Reflection 6- TEACHING & LEARNING

12 October 2010

Teaching & Learning (Second Tutorial)

Dr Yeap went through the PETALs framework which comprises 5 dimensions of engaged learning. It serves as a guide for instructional decision-making which leads to actions that impact learning.

At the centre of PETALS is the child. It is a reminder that all that we do as teachers and as a school is really for our students – to engage their minds and hearts in learning, to prepare the next generation for our nation.

Dr Yeap drew up this agenda for Tutorial 2

1) Salute
2) Card Game - 'Magic Touch'
3) Take 1, Take 2
4) Multiplication

Out of the 4 number activity, I find the Card Game- ‘Magic Touch’ very interesting and challengingly fun. I enjoy solving the cards to its original stack with my groupmates. Strategies in solving it:

-Lay it out on the table

-Spell the number

-Trial & Error and Experimenting

Placing 1 & 2 is easiest and placing the rest of the number requires patience and experimenting. This game trains pupils how to solve a confusing problem and thus to “Think about Thinking"

My Takeaways for the Lessons

The idea of learning by inquiry, reflecting and interacting is also evident in that pupils are constantly learning by questioning themselves and interacting with their peers in group work. Pupils become masters of their own learning and the retention of knowledge and skills becomes more evident as they apply the new knowledge into further mathematical concepts.

In LSM lessons

I did this Magic Trick with my LSM pupils and they kept gushing out in awe and were surprise on how I get the correct number out after they spell the numbers out. I ask them if they think that it is magic or strategy. Most of them said its magic, which I am not surprise to come out from the LSM pupils and I promise them to show the trick after exams and the lesson turn out to be having fun with Number Spelling in a ‘magical’ way.

My P1 pupils tried addition and subtraction for Number Salute whereas my P2 pupils did multiplication Number Salute and they thoroughly enjoyed solving and self-evaluating throughout the process.