Please write down:
3 things we did correctly for the project and should continue doing.
3 things we can improve on and how it can be improved.[Areas for improvement]
2 areas of investigation using the concepts of collaborative learning, experential learning and place-based education for future projects:
1 thing you have learnt in being involved in this project that has made you a better educationist.
Test.
ReplyDeleteThe three things that we could improve on would be to possibly include more teachers in the project to prevent some teachers from being more involved than others. (For instance when the teachers were sent to Punggol Riverside Park to carry out their research and etc.)
ReplyDeleteThe next would be to ensure that perhaps we could firm up the investigation topic prior to the project being carried out, as this would ensure the various subjects to have a clear overview of the expected criteria and etc.
The subjects which would be picked to be involved in the project could also be pre-determined. This would ensure the project to run smoothly and would avoid other glitches along the way.
Areas of investigation:
I would like History to be included in the project too and there could be a collaboration between History and Geography to ensure that students have a deeper understanding of place based education related to the two subjects.
I would also like students to work like archaeologists and excavators, so hopefully the next place based education would give History an opportunity to shine and the students' roles as in Historians in this project.
1 thing I have learnt:
I have realised that students and their interaction with their surroundings could provide a much more interesting platform for the students to be engaged and would also provide them the opportunity to be independent learners. I especially learned the positives of student-centredness.
3 things we did correctly :
ReplyDelete1.intensive planning
2.did a test run last year before we implement TLLM
3.To involve different subjects in the implementation of TLLM
3 things we can improve:
1.short time duration, might not be able to achieve our objective through implementing TLLM
2.to have a site, forum or blog dedicated to TLLM so that we can refer to it instead of tracing all emails for updates
3.forum dedicated to TLLM that allows the students to post their comments on TLLM
2 areas of investigation:
1.how much the students have learnt, if the 'output' is lesser than 'input', should we continue TLLM?
2.if the students did well in their tests/assignments, is it because of TLLM or because of home tuition?
1 thing I have learnt:
how TLLM is conducted, the difference between TLLM and conventional teaching
3 things we did correctly:
ReplyDelete1. Planned manageable lesson packages so that the pre-lessons could be completed in time, and there was enough time for the research at the river.
2. Pre-empt potential dangerous activity by conducting a safety briefing, and being prepared with ponchos and the first aid kit
3. Guided the students to answer the questions, without giving them the answers directly.
3 things we can improve on and how they can be improved:
1. Students are able to answer specific questions e.g. about pH, but they are still not very good at drawing all the information together to answer the big question. More structuring needs to be given if we want to get good answers here.
2. How the activities are framed makes a big difference to the students' engagement and interest. For example, we learnt after the first day that it was really hot and that students would be quite uncomfortable doing the Geography part, so by giving students a time limit on subsequent days and then getting them back to the visitors' centre to discuss, they were slightly more focused.
3. There were not many people at Anchorvale CC for the survey, so it was not very random. While it is easier to supervise the students there than at e.g. Compassvale, the timing of the survey and the nature of the people who go there mean that results are slightly skewed.
2 areas of investigation:
1. When I shared about this project at a cluster Science event, a primary school asked me whether we could bring their students there and whether our students could guide them to do the activities. This would be interesting as more students would get to know about our school, and in any case, other schools already try to use the river (primary school students were having a picnic there when we went, and it was very noisy, but they were not further exploring the place).
2. Higher ability groups could follow-up with projects e.g. to track the development of facilities at the river, to track the demographics of people moving into the area, to further investigate water quality etc.
1 thing I have learnt:
1. Framing it correctly for the students makes a big difference, as once there are clear instructions and directions, they are more on task and motivated as they know what to look for and that it is achievable.
3 things we did correctly and should continue doing:
ReplyDelete1. splitting of the class into 2 teams to do both parts of the project concurrently.
2. bringing the students to the surroundings near the school.
3. providing a netbook. This saves paper. Students do not have to carry their worksheets along with them and worry about losing it along the way when carrying out their project. Teachers do not have to waste time printing the worksheets and compiling the worksheets for the students.
3 things to improve on and how it should be improved.
1. Students should have an extra battery for each netbook as one battery does not last long. This makes it difficult for the students to do any effective research on the ground and/or to access worksheets and provide thoughtful answers.
2. There should be more teachers deployed for the geography component as it covers the entire park.
3. Assessment should be discussed and confirmed before project implementation.
2 areas of investigation.
1. Adaptation of the Tropical Rainforests to the climate of Singapore.(Can use JKHT as a support).
2. How has human activities impacted the physical environment in Sengkang?
1 thing I have learnt.
1. Students are more engaged in during the implementation of the project. This allows for better absorption of concepts being taught in class.
3 things we did correctly for the project and should continue doing.
ReplyDelete- Use the environment as a trigger point for learning.
- Having a pre-activity briefing sheet to allow for pupils to do some pre-activity work so that their minds are primed.
- Using ICT as a platform to enhance collaborative learning. We should use ICT as a means to allow pupils to extend their discussion hours beyond the time in class. If ICT platforms can engage students better than we can be assured that they will collaborate more if we provide the impetus for them to use ICT to collaborate by weaving it into the lessons for TLLM and non-TLLM projects/work.
3 things we can improve on and how it can be improved.[Areas for improvement]
- Rethink timetabled time if we wish to have more such projects that involve collaboration and self-discovery learning. Even for class lessons, time may need to be extended and content reduced with focus on skills acquisition. Our TLLM project style seems to be better aligned to testing skills rather than content per se as rubrics generally are better at assessing.
- We would need to be all sent for more training in rubrics design and how to assess for learning. How can we design alternative forms of assessment effectively? We are currently not good enough in this aspect.
2 areas of investigation using the concepts of collaborative learning, experential learning and place-based education for future projects:
- Investigation of the Jalan Kayu Food Strip - we can look beyond IP curriculum and wokr in areas like values education and CIP as well.
- Investigate the Farms and how mushrooms grow - we can also work out an entrepreneurship element under life skills.
1 thing you have learnt in being involved in this project that has made you a better educationist.
- To think of curriculum beyond the usual IP areas and to look at it more holistically. It has also made me realise what AFL is really about and how important a well designed curriculum is. Finally, it has started me on the journey of thinking about integration of subject areas which is a demanding area of work.
3 Things we did correctly:
ReplyDelete1.We harness IT to help us in collating survey data,enhancing effectiveness and efficiency.
2.We spent considerable amount of time on ensuring that we get the research question right so that the subsequent activities that we are going to carry out is relevant to our research.
3.Platforms are provided for pupils to present their findings.
3 AFIs:
1.Pupils can record their TLLM "learning journey" on blogs. In this way, we can share learning experiences with more pupils or staff.We can even create a link to these URL in our LMS.
2.Due to the Project being carried out in Term 3 wk 3, the timeline needs to be readjusted as there are too many other considerations. Perhaps this project can be carried out slightly later in the Term?
3.The amount of activities to be carried out onsite initally was quite a lot.Perhaps constant review has to be done to streamline them.
2 Areas of Investigation
1. Making use of the available resources in school, for example the Media production Studio for research on oracy skills.
2.Research to investigate the effectiveness of current LMS in helping pupils to learn.
3. Through constant review and group collaboration and discussion, we are able to come up with better ideas to overcome "obstacles".
3 things we did correctly for the project and should continue doing.
ReplyDelete(a) Experiential Learning is one of the approach in order to engage the pupils.
(b) The integration of several subjects in the project help the pupils to see the relevance and connections in applying what the pupils have learnt.
(c) Through this project, the pupils are able to enhance on the 21st century competencies.
3 things we can improve on and how it can be improved.[Areas for improvement]
(a) Improved on the presentation rubric to assess the subject component.
2 areas of investigation using the concepts of collaborative learning, experential learning and place-based education for future projects:
(a) Food in Jalan Kayu
(b) Amendities in the Fernvale Estate
1 thing you have learnt in being involved in this project that has made you a better educationist.
(a) It is a tedious process to integrate several subjects in the project.
1 a) I felt that the feedback sessions with the Master Teacher and representatives from CCPD were very useful and allowed us to stay focused on the Research Question.
ReplyDeleteb) The protected time for TLLM meetings ensured that there were no unnecessary disruptions to the planning and execution of our respective roles. They also served as brainstorming sessions which allowed us to better understand the integration of cross-disciplines in the project.
c) We followed up on the AFIs from the previous year to make this project more comprehensive and detailed. Specific rubrics were also crafted to ensure that date is more accurate and conclusive.
2 a) I feel that more teachers should sit-in through our discussions as guests so as to provide an alternative perspective. We can never discount the valuable input that an extra head can bring.
b) I also feel that there could be a better representation of certain subjects in the project as a whole. Perhaps a simple Literature or Craft and Tech component could be incorporated. This will also ensure that these lessons are not disrupted during the Research Week.
c) I feel that the duration of the actual experiential learning could be extended and not be restricted to within a day. Also, we could reduce the size to half a class to ensure better management and control since that will also lead to more accurate and conclusive results.
3 a) I feel that we need more conclusive evidence on the novelty factor of the project. We need to determine that the novelty factor does not wear off and engagement level does not suffer diminishing returns with each experiential learning lesson.
b) We should begin planning to extend this to beyond our school. Perhaps we could embark on a joint-experience where our students get to group with students from another school. This will take the project one step further as they will learn to collaborate with new faces.
4 a) This had definitely made me a better educator as I learn to see education from a more macro viewpoint, that ultimately we need to be aware that various academic disciplines are but a subset of education and we need to be strive for our students to be well-versed in all disciplines. It has also taught me to be more aware of the needs of my students.