All-girls secondary school in Brunei Muara Essay Example

and students.

Last Sunday morning, I was on duty and responsible for the transportation at the location in front of the Ministry of Education building (See Picture 1). However, as a teacher, education should be prioritized. Therefore, I spoke with my mentor and colleague to discuss the matter. Ultimately, they agreed and assigned me the Year 11A1 class. Year 11A1 was the fourth class after the three science classes, and there were only 9 students in it.

Despite my observations, the students demonstrate proficiency in both spoken and written English. They are currently engaged in studying the Algorithm, which directly aligns with my research interests. Although this subject could be taught theoretically, I have opted for a practical teaching approach. This enables me to impart basic scheduling skills to the students using either Progranimate software or manual methods.

3. Detailed documentation of taught lessons:

1. Planning process

As previously stated, the lesson primarily focused on Algorithms, which are systematic procedures employed to address specific problems.

This text primarily focuses on flowcharts as a way to represent algorithms, out of the three ways available (structured diagram, pseudocode, and flowchart). The subject was divided into six lessons based on Bloom's taxonomy. The overall goals for these lessons were for students to become familiar with flowchart symbols, write flowcharts to solve problems, and draw flowcharts using Progranimate. They also learned about the process of dry running algorithms and basic scheduling. For the first lesson, the main focus was on becoming familiar with flowchart symbols and writing flowcharts to solve problems. A pre-test was conducted two weeks before the lesson to assess students' prior knowledge and prevent common errors that occur

when students perceive the subject as easy or overestimate their abilities. Students were also given an opportunity to express their opinions and difficulties related to the subject before the lesson took place.

Based on the pre-test consequence and students' feedback, the level of student apprehension was identified, making it easier to choose content for notes and presentation slides. Additionally, the type of assessments was carefully chosen to ensure each student's understanding of the subject. This involved a combination of assessments, including verbal inquiry and answer based on examples, followed by written exercises with discussion and homework.

2. 
   Preparation procedure
   

3.2.1 Contented readying procedure

As usual, the content was obtained from the three most commonly used websites- www.igcse-ict.com, www.teach-ict.com and www.bytesize.com.

The additional content for my Computer Studies notes came from the ICT course of study section and my teacher. As a beginner in this subject, I was unsure about where to start and what to include. This subject is known for being difficult and time-consuming, both for students and teachers, because it emphasizes problem-solving activities.

Instead of asking students to memorize content from previous year's O level paper marking strategy like some teachers do, I took a different approach. I first analyzed question structures available at www.progranimate.com and past year's O level documents. Then, I connected them with current software industry insights from a motivational talk. This helped me understand the flow of the content better and realize that using flow charts is essential in this subject.

So, I organized the content starting from descriptive algorithms and flow charts with examples all

the way to application and problem-solving exercises using flow charts.

The importance of including Basic Java scheduling in the curriculum is justified by the increasing relevance of JAVA programming in the software industry. Once selected, the content is imported into Prezi slides to simplify complex language and terms. Despite having a busy schedule and other commitments, I have to sacrifice my sleep time and wake up at 3.00 am daily to prepare these slides. This practice is common among educators, particularly when teaching a new topic.

Now I comprehend the sentiments of my instructors, and it is even more disheartening when the demanding work goes unappreciated by students, particularly when they misplace the notes provided by the instructor. (See Appendix 3 for the notes). Nonetheless, the rationale behind my choice to utilize Prezi as opposed to PowerPoint is due to its provision of various learning methods via interactive features, which enhanced my proficiency in utilizing the application. Concerning prior knowledge preparation, I reviewed and comprehended each flow chart symbol's function and practiced solving numerous problem resolution exercises. It is crucial to possess a comprehensive understanding so that the instructor can be more self-assured and ensure a seamless presentation.

It would also help to maintain eye contact with the students where the instructor doesn't have to look at the screen. 3.2.2 Preparation on teaching method. Since the lesson was going to be in the first two periods, students tend to be inactive, sleepy, unmotivated to learn. Adding to that problem, the topic was more of a problem-solving activity and required focus from the students. I must be aware that if the wrong teaching method is used, they would feel

bored which would result in a negative response towards me and additionally they are not my actual students.

"Ensuring a successful start to each category will have a significant impact on both achievement and behavior (Kelly, 2013). It is important that in the first class, I am able to motivate and capture their attention, fostering a positive attitude towards me. Regarding motivation, two days prior to the lesson, I have invited guest speakers from a local software development company – DotRoot Technologies – to deliver a motivational talk and share their experience in the programming and problem-solving industry (See picture 2). This serves as an eye-opener for both teachers and students, highlighting the importance and relevance of learning this subject (See appendix 4 for more images of the session). Returning to the teaching methodology, active learning is one of my preferred instructional strategies due to its effectiveness in promoting two-way interaction and critical thinking skills. Additionally, I will incorporate various ICT tools such as Prezi slides, projector, and Progranimate. The Prezi slides will be used to present the theory and flowchart diagrams, while Progranimate will demonstrate real-time animations of how the flow chart works."

The Progranimate is an ocular problem-solving tool and codification generator that utilizes a synergistic flow chart format. It was developed in 2010 and I have spent years becoming familiar with how it works in order to ensure smooth presentations. According to studies conducted by educational researchers in OSHA (1996), about 83% of human learning happens visually, which emphasizes the importance of ensuring students understand concepts instead of solely memorizing them.

During the lesson, students will be given an example and asked to create a

flow chart using pen and paper for a job work outing activity. They will then discuss their answers together and illustrate them using the program. Sample questions will be displayed alongside the programming application. Students will be divided into three groups and given five minutes each to solve the problem.

To motivate students, a prize would be awarded to the group that successfully solves the inquiry. This encourages competition within the class and aligns with their goals. Additionally, a hard copy of the slides would be distributed at the beginning of the lesson for reference, highlighting important points.

4. 
   Execution: Teaching, Learning and Facilitation in action
   

Given that the lesson was limited to a 50-minute timeframe and held in the computer lab, I had to carefully manage the time.

Prior to the class, I went to the lab 24 hours in advance to ensure that all the necessary installations, such as the projector and the updated Java for Progranimate, were in place. This way, I wouldn't waste time fixing these things during the actual class. At the start of the lesson, the students themselves rearranged their seating arrangement to be further away from the whiteboard and closer to the projector. This allowed them to see the slides better, hear my voice clearly, and made it easier for me to monitor their behavior (See Picture 3).

4.1 Introduction

Since it was my first lesson with them, I took a few minutes for an ice-breaking activity to familiarize myself with their names. It was surprising to see how remembering and mentioning their names could impact their emotions,

as they felt acknowledged and some even appeared frustrated or disappointed if their names were forgotten. Hence, it is important to remember names in order to build a good rapport with students and make the teacher more approachable (ICAL, 1998).

Before engaging in active learning activities, it is important to quickly remember the students' names. This can be done by using their nicknames, associating their names with their unique hobbies, or referring to their seating plan. Additionally, I provided feedback to the students based on their pre-test results. These results were in line with expectations for a pre-test but allowed me to identify their level of understanding. Afterward, I motivated the students by referencing the motivational talk we had two days ago. The students were enthusiastic about the talk and requested another session.

The talk aimed to demonstrate the importance of job resolution and scheduling in the current Android market. The purpose was to emphasize the need for students to learn and understand this subject, especially if they plan on pursuing Computer Science in the following year. Encouraging students to envision their success will aid in achieving the lesson's objectives.

4.2 Development

During the initial five minutes of the development phase, I explained the objectives of the three-week lesson on this topic. However, this particular lesson focused solely on two objectives mentioned earlier, which were acquainting students with flowchart symbols and teaching them how to compose flow charts for problem-solving.

Next, students were given open-ended questions to express their understanding of Algorithm. Some students gave brief responses like it's a procedure, steps to complete a task. Although concise, this demonstrates that students have some comprehension of the topic. To foster

greater understanding, a simple algorithm/process for making tea was provided. Instead of providing the answer directly, students were given three minutes to discuss the procedure before solving it collectively.

A good start I must say! The students were actively making important notes, indicating their responsibility for their own learning. Next, I introduced the Flowchart method for illustrating algorithms. I asked them repeatedly about their understanding of flowcharts, the symbols used, and their functions. One student seemed frustrated with my continuous questioning, so I moderated my approach a bit. Perhaps some students are accustomed to being given information directly without having to think critically. Moving on to the more challenging part of the lesson, problem-solving.

Three control structures that students must understand are sequence, choice, and repeat. I successfully explained the sequence structure, however, I was unable to demonstrate how the flow chart works because my laptop was incompatible with the projector, causing the presentation to be disrupted. Unfortunately, I was stuck on explaining choice for the rest of the class due to the time-consuming process of resolving technical issues. This is where my lesson did not go as planned. It took me approximately 15 minutes to fix the mistake but I was unsuccessful.

As part of their preparation for program B, I assigned the student to experiment with the application. During the lesson, I went over what they had learned - algorithms, flow chart symbols, and sequence constructions. For homework, I gave them decision questions as examples and promised to provide feedback in the next lesson if they answered correctly. I apologized to the students and reassured them that we would continue from where we left off in

the following lesson.

During the evaluation, I was not able to achieve all of my goals, specifically the second one. The choice construction posed difficulties for me, making it an extremely negative experience this year. The lesson plan went terribly awry because of a technical error, resulting in students feeling let down and frustrated. Their dissatisfaction was clearly evident through their verbal and nonverbal cues, such as deep sighs, scratching their heads, and asking for easier examples.

Honestly, I felt sorry for the students who seemed disinterested in learning this subject at the beginning of the lesson, and it demotivated me. I was afraid it would elicit a negative response towards me. I will just have to see how it goes next week.

5. 
   Self-reflection
   

After the lesson, it left me shaking my head in disgust and wondering what had happened to my carefully planned two-hour lesson. I had all my materials prepared and my instructions were clear. It felt like I was defeated and it kept haunting my thoughts, making me question, "What went wrong?" I become so frustrated because I never get to teach the "real stuff" that I try to do too much.

The lesson did not receive as much attention as it deserved, and this lack of attention came back to haunt me. The problem began unexpectedly, with a technical bug that disrupted the planned lesson. I was caught off guard when I realized that the projector was not compatible with my laptop. I had to think on my feet in order to display the Prezi slides, but they did

not appear correctly and were unable to mimic the flow chart effectively. It took me half of the lesson time to troubleshoot the issue, but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful. As a result, I attempted to continue the lesson without the presentation, which only left both the students and myself confused.

Finally, I maintained my composure and stopped the lesson. I admit and acknowledge that my approach was not effective and apologize to the students for the mistake and lack of alternative plan. In the end, I instructed the students to experiment with Progranimate while I sat down and reflected on what went wrong. Returning to my office, I was unable to communicate and share my experiences with my colleagues and mentor as they were busy with National Day preparations. Instead, I decided to conduct some online research and browse forums to discover how other teachers have faced the same problem and resolved it.

After hearing a teacher's motivational quote, I started to feel a little better. The quote said, "Everyone goes through it. It's okay when a lesson doesn't go well – it can become a learning experience. Making mistakes shows that you're trying!" I then thought about what I learned from the mistakes. I hope that I can present my own project that I am familiar with. I should never have assumed that there wouldn't be any technical errors and overestimated my ability to handle them.

Despite this, I persevered with the content and ended up confusing the students. Based on their verbal feedback, it is clear that I should provide more simplified illustrations before moving on to complex concepts, as this promotes a higher level of

understanding and takes more time. Another lesson I learned is the importance of having backup plans and resources to manage situations when things don't go as expected. I should always be prepared with a plan B.

I will also meet with their subject teacher and mentor for any advice to improve the instruction. Finally, self-practice is important, especially when the instruction involves presentation, to make the lesson more effective in the next class.

1. OSHA (1996), "Presenting Effective Presentations with Visual Aids," U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Office of Training and Education, May 1996. http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/traintec.html (Accessed 20/8/2013)