Assignment No 1

Course Code 8611

Student Name Taskeen Zafar
Father’s Name Zafar iqbal
Roll No CB660889
Registration No 20PST04258
Semester Spring 2021
Question No.1
What are essential aspects of critical thinking?
Describe in detail.
Answer:
Introduction
Critical Thinking involves striving for understanding; to have an
inquisitive yet open-minded and flexible approach to exploring ideas. It
also requires the ability to evaluate information and draw clear
conclusions based on the evidence to hand.
Essential Aspects
There are some important aspects of critical thinking which are given
below:
1) Teachers role in critical thinking of students
One of the major goals of education is to enable the learners to
understand ideas that are important, useful, and powerful. Another goal
is to develop the appetite to think analytically and critically about what
they are being presented with in the form of books and teaching. Third
goal is to help them to use what they know to enhance their own lives
and also to contribute to their society, culture and civilization as well as
to the global community. Hence critical thinking is not an isolated goal
unrelated to other important goals in education. Rather, it is a seminal
goal which, done well, simultaneously facilitates a rainbow of other ends.
It is best conceived, therefore, as the hub around which all other
educational ends cluster. For example, as students learn to think more
critically, they become more proficient at historical, scientific, and
mathematical thinking. They develop skills, abilities, and values critical to
success in everyday life. All of this assumes, of course, that those who
teach have a solid grounding in critical thinking and in the teaching
strategies essential to it.
A teacher needs to recognize that teaching in a critical manner is
essential for:
 Skilled reading, writing, speaking, and listening
 Skilled reasoning within all subject areas
 Skilled decision-making and problem-solving
 Skilled analysis and evaluation
 Skilled civic and personal choices
Teachers play a very important role in critical thinking of students.
 Teachers have a sound knowledge base from which to support
students as they delve more deeply into content.
 They remain open to challenge by students, not representing
themselves as the sole source of knowledge .
 They encourage students to look at the big picture by engaging them
in critical-thinking processes that have relevance beyond the
classroom.
 Teachers should prepared to listen to voices that originate in the
classroom and to use students.
 They have experiences as starting points for gathering information.
 They encourage students to question and challenge existing beliefs,
structures, and practices.
 They avoid offering 'how to do it' approaches .
 They encourage students to be sensitive to the feelings of others.
 They provide opportunities for inquiry by giving students time for
planning, processing and debriefing .
 They structure lessons so that students can work safely and
cooperatively and develop creative forms of shared responsibility.
 They encourage students to take critical action. When students learn
to use democratic.
2) Students as a critical thinker
Students can become a critical thinker by following these steps
a) Ask questions
Asking questions, especially open-ended questions, gives
elementary school students a chance to apply what they’ve learned
and build on prior knowledge. It also allows them to problem-solve
and think on their feet, and boosts self-esteem by providing an
opportunity for students to express themselves in front of their
peers.
b) Encourage decision-making
Since a large part of teaching critical thinking skills revolves around
applying knowledge and evaluating solutions, elementary school
teachers should encourage decision-making as much as possible.
This enables students to apply what they’ve learned to different
situations, weigh the pros and cons of a variety of solutions, then
decide which ideas work best.
c) Work in groups
Group projects and discussions are another excellent way for
elementary school teachers to encourage critical thinking skills.
Cooperative learning not only exposes students to the thought
processes of their classmates, it expands their thinking and worldview
by demonstrating that there’s no one right way to approach a problem.
d) Incorporate different points of view
Some of the very best critical thinking exercises for elementary school
students involve exploring a concept from multiple perspectives. This
tactic not only establishes that an idea should be assessed from
different points of view before an opinion is formed, it gives students
a chance to share their own viewpoints while listening to and
learning from others.
e) Connect different ideas
Connecting different ideas is key to teaching critical thinking. For
example, elementary school teachers can ask students if they know
anyone who has to take a bus to work, and if so, why it would be
important for that person to also have a train schedule. Questions like
these help children consider different situations and potential solutions
helping them apply prior knowledge to new contexts.
f) Inspire creativity
Imagination is key to teaching critical thinking in elementary school.
Teachers should seek out new ways for students to use information to
create something new. Art projects are an excellent way to do this.
Students can also construct inventions, write a story or poem, create a
game, sing a song—the sky’s the limit.
g) Brainstorm
Brainstorming, a time-honored tradition in elementary education, is an
excellent learning tool. It’s also an excellent critical-thinking exercise,
especially when paired with visual elements that bring original thinking
and classroom discussions to life.
Students play an important role in critical thinking.Some objectives
are given below:
 Students should learning to take responsibility for analyzing and
evaluating information.
 They giving each other feedback about their analyses, evaluations,
and actions.
 They questioning and challenging each other's assumptions in a non-
threatening manner.
 They learning to identify any inequalities and power relationships
within contexts in health education, physical education, and home
economics, focusing on how these positions are sometimes
reinforced through organizational structures and through certain
forms of language.
 They reflecting on people's assumptions, beliefs, and behaviour
taking into account a range of factors.
 They generating alternative solutions and accepting them or
critiquing them in a sensitive manner.
 They developing the confidence to work with others in taking critical
action.
It is expected that by adopting this elaboration of critical thinking
and applying their learning in education context:
 Students think about and evaluate their own thinking and behavior
on issues related to health education, physical education, and home
economics.
 They make reasonable and defensible decisions about issues related
to individual and community well-being.
 They challenge and take action to address social, cultural, economic,
and political inequalities.
 They understand the role and significance of the movement culture
and its influence on our daily lives and the lives of people in our
community.
Question No 2:
Describe in detail the phenomenon of social exclusion
and marginalization. How is it less threatening than
poverty?
Answer:
 Social Exclusion and marginalization
Introduction:
Social exclusion and marginalization is the phenomenon of social
disadvantage to the periphery of society. This term was first used in
France and is now used widely around the world. It is commonly used in
sociology, education, psychology, politics and
economics where the exclusion becomes a major challenge. Social
exclusion is the process where individuals or group of people are
systematically denied the full access to different rights, opportunities
and resources that are supposed to be available to all members of
society. These rights are usually fundamental to social integration within
that particular group such as housing, employment, healthcare,
education, civic engagement, and democratic participation.
Social exclusion is the term which has its specific meanings drawn
from its evolution around the world, it may not be possible that the
phrase ‘social exclusion’ is used in different ways at different times
reflecting different institutional, political, historical and geographic
contexts. Here let us explore some of the meanings attaching to the
concept of social exclusion and consider these in relationship with policy
and actions aimed at addressing social exclusion. The concept of “social
exclusion” is being continually redefined over time and have different
policy implications. The term ‘social exclusion’ needs to first identify the
groups at risk of exclusion; the meanings of the phrase itself in a society
will depend upon the question that who are the people being excluded
from social processes and interactions; at the second stage it asks for the
explanation of the processes involved and the levels at which exclusion
is exhibited or exposed; and last but not the least it also takes its
meanings from the actors involved.
Origins of the concept of social exclusion
The concept of social exclusion became increasingly prominent in
Western Europe in the latter part of the twentieth century and mainly in
1990s. While the concept’s historical roots can be traced back to
Aristotle, the modern notion of exclusion emerged in France.From
France, its use spread through the European Union’s institutions,
unpacking the poverty discourse. It was adopted particularly by the UK’s
New Labour government elected in the late 1990s when the
International Labour Organization also took a lead in driving the concept
out to less developed countries. Its emergence has also been linked at
some points to the rise of non-liberal ideology and individualism from
the 1970s. Part of the rise in concerns of the social exclusion can be
attributed to its political appeal.
It has been argued that it is perceived as less threatening than poverty
and depending upon its extent it becomes acceptable in some political
positions. In addition, its popularity may in part be attributable to a
belief that the concept of social exclusion offers an original perspective
on the social world. The concept being multi-dimensional, holds the
potential to provide new insights into the nature, causes and
consequences of poverty, deprivation, inequalities, marginalization and
discrimination. The discourse of social exclusion gives new direction to
policy planning, specifically in terms of educational outreach. Yet, the
limitations of applying a concept developed in the developed nations
with well-developed welfare systems, to countries and nations where
weak governance, least welfare mechanisms, and a majority of the
population living in extreme poverty, is a big challenge. More generally,
the danger that ‘exclusion’ may be used as a screen to hide extreme
poverty and as a blaming label to make the poor responsible for their
condition has also been recognized.
Factors influencing social exclusion
There are two types of factors of social influence
1. Structural Factors
a) Economic-technological factors:
One major set of factors is functioning of the labor market, flexibility
of the labor market, decline of urban labor markets resulting in fewer
jobs in cities and increasing local concentrations of benefit recipients,
international competition, globalization as well as new technologies and
their deployment.
b) Socio-demo graphic factors:
The second set is derived from increase of duration of dependency
due to increased life expectancy; increasing labor supply with stable;
extended school participation and shortened employment duration over
the life span; decreasing birth rate, increasing individualization and
development of an ethnical multiform, multicultural society and increase
of number of immigrants with unfavorable work prospects.
2. Cultural Factors
There is a major role of generally accepted opinions, cultural values
and norms and expectations of gender roles; attitudes with regard to
ethnic minorities and towards vulnerable groups in general;
development of a ‘deprivation culture’ in isolated and excluded groups
or communities with a high risk of passing exclusion on from one
generation to the other as well as general perception of poverty and
inequality.
Role of social exclusion in education
Education is neither the sole cause of nor can be the sole solution for
social exclusion. Nevertheless, there are good reasons to perceive
educational achievement or rather, the access to and utilization of
education, training and learning opportunities as a key factor in the
process of becoming excluded. Lack of equality in access to good
education can contribute to or at least increase the chance on becoming
excluded, since it highly determines the further educational career and
with that the working career. At the same time, the access to 'high
quality' education is not distributed evenly among different social
groups. Families with a lower socio-economic status or children from
low-skilled parents with either no work or relatively unstable, low-skilled
and low-paid work appear to have less chance to complete upper
secondary education or to enter tertiary education.It is evident that
people on very low and insecure incomes or in poverty, many of whom
are out of the labor market with limited prospects of securing a source
of regular income, and who live in poor housing and communities, are
among those to whom the term 'exclusion' most obviously applies.
Throughout the past century, a lot of attention has been paid to
inequality of opportunities in education. There is substantial evidence
that educational achievement and educational performance are highly
correlated with the socioeconomic background of pupils. The same
seems to hold for 'ethnicity' as an independent variable, though here the
picture is more scattered depending on mediating factors like the age at
which immigrant children arrived in a city or country of residence,
whether or not they were born in that city or country of residence and
the level of educational achievement and socio-economic background of
the parents.
Question No 3
What is “connectivism”? Critically analyze that how can
cooperative classroom activities result in student’s striving for
mutual uplift.
Answer
 Connectvisim
The integration of principles explored as chaos, network, and complexity,
and self-organization theories as well as an understanding that decisions
are based on rapidly altering foundation.Connectivism combines
previous information with current information to create new meanings
and understandings.
Cooperative classroom activities:
Cooperative teaching and learning has been a popular area in
educational circles for more than a decade. This area gained its strength
with the emergence of two major schools of thought one is
“Constructivism” and the other is “Connectivism”. Researchers and
practitioners have found that students working in small cooperative
groups can develop the type of intellectual exchange that fosters critical
and creative thinking, and productive problem solving. Cooperative
teaching is a successful strategy in which small teams, each with
students of different ability levels are made. They use a variety of
learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. By using
this method, the teachers and students feel that they are an important
member of the class. Cooperative teaching and learning is an approach
to group work that minimizes the occurrence of unpleasant experiences
and maximizes the learning with a sense of achievement and satisfaction
that result from working with a high-performance team. Students have
always congregated together to perform and learn. But there is a
growing recognition that combined with whole group instruction and
individual learning, cooperative learning should be a customary part of
the classroom instruction. Student communication makes cooperative
learning meaningful.
Concept of Cooperative Learning
Several definitions of cooperative learning have been given by various
theorists. The one most widely used in higher education is probably that
of David and Roger Johnson of the University of Minnesota. According to
the which, cooperative learning is a process that involves students
working in teams to accomplish a common goal, under conditions that
include the following elements:
 Positive interdependence
Team members are obliged to rely on one another to achieve the
goal. If any team members fail to do their part, everyone suffers
consequences.
  Individual accountability
All students in a group are held accountable for doing their share of
the work and for mastery of all of the material to be learned.
 Face-to-face promotive interaction
Although some of the group work may be parceled out and done
individually, some must be done interactively, with group members
providing one another with feedback, challenging reasoning and
conclusions, and perhaps most importantly, teaching and encouraging
one another.
 Appropriate use of collaborative skills
Students are encouraged and helped to develop and practice trust-
building, communication, and conflict management skills.
 Group processing
Team members set group tasks, periodically assess what they are
doing well as a team, and identify changes they will make to function
more effectively.
The purpose of cooperative learning
There are basically four main reasons why Cooperative Learning is to be
recommended.
Active learning
Co-operative Learning helps to actively engage more children in
learning than do teacher centered or lecture-oriented methodologies. By
using more cooperative methodologies in which students work together
in groups, all students are actively engaged on a learning task. Students
become more active participants in their own learning as well in fellows’
learning, as opposed to passive recipients of knowledge.
Children learn to help and support
Co-operative Learning encourages students to support their
classmates in a group rather than to compete against each other. In this
way, students can combine their skills and talents and help others. Co-
operative Learning provides the opportunity for higherachieving
students to help students who are slower learners. The help of these
students also increases the amount of explanation that occurs in the
classroom overall.
Interaction brings multiple dimensions
Working in groups students can bring multidimensional thoughts and
discussions over a single subject. Such rich discussion and generation of
knowledge is rarely possible when each learner works in isolation.
Cooperative learning enables them to ask questions from each other and
bring out what a teacher might not be able to even by asking random
questions from a few members of class.
Improved critical thinking
In a cooperative classroom where multiple and even opposite view
points are received openly, the learners learn to discuss and raise
questions. They do not simply learn or memorize the concepts rather
they work together to understand, explore and reach a consensus or at
least bring all thoughts on one page. This asks for deeper and critical
analysis of the subject.
1) DISCUSSION AND DEBATE
Students learn more successfully by actively analyzing, discussing,
and applying content in meaningful ways rather than by passively
gripping information therefore, students benefit when instructors utilize
instructional strategies that promote active engagement. Dialogue in a
classroom is of two major kinds i.e. discussion and debate. Critical
dialogue and discourse is a formal discussion of subjects and method of
formally presenting an argument in a structured manner. Logical
consistency, factual accuracy and some degree of emotional appeal to
the audience are elements in debating, where one side often prevails
over the other party by presenting a superior "context" and/or
framework of the issue. The outcome of a critical debate may depend
upon consensus or some formal way of reaching a resolution, rather
than the objective facts. In formal debating contest, there are rules for
participants to discuss and share differences, within a framework
defining how they will interact. Informal dialogue discourse is relatively
common. The quality and depth of a debate improves with the
knowledge and skills of its participants as debaters.
2) Developing a questioning strategy
Deciding on the key questions that are to be addressed, can help
ensure that discussion stays on track and the learning goals set for the
students are met. One three-step approach to developing questions is:
 Ask recall and comprehension questions to make sure that the
students have basic knowledge.
 Ask questions requiring students to explain relationships among the
units of information and to form general concepts.
 Ask questions that require students to apply concepts and principles
they have developed to new and different situations
3) Communicate clear expectations to students:
 Hand out study questions before discussion, so students can think
about concepts or respond in writing.
 Tell students what is expected from the discussions to be
accomplish.
 Talk to them individually or in groups, as per need of the class.
4) Choreographing group dynamics
 Since discussions and debates depend upon students’ willingness to
talk to each other, it is very important to create a communicative
classroom atmosphere in which students feel secure in offering their
opinions for public scrutiny.
 From the very beginning encourage students to learn each other’s
names and to respond to each other’s comments.
 A question-answer session is a dialogue; a discussion is a community
activity. Asking for three reasons makes students feel that the
teacher is fishing for preconceived answers, and they will respond
accordingly.
 Asking one question and getting an answer, then asking a second
question of a second student and getting an answer is like playing in
a ground. Turn this into “volleyball” that will involve as many
students as possible and have a discussion.
Question No 4
Discuss in detail the advantages of using classroom
assessment techniques.
Answer:
CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES
In critical thinking paradigm Classroom Assessment Techniques are
generally simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities designed to
give you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning
process as it is happening. Generally, assessment of student learning
refers to a process that is intended to provide the educator with
information about a student's progress toward meeting course
objectives. Formative assessment of student learning occurs during the
learning process. Summative assessment occurs at the end of the
learning process. Classroom assessment is a formative strategy that one
can use to determine if students are mastering the content and if
modifications should be made to teaching strategies. It is completed in
class is usually not graded, and is often anonymous and confidential.
Only the learner and instructor share this information. It is to be
reported formally to school administration and parent just when
required or felt necessary by the teacher. This is more used for reflective
purposes.
 Assessments are created, administered, and analyzed by teachers
themselves on questions of teaching and learning that are important to
them, the likelihood that instructors will apply the results of the
assessment to their own teaching is greatly enhances. Classroom
Assessment is an approach designed to help teachers find out what
students are learning in the classroom and how well they are learning it.
Characteristics of classroom Assessments
There are some characteristics of classroom assessments which are
given below:
1. Learner-Centered
Classroom Assessment Techniques focuses the primary attention of
teachers and students on observing and improving learning, rather than
on observing and improving teaching. Classroom Assessment can
provide information to guide teachers and students in making
adjustments to improve learning.
2. Teacher-Directed
Classroom Assessment Techniques respects the autonomy, academic
freedom, and professional judgement of teachers. The individual teacher
decides what to assess, how to assess, and how to respond to the
information gained through the assessment. Also, the teacher is not
obliged to share the result of classroom assessment with anyone outside
the classroom.
3. Mutually Beneficial
Because it is focused on learning, Classroom Assessment Techniques
requires the active participation of students. By cooperating in
assessment, students reinforce their grasp of the course content and
strengthen their own skills at self-assessment. Their motivation is
increased when they realize that faculty are interested and invested in
their success as learners.
4. Formative
Classroom Assessment Techniques are used to improve the quality of
student learning, not to provide evidence for evaluating or grading
students.
5. Context-Specific
CAT’s have to respond to the particular needs and characteristics of
the teachers, students, and disciplines to which they are applied. What
works well in one class will not necessary work in another class.
6. Ongoing
Classroom Assessment is an ongoing process, best thought of as the
creating and maintenance of a classroom "feedback loop." By using a
number of simple Classroom Assessment Techniques that are quick
and easy to use, teachers get feedback from students on their
learning. Teachers then complete the loop by providing students
with feedback on the results of the assessment and suggestions for
improving learning.
7. Rooted in Good Teaching Practice
CAT is an attempt to build on existing good practice by making
feedback on students' learning more systematic, more flexible, and
more effective. Teachers already ask questions, react to students'
questions, monitor body language and facial expressions, read
homework and tests, and so on. Classroom Assessment provides a way
to integrate assessment systematically and seamlessly into the
traditional classroom teaching and learning process.
Assumptions of Classroom Assessment
Techniques are based on seven assumptions:
 The quality of student learning is directly, although not exclusively,
related to the quality of teaching. Therefore, one of the most
promising ways to improve learning is to improve teaching.
 To improve their effectiveness, teachers need first to make their
goals and objectives explicit and then to get specific, comprehensible
feedback on the extent to which they are achieving those goals and
objectives.
 To improve their learning, students need to receive appropriate and
focused feedback early and often; they also need to learn how to
assess their own learning.
 The type of assessment most likely to improve teaching and learning
is that conducted by faculty to answer questions they themselves
have formulated in response to issues or problems in their own
teaching.
 Systematic inquiry and intellectual challenge are powerful sources of
motivation, growth, and renewal for teachers, and CAT can provide
such challenge.
 CAT does not require specialized training; it can be carried out by
dedicated teachers from all disciplines.
 By collaborating with colleagues and actively involving students in
CAT teachers enhance learning and personal satisfaction.
 Advantages of Using Classroom Assessment
Techniques
CAT are formative in nature. Unlike final exams or major term papers,
CATs provide faculty with feedback on student learning while the
teaching/learning relationship is still intact, so that faculty can intervene
during the semester to help students learn more completely. They are
speedy. They often consume just a few minutes of classroom time to
administer, and can be read easily and quickly by faculty. They are
flexible. They can be tailored to the unique and specific concerns of the
instructor. They can be anonymous for students.The aim of classroom
assessment is not necessarily to grade individual student work or to
provide individual students with feedback on their performance; rather,
the aim is to provide the instructor with feedback on student learning.
Anonymity may prove useful in freeing students to express not only
what they do understand but also what they do not understand.
Classroom Assessment helps teachers to focus on student learning.
By determining what students have learned and what is unclear,
instructors can focus the class more effectively to meet the learning
needs of that group. This may mean reviewing some areas, or spending
less time in other areas. Unlike student evaluation surveys which are
typically given at the end of the semester, Classroom Assessment
provides an on-going formative evaluation. The instructor can find out
what can be changed immediately to help students to learn.
Students may be hesitant to ask questions during class. Classroom
Assessments give students opportunities to provide anonymous
feedback to their instructor about their learning. Students often discover,
as the instructor reviews the feedback, that others in the class had
similar questions. Classroom assessment activities can themselves be
positive learning activities for students; they can be developed both to
promote writing skills or critical thinking skills, and to increase student
motivation to take themselves and their learning more seriously. In
addition, students may become more involved in their learning when
they find that others in the class learned some interesting things that
they had not picked up from the class session. Through greater
involvement, students are likely to become more self-directed learners,
and may be more motivated to successfully complete the class.
Question No 5
How can a teacher’s diary be helpful for the
reflection of a teacher?
Answer:
REFLECTION
Introduction
Reflection is a complex word with multiple meanings and shades in it.
It has its purity in the subject of science when we define it as the act of
reflecting of an image and casting back a light or heat. It is a word that
we use in social science as well when we define it as the act of reflecting
or the state of being reflected. It can also be used in fixing of the
thoughts on something careful consideration. Reflection has rainbow of
meanings. The context in which we will be considering it in our unit and
the coming units is the impact and the personality qualities of the
mentor teacher a boss or a leader on its followers and under command
people. The reflection of the leader is extremely important. It creates
the culture in an organization or in an institution. If the leader is unable
to reflect then there is an ample chance of departmental culture instead
of one unit culture. So reflection has an important role to play in an
organization for the purpose of effective coordination, as the
departmental culture is against the unity and integration of an
organization.
Importance of Reflection in Education:
Although development of reflection in the students is a difficult and
complicated process but it's so important that it is said that actual
"learning" cannot occur without reflection.
It is our experience in daily life that students forget the curriculum
contents very soon. It is not that they forget it, but the fact is that they
memorized it for a very short period of time. The teacher covered the
contents and students memorized it, most probably to appear in the
examination. We must not accuse children for this forgetfulness. They in
fact did not learn it. It went into the short term memory and ones the
need of it was over; it vanished. Reflection is the transfer of learning
from short term to long term memory.
Teacher’s Diary:
Teachers dairy is very helpful in the reflection of teacher.It is very
important reflection of the education.
If they are writing the diary in advance they might ask questions like:
a. How am I going to teach the lesson?
b. What objectives am I going to attain at the end of the lesson?
c. What is more important aspect that should be given more and
quality time?
d. What concepts am I going to clear during the lesson?
One of the most difficult aspects of teaching is the isolation it
imposes on its practitioners. Teachers spend most of their days alone in
their own classrooms, with their own students. Few opportunities are
available to casually observe and easily learn from other teachers. Little
time is available to consult with one's colleagues about a difficult
student, a persistent management problem, or a lesson disaster.
To help fill that void, Education World offers this year's teacher
diaries, Reflections on Teaching and Learning. In this series, three
teachers in three different classroom situations take turns reflecting on
their professional experiences, problems, successes, and concerns. We
hope their reflections will help you as you face your own classroom
experiences.
Teacher diaries are recognized as useful introspective methods that
assist in the professional development of teachers.Despite this,
published experiences by teachers who have undertaken diary studies
are rare. Perhaps this is because diary studies are written for the
purpose of honest self-observation and are therefore very personal. If
teachers are truly honest about what they write they may indeed want
to keep them private, but it is good to share experiences, both good and
bad, for the benefit of all teachers and their students. They are personal
accounts of classroom experiences with the aim of finding new insights.
They involve an inwardly reflective procedure by thinking back carefully
over the lessons, putting our thoughts into writing and then analysing
these for deeper insights.The self-awareness generated by this
contemplative procedure can be beneficial for the personal-professional
development of teachers. Teaching experiences should be documented
through regular candid entries in a personal journal and then analysed
for recurring patterns or salient events.As such, diaries form a
foundation upon which to build self-awareness, responsibility and a
confidence in one’s own teaching ability, all of which create an
enthusiasm for change. The exploration of self-awareness thus assists in
leading to new professional frontiers. Diaries give teachers the courage
to take the risks to explore new adventures. They do this through
overcoming a resistance to new techniques in teaching. Therefore, a
teacher diary could also be referred to as an agent for change by laying
the foundation for professional development. To benefit the most, it is
important that teachers substantiate their written assertions fully,
including the use of specific examples, and to be systematic thorough
and honest.It is important that insights are clearly reflected and
elaborated upon to assist with the sifting process that comes later. The
sifting process is where the insights are derived and can be demanding
in that the journal entries should be looked back over a couple of times
in order to find patterns within. For this, the writing has to be thorough
because simply writing diary entries does not yield the maximum
potential benefit of the process. Diaries can be time-consuming because
of the need for consistency and writers must be dedicated to thoroughly
completing the study. This is a possible drawback given that teachers are
very busy people, but without dedication teachers would probably not
complete them thoroughly if at all. Supporting this points out that the
procedures for keeping a diary are relatively simple technologically
speaking, but the process does require discipline and patience.Thus,
despite their fairly challenging nature, diaries are useful undertakings
through the insights they provide. More thorough and consistent writing
helps greater personal benefits to accrue later, and much time can be
saved with the use of computer programs.The diary confirmed that
there was a good atmosphere in all classes. The students seemed to be
enjoying them despite still being somewhat passive, and were making
more effort to communicate. I noticed a tendency among my students
to be somewhat less inhibited than they used to be about making
mistakes, especially during conversation activities.
Conclusion:
The diary study was very useful in that it gave insights in teaching,
from the brighter and the darker sides, as well as from specific and wider
perspectives. I would never have realised them as acutely, or paid much
attention to them, had I not done the diary study. The diary also made
me more creative and inspired me to do more research into the issues
that were raised. Before undertaking this diary study, I only have a very
vague notion of ownership and internalisation. I had merely assumed
that ownership and internalisation would take place on its own accord,
but now realize that it takes considerable effort and application. It is
easy for teachers to get so caught up in routine of teaching that they
reach a point of thinking that they have learned all there is to it, and
have gained all the experience they could. The diary study heralded a
powerful transformation in my thinking about my teaching, and into my
attitudes towards my students and myself. My thoughts became more
than mere thoughts, and my words more than mere words, because I
could actually see my thoughts in my words.