This week was the submission of our second assignment which was done in pairs. The second assignment gave us an insight on how to better learners as we managed to incorporate cooperative learning, dividing task for seeking new information on the internet and engage in several virtual discussions. Since we are limited by the distance barrier between us, the use of technology for making real-time discussions were imperative to keep track of our findings and to configure a smooth progression of our assignment. Application like the simple yet reliable and user-friendly Yahoo Messenger really made a difference in making sure that our ideas are properly delivered and understood. This was better than using the common handphone for communicating in a distance because we could not only send compressed files, but also gain better comprehension of each other through facial expressions and gestures via the use of the webcamera. As we learnt in before, the effectiveness of communication between two individuals can greatly be reinforced with the presence of visual assistance, particularly in providing facial expression and gestures to convey their meanings more clearly and accurately. The awareness to use such a technology was deemed essential for us students due to the fact that the service comes with no need for us to spend a penny; it’s absolutely FREE! The process and procedure that we went through really taught us to become resourceful in making the right choices to suit our current needs of seeking information related to teachings and so forth.
Assignment two taught me a lot about crafting the right activity and lesson for the target audience. Apparently, young learners learning abilities differs greatly from that of an adult due to the fact that young learners tendency to comprehend an idea better with the assistance of visual and auditory components. We cannot simply give a child a book and expect them to understand it thoroughly from the beginning until the end. It falls back to us to bolster their still-developed cognitive system by including fascinating and colourful pictures, interactive GIFs, and also catchy sound effects and music, all in the effort to guide their comprehension to our intended learning points or ideas; according to Jean Piaget.
The tenth class was another moment of ‘enjoyment’ because the advent of yet task. Wow, I’m so ‘thrilled’. Another sleepless night for me, just great…hooray... The task required the use of the MSPublisher application in order to construct newsletter, business card, pamphlets, and brochures. It sounds like a lot of work but it actually really is. Another pressure or predicament we face is apparently not everyone has the application installed within their Windows system, unlike the Windows Movie Maker which is integrated along with it. Hence, some of us need to rely on other friends who have the application already installed, download from the internet or buy a new Windows CD. So, a lot of my friends find themselves stuck with the problem. Luckily, I already have mine installed when the first time I formatted my desktop. This is the moment where I learn to share the means of complete our tasks and be thankful to God to be able to work together and help each other during this dire moments.
It seemed that assignment three which should be the final one, has made its maiden appearance. Each of us is required to prepare four full activities and lesson plans, each focusing on different skills depending on the topic we received. I guess this one is really testing our competence skill as a teacher-to-be as we are actually crafting lesson plans for the whole week. But I believe that this is crucial for making us immersed with the experience of a real teacher which will definitely benefit us later on in the future. Feels like practicum already…hmm…I wonder…
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