WEEK 8 - Learner Autonomy and One-Computer Class.

Dear friends,

During this week we studied two important topics: Learner Autonomy and One-Computer Class.

Learner autonomy is a key future in the new educational world, all educators and educational thinkers agree on the role of learners in teaching and learning process. They believe that students and learners must have great role, they are right, why? Because, at the end, all we want to prepare students to real life, they are target and investment. So we as teachers, of new generation, must encourage learner autonomy to make them: independent, decision-makers, self-guided. By doing this we help the community that we prepared active characters for them.

One – Computer Class also is very important idea to be used. We, in Iraq and other poor countries, don't have enough computer and other tech tools to be used in the classes, so I think one-computer style will help a lot. This topic is really new for me, I hope I can use it in a good way as I mentioned in my post at discussion board.

Best wishes,
Shaswar.

WEEK 7- Teaching Large Classes & Using PowerPoint Interactively

Dear friends,

For this week we had two important and interesting topics.

First it was about teaching large classes. For me the articles I read about this topic were very useful. I got, clearer picture about large classes. I, also, got new techniques for controlling large classes as: Just-in-Time Teaching, Beating the Numbers Game, Effective Teaching in Large Classes, Personalizing Language Learning in Large Classes, Build on what the students already know, Learning Should Be Meaningful...etc… Then I got new solutions for large classes as: Extra plan, Multimedia technology, Open-ended tasks, and Team work…etc...

For the above said information the following two articles were useful:

1- Teaching Strategies for Large English Classes by: Jianling Peng* Kunming University of Science & Technology.
2- Personalizing Language Learning in Large Classes by: Chao-ching Lin .

The second topic of this week was about: Effective PowerPoint Presentations. Like large classes topic, I got new information about this one as well. The most important area which I got benefit is educational area i.e. how to prepare an effective lecture & lesson with PowerPoint. Before this week's topic I had technical information about PowerPoint, and now I know how to use this technical information in the educational field.

Best wishes,
Shaswar.

WEEK 6 - Use of Technology to Improve Learning Style & Alternative Assessment

Dear friends,

This week we had a special week as our guest guided us to do different activities via technology and the web. For me most of the activities I did were new especially in the area of Alternative assessment.

Another important point which I learnt this week is using variety of styles to improve our lessons and teaching styles. To make interesting lesson it's important for teachers to avoid lecture-style classes and to depend on interaction– style classes in which there will be involvement among the students and there will be rich discussion among them.
In this week's article :( Teaching Large Classes II – Enhancing Learning by Engaging
Students) we learnt that our lessons will be interesting if we could use:
- photos, visual aids, slides, Impersonal environment, Collaborative learning experience, Setting up routines, Speaking style.

Finally we learnt how to depend on technology to make our lessons interesting and enjoyable, the tech tools that we can use as: computers, webQuests, video conference, internet, iPode, DVD player, memory player…etc…

Best wishes,
Shaswar.

WEEK 5 - Project - Based Learning & WebQuests

Dear friends,

For this week we had two interesting topics for the discussion. Both topics for me were, really, important.

The first topic was about project - based learning, what I learnt from this topic is amazing and I'm having good feeling. Till now what we do in our schools is we ask the students to prepare projects to the topic (or topics) that have relation with class textbook, this kind of technique sometime will limit the creativity of the students, but now I learnt that the teacher can ask students to make projects out of school textbook as (food project, gas project…etc..).My plan in this field is to make a project to produce a book guide about the place where I teach.

The second topic of this week was: WebQuests. It was totally new for me,I hope I could be able to do it, normally, in near future as we can't do it now due to unusual situation in Iraq.

Best wishes,

Shaswar.