The lesson was quite eventful and could be said to be one of our better, if not best, lessons, up till now. For a start, all the materials were brought thanks to Timothy, although they were not very well prepared and we could work on this by not pushing all the work to one member. Fortunately, we arrived early and hence had the time to prepare our materials right before the lesson started. Of course, when we were asked to do a dry run of the reading of the book, we realised that we should have practiced running through the book a few times before the lesson. Despite that, the storytelling still went quite well.
The lesson itself was quite smooth, and we were able to engage the kids in drawing their butterflies and they were also very interested judging from their more enthusiastic reactions than previous lessons. However, our lessons seem to have lost the original purpose of informing the kids about recycling through art. They seem to have totally forgotten what recycling is. For this, we have to work harder to improve on our next lesson such that they can see for themselves distinctly how recycled materials can be made into something aesthetically appealing too.
All in all, we have improved in terms of general quality of our lesson as well as preparation but can still be improved. We do have to focus more on recycling instead of the art itself.
Edison
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
RE reflection
Hey guys, i got around 10 minutes on the computer so imma make this quick.
Today's RE period of 100 minutes, was mostly used to create our final sample product for the final lesson we are doing with Little Wings the following week.
Here are some photos to detail the RE period.
I felt that today was rather productive, because we managed to complete the 'prototype' and plan out the future of the project and stuff.
We could have done better if we managed to think of the send off gift for the kids, and if we could decide whether if we wanted to do the final exhbition in september and stuff.
Also, we had alot of joking done in the room, and certain videos was taken that can be used to blackmail brent. hohoho
Yishu
Today's RE period of 100 minutes, was mostly used to create our final sample product for the final lesson we are doing with Little Wings the following week.
Here are some photos to detail the RE period.
I felt that today was rather productive, because we managed to complete the 'prototype' and plan out the future of the project and stuff.
We could have done better if we managed to think of the send off gift for the kids, and if we could decide whether if we wanted to do the final exhbition in september and stuff.
Also, we had alot of joking done in the room, and certain videos was taken that can be used to blackmail brent. hohoho
Yishu
Reflection on RE Period
Today's RE period was one of the most productive ones we had so far, as we were able to accomplish quite a lot and produce a sample product for the next lesson from scratch, despite being 1 member down. Also, we managed to plan out a schedule for most of the other things that have to be completed for our project, such as the article and oral presentation slides. I feel that instead of splitting up work to do individually, next time we should meet up whenever we need to assemble a product, such as a sample for the next lesson, and do it together. Assembling the product together not only promotes team unity, but makes it much easier to do.
Benjamin
Benjamin
Reflection on Re period -- Timothy
Today's RE period can be considered quite productive. We were able to stay on task during this period despite the fact that Ms Aileen was not around to facilitate discussion during this RE period. We were also able to try making our sample together as a team so that we share a common understanding about the problems and flaws in our current art sample. Furthermore, we were able to distribute our work evenly among the group members and I feel like we are making some progress.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
5th Lesson- Butterfly Mobile
In my opinion this lesson was conducted much more smoothly than some of our previous lessons. The majority of our materials-barring that of last minute additions- were prepared well beforehand. Also we had sufficient materials for each child to complete their own piece of work this time.
However I feel that there are still certain areas we should improve on. Firstly I feel that we should be more united as a team and help each other with their parts of work instead of just setting one whole set of work to one person while the others remain detached from it. I feel that this will be a crucial area in helping us produce a more cohesive effort and greater enhance the quality of work produced.
Secondly, I also feel that we should remember that one focus of our lessons should be on recycling and not just on artwork comprised of many random things. I feel that our lesson products are drifting further away from recycled materials and we ourselves are also taking less pains to remind the children of the link between the product and the recycled materials it was made from.
All in all, I feel that although we have improved from where we stood last time, we still have a way to go before reaching a satisfactory level of quality. However I believe that we can certainly reach it if we set our minds to it.
Brent
However I feel that there are still certain areas we should improve on. Firstly I feel that we should be more united as a team and help each other with their parts of work instead of just setting one whole set of work to one person while the others remain detached from it. I feel that this will be a crucial area in helping us produce a more cohesive effort and greater enhance the quality of work produced.
Secondly, I also feel that we should remember that one focus of our lessons should be on recycling and not just on artwork comprised of many random things. I feel that our lesson products are drifting further away from recycled materials and we ourselves are also taking less pains to remind the children of the link between the product and the recycled materials it was made from.
All in all, I feel that although we have improved from where we stood last time, we still have a way to go before reaching a satisfactory level of quality. However I believe that we can certainly reach it if we set our minds to it.
Brent
19 July lesson
I thought today was a great lesson hehe. However, the success of this lesson was more due to the appeal of the product itself, rather than the process. I felt that our material preparation was still lacklustre today because we didn't anticipate possible problems that could happen during the lesson. Today's lesson proved that we should prepare way in advance to succeed even better. Although easier said than done, we should be more prepared for lessons in the future.
Today, we went to little wings by taxi, and reached early, luckily. This gave us time to touch up on our materials, and fix any loopholes that our materials had. The children were wonderfully obedient today, with neither of the notorious twins (Syafiq and Adi), causing a ruckus for us today. All of them did their work, and followed my instructions. (Brent and I conducted the lesson from different sides of the classroom).
I have taken some photos of the lesson today, but I will upload them another day.
tl;dr
1. Prepare better for the FINAL LESSON (FOLLOWING WEEK)
2. Anticipate possible problems during lesson.
3. Be more active with the children, be less passive.
4. Document the whole lesson (problem cos we lack the manpower)
5. Convey the recycling message more efficiently.
K I have to prepare for maths test tmr.
Yishu
P.S. tl;dr implies that what i summarised below tl;dr was mentioned in the reflection above. This is not the case. My bad
Today, we went to little wings by taxi, and reached early, luckily. This gave us time to touch up on our materials, and fix any loopholes that our materials had. The children were wonderfully obedient today, with neither of the notorious twins (Syafiq and Adi), causing a ruckus for us today. All of them did their work, and followed my instructions. (Brent and I conducted the lesson from different sides of the classroom).
I have taken some photos of the lesson today, but I will upload them another day.
tl;dr
1. Prepare better for the FINAL LESSON (FOLLOWING WEEK)
2. Anticipate possible problems during lesson.
3. Be more active with the children, be less passive.
4. Document the whole lesson (problem cos we lack the manpower)
5. Convey the recycling message more efficiently.
K I have to prepare for maths test tmr.
Yishu
P.S. tl;dr implies that what i summarised below tl;dr was mentioned in the reflection above. This is not the case. My bad
Reflection - Butterfly
I feel that today’s lesson could have gone better in terms of preparation of the materials. This was the lesson where we were supposed to prepare all the materials in advance for the children, and just let them assemble the butterfly themselves. However, although we succeeded in bringing all the materials for them, the materials were not fully ready for use. The plasticine was still in the packets, the wires had not been attached to the clothes pegs, and some of the butterflies were not in a very good shape. I feel that this is partly because we left Timothy in charge of doing all these things, which might be too much to handle. Next time, we should distribute all our work evenly, no matter who is supposed to be in charge of that particular lesson.
i feel that the lesson itself went quite smoothly. The children were interested in the story, and seemed enthusiastic about making their own butterflies. Most of them were also able to glue the butterflies to the clothes pegs themselves, although a few of them needed help. Most of them were also able to be patient and leave the glue to dry. Although there were some minor hitches here and there, such as one bottle of glue not working, overall the lesson was conducted very smoothly.
Benjamin
i feel that the lesson itself went quite smoothly. The children were interested in the story, and seemed enthusiastic about making their own butterflies. Most of them were also able to glue the butterflies to the clothes pegs themselves, although a few of them needed help. Most of them were also able to be patient and leave the glue to dry. Although there were some minor hitches here and there, such as one bottle of glue not working, overall the lesson was conducted very smoothly.
Benjamin
Reflection on Today's Lesson -- Timothy
Today's lesson can be considered both good and bad.We managed to complete it and take back many lessons with us today. We were reminded how it is necessary to prepare extensively before the actual lessons itself, like prepare 2-3 weeks before the thing itself and also look at every possible scenario that we might encounter. We can reflect on how the lesson was able to run so smoothly because we took a little time off before the lesson to ensure that whatever that we produce at the end of the lesson can be considered of a certain standard and is presentable to others, especially the parents of the children so that they would not be disappointed with and question what the children are doing in Little Wings.
Though we spent so much time preparing and worrying about all the problems and flaws in our management and preparations, it is reassuring that I personally found the lesson quite fun and that the children themselves actually seemed to enjoy spending time with us and were enthusiastic enough to return a response towards our approach. I am glad that we actually completed a lesson and are getting back on track towards the end of our project. I hope the group will use this opportunity to step up, improve on ourselves and end this service-learning with a bang.
Though we spent so much time preparing and worrying about all the problems and flaws in our management and preparations, it is reassuring that I personally found the lesson quite fun and that the children themselves actually seemed to enjoy spending time with us and were enthusiastic enough to return a response towards our approach. I am glad that we actually completed a lesson and are getting back on track towards the end of our project. I hope the group will use this opportunity to step up, improve on ourselves and end this service-learning with a bang.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
RESL Journey thus far
Our RESL journey thus far cannot be considered to be successful. Firstly, we have kept procrastinating in terms of work and often submit our work late. Furthermore, the work is not even up to standard. One such example is the report which was poorly collated due to a lack of team effort and even occasional pushing of work to single members.
Up till now, we have already gone for quite a number of lessons at Little Wings, fulfilling the service part of our project. However, we have not really learnt anything and are not exactly truly grateful towards the fact that we have this opportunity to help others and will do it out of our own good will. To put it bluntly, we simply do not care too much about this project and only do it for the sake of doing it. If we were asked to do this again and given an option to reject the offer, chances are that we would probably not want to.
Due to this, it can be said that we still have to catch up in terms of our commitment to this project. Furthermore, we did not put in alot of effort in learning how to communicate with the children and this led to huge problems in terms of us communicating with the children in the first 2 or so lessons. We only learnt from experience and that alone was still not enough. However, the problem also lies in the fact that we should not have split up into groups of 2 and 3 to teach two separate classes, but instead just take one level (K1 or K2) as a whole group. Since we are split up, we simply do not share the same opinion or thoughts about our experience in general throughout the journey. The members who were in charge of the rowdier class might recount the experience negatively as it was very difficult to control the class. However, the members in charge of the quieter K1 class might remember the lessons as being relatively boring and quiet, with the exception of one or two children actively commenting. This results in different opinions of our definition of our service.
The lack of manpower was also extremely evident as there were only 3/2 of us in each class who could walk around and help the children if they had any problems. However, if there are other children who require help, we are unable to assist them as we are already busy explaining to another child. This might cause us to come across to the children as being insincere and thereafter they might dislike you and not listen to you. However, as a group of 5 we would be able to handle this problem with relative ease as well as opening up options for introductions such as games which would need more people.
As a whole this RE journey has been relatively interesting as we have never done this type of project before. However, we have definitely not put in enough effort not only in doing the paperwork, but also understanding and reaching out to the kids and in so doing learning from them while in the process teaching them.
-Edison
Up till now, we have already gone for quite a number of lessons at Little Wings, fulfilling the service part of our project. However, we have not really learnt anything and are not exactly truly grateful towards the fact that we have this opportunity to help others and will do it out of our own good will. To put it bluntly, we simply do not care too much about this project and only do it for the sake of doing it. If we were asked to do this again and given an option to reject the offer, chances are that we would probably not want to.
Due to this, it can be said that we still have to catch up in terms of our commitment to this project. Furthermore, we did not put in alot of effort in learning how to communicate with the children and this led to huge problems in terms of us communicating with the children in the first 2 or so lessons. We only learnt from experience and that alone was still not enough. However, the problem also lies in the fact that we should not have split up into groups of 2 and 3 to teach two separate classes, but instead just take one level (K1 or K2) as a whole group. Since we are split up, we simply do not share the same opinion or thoughts about our experience in general throughout the journey. The members who were in charge of the rowdier class might recount the experience negatively as it was very difficult to control the class. However, the members in charge of the quieter K1 class might remember the lessons as being relatively boring and quiet, with the exception of one or two children actively commenting. This results in different opinions of our definition of our service.
The lack of manpower was also extremely evident as there were only 3/2 of us in each class who could walk around and help the children if they had any problems. However, if there are other children who require help, we are unable to assist them as we are already busy explaining to another child. This might cause us to come across to the children as being insincere and thereafter they might dislike you and not listen to you. However, as a group of 5 we would be able to handle this problem with relative ease as well as opening up options for introductions such as games which would need more people.
As a whole this RE journey has been relatively interesting as we have never done this type of project before. However, we have definitely not put in enough effort not only in doing the paperwork, but also understanding and reaching out to the kids and in so doing learning from them while in the process teaching them.
-Edison
Reflection
I feel that for this project so far, we have procrastinated quite a lot while doing things, thus leaving us with quite a lot of work to finish in the coming 2 weeks. However, I feel that we managed to accomplish quite a lot during our RE session this afternoon, showing that we can achieve our goals If we put our minds to it.
For the past lessons, I feel that that ran quite smoothly, although there were quite a few things that could have been improved. For example, during our 2nd lesson, not all the children were able to have a finished product of their own. We should definitely take all of these into consideration when preparing for our final 3 lessons, and we should strive to make these final lessons as fun and meaningful as possible, to leave a lasting impression on the children.
-Benjamin
For the past lessons, I feel that that ran quite smoothly, although there were quite a few things that could have been improved. For example, during our 2nd lesson, not all the children were able to have a finished product of their own. We should definitely take all of these into consideration when preparing for our final 3 lessons, and we should strive to make these final lessons as fun and meaningful as possible, to leave a lasting impression on the children.
-Benjamin
Current Status of our Project
After viewing the presentations done by the other groups, I realised our group is quite far behind in terms of progress. Although we have already completed 4 lessons of service, there were quite a few groups that were finished entirely with the service part of the project. Thus I feel that we should step up the rate of our project
Another thing I noticed was that the groups that were also under Little Wings only took one class compared to the two classes that we took for their project. In hindsight, I think that taking two classes for our project was a rather big error on our part. Not only does taking 2 classes result in us having to acquire 2 times the materials, it also makes us rather divided and less united as a group as we deal with different situations in our classroom. However most importantly, having 5 members to one class gives us the much needed flexibility in scheduling our lessons as missing one member during a lesson would not be as crucial due to the greater manpower. Currently, there is no way I would be able to miss a lesson as it is only 2 people to the class I am assigned. Thus if any pressing issue came up, my partner would be unable to cope on his own.
Finally, I also think that we have to be more organized and prepared for our lessons. One important thing is that we should all make sure that we have every single one of our lesson materials before the lesson day. We should also communicate more with the kindergarten teachers to ensure that they know what to tell the students to bring. Furthermore, we should also make sure each and every one of our group members are clear on how to craft the product for the specific lesson. This will allow us to run our lessons more smoothly and reduce the chance of us stumbling during the lesson.
All in all, as we come to the end of our RESL journey, I think that there were many things that we could have done better, however I also feel that making mistakes is part of the learning process and that this project has definitely taught me many things.
-Brent
Another thing I noticed was that the groups that were also under Little Wings only took one class compared to the two classes that we took for their project. In hindsight, I think that taking two classes for our project was a rather big error on our part. Not only does taking 2 classes result in us having to acquire 2 times the materials, it also makes us rather divided and less united as a group as we deal with different situations in our classroom. However most importantly, having 5 members to one class gives us the much needed flexibility in scheduling our lessons as missing one member during a lesson would not be as crucial due to the greater manpower. Currently, there is no way I would be able to miss a lesson as it is only 2 people to the class I am assigned. Thus if any pressing issue came up, my partner would be unable to cope on his own.
Finally, I also think that we have to be more organized and prepared for our lessons. One important thing is that we should all make sure that we have every single one of our lesson materials before the lesson day. We should also communicate more with the kindergarten teachers to ensure that they know what to tell the students to bring. Furthermore, we should also make sure each and every one of our group members are clear on how to craft the product for the specific lesson. This will allow us to run our lessons more smoothly and reduce the chance of us stumbling during the lesson.
All in all, as we come to the end of our RESL journey, I think that there were many things that we could have done better, however I also feel that making mistakes is part of the learning process and that this project has definitely taught me many things.
-Brent
Back to School Reflections -- Timothy
After the June holidays, we will have to pick up our pace again and get back on track. Though it seems like we still have a lot to handle, we have come this far and I believe we just need to go on slightly longer before we complete this journey. I feel relieved that we managed to complete most of our report as this is means one less weight on our shoulders. I hope we all enjoy our time together on the final steps of this project and I look forward to going back to Little Wings and teaching the children a few more times.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
BACK TO SCHOOL REFLECTIONZ
Hi this is Yishu, transcribing my reflection for the project thus far.
Lately we've got our knickers in a twist, trying to boggle our minds to figure an appropiate way to end off the project. After all the lesson plans and everything, we need to find an appropiate way to finish off the project. We are still thinking about this and we hopefully(?) will come up with something suitable.
Our journey thus far... has been quite eventful. We have surely learned many valuable lessons throughout our journey, and we will learn from these mistakes, and use this to our advantage in crafting our future lesson plans. There were pros and cons to our lessons. Most of the time, we were caught up in preparing the right amount of logistics for the children. There hasn't been a week where we prepared just enough materials for EVERYONE and conducted a perfectly smooth lesson. Of course we're only human (hurhur), and we make mistakes. However, I think that for the next few lessons we should pay more attention to the materials that are needed and ensure there are sufficient materials to run the lesson. During the first lesson, I still remember that we had to make everyone do pair work, leading to huge disappointment on the children's part, as they could not each bring home their artwork to show off to everybody at home. In our lessons, we aim to combine fun, safety, and awareness in our lessons. We need to make it fun for everybody by AT LEAST helping them each make a product for themselves individually.
Of course there were some things that we got right... like our interpersonal relationship with the children, and making the lesson interesting enough to pay attention... and more which I'm sure my teammates can elaborate more on.
I think that we have come quite a long way since our project first started, and have become accustomed to the behavior of the children and teaching them... We have 3 lessons left, and I hope that we can come up with something great for the children, and transcend the lessons into something more than just a compulsory phase of this RE journey, but into something that benefits both parties greatly.
Kthxbye
Yishu
Lately we've got our knickers in a twist, trying to boggle our minds to figure an appropiate way to end off the project. After all the lesson plans and everything, we need to find an appropiate way to finish off the project. We are still thinking about this and we hopefully(?) will come up with something suitable.
Our journey thus far... has been quite eventful. We have surely learned many valuable lessons throughout our journey, and we will learn from these mistakes, and use this to our advantage in crafting our future lesson plans. There were pros and cons to our lessons. Most of the time, we were caught up in preparing the right amount of logistics for the children. There hasn't been a week where we prepared just enough materials for EVERYONE and conducted a perfectly smooth lesson. Of course we're only human (hurhur), and we make mistakes. However, I think that for the next few lessons we should pay more attention to the materials that are needed and ensure there are sufficient materials to run the lesson. During the first lesson, I still remember that we had to make everyone do pair work, leading to huge disappointment on the children's part, as they could not each bring home their artwork to show off to everybody at home. In our lessons, we aim to combine fun, safety, and awareness in our lessons. We need to make it fun for everybody by AT LEAST helping them each make a product for themselves individually.
Of course there were some things that we got right... like our interpersonal relationship with the children, and making the lesson interesting enough to pay attention... and more which I'm sure my teammates can elaborate more on.
I think that we have come quite a long way since our project first started, and have become accustomed to the behavior of the children and teaching them... We have 3 lessons left, and I hope that we can come up with something great for the children, and transcend the lessons into something more than just a compulsory phase of this RE journey, but into something that benefits both parties greatly.
Kthxbye
Yishu
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