MEd858 Lessons Reflections

Pre Session
I received an email by Dr Quek to meet up for a face-to-face briefing before the course starts and also to collect some reading materials. Didn't bring any stationery because i was expecting the session to last at most 1hr. To my surprise it ended around 9pm. Luckily Suhaimi stays in my neighbourhood, and he gave me a lift home after the briefing. Thank you so much. If not, the trip would have lasted 2hrs from Boon Lay to AMK.

I am told that we need to switch from a practitioner role to a researcher one. The need for this module is necessary. Why? For one simple reason: Our society revolves. Our children are influenced by the society. The society is the Learning Environment. So there is a need for us as educators to re-examine and alter our teaching practice to meet new demands and challenges.

I got a big surprise during the briefing, and that is to set up a blog as part of the assignment! I was struggling to get the blog up on that day. Other than blog, I have been introduced to Podcast, Wiki, Facebook, LessonBox, etc.

Session 1
Session 1 is a continuous online learning and reading. It has been written at my own time.
The posts in this blog are my continuous readings and reflections that I have thought through. Please take a look if you are interested.

Session 2
Keypoints on Learning Environment:
- School climate
- School culture
- Perception
- Learning environment
- School learning environment
- Classroom learning environment

This model was introduced to us on what is involved in a Learning Environment. The left half of the model are the factors that influence the human behaviour. The right half of the model shows two type of researches that can be carried out in a Learning Environment, as well as using the results to improve learning and teaching.

Please read Chapter 6 of the book "How People Learn". The reflection was done earlier in this blog on the four different perspectives on Learning Environments. From the activity, I have learnt a way to conduct my lesson on a topic. I can spilt the class into groups and assign each group one part of the topic. Then I would ask them to present and share with the rest the part that they have been assigned to read. As a teacher, I have to be facilitating the learning process in order to correct what the students have wrongly perceived.


Session 3
The Learning Environment consists of the following 3 elements:
1)Physical-seating arrangement, noise level, space provision for movement and work, ventilation, and resource provision.
2)Students-working in groups or individually, student behaviour towards each other, group sizes and composition, and student concentration.
3)Social-teacher's modes of instruction, teacher's acceptance or rejection, types of educational tasks required, and types of activities.

They are clearly divided into what I have encountered everyday in the classroom. This allows me to work on the individual element and enhance it. If not, teaching is just like a daily routine to me in my classroom.

(Theo) Wubbels
Prof (Theo) Wubbels developed the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). He is concerned with teacher interpersonal competence in Learning Environment. His QTI allows us to measure the relationship dimensions and system maintenance and to change the dimensions of a Learning Environment with the help of Levy Model. Our group has studied about his theory and the contributions in education. We have created a Theo Wubbels fans site using WetPaint. That is how I am exposed to Wiki.


I am also being exposed to Moos's scheme which provides a holistic perspective. It is validated by many researchers in the past. It allows educational research to cross national boundaries that offer much promises for generating new insights.

Why is cross-national studies important? There is a variation in variables of interest (teaching methods, student attitudes) from the sample drawn from different countries rather than from a country. Another reason is the taken for granted familiar educational practices, beliefs and attitudes in one country can be exposed, made 'weird' and questioned when research involves two countries. With the quantitive approach, it is also used to provide valuable insights into the perceptions of students in each country.

Session 4
In this session, I came to know about CLES and WIHIC. I am taught how to modify and the reasons to modify the instruments. The same set of instrument may not serve all types of classrooms. We have to modify to get the desire results.

Attended a paper presentation at APERA conference on using Knowledge Forum (KF) in conducting D&T. The picture at the left can be found in the upper sec student D&T textbook. I perceive D&T to be more than a subject taught in the classroom. It is about thinking process, a survival skill that the new generations cannot miss in this fast changing world.

Also we went through 3 case studies of 3 different schools. It is obvious that different school has different learning environment. I am once again reminded that the school learning environment involves and affects not only teacher and students, but also different stakeholders (principal, parents and community)

Session 5
After learning how to gather data using different instrument, in session 5, we are taught how to use SPSS to tabulate results. I feel a sense of completeness because after learning all the theories, i have the chance to apply and finally get the results. Althought is it not a 'real' research, but I am exposed to different areas of being a researcher. Dr Quek's lessons are well organised and planned.

I can't deny that this module is running in tight schedule and there are many reading to be done. But at the end, I still enjoy myself because of the knowledge and skills that I have acquired. I would like to try to use some of the instruments that I have learnt in my classes. Also i would be integrating the platforms that I have into my lessons for teaching and students learning.