janicechian.files.wordpress.com€¦ · Web viewCambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers. Module 5291. Design: Planning and Preparation. Assignment Template for

Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and TrainersModule 5291

Design: Planning and PreparationAssignment Template for examination in 2011

By completing this form and submitting the assignment for assessment by CIE I confirm that the assignment is all my own work. I have appropriately referenced and acknowledged any work taken from another source.

Date of Submission

CIE Unique Candidate IdentifierCentre number Year Candidate number Check digit

Candidate Name

JANICE CHAN MEI SHEN

© CIE 2010

Your context

(approximately 300 words)

Please give brief information about your context:

Your professional background

After high school, I went to University of Manchester, UK to study medicine. I graduated from the university with a MBChB. I went on to do 1 of my 2 years of housemanship (foundation training) in the UK. In my first year I did rotations in cardiology, general surgery and accident and emergency. I then returned to Malaysia to complete my second year of housemanship. I did rotations in Orthopaedics, Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology in my second year.

As part of the housemanship training programme, we had weekly teaching sessions where we taught one another what we had learnt through case presentations, where we discussed cases we met on the ward and taught each other about the condition through a concept known as evidence-based medicine. There were also mortality and morbidity meetings, which we presented to learn about best practices.

Due to personal reasons and the love for good quality teaching, I decided to make a career change after 2 years of practising medicine and decided to teach. I am currently employed at Fairview International School Wangsa Maju where I am making my first debut as a teacher.

Your role and responsibilities

I am currently teaching Chemistry at the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) level. I am also the homeroom teacher to the graduating batch of IBDP students. This gives me a role in pastoral care, career guidance as well as personal counselling. I am also the Co-curriculum Activities (CCA) Coordinator for the school and am responsible for the organisation and smooth running of all CCA’s.

Your institution

Fairview International School Wangsa Maju campus is located at the residential area of Section 6, Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school has roughly 500 - 100 students with different nationalities, including Malaysians. It is a new campus, which still undergoes expansion.

It is also one of the campus, that is nominated as IB World School, which offers Primary Year Programme (PYP), Middle Year Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP). The language of instruction for the school is English.

Assignment Template for 5291 Design: Planning and preparation. For examination in 2011.

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Your learners

The group of students I will be studying for the Diploma is the graduating batch of IBDP students. The age group of these students are 17-19 and I have been teaching them for just over a year now and as they will be taking their exams in May 2013, they will have a lot to learn.

Your professional development during the Diploma


What do you expect to learn from this Module about design which will help you in the next Module, which focuses on practice?

As my students will be taking the IBDP exams soon and are preparing for a career and university education, I hope to be able to meet all their educational needs and ambitions. From there I would like to be able to plan and design learning programmes and learning sessions which will cater to the needs of my students at the same time meeting the requiremtns of the International Baccalaureate (IB). I hope my students will not only obtain knowledge from me but be able to apply their knowledge in other areas and to be able to use the learning skills they developed with me in their future as well.


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Part A: Designing the programme and the sessions1.1.1 Identifying aims and objectives


Which aspects of your professional practice would you like to change and develop in undertaking the Diploma, and why?

Having personally experienced the traditional, uninteresting “chalk and talk” lessons, this is my first impression of what a teacher does. Whilst this method of teaching can be effective, it is very teacher centred and students are very easily distracted and disinterested. I would like to gain insight and use the wide array of teaching methods and make my lessons more engaging and effective for learners to not only learn the content but to be able to connect pieces of the puzzle of the world together. I would like to be able to teach my students not just content but how to ask questions and learn for themselves.

What are the most important factors for you in designing the programme?

As I am teaching students who will be undertaking an important exam at the end of their studies, I need to ensure that they will be able to achieve academically. They must be able to fulfil the IBDP’s demanding internal and external assessments. However, beyond that, I would like to encourage them to be inquirers and thus independent learners.

How are you dealing with these factors in the programme plan?

The IB Diploma Chemistry guide provides me introduces me to the educational philosophy of the IB as well as the course structure. I also learn collaboratively with a more senior teachers in the department as to how to design and deliver the IB programme, especially the internal assessments. We also discuss and evaluate different teaching strategies which we have found useful. The Online Curriculum Centre (OCC) also provides a platform for me to talk to teachers from other parts of the world who are also teaching the IB programme and gain more insight and obtain resources for my lessons.

I also constantly get feedback from my students as to how they found their lessons. This feedback also allows me to plan and deliver lessons in methods which they find most useful and interesting.


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1.1.2 Understanding your learners


How have you identified the needs, aspirations and potential of your learners?

As I have a relatively small class, I focus on personal relations and speak to my students individually to learn more about their background, how they find the subject and their academics in general and their also their future aspirations. To obtain a more objective insight into their needs and potential, I conduct regular formative and summative assessments to ensure that their learning is progressing. This allows me identify and work on subject areas which they are weak at, whether the class as a whole or individual students.

What are their needs, both as a group and as individual learners?

My class consists of students with mixed abilities. They have varying degrees of background knowledge in Chemistry and some struggle more than others in understanding Chemistry concepts. I also have students with slightly weaker English proficiency, which affects their understanding of the material as well as the quality of their written work.

Through observation and conversations with students, I have also identified students who are too shy to ask questions, less motivated and easily distracted.

How have you designed learning activities to relate to the learner needs you have identified?

I use a varied approach, using a selection of web simulations, animations as well as class demonstrations and experiments to demonstrate certain concepts. In order to achieve collaborative learning, I also engage students in group activities such as the “think-pair-sharing” or group presentations. I encourage my students to ask questions and will also ask students questions at regular intervals to keep them engaged and allow them to link their knowledge together. Regular summative assessments also help me assess my students progress.


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1.2.1 Planning the learning programme


How are you integrating active learning into your learning programme?

Relating to daily life:Chemistry is a physical science and so one of the best ways to teach chemistry is through relating the content to daily life. I try to bring in as many real life examples of chemistry at play and also encourage students to think of how chemistry relates to their lives and where they have seen the chemistry content at play.

Demonstration and experimentation:I find that students learn to associate what they learn in experiments to the content very well when more than on sense in used. By experimentation, students are performing and observing reactions with their own eyes.

Problem-based learning:My students backgrounds mean that they are very used to the traditional “chalk and talk” type of lessons and they sometimes find some of active learning strategies too challenging so whilst I use the traditional lecture method, I incorporate regular pauses in the lecture to pose a problem or a question for students to solve.

Learning by teaching:To allow students to learn from a different perspective, I occasionally run student teaching sessions. Each student is given a small part to study and then teach it to their classmates in any manner they see fit. The class is then given a chance to question the student teacher.

How are you integrating assessment into the learning programme, to ensure that learning has taken place?

Formative assessments: Laboratory sessions – students perform experiments in pairs or groups of 3. Experiments may be

performed to observe concepts already learned in class or to test their hypotheses based on prior knowledge. They are assessed based on their work attitude, ability to follow instructions, lab safety and how they carry out techniques. Their written work will also be assessed through their lab reports.

In class questioning – the quickest most often used technique to assess if students have learnt is through questioning in between teaching sessions.

Problem-solving – Worksheets for problem solving given out in class or as homework

Summative assessments: End of unit tests- this allows me to see if the student has mastered the content of that particular unit

and identify where he or she is weak. Mid/ End of semester exams: this is a review of all the previously studied topics.


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How do you plan to use the outcomes of these assessment exercises?

Laboratory sessions:If they are struggling to perform the experiment itself, I will be able to guide them and identify their weakness and needs. The write up of the lab reports lets me judge if a student comprehends a particular concept through their data collection, analysis and conclusion. Their evaluation also shows how much insight they have into the experiment.

In-class questioning:This is a quick feedback for me to assess if students have understood a specific part of the content delivered in class. This allows me to go recap the material in class again if there was any misunderstanding.

Problem-solving worksheets:This lets me know if students understand a specific concept. It also serves to identify if students are able to apply the concept in different situations.

Tests:This gives me a summary of the students overall performance over a specific time frame. It also tells me which topics a student is weak at. Students themselves will be able to identify their weaknesses for improvement as well as their strengths from the results.


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Your programme plan

Programme title

Acids and Bases

Aims

Describe acids and bases and relate them to our daily livesTo be aware of the impact of our knowledge of acids and bases to the economy and environmentStudents are able to apply and use their knowledge of acids and bases To develop the students experimental and investigative scientific skills

Learning objectives

By the end of the programme, students should be able to:1. Define acids and bases and deduce if a species is a Bronsted-Lowry and/or Lewis acid or base2. Describe the properties of acids and bases3. Distinguish between weak and strong acids and bases4. Understand the pH scale5. Solve problems involving acids and bases involving [H+], [OH-], pH and pOH and using the expressions Ka x Kb = Kw,

pKa + pKb = pKw, and pH + pOH = pKw6. Describe acid base buffers and solve problems involving buffer systems7. Understand salt hydrolysis8. Perform and understand acid-base titrations and explain the important features of an neutralisation graph9. Describe acid-base indicators and identify suitable indicators for specific acid-base titrations


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Plan

Session

Date/time

Learning activities Assessment Resources Evaluation

1 Lesson 1 Students research the development of the different definitions of acids and base. Students use their research results to deduce if a species is a Bronsted-Lowry and or a Lewis acid or base.

Formative assessment:Q&AProblem worksheet

Internet, Textbook, Worksheet

Oral-feedbackSelf evaluation

2 Lesson 2 Students perform experiments to investigate the properties of acids and bases.

Formative assessment:Lab report

http://www.wmich.edu/chemed/documents/MON-P04Acid-BaseLabStations.pdf

Written feedback

3 Lesson 3 Students watch an animation on weak and strong acids.

Students perform virtual experiments on electrical conductivity and chemical reactions to distinguish between strong and weak acids and bases.

Formative assessment:Virtual experiment results write up

Laptops, Internet

http://cwx.prenhall.com/petrucci/medialib/media_portfolio/text_images/069_LewisA_BTheo.MOV

http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/acid-base-solutions

Written feedback

4 Lesson 4 Students use the pH scale to distinguish between acids, bases and neutral solutions and their relative strengths.

Q&AReflection write up

Internet, Textbook Oral feedbackSelf evaluation


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Session

Date/time


Students research the effects of acid deposition and the effects of small changes in pH in natural environments.

5 Lesson 5 Students use an online tutorial to learn about the ionisation of water.

Students solve problems involving [H+], [OH-], pH and pOH.

Tutorial questionsProblem worksheet

Laptops, Internet, Worksheet

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/chemistry/gilbert2/chemtours.asp#16

Self evaluation

6 Lesson 6 Students learn to solve problems involving solutions of weak acids and bases and identify relative strengths of acids and bases using values of Ka, Kb, pKa and pKb.

Problem worksheet Worksheet Self evaluation

7 Lesson 7 Students learn about the composition of buffers and its action using an animation and virtual experiments.

Students are introduced to buffers in nature by an example of arterial blood gas Students then solve problems involving a buffer system.

Problem worksheet/ virtual experiment results

Internet, Laptops, Worksheet http://www.ganfyd.org/index.php?title=File:ABG_compensated_metabolic_acidosis.jpg

http://www.mhhe.com/physsci/chemistry/essentialchemistry/flash/buffer12.swf

http://group.chem.iastate.edu/Greenbowe/sections/

Self evaluation


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http://group.chem.iastate.edu/Greenbowe/sections/projectfolder/flashfiles/acidbasepH/pHbuffer20.html





http://www.ganfyd.org/index.php?title=File:ABG_compensated_metabolic_acidosis.jpg






Session

Date/time


projectfolder/flashfiles/acidbasepH/pHbuffer20.html

8 Lesson 8 Students deduce whether salts form acidic, alkaline or neutral aqueous solutions and confirm by experimentation.

SummaryQ&ADiscussion

Textbook, Internet, Salt solutions, pH probe

Self and peer evaluation

9 Lesson 9 Students are split in groups to study titrations involving strong acids and strong bases, strong acids and weak base, weak acid and strong base and weak acid and weak base.

Students then take turns to teach each other the general shapes of the titration curves and its important features.

Group presentation Textbook, Laptops, internet


Self and peer evaluation

10 Lesson 10

Students describe and explain the action of an indicator and how it relates to its pKa value.

Students identify the appropriate indicator for specific neutralisation reactions.

Worksheet Worksheet

http://cwx.prenhall.com/petrucci/medialib/media_portfolio/text_images/070_NaturalIndica.MOV

Self and written evaluation

Use as many rows in the table as applicable – add rows if necessary


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1.2.2 Planning the learning sessions

Learning Session 1


How do you intend to prepare the learning resources and learning environment for this particular learning session?

Learning resources:A variety of learning resources will be used in this lesson. Students have access to the Chemistry textbook, as well as the internet for research work. Websites for animations and virtual experiments will be utilised. An arterial blood gas result sample was also obtained. A worksheet is also prepared from a variety of websites and textbooks. Books used include, Higher Level Chemistry and Standard Level Chemistry, by Catrin Brown and Mike Ford, Chemistry by Sadru Damji and John Greene and Chemistry for the IB Diploma by Geoffrey Neuss.

Learning environment:The lesson takes place in Fairview International School’s Chemistry Lab. It is equipped with 2 whiteboards, a projector and a projector screen and good wi-fi access. There are 6 large tables which sits 4 students each, arranged so that all students have a good view of the white board, 4 basins, a safety shower and a fume cupboard. It is an air-conditioned room with a good ventilation system.

What roles do you expect to play in the learning session?

Facilitator – I will organise the class to move from one activity to another. I will also encourage students to participate in discussion.

Instructor - I will be teaching students so that they understand the subject. However, at the same time, I would encourage them to think and make their own connections in the subject manner by providing them with prompts and encourage them to think outside the box.

What roles will your learners play in the learning session?

Communicators – Students work effectively and collaboratively with one another during group work and present their findings confidently.

Inquirers – Students develop their natural curiosity through research work. They develop their research skills using the internet and books.


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How do you plan to evaluate this learning session?

Self-evaluation/ reflection – by reflecting on the way the lesson went. Asking myself what went right and what I could have done better.

Peer evaluation – I intend to ask a colleague to observe my class and give me feedback.

Learner’s evaluation – who else would give me better feedback but those receiving the lesson? I would request the students give me feedback on what they enjoyed and what could have been improved


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Your session plan for Learning Session 1


Session title Lesson 7: Buffer solutions

Aim Students are able to understand how buffer solutions work and solve problems involving buffer solutions

Learning objectives To describe the composition of a buffer solutionTo explain how a buffer worksTo solve problems involving the composition and pH of a specified buffer system

Plan

Time Teacher Activity Learner Activity Differentiation Assessment Materials/Resources

5 mins

Teacher starts lesson by asking “What is a buffer, how does it work and where do you find them?

Students brainstorm what “buffers” are, how they work and where they are found

Encouraging quieter students to voice their opinions

N/A N/A

10 mins

Teacher shows an animation on buffers and then summarises what buffers are and how they work

Students watch an animation on buffers N/A N/A Projector, laptop

http://www.mhhe.com/physsci/chemistry/essentialchemistry/


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flash/buffer12.swf30 mins

Teacher introduces a virtual experiment to students with groups specific task given

Students in groups of 2 or 3 use a virtual experiment to find out how buffers work. Students then present their findings.

Each group will be chosen based on ability and given different tasks according to their ability

Presentation of virtual experiment results

Laptops, Internet


10 mins

Teacher introduces natural buffers in blood using an arterial blood gas report sample

Students research where else natural buffers can be found

N/A N/A Internet, Textbook


15 mins

Teacher teaches students how solve problems involving a buffer system through an example

Students work on worksheet provided solving problems involving buffer systems

Questions with different difficulty levels

Worksheet Worksheet

10 mins

Teacher discusses one or two problems in the worksheet which students struggled with

Students take notes N/A N/A


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Notes


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Learning Session 2


How do you intend to prepare the learning resources and learning environment for this particular learning session?

Learning resources:A variety of learning resources will be used in this lesson. Students have access to the Chemistry textbook, as well as the internet for research work. Websites for animations and virtual experiments will be utilised. An arterial blood gas result sample was also obtained. A worksheet is also prepared from a variety of websites and textbooks. Books used include, Higher Level Chemistry and Standard Level Chemistry, by Catrin Brown and Mike Ford, Chemistry by Sadru Damji and John Greene and Chemistry for the IB Diploma by Geoffrey Neuss.

Learning environment:The lesson takes place in Fairview International School’s Chemistry Lab. It is equipped with 2 whiteboards, a projector and a projector screen and good wi-fi access. There are 6 large tables which sits 4 students each, arranged so that all students have a good view of the white board, 4 basins, a safety shower and a fume cupboard. It is an air-conditioned room with a good ventilation system.

What roles do you expect to play in the learning session?

Facilitator – I will organise the class to move from one activity to another. I will also encourage students to participate in discussion. I will also provide prompts to encourage them to make their own connections in the subject matter.

Consultant – I will be available to answer and clarify any questions or doubts the students have.

What roles will your learners play in the learning session?

Inquirers – students are asking questions to gain knowledge. They are also actively learning by making hypotheses and experimenting to gain knowledge.

Thinkers – Students use previous knowledge to and apply thinking skills to critically and creatively approach the content of the lesson.

Communicators – students learn by teaching others. In doing so they are working on communicative skills to be both a good speaker and listener.


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How do you plan to evaluate this learning session?

Learner’s evaluation – Students will be leaving me feedback in the form of a summary of what they have learnt at the end of the class. This will give me a good idea as to how much they have learnt in this session.

Self evaluation – I would be reflecting on the way the lesson went, asking myself what went right and what I could have done better.


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Your session plan for Learning Session 2


Session title Lesson 8: Salt hydrolysis

Aim To enable students to apply and use their knowledge to deduce the acid-base property of a salt

Learning objectives Students are able to deduce whether salts form acidic, alkaline or neutral aqueous solutions

Plan


10 mins

Teacher introduces the topic by stating that salt (NaCl) solutions are neutral. Teacher then poses the question “Are all salt solutions (the products of various neutralisation reactions) neutral?”

Students use the think-pair share method to hypothesize if certain salt solutions will be acidic, neutral or basic

Students are paired according to ability

Q&A

15 Teacher prepares Students use pH probes to test the pH of N/A N/A pH probes


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mins various salt solutions for students to test

different salt solutions Salt solutions

45 mins

Teacher introduces the Jigsaw teaching strategy

Using a ‘Jigsaw’ teaching strategy, students are paired to study cation and anion hydrolysis. Those studying anion and cation hydrolysis from the different pairs then group together to discuss their findings. Students then return to their pairs to teach each other what they have learnt

Students of similar abilities are paired together

Observation of discussions

TextbookInternet

10 mins

Closure Students summarize their findings in their notes N/A Summary


Notes


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Part B: Reflective ReportIn your report, you should reflect on your overall experience of planning the learning programme and learning sessions. Among your reflections on this stage of the teaching and learning cycle and your Diploma project, you should include the following themes:(a) The sources (human, published and web-based) you used in designing this programme plan

and the two learning sessions, and the ways you have used them.(b) The highlights of your planned programmes and learning sessions which you think will

particular facilitate active learning and encourage learners. How might learning be extended beyond the two learning sessions you have designed?

(c) What have you learned about the process of designing programmes and sessions?


Someone once said, “great lessons begin with good planning”. Being a new teacher, I couldn’t agree more. However, good planning is multifactorial and being new to the teaching industry, I struggled initially. As part of the CPE in my school, there is always a lot of talk about active learning, different teaching strategies, learning styles, learning resources, ideal learning environments and classroom management. Before I could even start planning, I had to learn about all of these aspects, what they meant, what was ideal and how to implement them all. This was no easy task and I am still learning something new everyday.

Besides that, I had to familiarise myself with IB Chemistry programme and all that the programme encompasses “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect; encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

In planning, I first identify the objectives of the lesson before choosing a teaching or learning activity. The end of the class then culminates with a strategy to check students’ understanding.

In planning my programme, the IB Chemistry Guide has been indispensable. The aims and objectives of my programme are developed from the aims and objectives of the course as well as the prescribed syllabus. I also had help from my more experienced colleagues who were invaluable in giving me general advice about teaching and planning my programme as well as lessons. They were there for me to bounce ideas off them and even to provide me with resources, which they have found useful.

Besides that, I am experimenting with teaching strategies, which I have come across in reading “The Strategic Teacher” by Silver et al. The book explores 16 different teaching strategies, which are based on 4 learning styles. The “dashboard” summary of each strategy describes when to use it best, whether it is introducing a topic or for assessments and which learning style it relates to. In planning this programme I have utilised the “New American Lecture” and “Direct instruction” teaching strategies which are Mastery learning strategies, “Jigsaw” teaching strategy which is an interpersonal learning strategy as well as “Inductive Learning” teaching strategy which is a Self-Expressive form of learning strategy.

In today’s day and age, the internet is also an extensive amount of resources. I am able to obtain countless


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numbers of videos, animations, virtual experiments, worksheets etc from the internet.

Inquiry learning and constructivism plays a major role in IB’s philosophy. Scientific experiments lend itself naturally to the inquirer part of the programme and I include several opportunities for students to research topics and ideas. I also try to start my lessons by establishing a students prior knowledge so that I can build upon it rather than teach them something they already know. Instead of giving them all the answers, I provide prompts to encourage students to make their own links in the subject matter. This does well to facilitate active learning and develop curiosity in themselves as well as the world. Students become independent learners and problem solving comes naturally.

The major highlight of this programme has to be the “Jigsaw” lesson on Salt hydrolysis. This strategy employed so many aspects of active learning. Although the content of the topic was important, there were so many other components to it. Students were empowered to learn something on their own accord so that the group as a whole learns together. If someone does not pull their own weight, the entire group suffers. In this lesson students learned about researching and the importance of selecting relevant information from reliable sources. Good communication skills was also needed as they had to organise their findings to be clear, concise and coherent in order to teach someone else.

To extend the learning beyond the learning sessions I have designed, I could have assigned students with research projects or provide them with worksheets for homework for them to practice and reinforce their knowledge. Encouraging students to summarise the lesson in their own words may also be helpful in strengthening their understanding.

To evaluate if students have achieved the learning objectives, I use a variety of formative assessments. The assessments I have employed in this programme include the “Jigsaw” session, worksheets, group presentations as well as informal question and answer sessions. The summative assessment is a written test, which mimics the final examination closely. I use past paper questions to set the paper so that students get an idea of what kind of questions will be asked and how to respond to them.

Overall I think my programme and lesson design was effective and was received well by the students. Planning helped me solve and avoid a lot of problems in class. They allowed me to be more organised and systematic in teaching and allowed me to use a variety of teaching strategies so that lessons are not monotonous and students are maximally engaged. However, as Robert Burns puts it in his poem To a Mouse, “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men, Gang aft a-gley” which means things do not always go according to plan and I have also learnt to adapt my plans when necessary.


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janicechian.files.wordpress.com€¦ · Web viewCambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers. Module 5291. Design: Planning and Preparation. Assignment Template for