About the plays on 12/24

Finally, the students put on the play "The Phantom of the Opera" on Dec. 24.

Students' performaces were up to my expectation. Their hardwork led to a wonderful time enjoyed by everyone taking part. I think the strategies I used worked. Different from what I used to do when I got students to work on a play, this time, we had a clear timeline. During the four weeks, the scripts were reviewed and revised; some even up to three times, so that the language part was taken care of. Then, students were given enough practice time in class so that the progress could be monitored. The in-class rehearsals had brought one unexpected benefit: the groups which didn't work well felt the pressure from those that worked collaboratively. They were motivated to become better consequently. AS a whole, the quality of the perfomances was much better than that from my previous students.

I'm satisfied with the result and I think it is worthwhile to spend time on the project in class. Rainbow said she didn't want to give so much class time to students just for a five-minute play (per group). When she complained that two of her classes didn't do very well in terms of language, I still thought time spared for groupwork was a good investment. But my thinking is not as important as the students'. I might ask them tomorrow.

two meetings and one radio interview

On Dec. 11 (Sat)I organized an informal meeting for the next ETS. The main purpose of this meeting was to draft the proposal of the 2nd ETS to the Bureau of Education. Rainbow and I invited Isadora and Ching-ching to our office. The meeting started at 1:30. Together, we discussed important issues--the budget, the themes, the forms of presentation, the timeline--with Vincent's help. Vincent, the Dean of Academics of CSGHS, has been very supportive and always gives us very constructive suggestions. In three hours, we made many important decisions. I like the feeling when everyone puts their heads together and works collaboratively.

Dec. 20 (Mon), Rainbow and I went to Taipei First Girls' High School to attend the meeting of IWILL action group. We were one hour late because we got the time mixed up. But since they started late too, we didn't really miss too much. As usual, people shared how they use and promote IWILL. To be honest, when I am in IWILL meeting, I always feel a bit disoriented. There are too many functions in IWILL website, so many that I feel confused when people mention things I am not familiar enough. There are reasons for this, of course. For one thing, IWILL has a very confusing interface, not very user-friendly. For another, I, though want to include IWILL to my teaching, am still exploring the website. I haven't got the whole picture of it yet. How I wish I could have a mannual to read through. Anyway, next time, Barbara told me that I could share something with the group. I'd better speed up, then. Oh, by the way, good news is that Barbara's principal wants them to continue their work in IWILL, which means that I am spared this year. What a relief.

On Dec. 21 (Tuesday), I went to a radio station with three other teachers (one Chinese, another History, and the other Geography) in our school for a group interview. The hosts asked us questions about how students could prepare themselves for the big exams in the winter vacation. Interestingly, when we discussed the questions, everyone mentioned one thing in common: the attitudes students should have towards learning. It's agreed that nowadays, students are guided to learn "how to learn" instead of just waiting for the teachers to cram them with some dead knowledge. Learning is about cultivating their potential and ability rather than just getting high scores in tests. It's great to know those teachers through this chance. Even though we teach different subjects, we have similar teaching approaches and ideals. And we stick to those ideals firmly. I feel good to have company!

Reflections on web-based lesson on 1207

Last Friday, I gave a ten-munite mini lesson on googling and asked my students to explore Google over the weekend by using the handouts I gave them. On 12/07 Tuesday, I delivered a web-based lesson in a computer lab to all three of my classes. Generally speaking, the lesson went well as I expected.
There were a couple of things I need to revise if I want to have the lesson again:

One:
Some students said that they needed more time to try the new tips. If I only stick to my schedule and ignore the need of the students, I am still providing a "teacher-centered" lesson. Therefore, I should be more flexible to make sure that they can really apply the skills to search for the information they need. In addition, I might need to cut down some of the exercises so that students have more time to explore.

Two:
In the learning log, even some students felt confused and intimidated by all-English pages, almost all of the students said the search skills they learned were practical and useful. Some of them wanted me to teach them more. Only one student challenged me, "Why do I need to learn search skills? What does this have anything to do with English learning?" If I had clearly stated the purpose of this lesson, I could have convinced her of the value of this web-based lesson. After all, this lesson is related to Unit 12, so she was learning the content in the textbook--just in a different way. So, next time, I am sure to remember to elicit the intended goals of a lesson like this one from the students.


This very student got me to think deeper.

In this school, and I think it is also true in many other ones, there is always a tug-of-war between traditional teaching and innovative way of teaching. Those who firmly believe in the teacher-centered approach strongly question the effect of the so-called student-centered approach. While most learner-centered activities emphasize the importance of communication and interaction, they are easily criticized because teachers don't seem to fulfill the responsibility of "teaching" students what they need to know. It becomes a bigger challenge for those who practice the learner-centered teaching when students join the opposition force.

I think I am lucky enough that few students have complained my teaching activities in my teaching career. If they think differently, they let me know just as the very student who wrote her reflection honestly. This gave me a chance to explain to the classes the purposes and the theoretical background of my instructional design. They learned what benefit they would get if they grab every learning activity rather than just waiting the teachers to feed them. I was happy to receive positive responses and feedbacks from the students. I am sure that some of them are not yet active learners, but I am expecting them to learn actively, to take charge of their learning, to appreciate what I give them in the process. Gee, this is tough, but interesting!

Reflections on 1206 sharing

About 15 colleagues came to the workshop on 12/06, more than my expectation. Though not every one of those who attended really took interest in what Rainbow and I presented (one teacher left five minutes after the presentation), I felt relieved that a couple of "experienced" teachers showed their approval by giving us some constructive feedback. Finally, from what we showed in the website Rainbow and I created for the department, they saw the core spirits and value of sharing. They started to change their views about us.

Honestly speaking, no one has ever asked Rainbow and me to do so much. It is not only time-consuming but also pain-taking in the process of creating a website like ours. We needed to learn many things to make up the fact that we are not technical experts. Luckily, Rainbow and I are the same type of people--we enjoy learning and like to try new things. And I am especially grateful that Rainbow supports my ideal and always gives me very practical and constructive suggestions or comments. We make a very good team, and a powerful one. Without her, I couldn't have complete the website project.

Over the past few weeks, while working on the website, I asked myself very often, "Why bother?" "Why do I always want to do things different from others?" "Why can't I just be a 'teaching' teacher?" "What is my mission or ambition?"

Deep down, I have a dream. I know we gradually earn the recognition from our colleagues, but that is not what I care. What I really want is to work in a place where people can really trust each other and talk about their ideas, share burdens and do something innovative. What I dream is a "Community of Practice," for which I work hard to promote the sharing atmosphere. In the end, I can get those like-minded teachers to form a community of practice. The website is used as a sharing platform, and this is the first step towards my dream. Gradually, I think more people will join. And in the end, I can work happily with a group of people who can support each other and learn from each other. I don't think this is a selfish thinking because every member in the community can benefit from the cooperation and collaboration.

While I regard this as my mission, Rainbow doesn't show as much enthusiasm in this aspect. She always teases me that I have too big an ambition to fulfill. Compared with me, she is more emotionally independent. In the past, she didn't care what other people were doing in their teaching. But she admits that in recently years, for some reason (I might be a big factor, she said), she has learned to share and to contribute. But she still doesn't want to influence other people or to coordinate a COP. "If they don't come and if they don't want to learn, leave them alone." "They'll suffer once they need to use the skills we have learned," she said this when I said how pitiful it is that some of our young teachers don't know how to grab the learning opportunities and resources that our school provides. She's got her points! After all, not all teachers need to know how to integrate ICT into teaching. And most teachers feel comfortable working alone in their classroom. They can have their choice and they take the consequence for their decision. Why do I need to feel worried for them?

I agree with Rainbow, but I will still make more efforts to realize my dream.

Prepare for 1206 sharing

About five weeks ago, Rainbow and I started to work on the department website. Though it is not an obligation, we decide to have a workshop and share the ideas and ideals we put in this website with our colleagues. I set the date on 12/06, two days before the school anniversary. Our school would be happy to present or display the new website on the celebratino day (12/08).

So, we got things done, pretty much, though not yet 100%. We want to deliver an idea clearly tomorrow that the website belongs to the department, not us. So, it is everyone's responsibilitiy to nurture it. We need people to contribute their teaching plans or to share their teaching resources. This new breakthrough certainly will result in different responses; some might like the idea of sharing while others won't get used to it. Whatever it is, it sure will bring pressure to our colleagues.

I'm getting a bit anxious. I even dreamed that no one showed up in the workshop because they didn't like our ideas. We'll see!

Reflection on group sharing on 1129

It's almost one week since the sharing. I should have put down my thoughts earlier, but there are too many things going on. On the other hand, probably it is good to keep it a while and then reflect on it, just like what I am doing now. In this way, I might be able to see things in a more objective way.

First of all, I think it great to have the members talk about their teaching and share their activities. In our work place, it is rare for teachers to spread their teaching plans out in public. Well, we all know how hard it is for most teachers to do this, especially in a place where there isn't much trust or interaction. I remember how people reacted when I wanted to do the sharing after I just transferred to this school years ago. They let me feel like "I'm showing off something" and "I am embarrassing myself or them." I don't know, probably they did not mean it, but I had that feeling anyway. So, I'm glad that finally, I can talk about my ideals and my practice to my heart's content in this group. There's no need to hide my enthusiasm, my satisfaction or my frustration in this group. How I wish I could find a group like this one right in my school. For the time being, I feel blessed to have Rainbow with me. At least, I have her!

Secondly, listening to the two young teachers talk about their worried and difficulties gave me a chance to reflect on my career cycle. I recall the time when I just became a novice teacher. In the very beginning, I just knew that I wanted to be a "different" teacher--one who differed from those who taught me. But how? Since I was not an English major, I learned how to teach English by teaching. It took me a while to form my own style and established my own philosophy. In the process, I picked up a little bit of this, a little bit of that; experimented this and that. I was always happy to try new things, thanks to my adventurous spirit! And also I have been affected by some very good teachers and peers over the years, luckily. Though I've used different teaching strategies, what never changes is the ideal behind it-- to become a teacher who can really inspire the students rather than just cram them with dead knowledge. And another thing remains unchanged is the need to learn. I think constant learning makes me what I am now. I am happy for the two young partners. Compared with me, they seem to be luckier because they receive more guidance than I did. So, they will become more competent and confident when they turn my age.

Of course, being in this research group means learning to me. The two other members in this group teach me something new. Lillian showed me how to integrate ICT wisely into the writing class. The sharing of the writing web gave me more ideas of how to use Inspiration (a software) in my class. 慧娥, though not using ICT as much, has her own teaching ideals. I was moved when she said she finally realized the importance of "accepting who I am and what I am." The value of appreciating oneself will certainly open up a new world for her. The other insight from her is the interpretation of "technology." It doesn't have to be fancy tools or advanced facilities. Even the hand-made teaching aid is another kind of "technology." To me, I saw "communication" and "interaction" in her teaching between the teacher and the students. This reminded me of the C in ICT--Information Communication Technology. While technology is over-emphasized, we probably have to focus more on communication. In teaching, what counts is the traffic between the learners and the instructor. I know a good teacher should know how to teach (well) with or without ICT.

Lastly, something occurred to me on my way home. "Did I sound too optimistic or perfect?" "Did I give others the impression that I encounter little or even no difficulties at all?" "Am I too intimidating to others?" Actually, it is true that I feel a lot more confident in my teaching, especially this year. I become more organized because I feel responsible for the student teacher I am mentoring. But it doesn't mean that I don't have my own frustration. I should have talked about my worries or fears so that people won't regard me as "too perfect." Years ago, Pearl (楊貞婉) and I taught in the same school. She had been a "model teacher" by the time we met. So, of course, I regarded her as my mentor. She was very nice and very generous, who always shared whatever she knew with me without any reservation. But one thing that really upset me was that whenever I asked her whether she had any difficulties in dealing with her students or her teaching, her answer was always like, "No, not at all!" or "My students enjoy this or that very much." There didn't seem to be any obstacle in her practice! "How could it be?" I wondered. Now, I am at her age when I first met her. I still have my own doubts and problems in teaching, and I think it is natural. I know I am not as perfect as she is, but I am glad that I am not. Then, when I talk to other teachers, they won't feel intimidated just because I sound too flawless. So, next time, I HAVE TO share my problems--if people want to listen to them!