Voc. Ed. 2 - Summary, My first teach: A trainers life behind the scenes. Mike Renzi

I thought this article was interesting and summarised a few points to remember or refer to later.

When preparing to become a good teacher there are four 'pillars' necessary. Knoweledge, experience, personal qualities or skills & class preparation.

• Knowledge,

First and foremost a teacher need to know the subject matter. It is imperitive for all teachers to maintain their technical knoweledge and skills related to the subject they are teaching.
When teaching technical matter, it becomes readily apparent to students if a teacher does not have the prerequisite knoweledge to lead the class.

• Experience,

For a teacher job related experience and strong knoweledge of the subject are invaluable. A teachers ability to share experiences, good and bad, to retell stories with the students and provide some 'tricks' relative to the subject will add to the teachers credibility and value to the students experience. Using experience to provide advice about some of the potential pitfalls, teachers bring realism into the classroom and save students valuable time when the get back on the job.
A teachers ability to bring reality into the classroom is frequently the differentiator between a good teacher and a great teacher. Teachers can weave 'war stories' into the classroom and solicit similar experiences from the students.

• Personal qualities & Skills,

Passion: Teachers need to want to be in the classroom, sharing their knoweledge and skills with others.
Care: Great teachers care about others and feel responsible for ensuring that students learn and meet their personal & professional needs.
Constructive Criticism: A teacher must be able to take constructive criticism.
Organisation: Being organised is a true asset of the teacher.
Preparation: A willingness to invest time in preparation is an essential quality. Every class requires preparation. The ill prepared teacher is doomed for failure.
Interactivity: Maintaining an atmosphere of interactivity, teachers should make students feel comfortable with their ability to question, challenge and add to a discussion.
Control: Controlling and redirecting anxiety and adrenalin flow puts the teacher in control of emotions instead of the reverse.

• Class preparation:

A good teacher realises there is homework to be done for each class.

Psychology - Exam notes.

Notes to - In class open book exam, Week 7, 12 September.
Total marks 40, 40% of subject grade.
4off questions,

Question 1 - (15 marks)
3 short questions on the in class exercise conducted week 4, reviewed week 5.

Question 2 - (15 marks)
Information processing model of learning.
2 readings relevant,
i. Reader p176-191 A. Woolfolk - Information processing model.
ii. Reader p146-149 J. Sweller - Some cognitive processes and their consequences for organisation and presentation of information.

Question 3 - (5 marks)
Pick from 1 of 2 questions.
i. Ausubel's theory - ideas covered in Week 5 of lectures.
or
ii. A question from the first readings.
reader p1-10. Accretion, tuning & restructuring: Three modes of learning.

Question 4 - (5 marks)
Pick from 1 of 2 questions.
A question on Classical Conditioning or Operant Conditioning

Reminder notes on writing an Essay.

Essay, (Typically formal style)

A single connected & cohesive text.
Needs to be substantiated , there is evidence, examples & explainations for claims that are made.
Generally the questions are open type & can be controversial or debatable.
Double spacing between lines (to allow comments)

Introduction -

• State the thesis & take a position. eg. This essay will argue that examinations are useful in an adult educational context.

• Outline how you will argue the thesis.
  

The introduction identifies the task being addressed, provides some context for the writing and previews the thesis statement (point of view of the writer). The reader should have not doubt of the direction of the assignment.
When its your opinion, 'I will.....' or 'I believe that....'
When referring to scholarly sources, 'Blogs argues that .......' or 'Blogs says/argues 'x' while .....'
Be critical of authors opinion if necessary & ask questions.

• Must state WHAT & HOW you plan to argue the thesis.

eg.
1st outline 'x' work.
2nd outline 'y's' contradicting idea
3rd compare to my teaching environment
4th draw conclusions

• Narrow the topic, focus the question or thesis. (So can't be accused with being too broad)
  

Body -

Where the writing is expected to provide the reader with connected & logical information, substancialted by research. Evidence of your research and thinking are assembled.

• DEVELOPS the argument in support of the thesis.
• Referencing (Harvard style)
• Address the thesis.
• Use terms such as 'further more' & 'consequently' to maintain flow of arguments.
• It attempts to persuade the reader into agreement of the thesis.

The first sentence should provide a connection to the previous paragraph,
eg. similarly..., on the one hand..., on the other..., although..., The strength of this view..., The advantages..., The negatives..., This view ignors/emphasises/is limited by..., another..., feature..., in addition..., furthermore..., The next significant feature... or Consequently...
Remenber each paragraph must be relevant.

Conclusion -

It sums up the arguments of the whole text, drawing together the main threads. Somewhat similar to the introduction.
'I have argued that......'
'The main focus of researchers x, y & z is on such areas has shown ......'
'I have used x, y & z to outline that .....'

possibly the essay asks further questions, 'This study raises further questions for future study...'

It is essential to proofread assignments.

Timetable. (Semester 2, 2006)

12noon - 2pm,
Vocational Education Teaching Practices 2
04.02.35
Peter Russell

2pm - 4pm,
Identity, Culture & Communication
10.5.330
Keiko Yasukawa

4:30pm - 6:30pm,
Adult Education Psychology
06.03.19
Peter Russell

7pm - 9pm,
Using IT for Learning
06.02.13
Maria Rodoneda

Assessment Schedule. (Semester 2, 2006)

Identity, Culture & Communication
NON GRADED SUBJECT
Assessment 1 -
A. Log of activities & Reflection
15 August (complete)
B. i. Class Presentation (Chapter 2 of text)
29 August
ii. 1st Person recount with reference to readings
5 September

Assessment 2 -
Discussion of teaching/learning context
24 October
Essay (2000 words)

Adult Educational Psychology
GRADED SUBJECT
Assessment 1 -
Open Book Exam
12th September

Assessment 2 -
Essay (1500-2000 words)
31 October

Vocational Education Teaching Practices 2
GRADED SUBJECT
Assessment 1 -
Field Research Report
24 October

Assessment 2 -
Planning , Demo, Analysis & Evaluation of a selected group learning strategy.
7 November

Lesson Observation.
TBA

Using IT for Learning
GRADED SUBJECT
Module 1 - 20%
11 August (Complete)
Module 2 - 35%
Assessment 1 - 13 October (25% Hotlinks)
Assessment 2 - TBA (10% WWW quiz)
Module 3 - 35%
TBA
Attendance & participation in class & online activities - 10%