core education modules
QED526: Teaching and Managing Learners at the Secondary and Junior College Level
This module sought to prepare us for the rigours of classroom management, particularly in light of societal and technological developments in the 21st century. I found the course extremely helpful because it took me through numerous theoretical models of classroom discipline as well as the advantages and disadvantages typically associated with each model. The module helped me to give a clearer definition of the type of teacher I aspired to be. This in turn helped to become more aware of my areas of strength and weakness when it came to managing discipline in the classroom. The most memorable aspect of the module was the classroom simulation that I staged with three other coursemates at the end of the course, where we had to act out some of the problems that teachers normally face in the classroom and subsequently demonstrate how these problems could be resolved using the theories that we had learnt.
QED527: ICT for Meaningful Learning
With the rapid proliferation of ICT in every area of modern life, it is imperative that teachers are able to make full use of the technology at their disposal in the modern classroom. This module equipped me with the breadth of ICT skills and tools that I could use in my teaching. I enjoyed exploring the different ICT tools available and finding ways to apply them to my teaching subjects. Some of the tools that we experimented with included Schoology, TImeGlider and even the ubiquitous Facebook. For the final individual assignment, I chose to create an ICT artefact for teaching upper secondary history, and it was quite amazing to see how the ICT tools and skills that I had learnt over the course could be used to bring history to life in the classroom.
QED528: Educational Psychology
This module provided us with the academic framework to understand how students learn and how we, as teachers, could help to create a classroom environment that would best stimulate their learning. I found that this module complemented QED526 (see above) very well as my understanding of education was very much tied in with my approach to classroom management, It provided me with the theoretical apparatus to cultivate a nurturing environment in the classroom that would help to develop my students as academic learners, but also as responsible individuals. The module culminated in a problem-based enquiry, where we were given a simulated scenario which we then needed to address using the educational psychology theories that we had learnt in the module. Although this module was arguably one of the most academic on the course, it was nevertheless beneficial to attain a working grasp of psychological theories and how they could help me to become a more effective teacher.