I used jokes to interact with ‘students’ and to manage those who could not follow as immediately. My colleagues commented that I was able to make them feel included through my individual responses which made them feel they were given attention. To cater for different levels, I had my students raise their hands before moving on. They also liked the level of engagement my tasks brought. My colleagues also liked how I demonstrated how to use the technology.

I have always been an overplanner. Because of this, I was unable to allow the students to do groupwork and student-student interaction. I hope to incorporate these later!

Language for Teaching: 3

Planning for Learning: 3

I am proud of using physical response to get the attention of my students. I had them react to my clapping instructions to get their energy out. In the real classroom, distracted students would be woken up by the sounds. In addition, I like how I used themes students in HK are interested in like Pokemon and superheroes to encourage intrinsic motivation. I also like how I called students directly so they would be on their toes and ready to answer. My classmates really enjoyed doing the self-evaluation with their fingers. They also liked how I used Jamboard to support pair discussion. One classmate commented on the warm and welcoming atmosphere I create in my classroom.

To improve, I need to make on keeping the theme more consistent. I first introduced the concept through Pokemon but the task was about Marvel. This may disorient some students whose minds are fixed on Pokemon. Moreover, I attempted to introduce the complex concept of empty versus not empty and should avoid teaching advanced ideas. I could also involve everyone in my task demonstration.

With regards to my goals for Week 3, I would like to continue readapting the materials to suit the interests of my target students but will keep the theme more consistent. I will also keep in mind to keep the level of ideas appropriate for the level of my students. I would also like to work on time management and ensuring everyone is involved during every demonstration. I would like to continue maintaining a positive atmosphere and using physical movement.

During the planning stage, Cherry and I prioritised motivating the students through their interests. This would work out well in an actual classroom as students love talking about movies. Cherry and I also focused on students creating their own language which is why we did not have a script but had question prompts instead.

My classmates noted that I have a confident and engaging teaching style. They commented that my introduction contained a lot of T-S interaction and liked the idea of having a conversation about upcoming movies.

The outline was helpful in building up to the main task, however my timing is quite off which is why I was unable to even do the main task in my peer teaching. Jot faced the same issue and I noticed that we had something in common. We keep chatting and responding to our students. I realised that I may have to resist the urge to chat with my students and focus on the main topic instead, especially since HK has a big syllabus to cover. Next time, I will leave less time for the build-up and more time for the main task.

The girls responded actively in certain topics. The controlled practice of imitating Cantonese in pairs seemed to appeal to them. They were intrigued by the topic of food, a similar trait which I have observed in Hong Kong. They had many dishes to suggest such as vegemite, pavlova, vegetarian sausages and veggies chips. Subjects which were relevant to their previous experiences appeared to intrigue them. They recommended locations such as Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, Gold Coast, Sydney Opera House and a gorge which I couldn’t quite catch the name of. They displayed genuine curiosity when they came up with their own questions pertaining to sports and school life.

I cannot speak for 6P but I felt that I was able to bring my bubbly personality through the screen. I was conscious to keep smiling throughout the class, answer all their questions and react through physical gestures and the reaction emojis available on Zoom. What was funny to me was that after I praised one student for clearly showing her face by coming in front of the camera and sharing her thoughts, the learners after her mimicked her behaviour. The girls also seemed elated when I joked, “See you in Australia!”

In terms of areas of improvement, there were times when there was a bit of information relaying. I believe that this could be improved by using guesswork and pictures to elicit ideas and allow the students to construct their own knowledge. Had there been more time, I would have had the learners discuss in pairs so the less vocal students have the opportunity to express themselves. This was such a valuable experience and brought me back to when I used to teach full-time. I miss my kids. 6P reminded me why I want to be a teacher.

I like how my peers used software such as Mentimeter and Jamboard to allow thinking time before eliciting responses from the students. I appreciate how some of them shared their experience or asked a question before sharing their video in order to set a context. I also admire how some of my classmates had their peers practise the skills covered in the video through mimicking teacher’s duties like marking and using the finger model. I also realised how important it is to add visual elements and to speak at an appropriate pace so viewers can keep up and stay focused on the videos.

In the future, I will keep in mind to set a context through eliciting experiences or doing guesswork. I will also remember to include an interactive follow-up task in which students have the opportunity not only to participate but to also share their ideas. It would be good to have some physical means of presenting their thoughts so students can feel that their responses are recognised.