My Sixth Week Discussion Reflection

In this first week, I went through the webpages given in the bookmark 'Using Technology in Teaching Large Classes'of the course assignment chart. Such techniques, tools and approaches facilitates us to do more than 'stand and deliver our session' in our large classroom. 

While reading, I synthesized the following points and sub-points:

1.Keeping students engaged in large lecture classes 

o In Just-in-Time Teaching, the course participants have to respond electronically to web-based assignments, due a few hours before class which serves as a pre-reading task so that the instructor can response to Ss' reviews and problems in class hours. 

o'Beating the Numbers Game: Effective Teaching in Large Classes' lists in-class activities, out-of-class group exercises, and other ideas for keeping students engaged in large classes. 

o The effective use of technology and the group work are two ways to enhance large classes, increase student engagement, and minimize the time one spends grading.

2.Making technology work for you a.Using Technology In Teaching Large Classes 

•Online Assessment: With the help of online assessment software or teacher's own course pack. 

•Improving Lectures with Technology One can harness a great deal of materials for effective lectures with the help of technology. 

•Course Websites Make use of virtual class wiki, web quest sites and other types of course websites so that Ss can work off the classroom. 

•Enriching Discussions with Technology Use, as aforementioned, course websites and enrich and enhance one's teaching using discussion forums via posting comments and feedback. 

3.Getting groups to work well Although individual learners try to avoid collaborative learning, one can utilize it for many students, especially comparatively poor students. 

Keeping the population of students and outperforming competency of students, the ability to work well in a group is an essential skill for most college graduates observed in the academia. Moreover, as per Johnson et al. (1998), students who learn in collaborative settings both learn and retain 1.5 times as much as students who learn individually. Therefore, it intensifies the importance of group/collaborative learning. 

4.Assessing What Your Students Are Learning Keep observing and assessing your Ss' learning by means of various observation and assessment tools. 

One can utilize the rubrics alike to our previous week so that students assess and prompt themselves as per the magnacarta, and assessment becomes part of interactive learning. Accomplishment of the work aligning to the rubric can be used as an academic observation tool besides the classroom presentation and group work participation.

5.Additional resources 

a.Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Anticipate level-wise learning outcomes as per the rubrics. But, ensure that they are not ambitious.

b.Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) From the very beginning, as most university courses do offer, begin the classes with five to six goals; ensure that the virtual response system, to both T and Ss, for feedback and good comprehension works well; use classroom rubrics for this purpose too and craft and circulate adequate MCQ for scanning misconceptions and confusions.

Thanks.

Young & Yummy Yubaraj<3

Kathmandu,Nepal

N.B. Happy Valentines' Day <3