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!