A Critical Reflection on Teaching Practice Assessment - Essay Example

A CRITICAL REFLECTION ON TEACHING PRACTICE ASSESSMENT By Location A Critical Reflection on Teaching Practice Assessment Introduction In order to be an effective teacher critical reflection helps in determining the level of achievement in developing teaching skills as well as highlighting the causes of action that need to be taken in the future. Developing teaching skills has been an intriguing experience, for me. I have become familiar with numerous learning theories that have opened my mind to be able to understand how students learn. Understanding the learning process is of critical importance for any teacher. Only through a proper conceptualization of the learning process can an individual develop effective teaching strategies. Evidently, approached used in education have changed immensely in the recent past with a deeper understanding of the learning process. This places emphasis on the need for me as a teacher to develop the relevant skills needed to address the needs of students in the contemporary education setting. More specifically, teaching different skills to nurses is of critical importance because of the relevance of the nursing practice in the society. In accordance with my teaching assessment, I had the role of delivering instruction on theoretical sessions on sepsis as well as communication skills. This paper will present a summative reflection of the skills developed in the recent past supported by evidence from Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) as well as formative assessments. Reflection of Learning Theories Evidently, I have gained an in depth understanding of different learning theories that define the learning process. For many years, educational experts have focused on understanding and developing relevant theories whose application in the learning process can maximize the student’s performance and learning ability. One of the critical aspects I have learned is that different students have different learning styles. The theory of learning styles emerged after the realization that different individuals acquire knowledge in various ways. Whereas some students exhibit audio learning styles, others are more reliant on visual learning styles (Fabry 2010, p. 25). Understanding the concepts of different learning styles has helped me to recognize that the learning process is an intensive activity to learners acquiring knowledge differently. Learning styles relate to personality types. Understanding both of these has helped me to understand the learning needs of my students. More critically, it has been of significance in developing teaching strategies that match the learning style of the students. Unlike in the previous days when I did not understand the learning styles theory, I am more familiar with classroom needs and willing to meet such needs. This is evident from my Teaching Performance Assessments, which highlight that I have taken into consideration the different learning styles of my students (Fabry 2010, p. 29). This explains why I presented my students with different resources and materials. Worth noting is the fact that my students were adults and the materials presented conformed to their goal oriented approach in learning. Moreover, I made use of different examples and used an effective delivery technique that met the learning needs of all the students (Pang 2008, p. 6). In addition, I have come to appreciate the value of collaborative learning within a classroom. Form both theoretical frameworks and personal experience, a normal classroom comprises of students with diverse learning needs, capacities, and strengths. In order to maximize learning, collaborative learning is one of the effective strategies in ensuring that students can learn from each other. Promoting collaborative learning means that students work in teams or groups. In these teams, they are able to assist each other in understanding different concepts taught within the classroom (Francis 2012, p. 6). The teams should comprise of students with different learning capabilities. A positive interchange of knowledge and skills between students ensures that they benefit from collaborative learning. This has proved to be one of the effective learning processes within my classroom. After a careful analysis of the student capacities, I decided to form groups comprising of students with different abilities. The level of interaction in collaborative learning determines how successful this learning process is. Students focus on different concepts and learning materials in an effort to promote communication and problem solving skills (Francis 2012, p. 10). As is evident in my second teaching performance assessment, I played the role of a facilitator and allowed the members of my team to function in a collaborative manner. In addition, constructivist learning was of critical importance in my classroom. This is because learners need to develop both problem solving skills and critical thinking capacity. In order to promote this type of learning, I adopted a context-based form of learning. I adopted the role of a facilitator and ensured that my students were open-minded. Through different projects, the students were able to explore the practicality of ideas acquired in previous class theories. This was a critical part in the learning process. Unless learners can prove ideas for themselves, the learning process does not prove to be successful. Constructivist learning helped my students to understand the application of theoretical frameworks in practical life. The modern workplace needs individuals with problem-solving and critical thinking skills; hence, there is a salient need for emphasis on constructivist learning (Habibzadeh, Moradi, & Rasuli 2014, p. 380). For example, during my theoretical session on sepsis, I placed emphasis on the needs for the nurses and staff involved to undertake a rigorous application of the concepts delivered during the session. The students gave their contributions concerning the different practical experiences gained from practice that related to the theory delivered. Reflection on Teaching Strategies Unlike in the past when teachers relied on a single instructional strategy, the progress made in understanding the learning process necessitates the need for developing various teaching strategies. In the contemporary classroom, the ‘one size fits all” strategy is no longer relevant. Therefore, teachers have been focusing on optimizing the learning process by developing effective strategies in accordance with the student needs. One of the critical strategies is the integration of different instructional methods. According to the existing theoretical frameworks, different students exhibit different learning styles. Moreover, classrooms are becoming highly diverse since they bring together students with different strengths and weaknesses. The starting point for teachers is being able to analyse the learning needs of all the students (Habibzadeh, Moradi, & Rasuli 2014, p. 384). An individualized approach to understanding student’s learning needs is a precondition to develop the effective instructional methods. Within my courses, there is an evident emphasis on the use of different instructional methods. This requires the use of different learning materials. Without doubt, using the integrated approach presents positive outcomes. Compared to the use of a single instructional method, integrating instructional method within the classroom setting has the potential to address the diverse needs of all the learners. The purpose of the instructions is to have a positive impact on each learner and impart new knowledge and concepts. Unless these concepts and knowledge are delivered in strategic ways, learners may not be able to benefit from the learning process (Henderson & Lawrence 2011, p. 78). Evidently, the teaching practice assessments reveal that I integrated different instructional methods that allowed me to have great impact in the students. I used different materials and a discursive style, which encouraged the participation of all the students. Moreover, my experience placed emphasis on the need for developing active learning in students. Active learning in students required me to develop different projects based on the context covered in class so that students would be able to develop problem-solving skills. In accordance with constructivist learning, it is critical for a teacher to engage students in challenging the learning activities that promote the development of different skills. In accordance with modern educational theories, teachers are more likely to be effective if they play the role of a facilitator or guide (Herbert & Lohrmann 2011, p. 259). This gives the students an opportunity to take full control of the learning process. According to my observation, the facilitator role presented an opportunity for students to explore their full potential. They were more willing to challenge themselves and develop new skills. As is evident from the two teaching performances assessments, I played the role of a facilitator effectively and allowed my students to have a measure of autonomy in the learning process. This encouraged their participation ad they were able to ask questions related to the content delivered in accordance with their experiences in the nursing practice. Evidently, a teacher’s success depends on the level of preparation and lesson planning. This entails a rigorous identification of learning objectives and expected outcomes. It is evident from my teaching performance assessments that I took into consideration all the requirements of lesson planning. In addition, before the start of every session, I informed the students of the learning objectives and the expected outcomes. This was a critical part of the goal-oriented delivery that I adopted. The students were aware of the objectives as well as the outcomes making assessment systems easier. In accordance with modern educational theories, teachers should not take lesson planning for granted. The ability to identify the objectives of each lesson and communicate them to the learner contributes immensely to the success of the learning process (Herbert & Lohrmann 2011, p. 263). It is also important for a teacher to identify the expected outcomes of the students before covering the lesson content. This ensures that content delivery matches the needs of the learners. The other critical teaching strategy was the establishment and utilization of the feedback systems. Evidently, functional feedback systems within the classroom are of critical importance in accordance with educational theories. There is an optimization of the learning process when students have the opportunity to give feedback to the teacher. Feedback systems helped teachers recognize the emerging needs of students as well as determine their progress. From my experience with the students, feedback systems are still a new concept within the classroom (Moore 2009, p. 98). Even after establishing the feedback systems, and motivating students to utilize them, only a few students were willing to give their feedback. From the lot who gave their feedback constantly, there were evident positive outcomes in the learning process. In the future, students will need to understand and appreciate the role of feedback systems and feel free to use them. Without doubt, the application of core teaching skills such as questioning, illustration, reinforcement, explanation, ad response management coupled with different microteaching skill, I was able to register positive outcomes within the classroom. Notably, I utilized different feedback techniques during my delivery in the two teaching performance assessments (Newton & Winches 2013, p. 72). The question and answer approach enabled me to understand the progress of my students. I ensured that I involved the learners throughout the session. This presented an effective opportunity for learners to give feedback. In addition, I used different teaching approaches to address the emerging needs of the learners in accordance with their feedback. Reflection on Assessment Assessments form a critical part in the learning process. There are different types of assessments that enable the teacher to measure the level of achievement as well as skill mastery of the students. According to the existing theory, assessments should be both reliable and valid. Teachers need to adopt the different types of assessments in an effort to measure the level of achievement registered by students. In accordance with my experience, I did not take into consideration the value of diagnostic assessment of my learners prior to the delivery sessions. This would have presented an opportunity for me to understand their knowledge gaps so that I can address them effectively. Moreover, formative assessment was of critical importance during all the learning sessions. Worth noting is the fact that formative assessment gives teachers an opportunity to understand how students perceive new concepts and how they can relate new concepts with the knowledge acquired in the past (Orlich 2007, p. 89). Notably, formative assessment helped me to assess the efficiency of different instructional strategies. It proved to be the most critical type of assessment in promoting student understanding and registering positive outcomes. Since I adopted a goal specific approach in delivering content within the classroom, criterion-referenced assessment helped me to understand the goals and objectives met in different learning sessions. Finally, at the end of the instructional process, I took time to identify the teaching outcomes from my learners. Recommendations and Action Plans for the Future Notably, I have made remarkable progress in understanding learning theories that form the basis of developing effective teaching strategies. I am familiar with different theories and their relevance within the classroom. However, I need to focus on understanding the critical learning theories. In addition, understanding how to promote related learning activities so that students can maximize the learning process is an added advantage. In the future, I need to focus more on the independent learning needs of students and associate them with the existing pedagogic theories. This will be of critical importance in motivating me to undertake advanced learning in understanding of the complexities of the learning process. In accordance with my teaching performance assessments, I have exhibited critical teaching strategies that have presented positive outcomes in the students (Saphier & West 2009, p. 46). However, there is a salient need for me to embrace diversity within the classroom and integrate effective instructional strategies that promote the maximization of the learning process. Evidently, recent pedagogic theories have given attention to classroom diversity. In the future, my teaching strategies will need to exhibit the inclusion of all the learners. Most importantly, I will set time to identify the expectations of learners before delivering content in the future. This will be of critical importance in ensuring that the outcomes of the teaching sessions meet the specific needs of the learners (Shen, Poppink, Cui, & Fan 2007, p. 251). In addition, my experience in the second teaching performance assessment helped me to identify a future action plan in the use of the flip chart. It appears more effective to use the flip chart on a board so that all the students can see what is written. It is a challenge to involve every learner in the learning process. However, with the right attitude and efforts, I can focus on addressing the needs of each student and relying on inclusive instructional methods. In addition, I need to develop more reliable and valid assessments in the future. As highlighted above, I appreciate the value of assessments in the education system. Moreover, I recognize the value of existing standards in the assessments. I plan to integrate different forms of assessments in order to measure the level of achievements in students effectively (Trees 2013, p. 247). An inclusive assessment program will be of critical importance in the future. Since different students exhibit diverse learning needs, teachers should rely on different instructional methods to address the individual needs of students. In a similar way, assessments should reflect the varying capabilities of students. Bibliography Fabry, Dd 2010, Combining Research-based Effective Teacher Characteristics with Effective Instructional Strategies to Influence Pedagogy, Journal of Research In Innovative Teaching, 3, 1, pp. 24-32, Education Source, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. 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Moore, KD 2009, Effective Instructional Strategies : From Theory To Practice, n.p.: Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications, c2009., OhioLINK Library Catalog – LR, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. Newton, J, & Winches, B 2013, How did they maximize learning for all of those students?, Reading Improvement, 50, 2, pp. 71-74, Professional Development Collection, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. Orlich, DC 2007, Teaching Strategies : A Guide To Effective Instruction, n.p.: Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Co., c2007., OhioLINK Library Catalog – LR, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. Pang, K 2008, Instructional Design Strategies for Effective Blended Learning, Journal Of Interactive Instruction Development, 20, 4, pp. 3-8, Computers & Applied Sciences Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. Saphier, J, & West, L 2009, How Coaches Can Maximize Student Learning, The Phi Delta Kappan, 4, p. 46, JSTOR Journals, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015 Shen, J, Poppink, S, Cui, Y, & Fan, G 2007, Lesson Planning: A Practice of Professional Responsibility and Development, Educational Horizons, 85, 4, pp. 248-258, ERIC, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. Trees, K 2013, Effectively Teaching Diverse Student Groups: A Reflection on Teaching and Learning Strategies, Australian Journal Of Adult Learning, 53, 2, pp. 234-252, ERIC, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 January 2015. Read More