1) PW lesson observation
Marcus and I were asked to observe the PW lessons conducted by Ms Tan, one of the few "PW specialists" in AJC, and we did so on Tuesday morning. Even though the PW question paper had yet to be released, the PW department had given the students an ssignment which required them to select and do research on one significant invention in recent years that they felt was innovative and insightful. During this tutorial, the students were divided into groups and asked to share their research with each other and then decide on one which they wanted to present to the class. Ms Tan gave them about 20 minutes for this discussion, and then randomly selected a representative from each group to present their idea. The biggest takeaway which I got from this tutorial was Ms Tan's method of prompting responses from her students - using a spinning wheel divided into 6 segments ("Who", "What", "When", "Where", "Why", and "How"), she got each group to focus on one word, and they were asked to formulate questions that began with their assigned word after each presenter had finished. If their questions were too surface-level, she would step in to prompt them towards more higher-order thinking. I thought this was a very interesting way of developing critical thinking and questioning skills in the students, and the process of student Q&A helped to make the lesson more lively and promote peer learning. It is definitely a technique that I would consider using in future, particularly for classes that are more reticient and less willing to engage with each other and the subject material.
2) First H1 tutorial-cum-informal lesson observation
On Wednesday morning, I met my H1 class for the first time during the tutorial slot. I was rather nervous at the beginning as it was my first lesson observation (albeit an informal one) with my CT, and I knew that I would only have an hour with them instead of the usual 90 minutes due to a pre-planned schoolwide fire drill. Thankfully, I already had introduction slides and activities planned from my first H2 tutorial last week, and I was thus able to breeze through the introduction component fairly quickly. A few issues arose during the lesson proper, however - my CT pointed out that I could have better defined key words for my students and scaffolded them towards a reconciliation of the multiple perspectives brought out in the tutorial question instead of leaving them hanging with disparate sets of arguments to consider. He also advised me to watch my lesson pacing and to not be over-ambitious in my planning, in the sense that certain tasks were too complex to be completed within the stipulated time-frame. Marcus was present in this lesson to help me monitor the students during the group discussion segment, but my CT reminded me that I would not have the luxury of his help in formal observations, and emphasised the importance of being able to track and manage student behaviour on my own. However, he reassured me of several good points as well - he praised me for having a good variety of questioning techniques and the quick provision of feedback and evaluation once students responded, and said that my voice projection and demeanor were good as well. This made me feel more positive about my performance during the lesson, and I really am thankful for a CT who is honest, constructive, and yet kind in his feedback.
3) Overall lesson reflections
After my tutorials this week, I really recognise the importance of being well-versed in subject content. Four years of pursuing my own disciplinary interests (many of which have little to do with the JC syllabus) in the university have left me very unfamiliar with the content that is required for my current teaching, and much of these first two weeks has been spent on reading and research to ensure that I am prepared for class. My classroom experience has also taught me the importance of time management and lesson sequencing, and I hope that over time, my familiarity with my classes and their preferred working style, as well as the amount of time it takes on average for them to perform certain activities, will increase. This would help me to plan lessons that are appropriately paced and accessible to them, and make for more effective teaching and learning on the whole.
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