Week 6: Reading & Introspection.....

'Teaching Large Classes' and 'Using Technology on Teaching Large Classes' are two topics I can easily identify with. The average strength of the classes in our school is between 50 - 60. So, this weeks resources helped me to introspect on my methods and techniques that I already apply, and the ones that I had never thought of and can now try out in class. Some strategies and skills have already been used by me, like Role -Plat, Group Activity, Demonstrations, Think-Pair-Share, Question-Answer, and so on. The other aspect of using technology in large classrooms  - online website like Wiki, Blog, Web quest, Blackboard has never been used. So, to try that out would be quite novel not only in my class but in my school. I do understand now that technology will not only facilitate a large classroom but also help a teacher to tackle it better. What I like best after reading the resources provided that, I need not completely transform my classroom to a technological one, like one in the ICT lab. Keeping the conditions of my school, following the social condition, I can make a 'Blended Classroom'. I thank my friends here who gave me this term, as I often advocate for a blend of the traditional and a technological classroom.

Creating an 'Interactive PowerPoint' again was an eye opener for me. As I had created Power Point before, primarily for Professional Development Workshop and other projects, I thought I knew all about PPT. Yet, this task for the course gave me a new insight into it. As I said, it made me introspect, revise my technique, change my skills, and made me understand my class better, for, what I was creating was for them. It was highly invigorating and exciting for me, as I could almost visualize my learners sitting in pairs in front of their monitors trying out the tasks. This is what I want for them, break out of the obvious, the text book, try new things and do them happily. I believe that a happy learner will learn best. I can see many critics here who will nod their knowledgeable heads, that, I will never be able to keep to the curriculum and time frame of the syllabus. If planned with prudence, I'm confident that we teachers can give our learners the best.

It is unfortunate that, since my students are going to start their examinations from 20th November, I won't be able to 'Implement the Change' in the classroom.  I have already mentioned in my last week's project  step 4, how I would like to enhance the creativity in my learners using technology while they write Letter Writing. I thank Courtney for her positive feedback, and , this has inspired me to refine my skill.  My plan was to use emailing and follow it up with Web Quest. However, after going through Diana's interactive PPT on letter writing, I decided to bring some change in the process of implementation. Brainstorming would be more effective in my class than research, I thought. I've often seen, that when students are asked to research they are somewhat confused as they don't have much guidelines. They keep copying from some websites and think their research work is done. In such a  situation, much learning and understanding does not take place. So, taking a leaf out of Diana, I would like to pose my students with relevant and pertinent questions while brainstorming. Next I would show them some video's on formal and informal letters and share some links in the class on letter writing. I believe this will help my students, before  they start emailing on the topic given to them. The big question - will I finish this before their terminal/end of the year exams? I definitely will, if I plan out the lesson and pace out the tasks.

Thank you Courtney for showing confidence in me...hope I can deliver. I thank Diana for sharing her knowledge on Letter Writing....I believe sharing enhances our learning, and we if stop that, our learning also stops.
Benjamin Franklin had aptly said: " Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."

Beast wishes to all.