Reflective Analysis

My numeracy modules went very well in 2021 and I managed to achieve the top module success rate for IQTT5111 (92%). I think that three things have contributed to this success:

1. Keeping things simple
2. Activity-based approach
3. Relationship building with students

Keeping things simple is so important when it comes to numeracy modules and when it comes to higher certificate students. Using activities is the best way to get students to apply what they're learning & test their understanding as they go. It's also great with helping students to identify gaps in their understanding and get clarity before moving onto the next concept. I find that working on activities together as a class is fantastic as students learn best from each other. Students may have a unique way of explaining things or they may understand what's tricky about something and how best to help their peers. For activities to be successful in the classroom you need to build a good relationship with your students and establish a nurturing and supportive environment in which students feel safe to share and ask questions. I believe that I was able to do this and thereby create an optimal environment for learning. 

My ICTC6212 module was slightly less successful. It was my first time teaching this module and it's also a subject area that I have no formal education or training in. With this said, I was doing everything for the first time - learning as I was going.  I think I overcompensated because of my anxieties surrounding my lack of formal training and experience with this module. I provided students with too many resources and I think many of them felt overwhelmed. I over complicated things instead of simplifying like I do for IQTT5111. I also should have used the POE to guide the way I taught the content from the beginning, rather than trying to apply the content to the POE at the end of the semester. I think that this year I will get students to start working on the POE right from the start of the semester by using the five POE tasks as five of the ICE Tasks. My goal is to get students as prepared as possible for what matters most, the final submission of their POE. I also found that students lost interest as the semester progressed and attendance dropped. By the time I had my very important touchpoints for the POE, many students had stopped coming because they were busy completing other summative assessments. This is another reason why I don't want to leave the POE until the end of the semester. This year, I will simplify and focus my teaching on what's most important and relevant right from the start. 

On a positive note, the touchpoint resources that I created were really successful and definitely something that I will use again. Perhaps I can do something similar by creating one simple "survival guide" for each ICE Tasks. This way, I am breaking that big resource into small manageable chucks that students work on continuously as they progress from one ICE Task to the next.

I look forward to lecturing this year and putting my new ideas into practice. Here's to growth and progress as both an Educational Technologist and lecturer.