Let's get Engaged ( in learning)

During the contract teaching, I do not really understand about the term TLLM, until my teaching colleague told me TLLM means teach less, learn more.

Teach Less, Learn More is about teaching better, to engage our learners and prepare them for life, rather than teaching more, for tests and examinations.

The word teach less, is very inviting but I am wrong. Teach less, Learn more does NOT mean teachers teach lesser and students learn on their own by self-study. It means more work to be done to think and make lesson plan to make learning more engaging

I start to daydream of my own teaching approaches if students can become active learners during Maths lesson behind the class during the co-teaching period. I finally got a sms from my co-teacher that she will report sick for next day and want me to take over the 3NT class.

Hence I burn my midnight oil and prepare my lesson plan and worksheet for them. The current topic is rate and proportion and luckily it is form of revision topic for them.

The next day, I bring these students out as they just finished their recess and usually they won’t have mood or even feel sleepy during Maths period. Even bringing them to basketball compound take long time. They need time to adapt changes about having math lesson outside the classroom.

I use my car to illustrate the rate [distance, speed and time], number of workers that is inversely proportional to days, using the number of students to fill out the water bottle and time taken and more hand-ons. Even though the weather is quite warm for them to do their worksheet in the basketball court, they are more active in answering the question and enjoy learning better.

Last 10 minutes, I give them assignment from workbook to see if they are able to apply what they have learnt in class better and faster, given a similar scenario or question.

I am happy that without any guidance from senior teacher, I do understand what it means engaging the student in learning.

However there is more than just worksheet and outside classroom setting to engage these students in learning. One of them is using ICT to provide engaging activities. There is a lot of sharing of lessons using ICT during contact time. There is so many resources to facilitate integration of specific Baseline ICT Standards to the curriculum include lesson plans and materials, than just using Microsoft Excel to teach Maths.

The most important about using ICT to implement lesson for students is to be at least proficient in using ICT tools, to be trouble-shooter when the students ask for help. I am lucky to learn to input formulae and equation using Microsoft Excel from my co-teacher before conducting the ICT-based lesson

References:

http://www3.moe.edu.sg/edumall/tl/it_integration/engaging_it_practices/about.htm

http://www3.moe.edu.sg/edumall/tl/it_integration/engaging_it_practices/index.htm
http://www3.moe.edu.sg/edumall/tl/it_integration/baseline_ictr.htm
http://www3.moe.edu.sg/bluesky/tllm.htm
http://nextlevel.com.my/article/407
http://www.teach-ict.com/cover_lessons/cl_general_home.html

The first lesson in NIE

I never knew that the lesson can be engaging today when I expected same tutorial I had experience while I was in NTU back then. I really enjoyed the first 'meeting' with tasty tidbits shared among us.

I was amazed with some of the peers who did mid-career changes to do teaching profession. Definitely they have many things to share with us based on many experiences outside.

More works to come. Let's be professional and be On time.