Learning Diary by Fernanda R https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis en-us 2017-10-19 11:21:41 UTC 2023-02-20 01:41:10 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Optimplaces.png Learning Diary fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/198599142 Hi everyone,
I'm Fernanda and I'm a teacher in Portugal. I work In a small school in the centre of Portugal. You can visit us at http://agrupamentodeescolasdeavis.pt/.
I'm always looking for ways to improve my classrom action with interesting ways to teach.]]> 2017-10-19 11:23:50 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/198599142 fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/198603094 Module 1
  1. Understand what PBL is and isn't
  2. Reflect on our own teaching practice and how this corresponds to a PBL approach
  3. Identify different components of effective PBL and which of these will be the most challenging in our context
  4. Develop a first idea for implementing a PBL approach in our context and formulate a driving question
]]> 2017-10-19 11:41:47 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/198603094 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/200327342 Students (and teachers for that matter)  in Portugal aren't used to taking initiative. They think they are supposed to listen and learn. There's no "do" in the equation and PBL is about doing. So, changing the roles in the classroom seems to be the hardest part. The students are used to this passivity and the teacher to being in charge and in control. The teacher as a facilitator and the student as a "doer" is the most challenging aspect of PBL. 

]]> 2017-10-25 10:16:35 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/200327342 Assessment fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/200328415 Loved this rubric]]> 2017-10-25 10:22:07 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/200328415 Optional P2PReflections on our current teaching practice fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201143730 Reflecting on our own teaching strategies everyday is part of the teaching process. Usually we take hints from the lesson to improve and change and lead the students for a better and effective learning.
We become really upset and frustrated when we realize that an activity that took a long time to prepare goes up in smoke and the students didn’t really get the point, didn’t learn what we tried to teach or couldn’t use the information in a specific, real situation.
But, how do we know the lesson went well? Do we test them? Do we ask them? How? Do we rely on instinct alone? Do we base our decisions on results? Sometimes a lesson I think was quite successful isn’t because I couldn’t get them to use what they learn. 
Once I was teaching the students how to invite and suggest in English. To avoid the classical translation from Portuguese to English, I showed them several ways to do that (videos, recordings in different contexts) and we went through the language issues and the “formulas” they should use. Sometime after that, I asked them to invite a friend to go to the cinema and suggest the time and place to meet. Many of them just did what I wanted to avoid (translating) and just could accomplish the task. So I decided to write the sentences in flash cards and have them order them, match them to pictures and then act them out. It apparently worked because they could do it later by themselves.
This year I decided to create an activity that I hope will help me with the gap that exists between the process of teaching a language – grammar, lexis and so on – and the real use of language and the fact that they forget basic words and structures. It’s meant to be a collaborative strategy. Along the school year the student will engage in a class competition: periodically and in groups they will have to solve problems, situations, etc to get points. They get extra points for their group if they get a good mark in a test, or do really well in an individual task or are able to something they couldn’t before. The last activity we did was - they had to describe 3 people in class and the other had to guess who it was to get points. They were really good at it and I was a surprised that they overcome some of their most common mistakes in order to “get points”, aided by the fact that they were working in a group, helping each other and contributing.
In this approach I think I’m not really using PBL and it is like a “side dish” to complement activities but I think it is very small step on a long road. The informal assessment I did got to be real when they had to do the same in a test.
I think that the Environmental issues that I have to discuss with my 8th graders may open nice possibilities to work with PBL – create a web page, a campaign.
]]> 2017-10-27 11:12:48 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201143730 Developing effective collaboration for PBL fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201507685 Collaboration is not just working in groups to produce something. It isn’t easy. Dr Deirdre raises an important question – “How do I help students develop skills? “. The first step is to think about the task presented to the students. After answering the questionnaire and reading the rubrics on 21st century learning, I think I’m at level 3. Mostly, the students have shared responsibility over their work but they don’t make substantial  decisions together and they don’t work interdependently. Working in a group is not a guarantee that collaboration exists. Many times students divide the work they are supposed to do among themselves and usually the outcome is difficult to assess and they aren’t able to answer simple questions regarding the overall product of their work. This is even more true when they have to do work outside the classroom. I have been trying to change this: all tasks are done in the classroom but it’s difficult to have the right surroundings for that. The classroom is too small, we don’t have computers, students aren’t used to this kind of work and they aren’t self-sufficient  - “How do I help students develop skills?


]]> 2017-10-29 16:39:59 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201507685 fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201507928 2017-10-29 16:42:28 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201507928 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201509132 http://www.pindex.com/;
http://app.wizer.me/
Haven't tried it yet Mouse Mischief lets teachers insert interactive questions, polls, and drawing activity slides into their lessons. Students can actively participate in these lessons by using their own mice to click, circle, cross out, or even draw answers on the screen. 

]]> 2017-10-29 16:54:45 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201509132 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201509358 People thinking together.
https://www.matrixmanagementinstitute.com/blog/collaborative-work-style-bring-leaders-on-board]]> 2017-10-29 16:56:45 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201509358 Tricider - PBL in the classroom activity fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201649459 2017-10-30 10:34:31 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201649459 Progress fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201651256 2017-10-30 10:44:02 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/201651256 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202186108 Two years ago I decided to teach 3rd grade English for the firts time. It was really hard at firts because I was used to 7th to 12th graders. But I kept working and adjusting, they adjusted a bit too. I worked with them  for two years. They are now in the 5th grade and are no longer my students but they keep coming to say hello and we will find each other again in two years when they go to the 7th grade.]]> 2017-10-31 15:17:40 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202186108 Scaffolding fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202207769 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTR_snb-0nQ&feature=youtu.be]]> 2017-10-31 15:56:51 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202207769 Scaffolding for Student Ownership and Independence fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202208285 I think that it is so hard for us to "not give them too much support" as it for them trying to do things by themselves. Making mistakes is a part of the process both for teachers and students.]]> 2017-10-31 15:57:54 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202208285 Resilience fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202211940 How Resilient Are You?
You got: You have some resilience, but could develop more.

]]> 2017-10-31 16:04:24 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202211940 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202217396 If we always point out the bad things and ignore the students progress we are neglecting the small steps they take to learn things that are sometimes really hard for them. Give them a well done even if the progress is microscopic. A little smile at the end of a not so good text just because this time the student decided to write it can go a long way.]]> 2017-10-31 16:13:59 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/202217396 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/204379250 This is not a peaceful subject among Portuguese teachers as you have probably gathered from the different Portuguese contributions here. There is not an explicit "rule" from the Ministry saying you have to have tests. The guide lines say there 3 types of evaluation (diagnostic, sumative and formative) and that you should favour the formative assessment for working in the classroom. But the teachers have different understandings of what that is and they do not use this type of assessment to change classroom pratice when necessary to scaffold students work. Feedback is confused with positive reinforcement and praise or critic. Portuguese assessemtn relies too much on summative assessment and assessment is still a "black box" (Black and Wiliam) inside the classroom.]]> 2017-11-07 14:59:34 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/204379250 Fernanda, Portugal fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/204423156 Peer assessment is very useful and it really helps. In this course, for example, I value the contributions from my collegues because I know they have many of the restrictions and problems I do. We can benefit from each other and our experience. With students it works in a similar way, I believe.]]> 2017-11-07 16:03:12 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/204423156 Learning Design fmbravis https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/207090075 Hi! This is my final design. I used the Project design rubric and I tried my best but it is still a bit hard to give control to the students - I always fear they won't be learning enough! I think I have a nice project even though it is not perfect but it's a first try. If you need any further information, please use: fmbravis@gmail.com. Any suggestions will be most welcome.
https://v.gd/HfQOTO
]]> 2017-11-15 08:55:46 UTC https://padlet.com/fmbravis/escolamestredeavis/wish/207090075