It is never too late to reflect
on the previous years of life to try and write down what went through
especially the earlier period of learning. This is because that period lays the
foundation for whatever comes in the future.
My personal Learning History
My personal Learning History
For me learning happens everyday
and now when I see my little girl, I get an idea about how my learning started.
My mother was working as a teacher in a primary school (kindergarden to 5th
grade) and since there was no day care system in about 30 years ago, I
accompanied with her to the school and used to visit all the classes according
to my wish. I particularly would dote to go to the class my brother would
study. I used to grab bits and pieces from everywhere and talk in English (not
perfect) around 3 years of age (here I must mention that my mother tongue is
Telugu, a south Indian language).
During the early years of my
education, I remember that I was always drawn towards nature. I wanted to see,
touch and feel everything that I learned at school. That was sadly not possible
in the schools in India as there were too many children and the resources were
limited. My practical experience in education started very late in my life.
In India the system of education
goes like this 10+2+3/4/5. After 10th grade we can choose the
subjects of our interest, which can be mathematics, biology, commerce or
economics, etc. Depending on the main subject chosen, there would be other
combinations and usually there are three subjects that will be taught during
the two years. Along with mathematics or biological sciences, physics and
chemistry are common. Sadly in India and especially in the southern states,
mathematics and biological sciences are only sought after. People believe that
these two would lead to some professional jobs only. I choose Biology, Physics
and Chemistry as the three major subjects out of my love for science. We also
had to take English and Sanskrit/Telugu/Hindi out of which I chose Sanskrit, as
it is entirely new for me. The mode of evaluation was through exams, both
theoretical and practical which was similar to that of school exams.
My journey with biology that
included botanical sciences and zoological sciences started quite well and I am
so relieved to study only the subject that I loved so much. Everyday was a new
experience for me. My best learning experience came always from teachers of
natural sciences. In school, Mrs Rohini teacher and Mrs Leela Mathews teacher,
Mrs. Bharati teacher and Mrs Satyavati were my role models in different stages.
Here I would like to mention
about curriculum in India. It is a complicated web. There are more than one
curriculums and syllabi that are followed in India. It is difficult to choose
which is the best. Each state has a syllabus and there are also schools that
follow the central syllabus. I will not attempt to describe more in this
context as this is about my learning experience. Here is a wikipedia link about
the different curricula in India.
After my 10+2, in order to get
into medicine, I had to write an entrance exam wherein 100,000 or more students
participated and I had to get a rank below 600 in-order to beat all the
reservations, as I am not categorized into any section coming under
reservation. Here again, one can only imagine the amount of mistakes that could
happen in the evaluation. The exam was a list of multiple-choice questions with
negative marking for each wrong answer. I missed my chance to get into the
medical school by a matter of a ¼ mark, and I was devastated for a long period
of time. I was not happy to get into normal graduation college but I had no
choice because to study in a private medical college is way too expensive for
our family. Luckily I had some guidance via a friend’s circle and some teachers
who encouraged students like me to pursue a career in scientific research in a
national universitie that is recognized worldwide. Here again the selection
procedure is via a standard entrance exam. This time I got lucky and got into
the central university of Pondichery. I was hoping for some high-end research
training but alas I was disappointed again. The laboratory that is considered
as the heart of any scientific research is so outdated and mis-managed. The method
of evaluation is by a series of written exams, which are also taken into
account in the final evaluation and grading system. My lack of extensive
laboratory training did effect on my job trials.
My First Experience as a TEACHER
My First Experience as a TEACHER
I got the opportunity to work as
teacher for graduate students to teach biochemistry in a brand new college in
2002. Since it was a new college, the number of students was few and most of
them were only interested in the scholarships that were awarded to them. I
taught for a period of one year and I found the job interesting and challenging
at the same time. I tried to do something different from the usual and made my
students participate in some science fairs to work on their creative aspect. In
the 8 students that we had, each one was so different. One of them had
photographic memory as I call it and she could remember every tiny bit of
detail that I taught her and reproduce the same in the written or oral exam,
while another had difficulty in understanding anything at all. Now I understand
that both of them had different learning styles.
My second teaching experience was
at the Ramakrishna Mission School in Jamshedpur. I taught natural science to
grade 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. This was again a new journey taking me thought the
mind-set of different age groups. I had to deal with the different energy
levels as well that is new considering my previous experience. Here again I
tried to adapt something new in teaching. I tried to implement methods that I
thought would have helped me during my days in school. I also applied the
‘flipped classroom’ method for class-9 not knowing the name of the method (now
I know about it more). I asked to students to prepare something about the topic
I would be teaching the next day. It could be an example or some joke or
something fun. That way the students did not feel that I was giving them some
homework and everyone came up with something creative and fun at the same time.
I also gave group tasks to do some activity and present them once a week and
the best activity will be awarded some ‘good’ points. The higher-class students
and parents took this method very positively. I couldn’t continue the next year
as we were going to move to Finland and so I need to be at my parents place due
to pregnancy. My husband moved to Finland in 2005 and I came with my baby girl
in 2007 January. Visa Process took almost 8 months and that period was
frustrating. Once I landed here, I started to search for a job and understood
that the road is not straight because I only had a master’s degree in Life Sciences
and no research experience. Although I was a teacher, that experience did not
count, as I was not a ‘trained teacher’. The best bet was to search for
research positions. Although my chances seemed bleak again due to lack of
laboratory experience, I tried in Protein X-ray Crystallography and since the
study did not require extensive lab work, I got the position. My supervisor was
from Greece and happily offered a permanent position after three months of
trial period.
My view of Learning
My view of Learning
My Phd learning/working experience was entirely new. In India, a teacher or supervisor only
gives instructions to do and the students follow, similar to Paulo Freire’s
‘Banking’ concept of education. In my group, the method was different. I was
only given some introduction session and expected to find my way by myself.
Initially, just because I did not understand the culture or not used to it, I
had some problems and nearly thought about quitting but my persistent
personality did not allow me. My
group mate gave me an idea about the system and what is expected from me. In my
case, I was not expected to find solutions from my supervisor. That was not
welcome with him. I was judged and criticized during the initial period. Soon I
learned that I am alone and need to have answers for all my problems in my work
and got lucky with some online forums, friend circles and journal clubs. My
first virtual learning experience was with a course by name ‘Space Groups’
which is crystallography based. Sadly, I could not finish it. The reasons are I
did not get the necessary basic information for the course. That was my lack of
initial knowledge. I could not make the teacher understand better my
requirement. Here I would have been benefited if I were a part of a group or
forum where there would be discussions and exchange of materials and
troubleshooting. Although it was virtual course, it did not cover all the
aspects of a virtual learning environment. That was my only experience of
virtual studies and if I would run a course in future, I would definitely take
into account my experience and try to implement those aspects that are required
for virtual learning.
Everyday things that make
a (good) teacher
According to educator and
philosopher Parker Palmer: “Good
teaching isn't about technique. I've asked students around the country to
describe their good teachers to me. Some of them describe people who lecture
all the time, some of them describe people who do little other than facilitate
group process, and others describe everything in between. But all of them
describe people who have some sort of connective capacity, who connect
themselves to their students, their students to each other, and everyone to the
subject being studied” (1999, p.27). I totally agree with the last
sentences and I think most of the teachers and aspiring teachers agree too.
What
I think about the qualities of a good teacher:
The teacher should be passionate
about his/her subject. Only then he/she will be creative and adaptive to meet
the needs of students. With the changing time, the teacher should be willing to
make changes to the learning style, material and the way he/she connects with the
students. A good teacher also motivates her students to try to imbibe what is
being taught in the class, reflect later and contribute positively to the
learning process. Here I would like to give some examples from my life. My mother is a retired school teacher. She worked in a lower secondary school for nearly 15 years. In India, there is a system called private tutorials where some students who cannot cope up in school, can take evening classes for 1-2 hours from a different teacher. And my mother had several students for tutions as they are commonly called. Children who had no learning difficulties fared well with her effort. However I would like to mention about one boy, Jeevan. Now when i think about him, he is a special needs student with learning difficulties, he is normal otherwise, very good in sports, healthy and smart but had major learning difficulties. He could not write properly, had confusion with identifying d from b etc. His parents were worried as he was their only son and they had some other difficulties so finally he was sent to a boarding school thinking that he has problems with discipline. I feel that if someone would have known that he had learning difficulties, he could have got some help.
How the curriculum directs the development of studies
The first thing that comes to my
mind when I hear curriculum is syllabus.
But when I try to gain more information, I am more confused, surprised.
It seems that an approach to curriculum theory and practice that focused on
syllabus is only concerned with the content. The road of education goes from
setting objectives, to drawing a plan, to the implementation and finally
measuring the outcomes. According to Fanklin Bobbit and Ralph W. Tyler “ the
curriculum will be a series of experiences which children and adults must have
by way of obtaining certain objectives “ (1918: 42).
Also interesting is this section
from Tyler (1949: 44) which says “Since
the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor perform certain
activities but to bring about significant changes in the students' pattern of
behaviour, it becomes important to recognize that any statements of objectives
of the school should be a statement of changes to take place in the students”.
Since the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor
perform certain activities but to bring about significant changes in the
students' pattern of behaviour, it becomes important to recognize that any
statements of objectives of the school should be a statement of changes to take
place in the students. (Tyler 1949: 44).
After this, I could see the flow in the ordered procedure: what is
needed, formulation of objectives, selection of appropriate content followed by
organization of the content, selection of learning experiences followed by
organization of learning experiences and determination of what to evaluate and
how (Taba 1962).
Now I ask myself, what should a curriculum provide on order to get
that flow? The answer is it should provide a basis for planning a course,
studying in empirically and considering the means of justifying it.
What methods of assessment/evaluation will I use?
It is difficult at
this stage to state what I would use exactly in assessment. My method would
greatly depend on the course, age group of students etc. But there is no harm
in imagining now. First I would try to understand what type of learner is a
particular student. This makes the method easy in some ways. I will plan
assessment methods for all types of learners, as it would be unfair to use just
one type of evaluation like a written exam perhaps. I also believe in
self-evaluation be-it for students or teachers. It constantly keeps both
grounded and in-track. I will find out ways to incorporate such a method so
that the students themselves know where they stand. This is what comes to my
mind right now but I think I will improve on these grounds when I become a
teacher in the future.
Some interesting
links:
How do I use technology in my field of pedagogy?
Use of technology
in education is important in this present world. One cannot survive without a
computer, a mobile phone, and an ipad of some thing similar. If we go back in
time about 20 years, I begin to wonder how did people survive (I was also one
at that time). Back in 2002, 2004-2005, when I was a teacher, technology was
introduced in colleges, universities but not so common in normal maintained
schools. In India we have a wide range of schools depending on the weight of
your pocket. The school I worked in was for middle class group so no computers,
mobile phones not allowed in campus etc. Everything there was manual, it was
difficult for me as I was already half dependent on Internet and other basic
devices. Now when I see the speed at which the technology is changing and
updating, there has to be some standardization to the usage in pedagogy. I will
encourage my students to be brave and try new things but at the same I would
also want to know why they used that tool. This way the positive and negative aspects would surface and
it would be easy to choose the best.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/some-more-trends
After some reflection, now I feel that a friendly approach would be my style of teaching and in the future if I get an opportunity to become a teacher I would use that as my strength.
Analysis of my competences in teaching
I would like to rate myself at this moment as an aspiring teacher. I do have some experience in teaching but that was several years ago and when I took the job as it was the one that was immediately available. I had not prior training to handle situations in class. I have never practiced before when an experienced teacher heard me. However, there were some interview but that was one-on-one followed by a half-an hour demonstration. If I reflect back on my overall experience, I was received positively by high-school students (14-16) and all the age groups below. I had some problems initially with graduate students. Back in 2002, when I was teaching Biochemistry to graduate students, they were three years younger to me and so could not see me in the role of a teacher as I was looking almost the same as they were, physically. So I tried to adapt a friendly approach and met with them over coffee, lunch, even a movie. We had an great opportunity to participate in a youth festival in a different city for 2 days. There was a gathering of around 40-50 colleges and it was basically to prepare the students for different inter-college competitions. We prepared for poster presentations, a mime show where the students were explaining bad road conditions, a clay model competition and also a dance competition where I was singing a folk song. Ultimately we won for the clay model competition, second prize. The main idea was to promote our college and we succeeded.After some reflection, now I feel that a friendly approach would be my style of teaching and in the future if I get an opportunity to become a teacher I would use that as my strength.
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