Week 5: Reflection

Completing the extra credit task of creating a WebQuest at zunal.com, I was delighted that I had made that decision to give it a try to the task. Reading the article “What is a webquest?” was of help, but making one helped a lot more. Now I am ready to use my own webquests any time. The experience was not so much for the extra credit task, but for a better teacher who facilitates students to use their creativity and critical-thinking skills. What is more, creating a rubric at RubiStar became a milestone in my teaching. It was simple to make, but if I hadn’t been introduced the tool, I would have never known how. This week was extremely fruitful.

Week 4: Reflection

Completing weekly assignments, I feel like I am solving a puzzle. This discussion assignment goes here and this task goes there. Now the puzzle is 40 % done. Still a question is lingering. What goal am I reaching? I don’t know how I achieve the goal, but the answer is clear. With the aid of computers, I am expected to enhance ways to teach students. 

This week exploring websites in search of better approaches to reading and writing skills, making a technology enhanced lesson plan, and predicting current issues of the class that I teach, I came to see who I am as an English teacher. I thought I have been trying to be a better English teacher. However, I realized that I am becoming someone who is finding fault with circumstances. The issues expected in teaching are easily ignored and efforts to improve teaching methods are hardly made. If I change, my teaching will be different from the way I am doing. The issues that I am facing seem inevitable, and I should tackle and win over them.

Week 3: Reflection

After reading “Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials” by Lindsay Miller and reviewing a few listening web sites, I thought of putting the theoretical knowledge into practice. I chose a video titled “Child Obesity in Increasing Worldwide” at http://learningenglish.voanews.com/section/level-one/3774.html. I found the listening material on VOA suitable for intermediate to advanced students and I thought it would improve their listening skills and vocabulary. Again I realized that the lesson format “pre-, while-, and post-listening” is useful.

I created my Delicious page (https://delicious.com/#kumwu) and started adding links whenever I found websites helpful for class and myself. My favorite sites bookmarked on Internet Explorer at school and home have been moved to Delicious under different tags. I am introducing the Delicious website to those I know.

In Project Task 2, I read a final project report of Zlatka Dyankova from Bulgaria. Her class environment is similar to Korea’s. Most students are preparing for college entrance exams, and they are passively led by teachers. From the project, Zlatka had the students do some research on a topic so that her students could get motivated before the lesson. She used WebQuests as a technological tool and I felt curious what the tool was for. Zlatka expected to change the class atmosphere from teacher-centered to learner-centered. I thought highly of her efforts in the project.

Week 2: Reflection

I read “How to Write Clear Objectives” from Pennsylvania State University’s Teaching and Learning office. It gives the basic overview of the ABCD model. When I saw the name of the model, I couldn’t get the idea of it on the spot. It sounded familiar, though.

After looking through the paper, I couldn’t wait to write lesson objectives for my class. In this method, “A” is for audience, “B” is for behavior, “C” for conditions and “D” for degree of mastery required. A, B, C, and D represent 'who, what, how, and how much' respectively. Here is an example of lesson objectives using the ABCD model:

“C: Given photographs and directions for folding a signature, A: the student B: will be able to make a Reading Response Journal booklet D: with a title on each page – Setting, Character, Plot, Theme, Meet the Author, and Vocabulary.”