Monday, August 3, 2015

Reflection on my journey in Creative Teaching



Introduction

              I took this course with two thoughts in my mind: it should be easy since I have been in this education line for more than a decade and it should be fun since I would be introduced to new creative ideas about teaching. I was in for a big surprise when our teacher, Ps Jadene, led and hand-held us step-by-step down into the depths of the heart, the core of heart-deep teaching. My preconceived ideas about the course were thrown out of the window almost immediately and bottles of chicken essence were dropped onto my lap instead at every lesson.
              In this reflection paper, I would attempt to describe my learning journey, what processes have changed and challenged me, and what insights I have gained throughout these two weeks of intensive course.

Personal Reflection
              The main problem mentioned by the author and emphasized by our teacher on the first day was the shallowness in biblical teaching. Out of the six partial truths highlighted, I was guilty of two: all fun activity equals good learning and all interaction equals good learning. As an educator, I was aware that there are many types of learners. As a learner, I know I am a visual and kinesthetic learner. That was the reason why my focus was often in games and interaction. However, I realized that when it comes to biblical teaching, I have to make sure these activities have to be aligned with biblical goals and objectives and the interaction must reinforce biblical values and principles. With these ideas corrected, I was ready to mine nuggets of gold from the course as I continued to dig into the book with my fellow course mates.
              As part of the course assignment, we were supposed to create a course syllabus and a lesson plan. I was aware of the challenge when Ps Jadene showed us hers. It would take many “WOW!” moments with the Holy Spirit before I could decipher what the BIG IDEA was. I was right. Prior to this course, I have not done an Inductive Bible Study (IBS) chart before. It was a challenge for me. The analytical outline was manageable because I learned it during my Romans course two weeks prior to this course. Thank God for that. If not, this analytical outline would be another hurdle to me. I wrestled and struggled with the selected passage for days because I could not identify the BIG IDEA. I was thankful when Ps Jadene went through my IBS with me after I submitted it. I discovered that the key verse was supposed to be the verse before my passage and I had left it out. No wonder I could not identify the BIG IDEA. With this settled, I presumed I was ready to craft my lesson plan. I had almost forgotten that I have to help my partner, Esther, with hers and prepare for our presentation.
               Initially, I felt distant from Esther’s lesson plan as I felt I was made to adopt it as my child. However, within a day or two, I felt myself enjoying the passage selected and thinking of ways to teach this lesson with her. It was challenging because time was tight and we had different ideas about the lesson. We took so long to decide on Priming Students’ Heart Pumps section because Esther wanted to use the traditional method of reading the bible passage to the students while I wanted to try out a role-play. It took a while for her to change her mind and for us to get going. Next, at our first meeting outside of class hours, we shared our struggles with the lesson plan. The section on Digging Deeper into the Word was challenging for us as we were still not sure whether our BIG IDEA was correct. After we received Ps Jadene’s comments on our analytical outline, we were able to dive into formulating the questions for our students. We had to imagine the response of our students as we plan this lesson. With that, we submitted our first draft.
              I thanked God that the prompt response of our teacher enabled us to make the final amendments to our lesson plan the day before our presentation. I felt a sense of peace and calmness even before my partner arrived at the meeting place. Somehow, I believed the Holy Spirit was at work and He dissipated my fear and burden for our presentation. We remembered to commit our lesson plan and presentation in prayer before we started our meeting. Section by section, line by line, we went through the suggestions made by our teacher and made necessary changes to our lesson plan with the textbook as our reference. I felt myself enjoying this process towards the end. Indeed, it was mentally and physically draining but there was a sense of fulfilment after we completed it and presented it to our course mates in the end. I felt as if my adopted child was born healthy and happy.
              Looking back, I was thankful for this pair work and I appreciated the thoughts that went through my teacher’s mind when she planned this module. It was through this pair work that I learned how to plan my second lesson plan. I have practised and gained experience when I helped my partner create her lesson plan. The similar skills and methods used in the pair work assisted me in crafting my own lesson plan.  Very soon, I found myself enjoying the process as well.
              Once again, my teacher walked the talk throughout this course. She has structured every lesson as a part of her life and I am determine to do likewise in my future lessons. We began each lesson with a short devotion and we were engaged immediately because we could relate to it. We were always given bite size passages to digest, draw and present to the class. At the end of the lesson, we became more confident in completing our lesson plans. Even after I submitted the draft for my second lesson plan, I was asked to think of other activities. This is the creative element I have neglected and forgotten.  

Conclusion
              I am glad I took this module. This course has taught me to value the thought process in planning meaningful and life-changing lessons. The creative activities are only useful and applicable after I have wrestled with the Holy Spirit what the BIG IDEA was. My learning journey has not ended. I believe it has just started and I am committed to integrate what I have learnt whenever I am placed in the capacity to teach in the future.