Reflection Paper Nine..

                                                                            Monday 26th March 2012

In today's class our questioning group did the presentation on the topic questioning strategy.
 

Concept and Purpose. (Questioning)

When used artfully questioning can transform a classroom from traditional lecture setting to a living student centered community.

What is a question?

=anything that has a question mark at the end. (as a joke)

= is any sentence which has an interrogative form or function. In classroom settings teacher questions are defined as instructional cues or stimuli that convey to students the contents to be learned and directions for what they are to do and how they are to do it.

Purpose.

1.      To check students understanding of the lesson.

2.      To introduce and revise the lesson.

3.      To keep the students alert and attentive.

4.      To see the progress of the lesson.

5.      To check whether lesson objectives are met or not.

6.      To invite students active participation.

7.      To motivate and to keep children on task.

8.      To help them think critically and analytically.

9.      But of all to make students to use art of questioning as a lifelong learning tool.

 Characteristics of good questions.

1.      It is clear, definite, specific and concise.

2.      Suitable to the student’s level.

3.      Set in an adequate background.

In order to master the art of questioning, teachers needs to synchronies these elements= 1. Planning =deciding on the topic, levels of questioning as per the lesson.

                  2. Classroom environment=teacher should learn to make the classroom environment more conducive to learning.

                  3. Methods= this includes wait time(time the teacher waits after asking question and before he talks again), listening, responding, redirection of question and responses. 

                  4. Reflection=teacher needs to reflect on his questioning skills and have to improve.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question; I could solve the problem in less than 5 minutes.”

                                                                                        -Albert Einstein.

Classification of questioning strategy:

The literal level(‘right there on paper’).

The inferential level(‘think and search’).

No hands questioning.

Basketball questioning.

Conscripts and volunteers.

Phone a friend.

Hot seating.

Preview.

Pair rehearsal.

Eavesdropping.

Big questions.

 Types of Questioning:

1. Socratic Questioning

1. Conceptual Clarification Questions
2. Probing assumptions
3. Probing rationale, reasons and evidence 
4. Questioning view points and perspective
5. Probe implications and consequences
6. Questions about the questions

1.  Blooms Taxonomy

1. Remembering
2. Understanding
3. Applying
4. Analysing 
5. Evaluating
6. Creating

2.  Kipling's Questions

1. What
2. Why
3. When
4. Where
5. Who
6. How 

 

Role of the Teacher: (Socratic questioning)

1. During Socratic questioning, the teacher is a model of critical thinking who respects students' viewpoints, probes their understanding, and shows genuine interest in their thinking.                                                                                                                                                                                      

2. The teacher poses questions that are more meaningful than those a novice of a given topic might develop on his or her own.

3. The teachers create and sustain an intellectually stimulating classroom environment and acknowledge the value of the student in that environment. In an intellectually open, safe, and demanding learning environment, students will be challenged, yet comfortable in answering questions honestly and fully in front of their peers.

Role of students

–     Participate when called upon.

–     Answer questions as carefully and clearly as possible.

–     Address the whole class so that everyone can hear their answers.

–     Be as succinct as possible in the interest of maximizing classroom time and effectiveness 

These all were covered during the 1st day of our presentation. 

Thank you...

           

                                                                                                 

Reflection Paper Eight.

                                                                                                             Thursday 22nd March 2012




Today we didn't really got into learning because sir asked us to have discussion within the group.
But sir did talk about the difference between inductive and deductive teaching.

Moreover after discussion sir gave us free. So that's the most exciting part when it comes to the students like us.
We just love free times.

Thank You Sir..

Reflection Paper Seven.

                                                                                                         Wednesday 21st March 2012


In today's class we learnt the opposite of inductive teaching strategy that is Deductive Teaching Strategy.
It is the strategy that leads the students from unknown to known, abstract to concrete and complex to simple.
It is the strategy  in which generalizations are presented initially followed by application. Which means it's much more simple compared to inductive teaching strategy.

We even came across the Purpose of Deductive Teaching Strategy.
 *It's a teacher centered approach where students are taken as a blank slates.
*Creates dependency in students limiting their thinking ability.
*Helps students with learning dis ability to enhance their learning.

Phases of Deductive Teaching Strategy:
*The teacher illustrates with examples.
*Presentation of abstraction.
*Students give examples of concept and apply them in new situations.
*students restate the concept or definition that they have learned.

Advantages:
*Less time consuming.
*Different from rote learning.
*Logical inter linking of the elements is encouraged.
*Involves all levels of questions.


Dis advantages:
*Students are not actively involved in the beginning of the lesson.
*It may not be challenging for the brighter students.

Role of the Teachers:
*Teacher needs to plan.
*Teacher dictates information to students.
*Provides guidance as scaffolding.

These all are the things that we have discussed in the Deductive Teaching Strategy.


Thank You... 

Reflection Paper Six.

                                                                                                                 Monday 19th march 2012


In today's class we were asked to recapitulate on the previous topic. After that sir gave us approximately ten minutes to discuss in the group about how to teach inductively using any of the two subjects like English and Computer(IT).

After the discussion was over, sir asked us to jot it down on the chart parer.
In English we decided to teach inductively on the topic Elements of the Short Story. Here we will first ask the students whether they love reading short stories or not. After that we will ask them to name the few short stories that they have already read. And as a non- example we will ask, is essay or letter writing a short story? If no, than we will tel them that essay and letter is a non- example of short stories.

Then we will let the students identify the patterns and the critical attributes of the given examples. After that we will ask the students to define/identify the elements of the short story by looking at the examples and non examples.
Finally we will ask them to write short story including all the elements required of their own.

Likewise we used the same methods about how to teach inductively using computer. After that we moved around to see our friends work too.

Thank You...

Reflection Paper Five.

                                                                                                               Sunday 18th March 2012

We continued today's class with the presentation by our friends after a small meditation. Now we are on the third strategy that is the procedural steps of inductive teaching/learning strategy.

There are four steps/phases:

1.      Phase 1: open- ended phase:

Here the students will be given lots of examples and non examples and moreover the teachers try to give as much examples as possible.

2.      Phase 2: convergent phase:

Here the teacher prompt students and let them identify the patterns of the examples that teachers have already given.

3.      Phase 3: closure phase:

The teacher will finally give the definition of the topic.

4.      Phase 4: application phase:

Here the teacher will give application of definition and re state it.

After the explanation of the four phases, we came across another strategy i.e. the role of teacher in inductive teaching:

·        Constructivist class.

·        Let the students do the research themselves.

·        Modelling students(coaching- instructions by teachers and performance by students).

·        Prompting, facilitating, directing, and giving hints and feedbacks to students.

Another friend explained about the advantages and dis- advantages of inductive teaching/learning strategy:

                      Advantages:

·        It ensures greater interaction among learners, teachers and the materials like introducing new stuffs.

·        It motivates children to find and learn more so that the students are active learners.

·        Incorporates all question techniques that helps them in more information.

·        Can be used in all levels of study at varying degree like some are fast learners and some are slow learners.

·        Dis – courage wild guessing as it needs evidence.

Dis- advantages:

·   Time consuming as most of the work is given to the students and to do that work they have to do lots of research.

·   Minimum content coverage because students consume more time while doing research.  

·    It needs verification as they prefer more valid answers.

·    Its frustrating for different learners as there is both fast and slow learners(it will be hard for the slow learners to compete with fast learners).

· Topics  cannot be taught inductively, there will be different topics so all the topics cannot be taught inductively.

We finally ended up the lesson after discussing the few questions that was written in the green board by the sir.

Thank You....

Reflection Paper Four.

                                                                                                           Wednesday 14th March 2012


In today's class before starting the lesson, sir asked us to number our self. After that sir asked all the ones who got the same number to be in one group. The main purpose of getting into groups was to assign a task.
Each group were given one topic to work on.
After that sir gave us 60 minutes to complete our work and after that we  were asked to present that work to our home group.

One of our member presented on the topic "concept of inductive teaching/learning strategy".
It mainly talks about the self discovery or the inquiry based learning whereby the teacher will provide specific data and the student will have to explore information's themselves, do research and share their views to the whole class. Moreover here students are free to raise their views and ask many questions to the teachers.

There is two types of inductive teaching:
1. Guided: Here the teacher will just guide, gives some hints, feedback and information so that rest of the work is to be done by the students by doing research.


2. Un guided: Teacher will just encourage, give specific topic and students have to observe themselves and draw out conclusion.

Features of Guided:
Teacher controls the situation/elements.
Encourage the students to learn more.
Learn through observation and examination.

Features of Un guided:
Its more of student centered.
More of the work is done by the students.

This all are the things that we have discussed in today's class.


Thank you

Reflection Paper Three.

                                                                                                                    Monday 12th March 2012

On the third day of our class we briefly went through the definition of the word strategy i.e the plan of action, method(systematic process of achieving things with accuracy) and skills(the ability to do something well).

We also came across what teaching strategy really is? It mainly talks about a plan to achieve a particular purpose of teaching and to have mastery in specific goal or objectives.
Teaching method is the method or the means through which we organize and guide the learning experiences.
Teaching skills on the other hand is the ability or the experience to teach well.

We also came to know that teaching strategy has a purpose whereas teaching skill is more specific. The way how they teach varies from one individual.

Thank you..

Reflection Paper Two..

                                                                                                                             Thursday 8th March

In today's class we learn about  technique, strategies, method, skills and approach. Each member from the group were asked to read out their answers and from that we came to know that method and approach is same/similar that is the way of doing something. I even came to know that strategy is the plan of action to learn.



Thank You

                                                                                                          Wednesday 7th March 2012
On the first day of our session we started the class with meditation followed by the brief introduction of each other. We did talk about, how mindfulness  made a great impact in individuals life. And I strongly belief that doing meditation is not any easy task to do though its really helpful.

Sir even told us that through meditation we can keep our mind on peace and I think through constant practice I can eventually adapt that habit very soon. We can even have control over our mind through meditation and all the credit goes to our Sir Bijoy.


Thank You...