What is a democratic classroom?

Democracy…here, there and everywhere. This term is omnipresent. Democracy essentially means that the people of a country have the right to choose their leaders and the largest percentage wins. To me, democracy means to have equal rights as everyone else has and to have a voice to be heard. The citizens of a country are given…POWER! “But with great power comes great responsibility” – Stan Lee.

Our country, South Africa is democratic and therefore the classrooms have to be too. What do you perceive a democratic classroom to look like? How will the teacher behave towards the learners and vice versa? Think for a few seconds what virtues or traits you would want to see in a democratic classroom…

We all need to keep in mind that the teacher as well as the learners need to be part of this democratic process. One of the aims of schools should be to be able to send the learners out into the ‘real’ world as good democratic citizens. We cannot ignore democracy in our classrooms but expect learners to know what to do in society once they leave school. Learners need to learn a sense of responsibility and common decency. We, as teachers, are busy molding citizens for this country.  However, teachers are also often guilty of not portraying a democratic classroom.

A few virtues that depicts a democratic classroom are:

·         Respect

·         Trust

·         Compassion

·         Care

·         Listening

·         Inclusivity

We (as teachers in the making) have decided to focus on three virtues we find crucial to education in a democratic classroom. These are respect, trust and compassion. 

Interactive White Board ...

So I really didn't know what this Interactive White Board was/is. I still don't really. Apparently its a really expensive piece of equipment that can do magical things? 

All the classes that I have been to in the Education Building have these boards, however I never see them being used except for the odd few lecturers that display PowerPoint slides onto them...(one doesn't need such expensive equipment to merely display PowerPoint slides). 

Nonetheless we are living in the age of technology and I feel it is important not to be stuck in the previous centuary. I like technology when: 1. It works and 2. I know how to use it.  I know that my opnion will change on this IWB once I have had some training on it therefore I look forward to learning what this board is really capable of. Right now I am too scared to even touch it. 

I think if one is fortunate enough to go to a school that has these IWB's it would really be to ones advantage to use. 

In my subjects: Natural and Life Sciences it can be used by showing videos (as usual) but also to get learners to participate by writing on the board during lessons. There are probably more ways to incorporate it which I will become aware of once I know what this board is and how it works :) 

First quarter reflection

So today is the last day of my first quarter as a PGCE student. This term has taught me so much about teaching and learning, psychology, diversity, philosophy and even what a curriculum is.

Without saying it to loud I would regard this term more valuable than my 3 years of BSc in terms of what I have learnt about people and sociology, and how through just knowing more about others around us and understanding where they come from we can interact with others. I would not say my years of undergrad were a waste of time because I really do enjoy sciences but I feel that there has to be more to life.

I have not planned my whole life around becoming a teacher  but I  think I can confidently say that this is what I see myself in (forever). The idea that a teacher can have such a great influence in a childs life means that we often underestimate what power we actually have.

I am looking forward to next term and learning more about this sought-after profession! But first, a short break :)

Involving Learners in the Classroom?

This blog will be dealing with the meaningful involvement of learners in your classroom. By just looking at this sentence in bold many ideas should jump to mind. Taking the word “classroom” for example could lure both negative and positive thoughts. When I hear the word classroom I think of a freezing room in the winter months and a boiling hot in the summer (I went to school in the Free State). I do not have a very good connotation with the word. Thinking about it makes me think of times when i had so much fear instilled by a teacher, or when i wrote terrible tests or even when I sat there without an idea why I am actually there. I do not recall anything positive about ever being in a classroom at school.

This is something which I would want to change when I enter the teaching profession in 2017. A classroom should be a place where learners want to go to. They should be excited to go to any classroom and to go to school.  They should not be scared of going because they are afraid of saying or doing something wrong.

Going to school can really be a tedious process at times. Learners do not want to necessarily be there – but obviously they have to be there. It is our job as teachers to make them as excited as possible for going to school and entering YOUR classroom. All people want to have a sense of belonging. Everyone wants to feel that they are important and their opinions and voices are heard. It is therefore really important to involve the children in the classroom.

There are various ways in which I will try to involve the learners in my class. I have recently of the idea about asking the learners what they want the classroom rules to be and then using that I can make a poster with the rules on and paste it on the wall. They can help you paint pictures on the walls. They can make posters about their personal life and put that up. In this way learners will really feel part of the classroom.

I firmly believe that the way you treat learners are the way that they will treat you. What you give is what you get. Respect for the learners in your classroom is one of the most important qualities that you will ever need. They will feel this respect even by you as the teacher not saying a single word, but rather through your actions. In an article written by Abby Wills she tries to create a controlled classroom environment and manages to do this by simply putting bowls of water on the tables and asking the learners not to mess water on the water. They then respond by quietly moving the tables and chairs around. She also does not use a loud tone of voice which automatically results in the learners being quieter.

Teachers need to realise they do not know everything and that there is a lot that one can learn from school children. Another way to involve learners is to ask them how they would like a lesson to be prepared. Instead of the conventional way of the teacher standing in front and conforming to one way teaching.

Involving learners in your classroom goes beyond just the content and curriculum. One needs to know about their personal life – show an interest in what they do, where they come from and what they enjoy. know about their best way of learning. Know which part of the work they have a passion for. Take all this information and work with it. If you are not involving learners in a meaningful way in your classroom you might as well just be speaking to the walls. 

My opinion on technology-mediated self-directed distance

I, and I’m sure most of us, are used to the conventional way of learning…that is going to school for 12 years and listening to what the teacher has to say. I do not remember instances where we could teach ourselves anything in class. The mind-set that we had was to keep quiet and pay attention to the teacher. Actually being a sponge where I just had to absorb knowledge.

Technology was not allowed in our school – cell phones were unacceptable and our computer labs blocked various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

My experience with teachers are that they believe everything they do is right and are generally not open for any change. But as the saying goes: “change is good, but not too much’ I do not particularly like change either but for our education system and country to find itself in a better position – change is necessary. Throwing the word pedagogy around without actually enforcing it will not result in any change!

Information and Communication Technology (ITC) is a very important aspect of teaching and essentially digital pedagogy. However these ITC standards are limited and are therefore limiting. Making use of ITC will create numerous possibilities across the country and the world for people to have the opportunity of an education. Technology in the classroom is thus very important! We are all so conformed to not letting our opinion or voice be heard that we accept the silence we find ourselves in – both teachers and students.

We need to realize that teaching does not have to take place in a classroom and via one-way communication (original teaching style). So much knowledge can be acquired by doing research and allowing for communication between people.

We are all part of the global digital community. This is evident in today’s life as very few people aren’t using some form of digital technology. When I refer to ‘we’ I mean the majority of academics, teachers and learners. A challenge however is computer as well as internet access is problematic – especially in South Africa. People making use of ITC also have to be computer literate and have basic understanding of technology.

I feel that distance learning a something that should be considered more and if would make one’s life a little easier if you don’t have to drive on the R44 to Stellenbosch every-single-morning. The amount of time one can save with distance learning will make it worthwhile.

Technology is an absolutely wonderful resource to have and together with the internet you can do anything. Often I learn best by teaching myself something and therefore I think that technology-mediated self-directed distance learning is definitely something that should prevail more in the future.

Social Media: Sin or Salvation?

Social media! In classrooms! That has to be the most ridiculous thing ever to have been suggested. If you believe this statement then you should probably not even bother reading any further, unless you want a whole new world opened for you.

All over the world social media is a form a communication and carrying across information. Everyone thought the world became small when air travel across continents became an everyday thing...but with social media the world is even smaller now.

There is no need to be concerned about students being on facebook/twitter during class time if cell phones are allowed, as many of them are anyway on some sort of social media during class time. Not necessarily in all schools or universities but generally people are busy with some sort of electronic device all the time.

For an education system to really work and be effective we (as teachers) need to be able to connect with the learners and teach them in a way they can relate to. I like technology and I enjoy using various social Medias to watch videos, read the news, and catch up on sport, weather, and other people’s news and life events. So next year (2017) I am planning on teaching which means that I will not be a lot older than the majority of the learners that I will teach. This then makes sense that I and the learners will both enjoy using social media in class so it would probably be a good idea to using social media to ensure the best pedagogical experience.

My specialisation subjects are Natural Sciences and Life Sciences. Science is an ever-changing field and therefore one needs to be careful of stagnating in it. In essence if you want to be successful science teacher you need to make the learners aware of changes occurring daily. An example of this could be the discovery of gravitational waves. This type of work will not be in the curriculum but by using technology (computers and the internet) it will be possible to show them on the news in class about the latest discoveries.

Another idea that could help learners in your class could be to set up a twitter account and then post information on twitter. For example what homework is due and when. By doing this the learners are able to engage with one another as well as with the teacher. If you are able to have more teachers at the school that are also interested in using technology and social media – one can tweet during class time to another class. If there are no facilities to tweet you could improvise by using stick notes and writing your tweets (answers) to a specific question on there. That could then be taken to the class next door and then the two classes can engage in that way.

In natural sciences when something like photosynthesis is discussed, YouTube videos can be shown of the different experiments regarding photosynthesis. I feel that this approach will keep learners interested and excited for coming to class and learning.

Google/twitter/YouTube/facebook is really wonderful things and if we as teachers make use of them so often, then learners should have the opportunity too. With all things in life there are limits and even although social media can be used for the wrong reasons – it is impossible to protect children forever from the outside world. Therefore the sooner they realize that there is more to internet and social media than what they know (in terms of engaging and learning) it will result in them using it more responsibly too.

I would definitely want to use different forms of teaching in my class as it is something I would have liked to have.

What is digital pedagogy and its importance ?

Teaching is one of the broadest and most rewarding disciplines. When one thinks back to your own schooling career various types of teachers jump into mind – strict, fair, unfair, likable, boring etc. People often misunderstand the concept of what a teacher is and often even teachers do not understand their occupation fully.  

By now it is known that pedagogy can be expressed in various ways. According to my own definition it is the process of teaching and learning simultaneously. Wikipedia states that it is the method and practice of teaching. Another website says that it is the function or work of a teacher. This all has some truth but an article by Sean Morris defines pedagogy as praxis. Pedagogy is thus a very large concept to fully understand. It is not merely teaching or learning or the act thereof, but it is the place where philosophy and practice meet.

So taking into account the confusion of the word ‘pedagogy’ imagine the confusion relating to ‘digital pedagogy’. Digital pedagogy is not teaching online. Showing videos, Power Points and using the internet in a classroom is not digital pedagogy. Learning does not necessarily occur by showing a video. One has to really engage in class. To really be able to call yourself a digital pedagogue you need experience and have to have an absolute passion for your discipline, more importantly you need to be able to convey that passion to a group full of learners. Digital pedagogy is complex and not the easy way out when teaching.

One needs to realise that children are all different and therefore have the desire to learn in different ways. I recently watched a Ted Talk video where it was documented that learners can learn so much from the internet – but they also need their peers in order to gain more knowledge and insight into certain scenarios. To me passing a subject by having to study from a textbook and write an exam does not test ones knowledge or cognition. Having real knowledge is when you can have discussions about things that are happening around you – a general knowledge. Unfortunately our schooling system still wants learners to study Biology from a textbook, study word for word, write a test and receive a distinction because then you are labelled as clever. Even if you world knowledge but you get 50 % you will be labelled as someone who won’t make it in life.

In a documentary, Testing Hope, it portrays the fear that people have of the word ‘matric – grade 12’. This year literally makes or breaks you.

Digital pedagogy becomes important in all aspects because it equips learners for life. We all know that we forget most things we study for an exam. I only remember facts when I have had time to research it and find different ways of looking at it. We as the future teachers of South Africa need to start taking digital pedagogy more seriously as we need to shape future leaders, politicians, economists, teachers and accountants to name a few.