoughts about learning and teaching namely Cognitive, Humanistic and Behavioural. It offers various kinds of methods of teaching with a lot of in-depth explanation for when to use them according to the situation at hand. I felt privileged to be learning about them as it is not found on Google so it's like a rare gem that is really helpful guide for us as future teachers. These school of thoughts also made me realize that no matter how much you know your stuff, you can only be an excellent teacher when you understand what is known about teaching and learning and can put that knowledge to work every single time you arrange a learning experience. It also gave me hope to not give up on students easily. If a certain method doesn't work with them, we can always go 'back to the books'' to try to understand what may be interfering with their learning and figure out and alternative method to suit them better. And as far as suiting goes, I think all teachers have their own different strengths and a successful teacher is one that incorporates methods from the school of thoughts that best reflects their own beliefs and personal style. I personally was drawn to the positive reinforcement method from the Behavioural school of thought. I found that getting good feedback from my lecturer and peers really made a tremendous change to my motivation to perform better. 

Always try to engage students in your lessons! Trust me, it will yield better results :)

3. Mock Teaching

As I have described in my previous post, Mock Teaching would definitely have to be the highlight of this whole course. It was our first practical experience as teachers and really helped to push us beyond our limits and break down our walls. Most of us come off as shy and timid, but during the presentations I have to say I was really blown away by some of them. It was nice to see a different side of them and a boost in their confidence. We were all on our own for this assignment and there were many times that our patience got tested when coming up with lesson plans and preparing for our mock teaching. But at the end of the day, I'd say it all paid off because we all definitely learnt a lot and has definitely been one of the best experiences for me out of all my subjects so far. I'm sure we can all use this as an experience to learn from our mistakes, apply the successful techniques shown to us and strive to be even better next time.

Friends who made my mock teaching experience memorable :)

Always believe in yourself and you'll be amazed at all kinds of obstacles you can overcome! :)

I would like to take this oppurtunity to express my gratitude to everyone who has made this subject a memorable one for me. It gave me a chance to to not only meet new friends from a different batch but also get to know my old friends better as well. Last but not least, couldn't have asked for a better lecturer than Madam Ng to teach this subject. She is a really dedicated and respectable woman and I really liked how she gave us a whole new learning experience by exposing us to interactive technology like Padlet, Blogging etc. She may be a little strict but I felt that was a good way to keep us in check and instilling discipline in us - which is a very essential thing to have as a teacher. Thank you everyone and I hoped you enjoyed reading this humble blog of mine :) All the best for finals!