Tutorial Letter 103/0/2020 TPN2602 TEACHING PRACTICE II BEd (Intermediate Phase)

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CONTEXTUAL QUESTIONNAIRE Answer the following open-ended questions to the best of your ability: Please give as much information as possible. 1. Describe the school at which you did your practical te... aching (location, age, facilities, how many learners are enrolled at the school, how many teachers teach at the school, language of learning and teaching, etc.) To be effective, learning environments must also be assessment-centered, which stress the importance of feedback to learning. Students need opportunities to get feedback so they can revise their work. Assessments must match learning goals. Formative, or classroom assessment, used to improve teaching and learning, is a constant source of feedback throughout the context of a course. Examples include teacher comments on work and quick checks for understanding in the classroom. Summative, or end-of-unit or course assessment, measures what students have learned by the end of a period of learning activities. Examples include state-wide assessment tests and teacher-made end-of-unit exams. 2. Describe the classroom in which you did your practical teaching (size, facilities, learning and teaching support materials, classroom atmosphere, etc.) A positive nurturing environment is an indispensable part of learning. It is in a positive environment that a student feels comfortable; a place where healthy relationships with peers and teachers flourish. In a positive environment, the process of learning becomes something that students easily adapt to and look forward to. To achieve this environment, young students need to be nurtured with love,care and support. As we all know, today, learning in a school involves more than just being exposed to information and set content. 3. Describe the learners you taught during your practical teaching (number per class, degree of readiness to learn, their home environmental conditions etc.) Personally, I consider that at first, it is very important to understand potential students’ backgrounds, which can and do tell a lot about them. Because some of us come directly right from colleges or universities, thus have ambitions, achievements, goals and honors. Others can have no education at all. Thirds might come from totally another country and even not know and consequently, speak a native language. As a great way out of this situation, my teacher used special questionnaires to know about each of the students. Furthermore, they definitely give a clear idea about students, in terms of experiences, skills, education, aims, etc; 4. Describe your mentor/subject/learning area teacher (knowledge, teaching experience, helpfulness, guidance, etc.). The roles of mentor and tutor vary between courses, national systems and school contexts. For the purposes of this course, the term ‘mentor’ is used to indicate the person (usually a member of the school staff) who works with the beginner teacher on a daily basis in the school context supporting their development while on placement. The role of ‘tutor’ may include providing academic support, if the student is studying for an academic qualification, and visiting the school to observe teaching in order to moderate and coordinate grading with the school mentor. It may also involve leading tutorials or seminars that help students to link theory and practice. The tutor is unlikely to be from within the 7 immediate school context (i.e. from the same department) and may be from a Higher Education Institution, external teacher education provider or from a different school within an alliance of schools. 5. Provide a brief account of your overall teaching practice experience (positive and/or negative). During my student teaching experience, I spent a lot of time preparing each lesson plan. I worked hard to research different ways to present the information for each lesson. I looked for activities that my students would enjoy, and I made sure that I had all of the materials and other things that I needed before class started. Even then, there were always things that would go wrong. Technology would fail. Students would complete activities quicker than planned. Or students would require much more time and explanation than expected. As such, I realized that I needed to be prepared as much as possible, but, more importantly, I needed to prepare to be flexible. You never know what’s going to come up or what will catch the students’ attention. When creating lessons, remember that you need to be prepared for changes. Figure out alternative activities in order to help your day go as smoothly as possible and allow your students to gain the most from the lessons 6. Did you conduct yourself in terms of the South African Council of Educators Code of Conduct? Yes, The Code tells us as educators that “we ought to”: act in a proper and becoming way such that our behaviour does not bring the teaching profession into disrepute; acknowledge, uphold and promote basic human rights, as embodied in the constitution of South Africa; exercise authority with compassion [Show More]

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