Initiatives in Assessment 1

The topic that night circles on the purpose of assessment. It was amazing to see an ‘interactive’ lecture carried out by Dr Yeap. He did not plonk the contents of the lecture to us, rather he elicited the contents from us. From a blank whiteboard, it was eventually loaded with information, very nicely done on a flow-chart or something to that effect.

 The discussion centers around matters such as why do we need assessment and the tools for assessment. In general, assessment is needed to check for understanding as it gives us essential information and feedback as to whether what is intended for learning has been learnt.

We also discussed on validity and reliability of the assessment tools. Then there was data collection and what do we do with them, that is the purpose of  the data and how do we interpret them. It was an enriching discussion I would say, coz it clears my doubts and refreshes my understanding. No doubt that learning was taking place ( we need to recharge ourselves!!!)  and I think all of us agreed that we enjoyed Dr Yeap’s classes very much! :))

Initiatives in Teaching and Learning 2

Quite a bit was discussed on Metacognition.

The emphasis is not so much on the answer itself but how the answer is derived. What were the strategies and methods used, what questions were raised in solving the task given. When a child asks questions, a lot of thinking is going through his mind. Before he pops the questions, he had to go through a bit of internal or self-questioning.

When Dr Yeap asked us to share aloud our methods or strategies, he is asking us to think about ‘our thinking’. Then he would encourage us to look into any other ways to solve the problem and then reflect on them, as to whether they are appropriate or not. In our sharing to solve the tasks given, we were actually practicing “Metacognition” even without us realizing.

I truly enjoyed the problem-solving questions on Tiles. We were given the conditions to draw a 4-sided figure on the matrix dots/geoboards which would give an area of 5cm². We came up with all shapes of 4-sided figure but the most interesting part was to explain and confirm that the figure has an area of 5cm². That was the challenge…but that was what, that made the activity interesting!

Initiatives in Teaching and Learning 1

Yipeee…we are back in class after a long break…well not exactly a break coz we were tied down with completing our first group assignment! An unforgettable experience indeed…trying to juggle between work, family and studies!!!!!

Dr Yeap had this on his easel-

1)     Salute

2)     Card Game –Magic Touch

3)     Take 1,Take 2

4)     Multiplication

That’s what in store for us among many things. I must say that I enjoyed and looked forward to the many maths games which Dr Yeap had prepared for us. These games are hands-on and require us to work in small groups. The concept of addition and multiplication is integrated into the design of the maths games. We asked each other questions and that actually is the essence of an inquiry-based lesson but done in a fun way. Putting myself in the shoes of my students, I feel excited though sometimes a little bit overwhelmed. Now I can, not only see but feel how hands-on tasks can benefit students.

But the best about Dr Yeap’s class is the TONE of environment. No answer is absolutely wrong and even though if it is not quite right, nobody feels hesitant about sharing his or her opinion. That takes the pressure off us and that enjoyable learning atmosphere is important to learning itself.

True to the initiatives which we had read so much about, I saw TLLM and PETALS being incorporated in our class activities that night.

Final Reflection for Group Assignment

Was constantly getting in touch with each other before the final submission. We went through the slides once again and spotted some things which needed correction. Finally after a couple of changes, we decided that we were satisfied with what we have. Though we feel that there can still be room for improvement, we were happy coz we felt that the entire process itself was an enriching learning experience. We learnt many new things and were excited somehow. I’m sure our course mates felt pretty much the same!

Now I feel more confident to embark on the next assignment – the individual task! Feels daunting though..the fact that it is an individual effort! But I bet I am not alone! My friends will always be there for me in as much as I am here for them! J

Putting It Together

It has been a really challenging yet a heart thumping week. Having Zubaidah and Rini over was really helpful. At least I do not have to get dressed and leave the house…and it was a pleasure having them over! We not only learnt a lot from each other..we learnt a lot ABOUT each other too. We each have our strengths and we tap on that to get this assignment completed.

We discussed on our approach. How do we want to present the powerpoint slides. We encountered some technical problems and fortunately Rini managed to get some help. It’s really important to have connections in times like this…hehehe.

I learnt something new from using Ulead software..similar to Moviemaker but it has more features. To be IT savvy comes in handy at this time! We encountered other glitches too, finding an appropriate background music and downloading it and even converting the files. Wow..a real eye-opener! But I am glad we were doing it together! All for one and one for all!