All the principles mentioned so far are to a large extent principles I follow when designing my own materials as well. Choosing what the most important ones are though varies as the answer depends on my teaching context, my students' profile and the purpose of creating the materials in the first place. Therefore, although the first parameter I always consider is my students' immediate or future needs, this might change depending on the role the material designed will serve in relation to my lesson or the curriculum.
The reason this happens also relates to my attempt to extend learning beyond the classroom space to the real world, a point also stressed by Anne when she refers to contextualization. It's not only important to make learning relevant to students, but also help them become more aware of how they can become active citizens in our constantly changing world.
The third most important principle for me is clarity either this refers to instructions or goals and achievements. Instructions are always challenging as they are inevitably a reflection of our own perception of what is straightforward and what isn't, so I always edit and re-edit my materials to ensure I don't write/ask too much or too little.
The fourth principle does not only relate to creating materials, but to my teaching practice in general and that is reflection. No matter what the outcome of a given task/set of tasks might be, I like to keep a detailed journal of how the task went, so that I could use it as a guide when designing similar activities.
I like these principles. I also believe that materials/ lessons can encourage to be better citizens. I didn't really think much about this in my earlier teaching years (i was focused too much on just my lesson design).
ReplyDeleteSame here, Rhett. These things only emerge after years focused on understanding and being able to implement basic pedagogical practices. Once that’s all under control we can then expand our view and consider how it all fits a larger picture.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Noble The journey. I have put too much unwanted/needed stress and anxiety in my life by trying to be more than what I was ready to be. I am always reminding myself that the learner wants to enjoy the learning,processes, discovery etc... without 'may i say' self impose benchmarking, unrealistic expectations and results.
ReplyDeleteRhett Burton Matthew Noble I agree with both of you that we only become more aware of the fact that teaching is so much more than transferring knowledge of the language after years. It's the same as with everything else in life, I guess. We value quality of experience over quantity of experience(s) as we grow older (and hopefuly) wiser.
ReplyDeleteTaking this class with you already feels like gaining ten years of experience! Thank you so much! Reading your posts is so interesting and motivating!
ReplyDeleteMiss Alex Thank you so much, Alex, I feel really fortunate to be among generous teacher-classmates like you! I think every teacher in this course has something valuable to offer to all of us, so I feel grateful we can learn with and from each other. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, thanks for your thoughts on principles. I love the fact that you think about extending the learning beyond the classroom. When I write primary materials for a publisher we are told to include values learning as part of the syllabus, along with vocabulary, grammar, etc. I think it's important to think about 'whose values' too of course because there is a danger of imposing our beliefs on others. I'm very impressed at the fact that you keep a detailed journal. That's such a useful thing to do and I have to admit it's something I always say I'm going to do but then I don't get around to doing it. Clarity is one of my most important principles too. If something isn't clear, it can end up hindering the learning process. Great to see everyone else's comments too.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Bilsborough Thank you so much for your comment, Katherine. What you said about the values our students end up being exposed to is so true! Inevitably some of these will be our own which are also transferred indirectly through our teaching practices, but I think it is important to ensure we offer our students as many opportunities as possible in order for them to construct their own set of values which will in turn help them build their own personalities.
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