week 5: the half-way program

This week started on Monday April 29 2013 and the emphasis is laid on  Project- based learning, WebQuests, and rubrics. 

It is a very important part of the program because of the new teaching/learning concepts that we have been presented.What is more important in them is their learner-orientation. These concepts  indeed raise students' interest and motivation since they are built around everything that is directly related to them. With the Project- based learning, for instance,  specialists say there is 'less teaching and more learning.' If we know that the goal of teaching is to help our students learn something, there could be, therefore, no better principle. It was certified that when we use project-based instruction in place of  traditional methods our students learn more. What I like best in it is that it involves all the students through group works. This will help the weaker students be integrated and develop confidence. There will be a kind of collaboration between all of them. For a better use of this a project-based learning, the teacher can resort to WebQuests and  rubrics. 

I do like the latter which is one of the most important methods used in alternative assessment. In fact, a rubric informs about the quality of performance on the basis of established criteria. 

We have learned many things this week through our readings. But I what I liked best is the necessity to involve the student in alternative assessment. For me, this concept is important because it matches with CLT (Communicative Language Teaching), the method our National syllabus requires we use to teach English. I loved also the task where we had to create a rubric . It is the first time that  I have created a rubric and I think it is an effective  method teachers can use to assess learning. I am becoming a modern teacher because I didn't know all this. These new concepts can help teachers make a real change in their classes.

Besides, we are progressing slowly but surely with our project task. This week we had to describe the technology we are going to use to solve the problem that was identified in the previous week. My objective is  to develop a motivational strategy that values students' ideas and participation, encourage autonomy and give the chance to make the classroom space theirs. And for this, the easiest tool for me and my students is blogging. We will be able to work every time and every where.

 

Best regards.

Elias