Interactive Lectures, Large Classes and Project Plan

Days and hours have started vanishing unnoticed, given the nature of the tasks I have to accomplish for both my classes and other life-demanding activities! This week was an extra-ordinary one, in which one of the most outstanding challenges was addresses – handling large class! Moreover, this was a week in which I have had to think and rethink through my project plan for this course, a plan that I intend to implement, using technology and resources I have never used before! Thinking is a very interesting phenomenon! I had to think about my class, the problem they have – which I noted in my previous discussion as low motivation when it comes to learning grammar – and a possible technology-related solution that might help solve the issue.

I noted with concern that teachers who handle large classes can still engage learners into interactive learning. My classmate Tetiana shared this link about Christopher Emdin on how to create magic. Indeed, Sunday services were an ideal example to show how large classes can be kept active. Interactive learning was yet another remedy of handling large classes, and following the previous week’s readings I concluded that Project-Based Learning was yet another way to go for large classes. This week was extraordinary for me because I felt as though the authors for the articles I read were addressing it directly to me, to help resolve issue of large classes. I also like the criteria of Think, Pair, Share; in which the teacher engages learners in careful thoughts over a given question or a set of tasks then pairs them to share their thoughts.

As the days progressed by, I found myself engaged in careful thought, in regard to my project plan. I am currently not teaching as is the case with most of my classmates, so rather than implement a change in the class, I got involved in thinking about a possible plan I can develop and implement later. My thoughts involved resources planned for use, possible references as well as follow-up activities. As I thought through, I also had to sieve through different references and resources. For my learners to stay motivated, I realized that http://a4esl.org/ is an ideal reference site for teaching grammar and will use it in my plan. I also resolved that it is inevitable to use https://www.englishclub.com/ref/Power_of_7/index.htm for engaging learners interactively as they learn and develop their grammar, considering motivation as central factor that will drive learning forward.

Having been exposed to Rubistar, I also thought it would be motivating for learners if I engage them in developing a rubric for assessing grammar which I would then make available on Rubista. I would then give them the link so that they explore and read the rubric through using technology as opposed to my usual teacher rubric oral explanations!

I am confident to say that I now see a direction for which project plan is head and I am working towards this achievement!