MICROTEACHING REFLECTION

"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience"

What did you like and dislike about online teaching?

During the online lesson, I came to the conclusion that there will always be advantages and disadvantages. I would say that I enjoyed having access to and being able to use a variety of digital resources in order to create a positive and engaging virtual classroom environment. I enjoyed being able to use these digital resources to create games and other interactive activities for the learners. I really enjoyed being able to use PowerPoint Presentation in order to create these interactive activities for the learners. Through the use of the platform known as Blackboard Collaborate, I enjoyed being able to share my PowerPoint presentation with the learners, in addition, I also enjoyed certain features of the platform such as the button where learners could raise their hands and the button to unmute their microphones. Online teaching can also be extremely overwhelming for me as a teacher and for the learners. During the online lesson, I did not enjoy that if I was sharing my PowerPoint presentation, my video camera become too small for the learners to see me at the same time. I also did not enjoy that I was not able to see the learners while sharing the PowerPoint Presentation. The only way I could see the learners while sharing the presentation is if I kept swapping between the viewing modes, which becomes difficult and overwhelming. Therefore, not being able to see my learners made it difficult for me to see if they were enjoying the lesson and if they were listening when I was talking. I personally feel that a face-to-face lesson is more interactive and hands-on for the learners compared to an online lesson.

What skills did you learn through this new experience?

Through this online experience, I developed a new skill of being able to create PowerPoint Presentations that are interactive for an online lesson. I learnt how to use the different features on the platform known as Blackboard collaborate such as sharing PowerPoint Presentations, using the microphone feature, using the video feature, and using the ‘raising hand’ feature. In addition, through the use of observing my peers’ lessons, I learnt how to use the pen feature, I really enjoyed this as the learners could draw on the PowerPoint presentation which increases participation and engagement. I also learnt that using the comment box on the platform ensures that the learners are interacting and engaged.

What would you do differently?

I would ensure that I swap between viewing modes during the lesson when I want the learners to view me instead of the PowerPoint Presentation. I would also make use of the comment box and pen feature during the online lesson to make it even more interactive. When showing the learners, the difference between the homophones, I would use the highlight feature to highlight the difference in spelling of the words in order for the learners to be able to have a clear understanding of what the difference is. During one of the activities that was a challenge for the learners, I will rather say “Let’s see if we can answer this challenging question” instead of saying “This is a hard one”.

Did you choose appropriate tools to teach your online lesson, explain why?

I did make use of appropriate tools during my online lesson through the use of PowerPoint Presentation. PowerPoint presentation is an appropriate tool to use because I was able to structure the lesson effectively, the lesson was interactive, engaging, and exciting for the learners. I was also able to use this tool to create games, interactive activities and to create my classroom management digital tool. It was an appropriate tool to teach my online lesson as I was able to use appropriate fonts, pictures and colours for a Grade 3 lesson. Other tools that I used during my online lesson was a digital timer which made the lesson engaging. Through the use of the microphone and video camera feature, this was appropriate for the online lesson as the learners could hear and see me, in addition, it made the lesson interactive as learners also kept their video cameras on and through the use of the ‘raising hand’ feature, learners were able to unmute their microphone and interact during the lesson.

How has this experience developed you for teaching in a school?

This experience has taught me how important it is for lessons to be interactive and engaging, whether it is online or face-to-face. It has also taught me how important it is to incorporate classroom management tools during lessons in order to manage the classroom effectively, even during online lessons. Lastly, this experience has taught me that there are a variety of digital teaching resources that can be utilised within the face-to-face classroom or the virtual classroom.