Having Tim observe me was a very eye opening experience in terms what I am doing well and where there is room for improvement. Highlighting my use of language was particularly interesting for me. To me “I think” was a way for me to say “this is my opinion” but it can also come across as being very authoritative. Rather something along the lines of “I sense” or “I feel” would have maybe been more appropriate given that I am not stating things as being a matter of fact (cognitive).
It was also great to learn about how my teaching methods relate to pedagogical theory, namely the Spiral Teaching Method by Jerome Bruner. Reading about this has been insightful in knowing where I fit in as a teacher in terms of the approaches I adopt, but it also highlights the flaws in this teaching method for me. Namely the repetitive and slow nature of it, I don’t think it is the most engaging form of teaching and it might be worth expanding on my teaching methods (part of the reason I am doing PgCert). We discussed a lecture format, this is something I am interested in doing potentially as part of MAGCDPro (see blog post: CSM Curriculum–25.02.22), as this will offer an opportunity to discuss how to use software, layout systems etc (cognitive approach)
I felt that having the hand out with questions was useful for myself and the students, it helped to structure the time we had together.
Hi Houman, thank you for sharing your reflections on your observation feedback with Tim.
I realised I use ‘I think’ in the same way you do – to express that a statement is my opinion rather than a fact. ‘I think’ has never struck me as particularly authoritative, however, as English is my second language I’ll bow to greater authority. ‘I sense’ as a phrase intrigues me becasue in my understanding it hovers soemwhere between ‘I think’ and ‘I feel’. A lot of food for thought for the future. Best wishes, Ulli