Over this week, we had 'practice teaching' mostly which was useful. basically it reflects a considerable change in trainees' pedagogical change. This has change has benefited from a number of factors: prior teaching experience, training gained input, and one's desire for improvement and openness for change. Examples can be seen over a number of presentations where for instance 'team teaching' and social media applications were extensively employed by the trainees. in fact, in each presentation by the trainees, here was a clear input that can be taken, for instance tutor's good body language, personality, reflection realia among others. In the same vein, there were some teaching styles like rigidity, authoritive personality among others where we clearly noticed so knew how to avoid in classrooms.
I agree that the past week was very exiting! I just want to make one clarification. I took up the question of body language. All of you have much livelier way of moving around and gesturing with your hands than we Finns have. I find it quite refreshing. When I mentioned the differences in posture, I didn't mean to be judgemental! It's just that this difference became very clear: when I didn't understand the language, everything I saw got bigger proportions. I think both ways have their justification. Although we tend to empasise teache'rs role as a guidance counseler, there are still situations where the teacher's ability to give good and clear lectures is necessary. So, by no means do I think that
ReplyDeleteÄh, this is about tenth attemt to continue, but my iPad keeps freezing and cutting my comments! What I wanted to say is that I appresiate good rethorics and fluent presentation skills, and even authority has its places (especially with roudy teenagers). So, if I gave an impression that I somehow thought one approch is inferior, that certainly wasn't my intention. I meant they were different, but I didn't think one was better than the other!
ReplyDeleteIn the over all debriefing we discussed a related topic. Some participants said they had expected that the program would concentrate more on presentation skills (like one of your colleagues put it: I thought we'd learn to be more like Ron Kauffman). For them the program had been somewhat disappointing. They had interpreted the name of the program, Exellence in vocational teaching, differently than we had meant. For them "teaching" is a teacher's performance (where good presentation skills are central), whereas for us the focus is in supporting the learning process.
I found this discussion very important. I think both sides can learn from each other. It might be that in Finland we have been so focused on the learning process, that we have to some extent neglected presentation skills. On the other hand, even the most brilliant presentations won't help, if the learner himself isn't given an active role in the process.