Name: Ambreen Usman

ii ii

Roll No: CB645340

ii ii

Assignment No: 1 ii ii

Course Code: 8611 ii ii

Course Name: Critical Thinking and Reflective Practices

ii ii i i i i i

Tutor Name: HUMAYUN NASEEM

ii ii i…

Program: B. ED (1.5 Years) ii ii ii ii

Semester: (2nd -Spring 2021)ii i i

Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad

ii ii ii ii
Qi1.iWhatiareiessentialiaspectsioficriticalithinking?iDescribeiinidetail.

Despiteitheidifferencesiemanatingifromitheseischoolsiofithought,ithereiisiagreementionisome
ifundamentalifacetsioficriticalithinking,imostiofiwhichirecogniseitheivariousibehavioursiand
oridispositionsithatiaicriticalithinkerimustipossess.

Abilities:

 analysingiarguments,iclaimsiorievidencesss

 judgingiorievaluatingibasedionievidence

 makingiinferencesiusingiinductiveiorideductiveireasoning

 makingidecisionsiand/orisolvingiproblemsithroughireasoning.

Dispositions:

 open-mindedness

 searcheriofitruth

 inquisition

 fairiandibalancediviewiofione’siworkiandithatiofiothers.

Anotheriaspectioficriticalithinkingiweihaven’timentionediyetiis,ioficourse,ione’siknowledgei
ofitheisubjectimatter.iAiwell-
informediresearcherioripractitioneriisialwaysiiniaigoodipositionitoiofferibetteriinsightsionith
esubjectimatterifromianiinformediposition.iBailinietial.i(1999),iforiexample,ipositithatidomai
nspecificiknowledgeiisiindispensableiiniacademicicritiqueibecauseitheikindsiofianalysisi
evaluationianditheiuseiofievidenceioftenivaryifromidisciplineitoidiscipline.iHowever,iitiisi
importantitoiemphasiseithaticriticalithinkingiandianalysisiisinotisimplyirelateditoisubject
iknowledge.iAtipostgraduateilevelitheiexpectationsiareimuchihigher.iYouiwillibeirequiredito
iengageiinigreateridepthiwithiairangeiofiliterature,iasiwelliasimethodologiesiandiapproachesi
usediiniaivarietyiofiresearch.iNow,iwhilstiexpectationimayivaryiacrossidisciplines,ithe
ifundamentalsiremainitheisame.

Iniorderitoihelpitheiristudentsitoidevelopicriticalthinkingiskillsianditoitakeicriticaliaction,i
teachersineedito:

i•ihaveiaisoundiknowledgeibaseifromiwhichitoisupportistudentsiasitheyidelveimoreideeplyi
intoicontenti
•iremainiopenitoichallengeibyistudents,inotirepresentingithemselvesiasitheisoleisourceiofikn
owledgei

•iencourageistudentsitoilookiatitheibigipictureibyiengagingithemiinicriticalthinkingiprocesses
ithatihaveirelevanceibeyonditheiclassroomi•ibeiprepareditoilistenitoivoicesithatioriginateiinit
heiclassroomianditoiuseistudents'ipersonaliexperiencesiasistartingipointsiforigatheringiinfor
mationiencourageistudentsitoiquestioniandichallengeiexistingibeliefs,istructures,iandipr
acticesi

•iavoidiofferingi'howitoidoiit'iapproachesi•iencourageistudentsitoibeisensitiveitoitheifeelingsi
ofiothersi•iprovideiopportunitiesiforiinquiryibyigivingistudentsitimeiforiplanning,iprocessing
,iandidebriefingi•istructureilessonsisoithatistudentsicaniworkisafelyiandico-
operativelyiandidevelopicreativeiformsiofisharediresponsibilityi

•iencourageistudentsitoitakeicriticaliaction.iWhenistudentsilearnitoiuseidemocraticiprocesses
iinsideitheiclassroom,itheyicanitransferitheseitoisituationsioutsideitheiclassroom.

Foristudents,ilearningitoithinkicriticallyianditoitakeicriticaliactioniwilliinclude:i

•ilearningitoitakeiresponsibilityiforianalyzingiandievaluatingiinformation

i•igivingieachiotherifeedbackiaboutitheirianalyses,ievaluations,iandiactions

i•iquestioningiandichallengingieachiother'siassumptionsiiniainon-threateningimanner

i•ilearningitoiidentifyianyiinequalitiesiandipowerirelationshipsiwithinicontextsiinihealthi
education,iphysicalieducation,iandihomeieconomics,ifocusingionihowitheseipositionsiareiso
metimesireinforcedithroughiorganizationalistructuresiandithroughicertainiformsiofilanguage

i•ireflectingionipeople'siassumptions,ibeliefs,iandibehaviours,itakingiintoiaccountiairangeiofi
factorsi

•igeneratingialternativeisolutionsiandiacceptingithemioricritiquingithemiiniaisensitivei
mannri

•idevelopingitheiconfidenceitoiworkiwithiothersiinitakingicriticaliactioniItiisiexpectedithatia
doptingithisielaborationioficriticalithinkingiandiapplyingitheirilearningiinieducationicontexts,
istudentsican:i
•ithinkiaboutiandievaluateitheiriownithinkingiandibehaviorioniissuesirelateditoihealthi
education,iphysicalieducation,iandihomeieconomicsi

•imakeireasonableiandidefensibleidecisionsiaboutiissuesirelateditoiindividualiandicommunity
iwell-being

i•ichallengeianditakeiactioni(individuallyiandicollectively)itoiaddressisocial,icultural,i
economic,iandipoliticaliinequalitiesi

•iunderstanditheiroleiandisignificanceiofitheimovementicultureiandiitsiinfluenceioniouridaily
ilivesianditheilivesiofipeopleiiniouricommunityiHenceiasianioutcomeitheilearnersiwill:

i•ibecomeibroadiandiadventurousithinkersi

•igenerateiinnovativeisolutionsi

•iuseitheirireasoningiskillsitoianalyzeiandievaluatei•iplaniandithinkistrategicallyiTheilisti
aboveiisibasedioniSmyth

Q.i2iDescribeiinidetailitheiphenomenoniofisocialiexclusioniandimarginalization.iHowiisi
it

ilessithreateningithanipoverty?

Socialiexclusioniorisocialimarginalisationiisitheisocialidisadvantageiandirelegationitoithei
fringeiofisociety.iItiisiaitermiusediwidelyiiniEuropeiandiwasifirstiusediiniFrance.iItiisiusedia
crossidisciplinesiincludingieducation,isociology,ipsychology,ipoliticsiandieconomics.

Socialiexclusioniisitheiprocessiiniwhichiindividualsiareiblockedifromi(orideniedifulliaccessi
to)ivariousirights,iopportunitiesiandiresourcesithatiareinormallyiavailableitoimembersiofiai
differentigroup,iandiwhichiareifundamentalitoisocialiintegrationiandiobservanceiofihumani
rightsiwithinithatiparticularigroupi(e.g.,ihousing,iemployment,ihealthcare,iciviciengagement,
idemocraticiparticipation,iandidueiprocess).

Alienationioridisenfranchisementiresultingifromisocialiexclusionicanibeiconnecteditoiai
person'sisocialiclass,irace,iskinicolor,ireligiousiaffiliation,iethniciorigin,ieducationalistatus,i
childhoodirelationships,ilivingistandards,iandioripoliticaliopinions,iandiappearance.iSuchi
exclusionaryiformsiofidiscriminationimayialsoiapplyitoipeopleiwithiaidisability,iminorities,i
LGBTQ+ipeople,idrugiusers,iiinstitutionalicareileavers,itheielderlyianditheiyoung.iAnyonei
whoiappearsitoideviateiinianyiwayifromiperceivedinormsiofiaipopulationimayithereby
ibecomeisubjectitoicoarseiorisubtleiformsiofisocialiexclusion.iTheioutcomeiofisociali
exclusioniisithatiaffectediindividualsioricommunitiesiareipreventedifromiparticipatingifullyi
initheieconomic,isocial,iandipoliticalilifeiofitheisocietyiiniwhichitheyilive.iThisimayiresultiin
iresistanceiinitheiformiofidemonstrations,iprotestsiorilobbyingifromitheiexcludedipeople.

Theiconceptiofisocialiexclusionihasileditoitheiresearcher’siconclusionithatiinimanyiEuropea
nicountriesitheiimpactiofisocialidisadvantages,ithatiinfluenceitheiwell-
beingiofiallipeople,iincludingiwithispecialineeds,ihasianiincreasinglyinegativeiimpact.

Socialiexclusioniatitheiindividualileveliresultsiinianiindividual'siexclusionifromimeaningfuli
participationiinisociety.iAniexampleiisitheiexclusioniofisingleimothersifromitheiwelfarei
systemiprioritoiwelfareireformsiofithei1900s.iTheimoderniwelfareisystemiisibasedionithei
conceptiofientitlementitoitheibasicimeansiofibeingiaiproductiveimemberiofisocietyibothiasia
niorganicifunctioniofisocietyiandiasicompensationiforitheisociallyiusefulilaboriprovided.iAi
singleimother'sicontributionitoisocietyiisinotibasedioniformaliemployment,ibutionitheinotion
ithatiprovisioniofiwelfareiforichildreniisiainecessaryisocialiexpense.iInisomeicareericontexts,
icaringiworkiisidevaluediandimotherhoodiisiseeniasiaibarrieritoiemployment.iSingleimothers
iwereipreviouslyimarginalizediinispiteiofitheirisignificantiroleiinitheisocializingiofichildreni
dueitoiviewsithatianiindividualicanionlyicontributeimeaningfullyitoisocietyithroughi"gainful
"iemploymentiasiwelliasiaiculturalibiasiagainstiunwedimothers.i

Whenitheifather'sisoleitaskiwasiseeniasitheibreadwinner,ihisimarginalizationiwasiprimarilyia
ifunctionioficlassicondition.iSoloifatherhoodibringsiadditionalitrialsidueitoisocietyibeingiless
iacceptingiofimalesi'gettingiawayiwith'inotiworkingianditheigeneraliinvisibility/lackiofi
acknowledgmentiofisingleifathersiinisociety.iAcknowledgmentiofitheineedsiparticipatoryifat
hersimayihaveicanibeifoundibyiexaminingitheichangesifromitheioriginaliclinicalireportionith
ei father'siroleipublishedibyitheiAmericaniAcademyiofiPediatricsiiniMayi2004.iiEightiweeki
paternityileaveiisiaigoodiexampleiofioneisocialichange.iChildihealthicareiprovidersihaveiani
opportunityitoihaveiaigreateriinfluenceionitheichildiandifamilyistructureibyisupportingifather
siandienhancingiaifather'siinvolvement.

Iticausesipovertyiinitwoimainiways.iSocialiexclusionicausesitheipovertyiofiparticularipeo
ple,ileadingitoihigheriratesiofipovertyiamongiaffectedigroups.iItihurtsithemimateriallyi–
imakingithemipooriinitermsiofiincome,ihealthiorieducationibyicausingithemitoibeideniediacc
essitoiresources,imarketsiandipubliciservices.
Exclusioniisifrequentlyimoreisubtleiandiunintentional,iforiexampleiwhenidisabledipeopleiare
iexcludedifromiservices,imarketsiandipoliticaliparticipationithroughiailackiofiawarenessiofit
heirineedsioribyisocialiattitudes,ioriwheniminorityigroupsiareiexcludedibyilanguageibarriers.
iIniaddition,itheiresultingisenseiofipowerlessnessicanirobipeopleiofitheiriself-
confidenceiandiaspirationsianditheiriabilityitoichallengeiexclusion.iAnotheriaspectiofiexclusi
oniisidisadvantageionitheibasisinotiofiwhoiyouiareibutiwhereiyouilive,iknowniasi‘spatial’i
exclusion.iPeopleiwhoiliveiiniremoteiandiisolatediareasimayibeipreventedifromifullyiparticip
atingiininationalieconomiciandisocialilife.iPeopleifromithei‘wrongipartiofitown’icanifindiiti
harderitoigetiaijobibecauseiofitheisocialistigmaithaticanibeiattacheditoithei‘placesiofitheipoo
r’i(foriinstance,itheifavelasiofiBrazilianicities).iAndipeopleiwhoimoveifromioneipartiofiaico
untryitoianother,ioriacrossiborders,icanisufferiexclusionibecauseitheyiarei‘initheiwrongiplace
’.iForiexample,iiniChinaiandiformeriSovieticountries,imeniandiwomeniwhoimigrateifori
workihaveilongibeeniunableitoiregisterilocallyiasicitizensiandiareiofteniexcludedifromi
welfareiandiaccessitoipubliciservices.

Qi3.iWhatiisi“connectivism”?
i Criticallyianalyzeithatihowicanicooperativeiclassroomiactivitiesiresultiinistudent’sistrivingif
orimutualiuplift.

CONNECTIVISM

Anotheriepistemologicaliposition,iconnectivism,ihasiemergediinirecentiyearsithatiisiparticularlyi
relevantitoiaidigitalisociety.iConnectivismiisistillibeingirefinediandideveloped,iandiitiisicurrentlyi
highlyicontroversial,iwithimanyicritics.

Iniconnectivismiitiisitheicollectiveiconnectionsibetweeniallithei‘nodes’iiniainetworkithatiresultiini
newiformsiofiknowledge.iAccordingitoiSiemensi(2004),iknowledgeiisicreatedibeyonditheileveliofi
individualihumaniparticipants,iandiisiconstantlyishiftingiandichanging.iKnowledgeiininetworksiisi
noticontrolledioricreatedibyianyiformaliorganization,ialthoughiorganizationsicaniandishouldi‘plugi
in’itoithisiworldioficonstantiinformationiflow,iandidrawimeaningifromiit.iKnowledgeiini
connectivismiisiaichaotic,ishiftingiphenomenoniasinodesicomeiandigoiandiasiinformationiflows
i acrossinetworksithatithemselvesiareiinter-connectediwithimyriadiotherinetworks.
TheisignificanceioficonnectivismiisithatiitsiproponentsiargueithatitheiInternetichangesitheiessentia
linatureiofiknowledge.i‘Theipipeiisimoreiimportantithanitheicontentiwithinitheipipe,’itoiquoteiieme
nsiagain.iDownesi(2007)imakesiaiclearidistinctionibetweeniconstructivismiandiconnectivism:

‘Iniconnectivism,iaiphraseilikei“constructingimeaning”imakesinoisense.iConnectionsiformi
naturally,ithroughiaiprocessiofiassociation,iandiareinoti“constructed”ithroughisomeisortiofi
intentionaliaction.i…
Hence,iiniconnectivism,ithereiisinoirealiconceptiofitransferringiknowledge,imakingiknowledge,ior
i buildingiknowledge.iRather,itheiactivitiesiweiundertakeiwheniweiconductipracticesiiniorderitoilea
rniareimoreilikeigrowingioridevelopingiourselvesiandiourisocietyiinicertaini(connected)iways.’

Technically,icooperativeilearningiincludesianyiformiofiinstructioniiniwhichistudentsiareiworkingi
togetheriforiaipurpose.iAsiweiwilliexamineiinithisichapter,itheieffectsiwillibeimoreipowerfulitoithei
extentithaticertainiingredientsiareipresent.iTheimoreianyiactivityirequiresimutualiinterdependence
,icollectiveiproblemisolving,iandistrivingiforiaicommonigoal,itheibetterichanceiitiwillihaveiati
achievingitheipotentialithaticooperativeilearningioffersi(Johnson,ietial,i1998;iWebbietial,i1995).
i

Thereiareimanyireasonsitoidecideithaticooperativeilearningiisiworthitheieffort.iFirst,iitihasibeeni
shownitoihaveiaipositiveieffectionistudentilearningiwhenicompareditoiindividualioricompetitivei
conditionsi(Johnsoni&iJohnson,i1999;iSlavin,iHurley,i&iChamberlaini2003).iSecond,i
cooperativeilearningihasitheipotentialitoimeetimoreilearningistyleineedsimoreiofitheitimeithani
individualizedidirectiinstructioni(Shindler,i2004).iThird,itheiinterpersonaliandicollaborationiskill
sithaticanibeilearnediiniaicooperativeilearningiactivityiteachiskillsithatiareicriticaliforilateripersonali
andiprofessionalisuccess.iFourth,iitihasitheipotentialitoiproduceiaileveliofiengagementithatiotheri
formsiofilearningicannoti(Slavin,iHurley,i&iChamberlaini2003).iFifth,iiticanibeiaipowerfulitoolito
wardiseveralitransformativeigoalsiincludingibuildingicommunalibonds,ilearningiconflicti
resolutioniskills,ilearningitoiconsideriothers�ineeds,iandilearningitoibeianieffectiveiteamimemberi
(Watsoni&iBattistich,i2006).
 WhatiMakesiaiCooperativeiLearningiActivityiEffective?
Asiweiseekitoicreateitheimostivaluable,iengagingiandiproductiveicooperativeilearningiexperiences
i foriouristudents,iconsiderihowilearningiwithiniaisocialicontextiisidifferentifromilearningiindepend
ently.iRecalliouridiscussioniofitheisocialilearningitheoryiinitheipreviousichapters.iTheikeyitoiaisucc
essfulicollaborativeieffortiwillibeitoiuseitheisocialiaspectiofitheiactivityitoitheiclassicollectiveiadva
ntage.iThisiwillibeitrueiforibothiinstructionaliandimanagerial…goals.
i
Ifiyouiareiincorporatingicooperativeilearningibecauseiyouithinkiyouristudentsineediaibreakifromith
eiroutineiandiyouiwantitoitryisomethingiaibitimoreisocial,iyouimayibeimissingitheipurposeiandithe
i potentialiofithisiteachingistrategy.iHavingistudentsisimplyiworkiinigroupsimayibeiainiceichangeiof
i paceiandicanibeiinherentlyimoreiengagingiforisomeistudents,ibutigroupiworkionlyiscratchesithei
surfaceiofiwhatiisipossibleiwhenistudentsilearniwithiniaicooperativeicontext.iWhileithisichapteri
williaddressihowitoimanageianyiformiofigroupilearning,iitiisisuggestedithationeiconsideritappingias
i muchiofitheipotentialiasipossibleithaticooperativeilearningihasitoioffer.
GroupiCompositioniandiSelectioniofiGroupiMembers
Thereiareiseveraliconfigurationsithatiweicouldichooseitoiuseiforigroupingistudents.iOurichoicesiwi
lliincludeihavingistudentsiself-
select,ichoosingigroupsibyirandom,igroupingibyisimilariabilityiorimixediability,ioriusingiaisystem
aticimethodisuchiasicombinationsiofilearningistyleitypesiorimanufacturingigroupsithatiweithinkiwi
lliproduceioptimaliresults.iTheyiwillieachiproduceidramaticallyidifferentioutcomes.iItiwillibeitem
ptingitoigiveiinitoitheistudentsidesiresitoimakeitheiriownigroups.iItiisiusuallyieasieriandimostistuden
tsiwillibeihappier.iHowever,iwhenimakingichoicesihere,iconsiderihowiourichoicesiworkitoipromot
eitheisocialiframe:iwheniyoui(students)idemonstrateiresponsibility,iyouiwillibeigivenifreedom.

i Initheishortiterm,iallowingistudentsitoiself-
selectitheirigroupimayiseemiinnocuous;ihowever,ioveritimeiitiwillilikelyileaditoicliqueiformationsi
andientrenchmentiofitheisocialistructurei(Lotan,i2006).iWithieachisuccessiveiexerciseiiniwhichisel
f-
selectedigroupingiisiallowed,iouristudentsiwillibecomeimoreiaccustomeditoitheiprocessiandiincrea
singlyidevelopiaisenseiofientitlementithatiitiisitheiriright.i
Aicommoniresultingiphenomenoniisitheiteachersieventualideterminationithatithereiareitooimanyin
egativeieffectsifromitheipolicyiofiself-
selectedigrouping.iAtithatipointitheyidecideitoibeginitheiprocessiofire-
assigningigroups,inotianticipatingitheistrongiandidefiantireactioniofitheistudents.iThisireactioniisie
speciallyiforcefulifromithoseistudentsiwhoifeelithatitheyihaveitheimostitoiloseibyiainewiarrangeme
nt.iForiexample,iaistudentiwhoiunconsciouslyibelievesithatitheyiareitooigoodiforiotherimembersiofi
theigroupitoiwhichitheyihaveibeeniassignedimayiactithisioutiiniwaysithatiappeariimmatureiandiinap
propriate.
i Theseitypesiofidisplaysicanitakeiusibyisurprise.iTheyicanibeispitefuliandiexposeitheilackioficommu
nityiandiegalitarianisocio-
politicsiinitheiclass.iWhileitheitemptationiisitoibeiangryitowarditheistudentiwhoidisplaysitheisensei
ofientitlementioridiscrimination,itheifaultiactuallyiliesiwithitheichoiceimadeiweeksiearlieritoiallowi
self-
selectioniofigroups.iTheieventicouldihaveibeeniprevented.iMoreover,iitirepresentsievidenceithatiin
steadioficooperativeilearningiactivitiesipromotingicommunity,itheyihaveiactuallyibeeniundermini
ngitheidemocraticivaluesiinitheiclassi(Rubin,i2003).

Q4.
Discussiinidetailitheiadvantagesiofiusingiclassroomiassessmentitechniques.

CLASSROOMiASSESSMENTiTECHNIQUESi(CATS)
ClassroomiAssessmentiisiaisystematiciapproachitoiformativeievaluation,iusedibyiinstructorsitoide
termineihowimuchiandihowiwellistudentsiareilearning.iCATsiandiotheriinformaliassessmentitoolsi
provideikeyiinformationiduringitheisemesteriregardingiteachingiandilearningisoithatichangesicani
beimadeiasinecessary.i"TheicentralipurposeiofiClassroomiAssessmentiisitoiempoweribothiteacher
sianditheiristudentsitoiimproveitheiqualityiofilearningiinitheiclassroom"ithroughianiapproachithatiis
i "learner-centered,iteacher-directed,imutuallyibeneficial,iformative,icontext-
specific,iandifirmlyirootediinigoodipractice"i(Angeloi&iCross,i1993,ip.i4).

Initheiribook,iClassroomiAssessmentiTechniques,iAngeloiandiCrossidescribei50iClassroomiAsse
ssmentiTechniquesi(CATs)-
simpleitoolsi(instruments,iforms,istrategies,iactivities)iforicollectingiinformationionistudentilearn
ingiiniorderitoiimproveiit.iCATsiareieasyitoidesign,iadministeriandianalyze,iandihaveitheiaddediben
efitiofiinvolvingistudentsiinitheiriownilearning.iTheyiareitypicallyinon-graded,ianonymousiin-
classiactivitiesithatiareiembeddediinitheiregulariworkiofitheiclass.iThei50iCATSiareidividediintoith
reeibroadicategories:

 Techniquesiforiassessingicourse-relatediknowledgeiandiskills
 Techniquesiforiassessingilearneriattitudes,ivaluesiandiself-awareness
 Techniquesiforiassessingilearnerireactionsitoiinstruction
EXAMPLESiOFiEASY-TO-USEiCATS
MinuteiPapersiandiMuddiestiPoint,itheibestiknowniandieasiestiCATs,iareiuseditoiassessicourse-
relatediknowledgeiandiskills.iOne-
SentenceiSummariesichallengeistudentsitoiansweritheiquestionsi"Whoidoesiwhatitoiwhom,iwhen,i
where,ihow,iandiwhy?"iaboutiaiparticularitopic,iandithenitoisynthesizeithoseianswersiintoiaisingle,i
informative,igrammatical,iandilongisummaryisentence.i
Itiallowsiyouitoifindioutihowiconcisely,icompletely,iandicreativelyistudentsicanisummarizeiailargei
amountiofiinformationioniaigivenitopic.iTheiformatiallowsiyouitoiscaniandicompareiresponsesiqui
cklyiandieasily.iThisiCATigivesistudentsipracticeiiniusingiaitechniqueifori"chunking"iinformation
-condensingiitiintoismaller,iinterrelatedibitsithatiareimoreieasilyiprocessediandirecalled-
andimakesiitiisieasieriforithemitoirecallitheiinformation.iToiuse:
Selectianiimportantitopicithatiyouristudentsihaveirecentlyistudiediiniyouriclassiandithatiyouiexpecti
themitoilearnitoisummarize.
Studentsishouldibeitolditoiansweritheiquestions,i"WhoiDid/
DoesiWhatitoiWhom,iWhen,iWhere,iHow,iandiWhy?"iinirelationitoitheitopic.iProvidingiaimatrixi
withitheiquestionsi("Who?"i"DoesiWhat?"ietc.)ilistedidownitheileftisideiofitheipageimakesiitieasieri
foristudentsitoicreateitheisentence.iSomeitopicsidon'tifitiintoithisiformatidescribediandiyouimayinee
ditoicreateiaidifferentipattern,isuchias,i"HowiDoesiWhoiDoiWhatiandiWhy?"
Studentsishoulditheniturnitheirianswersiintoiaigrammaticalisentenceithatifollowsitheipatternigiven.
Practiceitheitaskiyourselfitoibeisureiyouicanicoherentlyisummarizeitheitopiciinioneisentence.
Youicanievaluateitheiriresponsesibyimarkingieachicomponenti(Who,iWhat,iHow,ietc.)iwithiaizero,
i check,ioriplus.iYouicanithenimakeiaimatrixitoirepresentitheiwholeiclass'siresponses.iThisiwillitelliy
ouiifistudentsiareihavingiaimoreidifficultitime,iforiexample,iansweringithei"how"iandi"why"iquesti
onsithanithei"who"iandi"what"iquestions.

 Course-RelatediSelf-
ConfidenceiSurveysiareiuseditoiassessiyouristudents'ilevelsioficonfidenceiinitheiriabilityito
i learnitheiskillsiandicontentiofiyouricourse.iThisiisiespeciallyiimportantitoiknowiinisomeisp
ecificicontexts:istudents'imathematicaliskills,itheiriabilityitoispeakiinipublic,itheiriathletici
ability,ietc.iWheniyouiknowitheiconfidenceilevelsiofitheistudents,iandiwhatiaffectsitheirico
nfidence,iyouicanibuildiassignmentsithatibuildiconfidence.iToiuse:
1. Focusioniskillsioriabilitiesithatiareiimportantitoisuccessiinitheicourse.
2. Makeiupiquestionsitoiassessistudents'iself-
confidenceiinirelationitoitheseiskillsioriabilities.
3. Createiaisimpleisurveyitoigatheritheidata.iForiexample:iHowiconfidentidoiyouifeeli
youiwillibeiableitoidoitheifollowingibyitheiendiofithisicourse?
i Forieach,iindicate:iVeryiconfident,isomewhat,inotivery,inotiatialliconfident
1. Feelicomfortableiworkingioutiiniaigymiand/orirunningiiniaipubliciplace.
 2. Runithreeimilesiini30iminutes.
3. Maintainiyouriexerciseiprogramiforiaiyeariafteritheiclassihasiended.
4. Allowistudentsiaifewiminutesitoirespond.iBeisureitoitellithemithatitheisurveyiisiano
nymous.
5. Summarizingitheidataiisiaisimpleiprocessiofitallyingiresponsesitoieachiquestion.

 ReadingiRatingiSheetsiandiAssignmentiAssessmentsiareiuseditoiassessilearnerireactionsit
oiinstruction.iReadingiRatingiSheetsiareishort,isimpleiassessmentiformsithatistudentsifillio
utiiniresponseitoitheiriassignedicourseireading.iTheipurposeiisitoiprovideiyouiwithifeedbac
kionistudents'ievaluationioficourseireadings.iYouicaniuseithisiCATitoifindioutihowimotivat
ing,iinteresting,iclear,iandiusefulitheireadingsiareitoiyouristudents.iAssignmentiAssessme
ntsiaskistudentsitoiconsideritheivalueiofiassignmentsitoithemiasilearners.iYouicaniuseithisit
echniqueitoiseeiassignmentsifromitheistudents'iperspective;igetifeedbackionidifficultyilev
el,ilearningivalue,iandiinterestileveliofitheiproject/
assignment;iandialsoimotivateistudentsitoicompleteiassignmentsibecauseitheyiknowitheyi
willihaveianiopportunityitoiassessitheiassignments.iToiuse:
1. Determineiwhyiyouiwantistudentsitoirateitheicourseireadingsioritoiassessianiassign
mentianditheniwriteiaifewiquestionsithatiwillielicititheiinformationiyouidesire.

ReadingiRatingiSheets

 Howimuchitimeididiyouispendireadingithisiassignment?
 Howiusefuliwasithisireadingiassignmentiinihelpingiyouiunderstanditheitop
ic/concept?
 Howiinterestingi(oriclear,ietc.)iwasitheireading?iWhy?

AssignmentiAssessment:i(aboutiin-classiexampleiproblems)

 Whatidoiyouilikeiaboutitheiexampleiproblems?

 Whoidoiyouinotilikeiaboutitheiexampleiproblems?

 Whatispecificichangesiwouldiyouisuggestitoiimproveitheiexampleiproble
ms?

2. Makeiupiaisimpleiassessmentiformiandigiveiititoitheistudentsitoicompleteiiniclassio
riasihomework.
 3. Useitheirifeedbackitoiimproveitheiassignmentsiyouiuse.iHowever,idon'tiaskiforifee
dbackioniassignments/readingsithatiyouiareiunwillingitoichange.

Q5.

i Howicaniaiteacher’sidiaryibeihelpfuliforitheireflectioniofiaiteacher?

Itiservesiasiaimeansiforiteachersitoicandidlyishareitheiriinsights,ifeelings,iemotions,iandiideasiiniaic
onfidentialimanner.iSimilaritoiaidiary,iitiisimeantitoiinspireireflectionionieventsileadingitoibothisuc
cessiandifailureiinitheiclassroom.

Withimanyiprofessions,iindividualsigainiexperience,ilearninewiskills,iandievolveiprofessionallyi
withieachidayionitheijob.iTheivocationiofiteachingiisinoidifferent.iWhetheriin-
service,inoviceioriseasonediveteran,iaidedicatediteacheriisialwaysilookingitoiimproveitheiridailyim
ethods,isoithatitheyicanibetteriresponditoiinstitutionalidemandsianditheiristudent’sineeds.iTheirefle
ctiveijournaliisiaiconvenientiwayitoidoithisibecauseiinisimpleiterms,iitifunctionsiasiaimirroriandiarc
hiveiofiyouridailyiprofessionaliactivity.iIticanibeiairealiinstrumentiforisurvivaliwheniaiteacheriisica
ughtiiniaiviciousicircleiofistressiandinegativity,ibroughtionibyifailureiinitheiclassroom.

1. i Building i Understanding i and i Learning i through i Notation

Theireflectiveijournaliisianiintuitiveiwayiofilearningifromione’siownipersonaliandiprofessionaliex
perienceitoiinformipractice.iKeepingithisitypeiofijournaliisiakinitoiassigningiones’iinneriselfianiarc
hivediandiunfilteredivoice.iItiisiaisafeihaveniandiwayitoilearniaboutioneself:i“theigood,itheibad,iandi
theiugly”,iwhileidocumentingione’sistateiofimindifromilessonitoilessoniandidayitoiday.

Manyiyoungioriinexperiencediteachersiareireticentitoispeakiaboutitheiriclassroomiissuesiwithicoll
eaguesiforifeariofijudgementi(Dave,itheinewimathiteacher,iisisoiincompetent!)ioriretributioni(Youi
willineveribelieveiwhatiSarah,itheiFrenchiteacher,itoldimeiaboutihericlass!).iItiisiaiwayitoiprivatelyi
noteidowniissuesiandiproblems,iwhileitakingitheirawiemotioni(feelingsiofifailure,idoubtiandifear)ia
ndipanicioutiofitheiequation,iiniorderitoifindiconcreteisolutionsitoiclassroomiissues,ioneilogicaliste
piatiaitime.

2. i Understanding i Learner i Development i and i Monitoring i Student i Learning i Achi

evements
Itiisiimportantitoiunderstandihowilearnersiacquireiknowledgeiinitheiclassroom.iMonitoringistuden
tilearningiachievementsiisinotionlyianiindividualimatteriforitheisimpleireasonithatieachistudentiisip
artiofiaiwholeiclass.iApartifromiindividualiassessmentsiandievaluations,ihaveiyouieverireflectedio
nitheiclassiasiaiwholeifunctioningiunit?
i Theireflectiveijournalicaniallowiforithisitypeiofiobservationiofiandireflectionioniclassroomimanag
ementiandienvironments.

Foriinstance,iperhapsiwithicertainigroupsiofistudents,iitiwouldibeimoreiappropriateitoinotionlyiinc
orporateigroupiactivitiesianditasks,ibutialsoiacceptithatisomeiapprehensiveioriintrovertedistudentsi
workiindependentlyiandidifferentlyifromitheiothers.iDependingionitheiageileveliofitheistudents,ith
eiapproachitoiteachingi(aniunfairidoubleistandarditoisome)imayineeditoibeidefinedianditactfullyiex
plained,iwithoutiinsultingioricenteringioutitheiconcernediindividuals.

3. i Becoming i a i Reflective i Professional

Asimentionediearlieritheiteacheriwhoikeepsiaireflectiveijournaliwillibenefitiinimanyidifferentiway
s.iTheireflectioniprocessiisiaiconsciousieffortiatitheiearlyistages,ihowever,ioveritime;ithisiprocessiis
i rapidlyiassimilatediandibecomesisecondinaturei(aniunconscious,imetacognitiveiskill).iTheireflect
iveimethodiwilliassistitheiteacheritoiacquireimanyitransversaliskillsithatiwilliprovideithemitheiopp
ortunityitoiworkimoreiefficientlyiinianiindependentioricollegialifashion.iTheseiskillsiareiusefuliand
i applicableiinibothiprofessionaliandipersonalilife.

4. i Improving i Decision-making
Ininotingidownilessons,ipersonaliandistudentifeedback,iteachersistanditoigainiaibetteriunderstandi
ngiofiwhatiimpactitheirimethodsiandistrategiesihaveionitheiristudent’silearningistyles.iInitheilong-
termiandiwithimuchiexperience,itheiteachericanilearnitoiquicklyiperceiveieventualiobstaclesioripitf
allsiassociatediwithiaispecificiteachingimethodioriapproach.

Asitheiteacheribecomesiaccustomeditoitheivariousistudentilearningistrategiesiandistyles,itheineedif
oriadaptationimayibeinecessaryionibehalfiofibothitheiteacheriandistudent.iDependingionitheisituati
on,icontext,istudents,iandiresources,itheiteacheriwhoiadheresitoitheireflectiveiprocessimayidemons
trateiaiveryiflexibleiandispontaneousinature,ibyiadaptingitheiripedagogyimid-lesson.

5. i Developing i Metacognitive i Skills

Sinceireflectioniisiaistateiofimind,ireflectioniwillibecomeisecondinatureiforitheiteacheriwhoiadoptsi
aireflectiveijournaliprocess.iThisiprocessiwillienhanceitheiteachingiexperience,isinceiitihasitheifoll
owingibuiltiini“scientificiprocess”,iifiyouiwill:
 makeianiobservationi(Theistudentsiareinotiansweringimyiquestions.);

 askiaiquestioni(Didieveryoneiunderstandimyiquestion?);

 formiani‘if’ihypothesis,ioritestableiexplanationi(Perhapsitheyican’tiseeioriunderstandimyidiagr
amionitheiboard.iIfiIiimproveitheidiagram,iperhapsithisiwillihelp.);

 makeiaipredictionibasedionitheihypothesisi(Iineeditoiuseianothericolouritoiillustrate.);

 testitheipredictioni(Useianothericolouriandidarkenitheiinformationionitheiboard.);

 repeat:iUseitheiresultsitoimakeinewihypothesesioripredictionsi(Theyiareistillinotiansweringi–
i theiproblemiisinotimyidiagramionitheiboard.iPerhapsitheyidon’tiunderstandithisiproblem,iquest
ion,iillustration,iandiexample.iLetimeitryithatiagainiwithianotherimethodioriexample.),iandithen
,

 startitheiprocessionceiagain.

Overitimeiandiwithipractise,ithisiprocessicanibeiusedidirectlyiinitheiclassroomienvironmentitoiasse
ssistudentilearningiiniorderitoisignalitheineedioriopportunityitoimodifyiandiadaptiaiteachingisituati
on.iItibuildsitransversalimetacognitiveiskillsisinceiitirequiresijudgement,icriticalianalysis,ibrainsto
rming,iandicollaboration.iAnditheseiskillsileaditoibetteriinformedidecision-makingiandiself-
confidenceibuilding.