I have been working on my personal online resume or e-portfolio for about a year now. The site and I am spending some time these holidays adding more sections to it. These include an Online Resources page which allows me to put up useful links that I have used or will try to use in the classroom. I have also added some more material to the Sample Lesson and unit plans section, including my Intercultural Communication unit for Society and Culture which has been accepted to the Society & Culture Association's publication "Culturescope" (due for publication in the second half of 2009).
I have included these two sections for a few reasons.
Online Resources
I wanted to have better access to the useful resources that I find online. Relying on emailing links, bookmarks etc is just painful so I wanted to centralise these resources and really hone in on those which are the most useful, reliable, relevant, engaging and practical. It is a process now of combing through my considerable list of sites to find the gold.
Sample Lesson and Unit Plans
Part of the process of accreditation in NSW (Australia) for teaching is that you show some examples of your lessons. So as part of that process I have been adding lessons that reveal evidence of information technology integration, scaffolding techniques, reflective exercises and importantly for my accreditation, attention to the Quality Teaching Framework which is used to guide pedagogical practice in NSW.
January 20, 2009
November 8, 2008
Moving on
Well I have finally handed in my last two assignments and feel pretty happy about it. I just have to wait until I get the results and then I can really relax. In the meantime I am thinking of all the new projects I can work on. I have made a note of them so that I can refer back to them and chart my progress. I want to focus on enjoying the process as well as the end result.
Visual Diary - I began this as a reflection exercise collecting together various bits and pieces gathered from excursions, concerts etc. This would help me remember what I have done and express it in a creative way.
Travel Diaries - I wrote a diary of the trip that my partner and I went on in 2006 which covered Europe, Cuba and South America. I would like to transcribe the diary so that I have an electronic version in case something happens to the original. It won't have the little drawings in but at least the content will be there.
Article writing - I want to start doing some more writing and one form of this is for the Society and Culture Association - Culturescope. My mentor at work who is a Society and Culture teacher has urged me to write something as a lesson submission based on my unit of work for university. I am planning to work on that and submit it along with one of his pieces soon.
Self-education - apart from wanting to enrol in another CCE course (Centre for Continuing Education) I would like to be able to spend more time concentrating on gaining a better understanding of the NSW Syllabus and Curriculum resources so that next year I feel more confident in my teaching practice. This will mean focussing on Australian History in particular and Geography in general. Even though I am not sure what I will be doing past April next year (when the maternity leave period ends for my colleague) I will want to be prepared for Term 1 and beyond.
Now to get started....
Visual Diary - I began this as a reflection exercise collecting together various bits and pieces gathered from excursions, concerts etc. This would help me remember what I have done and express it in a creative way.
Travel Diaries - I wrote a diary of the trip that my partner and I went on in 2006 which covered Europe, Cuba and South America. I would like to transcribe the diary so that I have an electronic version in case something happens to the original. It won't have the little drawings in but at least the content will be there.
Article writing - I want to start doing some more writing and one form of this is for the Society and Culture Association - Culturescope. My mentor at work who is a Society and Culture teacher has urged me to write something as a lesson submission based on my unit of work for university. I am planning to work on that and submit it along with one of his pieces soon.
Self-education - apart from wanting to enrol in another CCE course (Centre for Continuing Education) I would like to be able to spend more time concentrating on gaining a better understanding of the NSW Syllabus and Curriculum resources so that next year I feel more confident in my teaching practice. This will mean focussing on Australian History in particular and Geography in general. Even though I am not sure what I will be doing past April next year (when the maternity leave period ends for my colleague) I will want to be prepared for Term 1 and beyond.
Now to get started....
October 14, 2008
Intercultural Communication (Japan and Australia) Society & Culture
Subject matter
I have been given an assignment to plan a unit (involving 20 lesson) for a particular subject. I have chosen Society & Culture because I really love the subject and I am also fortunate enough to have a wonderful mentor who is a Society & Culture teacher. This unit focuses on Intercultural communication. You are required to look the communication process in general and then focus on an inter-cultural comparision. I have chosen to look at Japan for this section of the study.
Prior experience and Practical application
My practicum experience involved 4 weeks of teaching one unit from Society & Culture and so I hope to use some of this hands on experience, his expert advice and the many resource I have found online and in other forms to assist in this process. The good news is that hopefully I can implement some of these lessons in the classroom - will just have to sweet talk my mentor.
Reflection
I am finding the process of planning lessons invigorating, if daunting. I have to be aware however that in my excitement about finding materials and putting lessons together I must not lose sight of the other important part of the equation. This is the teaching strategies I must employ when thinking about implementing these in reality. I have found that in my recent experience developing lessons for History (years 7 - 10) I have paid plenty of attention to the lesson planning but not the delivery. I really want to focus on the bigger picture of what I really want the students to get out of the lesson, not just the bells and whistles of the materials used in the lesson. Thinking about this before each lesson and making it explicit to the students will help guide them, and me, in the lesson as it unfolds...hopefully!
Resources
I have compiled a few interesting sites that have relevant materials to this unit for future reference (and for others who might read this site). Particularly interesting to me was the articles by Deborah Tannen who writes a great deal about communication, and in particular, the role of gender in the communication process. Whilst I cannot put the entire article online, the reference is provided below.
Tannen, D. (1995) The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why. Harvard Business Review, 73 (5). Accessed October 14th, 2008 from Business Source Premier
Extremely useful source when examining hierarchical structures with refer the gender roles. This example focuses on the corporate field but lesson learned can be transferred to other situations.
Australia - Culture, Customs and Etiquette
This site (and the accompanying Japan site) can be useful resources when comparing and contrasting the two societies for this unit. The students can use this site and critique the description given to the Australian society so that they might be more aware of the potential benefits and dangers of drawing generalities about such cultural descriptions.
Japan - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette
Although the site is directed toward the business aspect of inter-cultural communication it contains some relevant material about particular Japanese communication both verbal and non-verbal.
It covers the following areas of interest to the studies of Cross-cultural communication:
The Japanese and 'Face'
Harmony in Japanese Society
Japanese Non-Verbal Communication
Japanese Hierarchy
Meeting Etiquette
Gift Giving Etiquette
Dining Etiquette
Watch your Table Manners!
Japan Guide - Non-Verbal Communication
This site is useful for the lesson concerning non-verbal communication in Japan as it details some of the symbolic gestures used in Japan. It covers the following areas: silence, facial gestures, touching, showing respect to objects and general gestures.
Getting Through Customs
This site contains cultural quizzes complete with answers.
What’s in a gesture?
Judie Hayes.
This website contains a lesson about the nature of gestures and how they are used and interpreted in different culture. The lesson is created from an United States perspective which can be limiting but could be adapted and used as a model for similar comparisons between one culture and another, or modified to a particular country.
I have been given an assignment to plan a unit (involving 20 lesson) for a particular subject. I have chosen Society & Culture because I really love the subject and I am also fortunate enough to have a wonderful mentor who is a Society & Culture teacher. This unit focuses on Intercultural communication. You are required to look the communication process in general and then focus on an inter-cultural comparision. I have chosen to look at Japan for this section of the study.
Prior experience and Practical application
My practicum experience involved 4 weeks of teaching one unit from Society & Culture and so I hope to use some of this hands on experience, his expert advice and the many resource I have found online and in other forms to assist in this process. The good news is that hopefully I can implement some of these lessons in the classroom - will just have to sweet talk my mentor.
Reflection
I am finding the process of planning lessons invigorating, if daunting. I have to be aware however that in my excitement about finding materials and putting lessons together I must not lose sight of the other important part of the equation. This is the teaching strategies I must employ when thinking about implementing these in reality. I have found that in my recent experience developing lessons for History (years 7 - 10) I have paid plenty of attention to the lesson planning but not the delivery. I really want to focus on the bigger picture of what I really want the students to get out of the lesson, not just the bells and whistles of the materials used in the lesson. Thinking about this before each lesson and making it explicit to the students will help guide them, and me, in the lesson as it unfolds...hopefully!
Resources
I have compiled a few interesting sites that have relevant materials to this unit for future reference (and for others who might read this site). Particularly interesting to me was the articles by Deborah Tannen who writes a great deal about communication, and in particular, the role of gender in the communication process. Whilst I cannot put the entire article online, the reference is provided below.
Tannen, D. (1995) The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why. Harvard Business Review, 73 (5). Accessed October 14th, 2008 from Business Source Premier
Extremely useful source when examining hierarchical structures with refer the gender roles. This example focuses on the corporate field but lesson learned can be transferred to other situations.
Australia - Culture, Customs and Etiquette
This site (and the accompanying Japan site) can be useful resources when comparing and contrasting the two societies for this unit. The students can use this site and critique the description given to the Australian society so that they might be more aware of the potential benefits and dangers of drawing generalities about such cultural descriptions.
Japan - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette
Although the site is directed toward the business aspect of inter-cultural communication it contains some relevant material about particular Japanese communication both verbal and non-verbal.
It covers the following areas of interest to the studies of Cross-cultural communication:
The Japanese and 'Face'
Harmony in Japanese Society
Japanese Non-Verbal Communication
Japanese Hierarchy
Meeting Etiquette
Gift Giving Etiquette
Dining Etiquette
Watch your Table Manners!
Japan Guide - Non-Verbal Communication
This site is useful for the lesson concerning non-verbal communication in Japan as it details some of the symbolic gestures used in Japan. It covers the following areas: silence, facial gestures, touching, showing respect to objects and general gestures.
Getting Through Customs
This site contains cultural quizzes complete with answers.
What’s in a gesture?
Judie Hayes.
This website contains a lesson about the nature of gestures and how they are used and interpreted in different culture. The lesson is created from an United States perspective which can be limiting but could be adapted and used as a model for similar comparisons between one culture and another, or modified to a particular country.
October 13, 2008
Differentiated Curriculum
It has been a while. I am in the midst of school holidays and of my final two assignments for my uni course. I am designing 20 lesson plans as part of a unit in Society & Culture Intercultural Communication for the preliminary HSC course and also working on a two-parter which involves investigating Task Analysis, Direct Instruction and Differentiation.
To this end, I wanted to include some resources for these topics. I will add them to my resources list but just one I have found today.
Differentiation - link to journal articles
To this end, I wanted to include some resources for these topics. I will add them to my resources list but just one I have found today.
Differentiation - link to journal articles
July 12, 2008
Last semester at university
Well, a great deal has happened. Firstly I am teaching almost fulltime now in the HSIE Department at Emanuel School. I teach 2 year 7 classes, 1 year 8 class, 1 year 9 class and 2 year 10 classes. It was a hectic 6 weeks of term but not as hard as I suspect other first year teachers have - as I have worked at the school for 5 years and know my 'new' colleagues very well. I have noted that the amount of planning you have to do is done after the school day has finished, free periods being used to do paper work, organise lessons and so on. I have a paper diary planner which I carry everywhere and where I write my 2 line lesson plans! However, I also carry the textbooks, marker pens, normal pens, my compute and very importantly the black folder. This folder contains all of the current lessons I am teaching (and forthcoming lessons) - articles, worksheets, assessment tasks etc...and I keep this constantly up to date. That way if all else fails you have your backup. Peace of mind and handy when the technology fails.
Finished all of my marking the first saturday of the holidays. It is still troubling to mark I find - that is one useful thing they could teach you at university I think - maybe in curriculum method. You learn all about assessment, but not exactly how to mark. I set assessment tasks for all my classes so had a lot to mark but now have a little bit of an idea about the students I will be teaching until the end of the year. Now, it is the time for planning. I am setting out what I need to teach in History for all the years until the end of the year. Not the exact lessons - but just the topics I need to cover. The syllabus guides and the school programmes are obviously essential but it helps to plan it all out so that you are prepared mentally and have plenty of opportunities to develop interesting and innovative lessons.
As for university studies, I have Curriculum Method and Inclusive Learning this semester...and there is a lot of work to do for both of them. Even more incentive to keep on top of things. I have firstly to do a webquest and secondly design 20 45minute lessons....and that is just one unit. For the other it is more lots of little assignments. Once those two are done - so I am I. Fully qualified teacher then.
Onwards
Finished all of my marking the first saturday of the holidays. It is still troubling to mark I find - that is one useful thing they could teach you at university I think - maybe in curriculum method. You learn all about assessment, but not exactly how to mark. I set assessment tasks for all my classes so had a lot to mark but now have a little bit of an idea about the students I will be teaching until the end of the year. Now, it is the time for planning. I am setting out what I need to teach in History for all the years until the end of the year. Not the exact lessons - but just the topics I need to cover. The syllabus guides and the school programmes are obviously essential but it helps to plan it all out so that you are prepared mentally and have plenty of opportunities to develop interesting and innovative lessons.
As for university studies, I have Curriculum Method and Inclusive Learning this semester...and there is a lot of work to do for both of them. Even more incentive to keep on top of things. I have firstly to do a webquest and secondly design 20 45minute lessons....and that is just one unit. For the other it is more lots of little assignments. Once those two are done - so I am I. Fully qualified teacher then.
Onwards
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