The chapter starts by a review of what teachers can and can not do when designing a course. It is compulsory to follow the guidelines provided by the authorities in order to achieve what students should know and be able to do. Also, we need to consider the different students' needs and how to reach all students in the classroom. Yet, do teachers take into account them? Do school authorities know about them, and talk about them with their staff? How are they considered in the year planning? The key issue here is that there is little (if so) room to analyse the guidelines and put them into practice in order to satisfy students, school and authorities' needs.
On the other hand, teacher own reflection about the teacher and learning process is almost absent. Teachers do not reflect in / on / about their planning and classroom practices. Therefore, the actual result is never revisited and the vicious circle starts rolling again.
Now that classes are almost over and December and January are used to evaluate the year results and plan the next academic year, it is the right time to sit and reflect on how effective the classes and results were, and go further than the numbers. How much of that 7 represents understanding? Yet, how willing will be teachers to do this kind of analysis? Do school authorities know how to do it?
When doing the year planning or a class plan, do we actually decide the objectives of every single activity? Do we have a plan B, and C? How do we actually expect it to consolidate and reach understanding? It seems that most classroom practices are basically drilling to cover contents in a fixed period of time and - crossing fingers - students will get the gist out of it.
Finally, I would like to refer to the emphasis on methodology and evaluation. One of the aspects which is being taken into account is universities' accreditation is evidencing students' learning. Therefore, course programs have to have explicitly how that is planned and what teachers plan on doing with students' achievement. It encourages formative assessment and action research become main actors into the students' learning process. More than having more things to mark, it is reflecting on what students have done regarding the course objectives and the expected outcomes which have been drawn. This involves that all actors of the teaching and learning process commit 100% into it, in order to sort the puzzle together.
6 comments:
REFLECTING!!! Cheers for that word!!!
This is exactly the hub of the puzzle.
I have mentioned words such as think, rethink and analize,but I hadn't thought of reflecting. How come??? Last semester we spent long hours disscussing about reflect on our practices. Teachers hardly ever reflect on their plannig and classroom practices, and this is the first stage to improve assessment.
I tried to do it once, but it was very hard. At the begining of a course I made the desicion to take notes of my performance in the classrrom, my aim was to reflect on my own practices (as we were taught). However, after two weeks I stoped doing it, and guess why. Because of TIME.
Time is always our worst enemy. So, as you mentioned, we should reflect on our practices, planning and designing in December and January.
Dear friend,
“We need to consider the different students' needs and how to reach all students in the classroom” difficult task, don’t you think? Not impossible of course but time consuming thus I have to reflect on/in and about everything that is part of an effective teaching – learning process. So if I had time, resources, appropriate work conditions and someone to guide and support me, result would be different of course , because he process would achieve the so co understanding but not only for my classroom practice but also because there a team working for that aim supported by an educational system that beliefs and respects teachers’ work. Anyway, we must work for this change in order to contribute to what we believe is the right track and because we love what we are and do.
Thx for all your reflections
Dear Loreto:
Reflection is a means which really helps teachers to improve the quality of education. Unfortunately, as you mentioned in your post, Chilean teachers do not bother about reflecting on their planning and practices. This situation has led teachers to create a vicious circle in which they make the same mistakes. Teachers teach students without knowing what to do, they do not pay attention to students’ understanding and to make the matter even worse they are not concerned about students’ needs. We have to remember that students’ needs are priorities where instructional strategies and assessment revolve around them. Definitively, something has to be done.
(Although this is Loretito's blog I'll answer or share with Daniela).
Danielita,
I think all of us have at least tried once to reflect on our own teaching practice... with the same results as you got. How do those Gringo teachers do it to have enough time to plan lessons, collect activities and materials and then think on their own practice? Do they have family life then? There are thinks that I don't understand. We feel guilty because we are sinners. Many of us have improvized a class more than once; however, everytime we have had tried to do the correct thing, we don't reach the desired results becuase of time and other factors... Are there any cultural differences that are not being mentioned in these books? Is there something we don't know? Are we too lazy? I don't know how to solve the puzzle. Anyway, as you can see I haven't mentioned authorities in my post, just because I don't think they are willing to change things. Therefore, everything depends on what we can achieve inside the clasrooms.
Saludos.
Dear HC,
I feel guilty because I follow the vicious circle and at the end of a year is difficult to stop it, but possible anyway. After reading these chapters, we have realized that we have been making the things not that good and properly as we should have...and I have been thinking on ALL my previous students who have suffered my wrong procedures, but I think that's the way it is, because we are not born effective teachers...we may acquire that feature with the time; therefore, from now on we are forced to do everthing much better....it should be our mission to perform our art of teaching in a better way, and more importantly, we should focus on LEARNING and not on teaching.
Reflection is a key word here, as you mention, we must reflect in our practices, now we are doing so, we are trying to focus on learning, but the rest, are they? we can try to make a difference and help them, but will they want reflect on their practices?
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