Part 1: Technological substitute

While it is easy to define the terms tool and technique, in practice, we teachers tend to very often confuse the two a lot. I find this intriguing enough to blog about it and get your views on the same.

Availability bias

There is a large emphasis on tools to deliver better lesson sometimes, instead of relying on technique. Why? My guess is that because they are easily available. Consider using software called 'Random Name Picker' that you use to draw names at random in your classroom. As a teacher, once you realise that such a tool is at your disposal, you would want to consider it over name tags. How do you ensure it is not merely used for substitution? Does it really augment teaching in some way?

Spin Wheel on screen vs Physical Tag

A good fun visual engagement for drawing names of participants indeed. Is there any other way it helps the lesson? Yes. It saves names of all students for following sessions, so you don't have to enter them again.

There is a wonderful template available here that you can use and customise for this purpose.

https://tekhnologic.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/the-spinning-wheel/

And if you intend to use this template anytime, use the animation and anchor carefully. Ideally, do a trial run before the class.

Recently, I was considering using it in a train-the-teachers session, but then I resorted to old style name tags created in my own handwriting. Three reasons it worked better:

1. I can use these to assign places as the tags are physical.

Assigning places not only helps me remember all 25 names in two days, but also sends out a message- 'nothing is permanent' in my class.

2. I can use it to draw names to prompt speaking- something my software tool will do more efficiently.

3. Seeing their names written in my handwriting, teachers might feel connected. It was my first personalized material to them.

A name-picker wheel software might do 2. very well but 1 and 3 is something that helps build a rapport, specially where I will be seeing participants for over 40 hours.

Here’s the summary of benefits of each:

Spin Wheel	Physical Tags
Easy to create from template/software	Takes time to create but can be personalised
Multi use: to draw discussion topics, questions, awarding points etc.	Can be used to assign places, groups and check for attendance.
If many students are absent, having their names on wheel can cause irritation.	You can simply take back name tags of students who are absent.

In the part 2 of this post, I have shared the dilemma about tool and technique becoming one for all pragmatic purposes. I would like to know your views on it.

Part 2: Tool is technique; flip it right

'How do plan to teach Parts of Speech to students?'

'I've made a Powerpoint presentation.'

'That's not the how.'

There are several instances where we can't see forest for the trees when it comes to planning a lesson. We are so busy in micro detailing (how many slides, what images?) that the macro plan takes a hit. Tool and technique is so interchangeable that even free articles on Google list Free online learning tools as one of the important teaching techniques. Well, some would argue that leaving kids with bunch of learning tools is a deliberate and legitimate technique, Hole-in-the-wall-education project being a case in point. And this weighs in more in the context of having no curriculum. But for teachers who are making lesson plan to meet specific objective, can they simply rely on bunch of tools?

I'd like to know your thoughts on this.

However, tool does become a powerful delivery mechanism. Techniques improve owing to introduction of new tools. Introduction of Internet empowered more self learners to learn lessons online. Technology is leading people globally to use more and more of tech-based applications while teaching.

What do we know about flip classroom approach?

In 1993, Alison King published "From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side," in which she focuses on the importance of the use of class time for the construction of meaning rather than information transmission. While not directly illustrating the concept of "flipping" a classroom, King's work is often cited as an impetus for an inversion to allow for the educational space for active learning.  

Source: Wikipedia

Later at the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning in 2000 a presentation was delivered on ‘The Classroom Flip: Using Web Course Management Tools to Become a Guide by the Side’ (Baker 2000). It developed the ‘flip’ concept and emphasized the role of Learning Management Systems in delivering materials to students before class.

Source: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/flipped-learning-0

Teachers are encouraged to use the video content, which brings in the active use of smart devices in the lesson even before student enters the classroom.

While flipped classroom approach doesn’t have to necessarily rely on digital content as a teacher can hand out a simple print or task from a text book to be used as a pre-task, in my experience more often than not the student is expected to engage with a device, or read up content on screen before coming to class.

I agree it saves a lot of classroom time which is what Alison trying to show, but if one sees flipping classroom as an approach that starts with a device and ends with a human teacher; they have missed the whole point. When you call your program a flipped classroom and incorporate a template, well, there is a high possibility that you have successfully inverted the material consumption flow, without actually thinking about whether there was any ‘facilitation’ involved.

Intrinsic value: how does it matter?

While there is both intrinsic and extrinsic value to teaching profession, I believe you discover the intrinsic value in teaching only after coming across numerous instances where you have stood your ground, done something beyond the call of duty or have let go off an opportunity- just because the work did not identify with the value that you most often turn to while making decisions.

And so, it got me thinking. What excites me the most about my profession? I narrowed my rewards to these three:
1. when students begin to express themselves better
2. when they show evidence of extending/ building on their learning independently
3.  when they begin to think critically

Any teaching project that goes half-heartedly at any of the above rewards, I look at it as a task rather than work. This is not to say that I believe that there are only these three goals of learning a language. Instead, I am saying that these sub-goals I deliver even when I am not actively planning for them in my lessons.

I think the awareness of the same has helped me understand my philosophy and style better. It also helped me understand why I passed some of the teaching opportunities in the past and held on to others.