Problem Solving: Activity12

This was  quite  an interesting  activity. I  realised  that students  need  to be  given activities  that will help to  stimulate  and  develop their critical  thinking. The  readings  were   very informative . I realized that  there  are  many  benefits  to be   derived   from  using  Problem  Solving  as  a strategy in the  classroom.  By using  Problem  solving it  will  boost the  learner's  confidence, which  I believe is  very pertinent in the  learning  process. Additionally it  encourages  learners  to  share ideas and  learn   from  each  other and  as  a  result  students  are  engaged in peer tutoring It  also gives  me   the chance as   the  teacher to see how learners think and how they apply their knowledge and skills, which is  very  significant.  This  will allow  for the  teacher to  plan  and  execute  lessons. 

Activity 11:Encouraging learners to ask   questions

As  educators  it  is very  important  to think  about   strategies/methods  that can  be  used to  stimulate  interest and  participation in  the  classroom.   Using the  Contrast  strategy is   a very  rewarding , it lends itself to  a  high level of  participation  and  communication between  teacher  and  students  and  students  and  teacher.I  really enjoyed this  activity  because  I  got   to see  a  lot of  different  examples  from  my  colleagues  that  I  can use  while  teaching  the  same  topics. The  readings  were  very  relevant  and  informative. I   learnt  ways  in which  I  can  plan  and  manage  my  questions  and I also learnt   benefits of  doing  the  following  tasks.To this  end  I must  that this  activity  was  worthwhile one.

Activity 10-  Promoting Discussion

Students  were  very  interactive  when  we  did  this  lesson. Most  students  shared  and  asked  questions .As  the  teacher  I  felt  happy  because  students  participated and  would have gained  new knowledge  that would  help to protect  them  now  and in the  future. Promoting  discussion in the  classroom helps  students  to  develop  their   critical  thinking and  communication  skills. This  method  also  benefits  the  teacher in planning  activities  suitable  for the  classroom and also  to get  students to be  active learners rather  than being passive.  Also using  discussion helps  others  to  see and handle  issues  differently.

Act 9:  What do I  ask  and  why?

I  really enjoyed  this  activity. I  realized that sometimes   as  teachers  we  ask  just  one  type of  questions . Most of times  as  teachers  we  want  to test  memory so we  ask  only recall  questions. According to the  Bloom's  Taxonomy there  are  six  objectives    in the  cognitive  domain that we as  educators  must  take into  consideration  when  questioning  our  students. We  as  educators  want  to develop  critical thinkers  yet  we  only ask  questions  that require  yes or no. I  realize  that we  have  different  learners  within our classrooms and we  need to ask a  variety of  questions  so that all students   can become  active participators.

 Piaget  Influence

Piaget Theory of  cognitive has helped  me as  an educator  and as   an individual. I  have nephews  and  nieces  and   in order   to  help them at  each stage  I must be  able   to  give them  the  appropriate   activities. I  also teach 9-10 years  and knowing  what childen  are  cable  of  doing at  this  stage   it makes it  much easier  for  me as a  teacher  to  find  activities  suitable  for   my  students. Piaget theory  has   also helped  me realize  that there are lot of things  that   must be considered  before  I  plan activities  for my  students. The principles  of  accommodation and  assimilation are  also very  important  for us as  teachers. We  must  be able  to  build on previous  knowledge of  students and  also help to  build   a strong  foundation .

Assignment 2

 This  assignment  was  a bit  of  a  challenge for me.  Although  I  understood  what  the  principles   were  about,  I found it  quite challenging to put  my  activities  together. After  re-reading the   materials  I  was then able  to integrate  new knowledge into  what I would have already known. The  two principles  I  chose were  Piaget 's principle of  Assimilation and  Vgotsky Zone of  Proximal Development. The use of the two principles  is  quite  rewarding, not only  for the   students  but  for the  teacher   as  well.