Tutor Observation Reflection 1 (13.12.14.) Nervous Chatter.

Introduction

In this reflection I shall be using the reflective model of John Dewey as laid out in his works How We Think (1933) and Logic: The Theory of Inquiry (1938).   This continues my experimentation with multiple reflective models in order to determine the most suitable method for my style. This model has been adapted and broken down into stages by numerous scholars usually consisting of five or six stages encompassing the whole reflection in experiencing, questioning, evaluation, analysis, hypotheses and experimentation.  This inevitably leads to further questions and experiences for reflection so like many others; the process of reflection is cyclical.  Reflection for Dewey is a form of learning and, experience, questioning and experiment become synonymous. Due to the restrictions of word-count I have chose to use Rodgers (2002) adaptation of Dewey in which she shows it is possible to collapse the six phases down to four;

1. Presence to experience
2. Description of experience
3. Analysis of experience
4. Intelligent action/experimentation. 

Tutor Observation Reflection 1. 13th December 2013.

The Experience in Picture form.

A picture speaks a 1000 words but I definitely beat that!

Presence to the Experience.

The session planned was a dissertation workshop designed to provide guidance and aid level 6 students in the early stages of their dissertation project.  I had worked hard on the planning stage of the session and as my aim was for a relaxed atmosphere which would cover issues dictated by the learners I had planned for many different areas which may come up.  I had been specifically asked by their tutor to cover Harvard referencing in part of the session. This was my first experience of the observation process and, due to problems with my placement only my second experience of planning and leading a session after the micro-teach assignment a few weeks earlier.  Naturally this affected my presence to the experience as I was extremely nervous and was unsure if any learners would attend as the session was not mandatory.  There were problems with traffic that morning meaning I arrived at the session 2 minutes before it was due to begin and the observer was already in the classroom waiting.  This added to my nerves and caused the session to begin later than planned; this was quite rightly commented on by the observer. Throughout the session I felt I was talking too much and felt a need to fill the silence when I asked a question.  I felt panicked and uncomfortable and was conscious of the observer throughout the whole process and although I relaxed a little during the second half of the session after the observer had left I felt the session did not go as well as I had envisioned it and was hugely relieved when it was over.  In short I thought the session was a disaster.

Description of Experience.

The session began slightly later than planned as outlined above with four learners in attendance.  The observed part of the session covered Harvard referencing and consisted of Power-point presentation integrated with group discussion and included tasks for the learners in the form of quizzes to test knowledge and tasks requiring the referencing of multiple sources of varying difficulty.  The session became very teacher led and learner’s thoughts and ideas were not given the adequate time and attention to be expressed properly.  The delivery was very rushed and the observer’s feedback indicates I need to develop a slower, more measured style which allows the objectives to be discussed with learners.  The information given in the session was all relevant and useful to the learners however, there was a lot of information to take on board and feedback indicates there needs to be more time given to learners to reflect on the information they are given. 

There were some positives to the session and feedback indicates my subject knowledge, enthusiasm and rapport with the learners all contribute to the experience of learners and the learning taking place.  The learners were all encouraged to take ownership of their learning and were signposted to learn independently which is vital at this stage in the education process and this was commented on positively by the observer.  Questions were utilised in order to enhance learning, another aspect imperative to the learning process with some good feedback given although there is huge room for improvement.

Analysis of Experience.

I feel nerves had a major effect on the way this session was delivered.  I tend to speak quickly when I am nervous and as this was my first proper teaching session and observation I wanted to ensure I covered all the content in my lesson plan.  This allowed the session to become to rigid in form and content. Feedback shows this was detrimental to the learning as I was talking over learners in my rush to get through the material and did not allow learners to adequately express their thoughts and feelings.  This is truly out of character for me and I was clearly not reflecting in practice as I did not realise at the time this was happening.

 I tried to incorporate questioning extensively to promote learning but failed to move on to more higher order questioning or ask follow up questions.  This is again out of character as I am a continual questioner myself and am passionate in my belief that questioning is the key to all learning; my dissertation was on conspiracy theory and questioning dominant narratives! I have been researching Socratic questioning as a target given by the observer and am learning that I am already a Socratic questioner (usually) and can see where I went wrong.  In Socratic questioning attempts are made to draw out the learners’ fullest possible knowledge of the topic. Individuals have the capacity to recognize contradictions, implying that incomplete or inaccurate ideas can be corrected during the process of disciplined questioning, leading to progressively greater truth and accuracy (Paul and Elder 2009). Questioning cannot work if the answer given is not considered or questioned.  I can only conclude that this too comes down to nerves which caused a kind of tunnel vision in which I was only really aware of the observer and convinced myself closed questions with a correct answer would show learning whereas my primary concern should be the learners. Although I had considered Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of needs in the planning stage I did not completely follow through with all areas in the session.   

Independent learning is vital at this level and the session became too teacher led which is not the session I planned.  An effective teacher should be able to move seamlessly between the two roles of instructor and facilitator depending on each role’s fitness for purpose. Problem-Based learning is a concept the lecturer had been experimenting with and introduced me to. Savvey (2002) defines PBL as an instructional and curricular learner-centred approach that empowers learners to conduct research, integrate theory and practice, and apply knowledge and skills to develop a viable solution to a defined problem. Critical to the success of this approach is the selection of ill structured problems (often interdisciplinary) and a tutor who guides the learning process and conducts a thorough debriefing at the conclusion of the learning experience. I had endeavoured to incorporate elements of PBL into the session when planning which shows my awareness and intention to teach using this method which indicated improvements would come with experience. Ertmer and Simons (2006) identify a huge challenge of PBL for instructors, is navigating the transition from teacher as knowledge provider to tutor as manager and facilitator of learning. This also affected the motivation of the learners as, although I had positive feedback for creating engaging and informative slides the learners were more engaged when they were actively taking part in tasks.  The information would have been easier to take in if I had broken it down into more tasks and allow the learners to define what they need to know.  Independent learning is vital at this level and the session became too teacher led which is not the session I planned.  For this subject a fusion between instructor and facilitator was needed.  An effective teacher should be able to move seamlessly between the two roles depending on each role’s fitness for purpose in what Petty (2009) refers to as the “instructor-facilitator continuum”.  The session I planned was based around this which shows my awareness and intention to teach using this method so I am quite positive this will improve with experience.    On the positive side the dissertation guide I created for the learners and the accompanying Power-point was praised by the tutor and the learners.  The Power-point was put on blackboard for the learners to access and the tutor has asked me to extend and refine the guidance document for future use.  

As the learners were not that far behind me in their academic career I was concerned that I would include content which was not challenging to the learners.  As a result I jumped straight in at a high level and at times the content of the session was pitched at too high a level.   Higher order thinking is the aim of university teaching and constructivist theory tells us that in order to attain this emphasis should be on the actual process of learning and not simply on the product to be learnt (Cohen et al 1977 p.183).  I had attempted to model my planning around Kolb’s (1984) theories of experiential learning modelled out of four elements: concrete experience, observation and reflection, the formation of abstract concepts and testing in new situations. Illustrated through the model of the learning cycle the theory proposes that knowledge is acquired through a synthesis between knowledge and experience:

The cycle can begin at any point but in order for cognition and experiential learning to take place learner's need to develop a clear starting point and by skimming through the purpose and objectives of the session and rushing to get through all the complicated information I did not allow this to happen.

Intelligent Action/Experimentation.

The plan going forward form here is to first and foremost gain more teaching experience so I can begin to feel more comfortable with the experience.  I have begun a new placement and should hopefully begin teaching after the Christmas break.  This will help with my nerves and help me get used to the observation process as it was commented on by the tutor that there was a vast change in my delivery once the observer had left.  I will make a conscious effort to slow down my delivery and give learners the opportunity to articulate their thoughts.  I have already been given excellent tips from my mentor about taking a literal step back after speaking and counting slowly to 10 to allow learners to answer which I will test at the next opportunity.

I recognise that I include too much information and could have stretched out the information into two sessions. I will work on incorporating more tasks into sessions to allow learners to process the knowledge in small chunks I will research and experiment with different teaching and learning theories and andragogical and pedagogical techniques in order to allow me to do this.

Finally I will speak to my mentor about ways of giving feedback and tracking learner’s progress.  I will continue my research into questioning techniques and theories of teaching and learning in order to improve on my grade.

Overall Grade 3.

Bibliography

Cohen,L., Manion,L, Morrison, K and Wyse, D.  (2010) A Guide to Teaching Practice  Revised 5^th Edition. Oxen: Routledge.

Dewey, J. (1933) How We Think, New York: Heath.

Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.: Prentice Hall.

Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today A Practical Guide 4^th Edition.  Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd.

Paul, R and, Elder, L. (2006) The Thinker's Guide to the Art of Socratic Questioning Based on Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools. USA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking Press

Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining Reflection Another Look at John Dewey and Reflective Thinking. Teachers College Record, 104(4), 842-866.

Rushton, I. and Suter, M (2012) Reflective Practice for Teaching in Lifelong Learning.  Berkshire: Open University Press