Cultivating Thinking Skills

Back when I was a student, learning was mostly about knowing the right answers or being able to answer test questions correctly according to what had been taught in lectures or text books.  Frankly speaking, that's what made learning difficult, tiresome, and a bit purposeless (yeah, I still haven't figured out the point of me memorizing the names of inventors during the British industrial revolutions other than to ace the history quiz).

As a teacher, I wouldn't feel satisfied if my students only know a bunch of knowledge without being able to make use/apply them in real life. So, the learning indicators shall not be reduced to how much questions they can answer correctly, but it should be on how they use knowledge for higher purpose (understanding, applying, analyzing, creating, and evaluating).  I want them to develop their thinking skills more than just storing knowledge ( the lowest level of thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy.)

So, this week I'm glad to show you the activities we had done in class that cultivate the class' thinking culture.  

These two (above and bellow) are our thinking display boards.  We can see the student's thinking process through them.

Group mind-mapping is an effective tool to practice their thinking skills as well as collaboration skills

evaluating pictures using "I see, I think, I wonder" also stimulates thinking

creating class questions, though it's challenging, it's a good way of tuning in to the topic of inquiries  

 Let me close this post with a piece of thought I came up with about this century's learning:
"Before, learning used to be about knowing the right answers. Now, it's more likely about breaking down answers by creating dozens of questions, and discovering range of new possibilities."

Learning Environment Philosophy

This week I've been focusing on creating a classroom learning environment that meets the needs of 21st century learners.  So far, I'm fond of it.  I believe that every classroom setting in this world are designed based on the philosophies the school implement.  Back when I was a student the philosophy was really made for everyone to be submissive to authority figures. That explains the monotonous classroom setting which all desks had to be in straight rows facing forward to the teacher (authority figure). There were minimal chance of self explorations or discoveries as everything was set for us.  What we needed to do to succeed was stick to rule and memorized everything by the dot. Almost everyone was too intimidated to invent something because of the ridicule or "punishment" for not sticking to the rule.  Neatness, uniformity and orders were on top of free expression and individual uniqueness.  You can see this in the close similarity in handwriting of my generation who spent all of his/her school years in Indonesia. 

Yeah this is how pretty much the class setting looked like back in my days.  We didn't stand up much, nor move a lot (no wonder I have such bad back posture)

 Yet everything is different now.  Fortunately. 

Educational institutions would have no chance but to value the uniqueness of each of the learners and meet their needs to survive in this era.  A good and effective classroom management is no longer the one where a group of submissive students sit noiselessly, facing forward to the teacher for hours and facing downward on his/her textbooks next.  It is the ones that allows them to move, to explore, to discuss, and discover learning in non threatening environment; the environment where learners feel valued for the their developments.

This is how my classroom ideally looks like. Busy.  Everyone's engaged in the collaborative learning activity.

One of the learning outcomes. Instead of having them learning the basic needs of human from books, they analyzed and built their own connections which made learning meaningful

The teacher's position isn't in the front and center of the class, but among the students to observe and guide them.

See the focus in their faces? Me too :)

Let's make them comfortable with learning :) 

     Well, until next time.  I hope this piece of thought may inspire fellow educators.  Let's be prepared for the future by preparing our young learners the skills they need to have.

A Wondeful Start

The first week of school went off wonderfully.  All my 18 students filled in the days with their colorful personalities.  In order to have an effective year, we did what needs to be done in the first days of school:  setting a class agreement.  It will take few weeks to practice them but I'm sure that all of my students can live by the agreements they made themselves. Some might need few more gentle reminders than the others, but even they can do it.  Well, nevertheless, let this be a good start of grade 3 learning journey! :)   

our class agreement, posted in a place visible by everyone

Welcoming the New Academic Year in Victory

Today marks my one year working as a primary teacher in Sekolah Victory Plus. I hadn't posted much about my first year experiences here, but nonetheless it was both adventurous teaching and learning journeys for me. My only regret really was that I didn't set out time to record and share those adventures here.

Well, as I welcome the new academic year, things are about to change.  I would do my best to utilize this blog to really represent its title:  my teaching journal.  So, let's start now!

Though the new school year starts next Tuesday, teachers (especially first year teachers) have been coming to school since last week for our inductions.  I have to say that I wished I came to this school weeks earlier last year to have it then, because it would've made things a lot easier and clearer for me to go through my first weeks of school (it was challenging, but I survived it well ...I think :).  I guess there's nothing wrong with learning things the hard way either then because by then it challenged me to be more observant and creative at the same time. But yeah, note for new teachers:  be very grateful if your school provided you with inductions and take them seriously because it would make your life a whole lot easier :).

I learned so many great things that would help me as a teacher and as a person starting with the facts about our brain up to how to deal with unsatisfied parents professionally. My favorite part of all the sessions would be on how to build an effective learning environment .  Ms. Helen Morschell, the head of education of our school presented so many inspiring details about it.  So many ideas and strategies on managing my class room came across as I would like it to be a space where my students feel belonged to as well as inspired them to develop. 

Currently my associate and I, together with the rest of the school, are preparing our class room to make it happen.  I will be updating this blog with our progress.  Keep in touch!

 

Long Term Plan

"So, how do you see yourself in 5 years?" was one of the steering questions I had to answer for my interview of the position I currently fill: a primary school homeroom teacher.  Though I answered it well, this question has been the most contemplated one since that interview took place. 

This evening I really took my time to ponder and came up with a long term goal.  So I tried this process by identifying who I am now and compare it to who I was 5 years ago.

5 Years ago, I was a 20 year old.  I was a university undergraduate who started to pursue the passion in pedagogy by being a private tutor.  At that time I had no idea of whom I would become in 5 years though I had known that I love teaching, and make others feel better by helping them to learn better. 

Now, I am 25 years old, a grade 3 homeroom teacher in one of the most prestigious schools in the city.  This is my first year as a primary school teacher, so I still have millions of things to learn. I am enjoying every step of it, though some could be challenging.  What I have right now is better than what I envisioned then.

Yet I come to a realization that now isn't lasting forever.  I still have to expand my wings.  The "how do you see yourself in 5 years" question needs to be carefully thought and answered.  This point I already have an answer.

Five years from now I see my self as a guidance counselor.  Everyday I meet many kinds of students with their unique personalities.  The ones that take my attention (and time) mostly are the misunderstood ones.   In my honest opinion as an educator, these students often get left behind and pushed aside because their teachers (which includes me) often don't have space and time to facilitate the needs of these kids, which is a deep personal approach.  They need someone to listen to them and be connected with. I need that person to assist me... and maybe I need to be that person to assist other teachers.

 Therefore, this moment, let me state it.  Within the next five years, I will look for a stair to climb myself up to be a school guidance counselor.  I will look for Masters program in Educational Psychology... hopefully get a scholarship (or find a way to fund it myself) and be the change I want my school to be.