REFLECTION #1

11th October, 2017

DEBE SECONDAY SCHOOL

FIRST INDIVIDUAL TEACHING PRACTICE

Today was my first individual teaching practice and I was quite nervous. The form 5 class I

chose for my lesson can be quite challenging and I was unsure of their reaction to having an

observer in the classroom. I conducted my session in the audio/visual room because their class

was too small to facilitate the activities I planned for the lesson. For my set induction students

engaged in a role play of different types of professions and the class was asked to identify the

portrayals. This was done to introduce students to the topic human resources. The portrayals

were used to probe students on their plans for future employment and the role education and

training play in preparing them for these jobs.

Using a concept map I recorded students’ responses to help them visualize the concept on the

white board. Unfortunately however, because this was a specialist room the board was a lot

smaller than the classrooms and this prevented me from utilizing the board as I intended. This

experience taught me that I need to pay closer attention to all areas of my lesson planning.

For the group activity I placed students into groups to design posters that identified the different

factors that affect human resources and their quality of life. In order to prevent students from

becoming distracted and losing focus I walked around the room to lend support where necessary.

I was impressed that students remained engaged and worked well together without conflict

because group activities have proved challenging in the past.

After the posters were completed students presented them to their peers who were quite attentive

and focused. The purpose of the presentations was to encourage peer tutoring and reduce teacher

talk. Unfortunately however some of the posters were illegible and students at the back of the

classroom were unable to read them. There were also instances where I needed to prompt

students to speak louder because content was being lost due to inaudibility.

In order to assess student learning I administered a short answer quiz. In the future however, I

would avoid using this assessment method because I am unable to respond to misunderstandings

immediately.

Overall the lesson was satisfactory because I was able to keep students on task and engaged in

the lesson. During the post conference Dr. Geofroy advised that I instruct students on

presentation skills before activities to avoid the challenges faced during the presentations. He

also recommended that I prepared a handout for students to use as a review of the session.
REFLECTION #2

10th November, 2017

BELMONT SECONDARY SCHOOL

Today was the first day I felt confident about the lesson I was about to deliver. This confidence

stemmed from the preparation I put into sourcing materials for the class that would make the

session fun and interactive. I started my lesson with a video on the contributions of the different

groups to Trinidad and Tobago and taking Dr. Geofroy’s advice from my teaching practice at St.

Joseph’s Convent San Fernando, I stopped it at intervals to draw students’ attention to teaching

points within it. After the video I attempted to draw on students experiences with their cultural

heritage by probing them on their likes and dislikes of different cultures within our society. This

sparked healthy discussion as students freely gave their opinions and experiences that enriched

the lesson to follow.

The first activity involved students using paper boats to sequence the arrival of the different

groups to Trinidad and Tobago. During the activity students huddled together to help each other

as they rearranged the boats to correctly sequence the arrivals. Unfortunately the activity only

involved a few students and during post conference I was advised to incorporate activities that

included all students.

For the second activity I placed students into groups to sort and label cultural items associated

with each settler group. Students were given a box that contained items representing the food,

dress, musical instruments and religion of the different settlers and they were required to

correctly label each item according to the settler group it belonged to. There was a buzz of

learning during the activity as students worked together to label the items. During the
presentations students even shared their knowledge of the different items with their classmates.

Experiencing students share their knowledge with their peers was probably the most fulfilling

part of my lesson. I was witnessing the teachings of the Diploma in Education program in action.

Students were using their personal experiences to direct their learning and bridge the gap

between the text and their everyday lives. Student interest and engagement was high and I credit

it to the preparation I put into the lesson.

Overall the session was student centered, fun and affective. These sentiments were echoed by my

peers and Dr. Geofroy. They also identified ways I can improve the delivery of my lesson. Dr.

Geofroy recommended using activities that involve the entire class to avoid excluding students

form activities. Additionally he cautioned against using terms and statements that can mislead

students about the content of the topic. Specific mention was made to a statement I made about

coo coo being brought by the Africans and the exclusion of the Dutch as a settler group.

For my next session I will ensure that my activities involve all students in the class. I will also

pay closer attention to ensuring that the content of my lesson is unambiguous.

REFLECTION #3

2nd February, 2018

SHIVA BOYS’ HINDU SCHOOL

My teaching practice at Shiva Boys though my last external teaching practice, was my first

experience teaching an all boys class. It was also the first time I taught a single period that lasted

fifty minutes. Although these factors intimidated me at first, my experience with teaching

practices during the Diploma in Education Programme gave me the confidence to execute my

lesson in an effective manner. True to my style this lesson contained fun student activities and a

game. My set induction involved a stimulated grocery shopping exercise to help students discern

between needs and wants while on a budget. This activity was used to introduce students to the

topic financial responsibility.

Using the items students “purchased” I engaged the class in a discussion to help them define and

distinguish between needs and wants. The student activity that followed involved students

working in groups to present different aspects of financial responsibility such as budgeting, the

benefits of saving, ranking our hierarchy of needs and the different ways if saving. Through the

presentations I was able to minimize teacher talk by allowing students to teach and be taught by

each other. During the activities student interest was high and they remained engaged

throughout.

For the recap I involved students in a game that tested their knowledge of the content covered in

the group presentations. The game brought out the competitiveness in the boys as they tried to
outdo their peers. The game was fun and in the excitement students crowded around me and this

prevented the students at the back from hearing the questions that were being read.

This was the first issue addressed in the post conference. Both my peers and tutor gave

suggestions for different ways this problem can be avoided in the future. Dr. Geofroy praised me

for maintaining a high affective level and my use of varied strategies. He recommended however

that I position myself further away from the students to increase their audibility. Overall this

lesson is evidence of my growth throughout the Programme. My confidence was higher, I was

able to recognize the flaws in the lesson and I was able to successfully integrate differentiated

strategies into my lesson to help students connect subject content to their everyday lives.
REFLECTION #4

20th February, 2018

DEBE SECONDARY SCHOOL

ACTION RESEARCH LESSON

For today’s teaching practice I taught an action research lesson. In keeping with my area of study

I incorporated differentiated learning strategies such as role play, graphic organizers and group

work into the session. To introduce the lesson of the effects of the mass media on Caribbean

societies I presented students with a variety of local and foreign items and asked them to indicate

their preference. Although I expected students to indicate a preference for the foreign goods they

actually stated the opposite. This unnerved me initially because I planned to probe students about

the factors that influence their preference for foreign goods based on my prediction of their

tastes. Thankfully I was able to draw on the experience I gained during my teaching practices to

formulate a different approach to the discussion.

I led the students down a discussion of music and sure enough their preference was for foreign

genres. I then probed them on the factors that influence their preference for this type of music.

After helping students identify the role of the mass media in influencing their personal choices I

placed them into groups to create graphic organizers to be presented to the class upon

completion. Each group was given a different topic that addressed either the effects of the media

on our culture, our economies or our morals and values. During the activity I monitored the

group work to ensure that all students were participating in the activity and to answer any

questions students may have.

The presentations were well done and all members of the groups participated in the activity. One

issue that arose however was the inattentiveness of some students in the audience. These students

were distracted because they were focused on completing their own presentations instead of

paying attention.

After the presentations were over students were asked to remain in their groups to script and

enact a role play that demonstrates the effects of the mass media on Caribbean societies by

comparing their experiences to that of their grandparents. This activity was intended to help

students use their personal experiences with the generation gap to understand the effect the mass

media has had on the Caribbean over the years. The skits were both comical and informative as

students demonstrated their knowledge of the effects through their experiences with their elders..

To evaluate student learning I asked them to indicate what “stuck with me “from the lesson. This

activity was geared toward helping students reflect upon the lesson and their learning. Based on

what they wrote the students did gain a better understanding of the effects of the mass media on

Caribbean society.

Due to the number of activities I incorporated into the lesson I was unable to complete the lesson

within the specified time. This experience demonstrated the importance of keeping on task with

the activities to avoid delays that would affect the length of the session.

During the post conference I was unsure of Dr. Geofroy’s feelings on the lesson because the set

induction did not go as planned, students were inattentive during the presentations and I

exceeded the time limit.

True to his style Dr. Geofroy began with the positive aspects of the lesson. He commended me

for the assistance I provided to students during their presentations. Dr. Geofroy appreciated that
student engagement was high and that students’ personal experiences were incorporated into the

lesson.

In order to prevent students from being distracted during future presentations he advised that I

ask them to turn their work over until it is their turn to present. Dr. Geofroy also advised that I

incorporate fewer activities for the next session to ensure I keep within the time limit.

Dr. Geofroy’s recommendations were quite helpful because they provided me with alternatives

to approaching me lessons to avoid a recurrence of the problems I faced today. My lessons

usually involve students creating posters or graphic organizers so asking students to turn over

their work will be especially useful during future lessons.

REFLECTION #5

18th March, 2018

DEBE SECONDAY SCHOOL

FINAL INDIVIDUAL TEACHING PRACTICE

Today was my last teaching practice. For this session I taught a lesson on living in harmony with

an emphasis on bullying and conflict management. I focused on the affective for this lesson

because students have experienced and been exposed to bullying at school. The lesson began

with a skit depicting bullying after which I probed students’ feelings about their experiences with

the issue. I engaged the class in a discussion of the importance of courage in dealing with bullies

and the different ways conflict can be managed. Students openly shared their experiences with

bullying and the different ways it has affected their self esteem and performance at school. They

also gave advice to their peers for overcoming bullying and standing up to bullies. During the

discussion students were very attentive and the class was quite engaged throughout the session

After the discussion students were instructed to work in groups to identify different causes of

conflict within specific scenarios. They were also required to suggest appropriate ways of

dealing with conflict within the context of their scenario. This activity was intended to help

students understand the different ways they can deal with conflict in their homes, at school and

in the community. Using the knowledge and advice I received during my previous teaching

practices I asked students in the audience to turn their work over to ensure they paid attention to

the presentations.
Students’ presentations were well done and they were able to correctly identify the different

causes of conflict within their scenarios. Their suggestions for resolving the conflict were quite

appropriate and demonstrated they had some prior experience with conflict resolution. Of all the

presentations there was only one group whose suggestion to managing conflict within the

community needed refining. Their scenario involved stealing from a neighbor and their solution

did not acknowledge the wrongdoing of the thief.

When all groups completed their presentations students were asked to participate in a closure

activity that involved indentifying the key to unlocking conflict. Based on their responses it was

evident that learning took place because students were able to identify multiple ways of resolving

conflict as discussed in the session.

Overall the lesson was a success. I was able to apply the different strategies I learned throughout

the Pedagogy as Process course to execute an effective lesson. The session was fun and engaging

and students were given the opportunity to use and share their experiences assist with

understanding the topic. I minimized distractions using advice and experience from by previous

teaching practices and was able to complete all the tasks I intended all within the time limit of

the session.

During my post conferencing Dr. Geofroy commended me for the overall lesson and my use of

the affective to keep students engaged in the topic. He also expressed his satisfaction with the

support I provided to students during their presentations. Dr. Geofroy also advised that the issue

of praedial larceny should have been addressed within the lesson and used as a teaching point.

His advice enlightened me of the different ways classroom behavior can be used to develop

students’ morals and values because learning involves all areas of self. In future I intend to
apply this advice along with all other suggestions I have received from my supervisor and peers

throughout the Pedagogy as Process course to create opportunities for student learning and

developing my practice.
REFLECTION #6

Reflection on our Visit to Tabaquite R.C. School and the East Indian museum.

Experiential learning was at the center of our field trip to Tabaquite R.C. Primary School and the
East Indian Museum. Both trips embodied how learning can occur through experiences created
by active engagement in pedagogy. Throughout our tour of each site I reflected on how the
experiences and knowledge gained could be applied to improve my teaching strategies and
increase student performance at my school.

Acting as agents of change the teachers of Tabaquite R.C. have challenged traditional methods of
teaching by initiating and leading innovation in education through garden based learning. Their
garden based project was implemented to facilitate student centered learning within a rural
farming community. Their unconventional approach to teaching created opportunities for
experiential and differentiated learning, instructional scaffolding and a ‘whole child’ approach to
education. My exposure to these theories in action has inspired me to consider more innovative
ways of improving students’ interest in Social Studies and promoting their holistic development.

One factor contributing to the successful implementation of the garden based project at
Tabaquite R.C. is teachers’ prior assessment of students’ personal interest and pre-knowledge.
Teachers used students’ knowledge of gardening and animal husbandry to bridge the gap
between their personal interests and pedagogy in order to improve academic performance. This
strategy proved quite successful as teachers reported improvements in both student attendance
and performance after implementation. Their reports appear to validate the teachings of the
Diploma in Education program, on the importance of assessing prior knowledge for effective
lesson planning. The success of this practice has motivated me to experiment with more creative
ways of assessing and using students’ personal interests and knowledge to relate subject content
to their experiences.

Teachers at Tabaquite R.C. use gardening for instructional scaffolding and differentiated
learning across subject areas. Through gardening students are taught and learn how they know
best, within a familiar context. Students learn Math, Science, and Social Studies through their
social interactions, experiences and physical engagement in the school’s garden. Teachers’
application of pedagogy to farming and gardening has created opportunities for students to direct
their own learning through their daily activities. Gardening has essentially allowed teachers to
relinquish control of learning over to their students.

Reflecting on how scaffolding has assisted students master both pedagogy and gardening I have
begun reevaluating and redesigning my scaffolding strategies. Based on the Tabaquite R.C.
model, my strategies need to be more closely aligned to the personal experiences of my students
in order for them to be successful.

My exposure to the garden based project at Tabaquite R.C. has essentially improved my
understanding of several best practices in education, particularly the ‘whole child’ approach to
learning. In addition to improving student interest and performance, gardening was able to
increase students’ knowledge of nutrition and healthy eating and to develop professional skills
such as leadership, entrepreneurialism and marketing.

The insight gained from this trip will serve as motivation for my growth and development as a
reflective practitioner throughout this Diploma in Education program. I am now more
knowledgeable of methods for successfully applying theories to practice.

Our visit to Tabaquite R.C. was enhanced by our trip to the East Indian Museum in Waterloo.
Filled with authentic artifacts brought during Indentureship I reflected on how they could be used
to differentiate learning for the visual/spatial learners in my class. My exposure to innovation
and resourcefulness at Tabaquite R.C. made me consider using these artifacts for engaged
pedagogy not only for teaching the contributions of East Indians but other topics in Social
Studies.

As a teacher in an East Indian community I contemplated using students’ pre knowledge and
experience with these artifacts to improve their interest and performance. Reflecting on the
Tabaquite experience it became clear that the museum’s resources could be used to bring text to
life by incorporating authentic artifacts with pedagogy.

My exposure to garden based learning at Tabaquite R.C. and East Indian artifacts at the museum
has enriched my knowledge of strategies for successfully applying theory to practice. Both visits
created opportunities for experiential learning and provided insight into innovative ways for
assessing student knowledge and integrating pedagogy with student interest. As a result I have
become more conscious of the role pre-knowledge, innovation and continuous reflection play in
promoting student centered learning and improving student interest and performance.