Teaching Reflection (FA13 Week 4)

After teaching today, I just could not stop thinking about a few questions about teaching and learning. I wonder why sometimes I asked students whether they had any questions or difficulties doing tasks such as insert an image or embed a video on their teachers websites after I did the demonstration, they would shake their heads and act like they understand everything I teach, however, I usually could find some problems from the assignments they submit. Was it because I provide too much information at one time so that they could not process through what they have learned and figured out what kinds of difficulties and challenges they had? Was it because they did not even know what their problems were in class so they did not know what to ask and how to ask questions? Or, do they really not understand what I was doing and talking about in class? I think I have tried to slow down the pace of my instruction in class and tried to use different ways to check their understanding of the course content. However, I don't think I have figured out what is the best way for me to ameliorate this kind of situation that I encounter. I will keep searching for the best solution for this issue.

Another question for myself is: From the standpoint of students, what does "good teacher" mean? Do high-achieving students and lower-achieving students have different definition of good teachers? If I were sitting down there as one of the w200 students, what would I expect my teacher do in class? Thinking of my own learning experiences back to college, I was not one of the top students, but just average. When I was in class, I did not really think about whether the topics were interesting enough to make me engaged in class, but whether teachers could deliver the course content in the simplest way for me to understand and how the content could relate to my self experiences. Although I am not sure about how my students think about my instruction, I have a feeling that each student wants me to notice what they need and wants me to help them with every kind of issues and challenges they have, especially for those students who do not speak often. This is actually one of my goals in this class that I want my students can feel my passion in interacting with them and trying to give as much support as I can no matter who they are. I want to create a learning environment in my class where students feel comfortable and not be afraid of asking questions and sharing their own thoughts.

Spice You Up activity in week 4.

Here is the feedback from my W200 mentor, Ya-Huei Lu.