Week 4: Am I really ready for more?

I thought I would have been both mentally, physically and emotionally ready to take on this week's class but I was somewhat wrong.

For the past three weeks I have been battling the flu-like symptoms while trying to keep up with my course assignments and day to day classes. Unfortunately, this has affected the way I operated in the classroom mentally, physically, and emotionally. I really tried my best to pay attention and take away the key elements from my classes which can assist me in enhancing my practicum field experience.

At the beginning of the class, my classmates and I were required to define key terms related to atmospheric systems and processes which we have come across thus far. In this simple exercise, I was able to define most of the terms that we were required to define. However, although I was familiar with all of the terms, it was difficult to remember the definitions for some of them. Out of eighteen terms I awarded myself eleven marks for the definitions I provided. Upon reflecting on this memory exercise, I have realized that as an upcoming geography teacher I must be able to remember the terms and its definitions.

How can I be a great knowledgeable teacher if I cannot remember key terms and definitions?

Thus, through this recap exercise, I have learnt that I must have a clear understanding of the content I intend to teach my students and I must also be knowledgeable and able to remember key terms and its definitions.

This make me question the importance of having a clear understanding and being knowledgeable in the subjects I intend to teach in the future. The answer to that is simple. By having a clear understanding of the content and being able to remember the terms and definitions, will allow me to correct any misconceptions a student may have about certain terms and definitions, and answer questions posed without having any doubts. Its about conveying accurate and factual information about the subject matter to my students.

After the introductory exercise, we moved right into learning about planetary winds. This topic has always been quite challenging to understand because of the complexity of the way in which the air circulates across the globe. However, with the aid of an outline of the globe and the assistance of our instructor to guide us through the process of understanding the way in which air circulates across the globe, I was able to have a clearer understanding of the topic. The videos were also helpful in understanding the Coriolis Effect. Therefore, in this segment of the classroom proceedings, I have learnt that videos and diagrams can definitely assist in understanding the content better, especially for complex topics like the global circulation of air in the atmosphere. In light of that, I still think that I need to do further reading and note taking with regard to the topic in order to remember its contents.

Here comes the disappointing part of this week's class.

As an activity, each individual was required to create a body movement/s as a way in remembering the rules of air movement in the northern and southern hemispheres. The same movement I had in mind, was the same movement one of my classmate's had already demonstrated. This immediately side tracked me and I was unable to think of another movement to show one of the the rules related to air movement. This activity made me wonder whether or not I am a kinesthetic learner.  I felt so embarrassed and disappointed because I was unable to create a movement and I believe I was capable of thinking of something. Nevertheless, while most of my classmates had already created theirs and sat in their seats, I along with a few others were unable to complete the activity. This did not mean that we got away. Our instructor still insisted that we create a movement/s to demonstrate by the next class. However, we were not restricted by just creating a movement in relation to the rules of air circulation. Instead, we were instructed to demonstrate a movement/s based on any topic from the course outline. What a relief?! because I truly felt like I was under pressure during the activity in class.

By reflecting on this activity, I am now beginning to wonder how will I deal with such a situation. What will I do if my students are unable to complete an activity that I instruct them to do? Perhaps I can use my instructor's strategy and give an alternative way in completing the same activity. After all, not all students are the same. This means that I have much research to do, in an attempt to figure out alternative ways that I can enhance my students learning experience when they are unable to complete certain activities.

The final segment of this week's class was based on conducting research and presenting the information obtained from the research. It was easy to source information because of the availability of computers with internet access and with the help of my team member, the information was sourced and refined within the allotted time frame of fifteen minutes. I enjoy doing research and presenting information to my classmates. This activity has allowed me to manage my time, work together with my team member in order to complete the task on time, and allowed me to enhance my presentation skills. Although some of the information sourced may not have been quite accurate, positive feedback was given by our instructor. This gave me a little confidence and I felt much better than I did earlier in the class.

It is definitely an activity I would love to implement during my field teaching. However, the most challenging part of these type of exercises is lack of available computers, no internet access as well as time constraints. As much as I would love to have my students explore with technology during class time, realistically, in some secondary schools, these are some of the challenges faced. Thus, as an alternative, I may divide my students into groups, distribute information handouts with different areas of a topic, allow them to highlight key elements from the information handout, and then have them present it to their classmates. I did try that strategy when i thought the topic natural hazards and natural disasters, and it worked pretty well. Another alternative is to divide students into groups and give them a different topic to research, then instruct them to find research outside of class hours as homework, then allow them to present their information on a particular day. In that way the students will surely engage in the use of technology at some point in time.

Ultimately, I have learnt quite a lot in this week's class. Among the key things, it is important for me as a prospective teacher to remember key terms and definitions related to the subjects that i will be qualified to teach and there are alternative ways in allowing students to complete tasks assigned to them in order to enhance their learning experience.

There is still much more to be learnt thus in week five i'm going to strive.

Week 3: Finding my bearings on a world map!

Here we go again working our brains to its full potential! 

At the beginning of this week's class a question was posed which required my team members and I to engage in some critical thinking because aside from answering a simple yes or no question, we were required to justify an appropriate reason for choosing our answer. 

'Can snow exist on the equator? Explain why or why not.' 

Our initial answer was no. Why would snow even exist when there is direct sunlight at the equator all year round? Interestingly, I along with my team members were able to change our misconception about the existence of snow on the equator through the learning process without even realizing it until the very end of the class session. 

Halfway through the class, we were instructed to make a few calculations. This task was a bit confusing and challenging for me because I am not that good at math so it took me a while to figure out what exactly we ought to do. Thankfully, one of our team members is an expert at mathematics therefore we were able to use her strength in that area  to make the necessary calculations needed to determine the temperatures at the highest points on each continent.

After that, we were required to use a key skill that every geographer must possess. That is, the ability to locate countries/continents on a world map. However, as a team, we did not just locate a certain country/continent on a world map but we located the highest point in that country/continent and then plotted the points on a blank world map. 

There we were back and fought looking into our atlas and then at our blank world map, trying to ensure that we plot the points as accurately as we possibly can. It was quite easy locating most of the points on the map. However, it was hard to decipher where exactly Mount Kilimajaro was located in the African continent. When our instructor pointed out that we plotted that point in the wrong place I realized that I needed to sharpen my skills in locating countries and physical features on a world map. Therefore, in addition to all the assignments that I have written down in my to do list, I will definitely need to add "Print political map of each continent, label the countries, locate physical features of countries".

Anyway, what exactly was the point in making all these calculations and plotting these points on the blank world map though?

Initially, I thought the whole point in making the calculations and plotting the points on the map were to detect that temperatures vary at different locations on the Earth which is true BUT!!!. 

Yep! Here comes the aha moment.

Apparently this was a strategy our instructor used to clear up our misconception of the existence of snow on the equator. Here is were we realized that altitude is a contributing factor to the existence of snow at the equator. Aha! I can't believe I didn't think of that in the first place. Shame on me. The concept that we needed to understand behind all of this was lapse rate. 

Phew! That was a lot to take in which is why our instructor incorporated an energizer activity at the end of that exercise. 'ZIP, ZAP ZOP' definitely had us going and I quite liked that little activity. In addition to that, counting from 1 to 10 with our eyes closed wasn't bad either. Especially when we each had to call a different number and in the event that more than one person blurts out the same number we had to start all over again. The joys of being a student. Thank you Dr. De Four-Babb for those two wonderful activities. Its definitely something I will try with my students when i'm out on practicum this term.

All fun aside, our instructor demonstrated the way in which sunlight is unevenly distributed on earth's surface which accounts for the occurrence of the different seasons in relation to the tilt of the earth on its axis. This demonstration took me back to the time I was on my year 3 practicum. Although the demonstration was a bit different from what I did, the idea was the same but maybe I will try it another way to see how well the students grasp the idea.

Essentially, there was a lot to take away from this week's class. I hope that the strategies that I have picked up on will benefit me and my students in the upcoming teaching practice. Sharpening up my maps skills is definitely going to be on my to do list and reviewing the concepts of atmospheric cooling and lapse rate will be a priority before the week is over. 

By week 4 I'll be ready for more!

Week 2: Teamwork makes the dream work!

Apart from deepening the learning experience, team building was a key item on the agenda. 

This week's class allowed me to discover the importance of team building in order to accomplish certain tasks. The first activity was aimed at generating rules that will guide our action as a group and to ensure that tasks are completed on time. The other activity was a 'get to know you' type of exercise. It’s amazing the way this simple activity can allow you to discover new things about the people you interact with on a daily basis. Additionally, aside from knowing my group member a little better, the team building activities encouraged effective collaboration and communication to complete tasks assigned for this class. In essence, team building exercise is one strategy i will implement in the classroom to build positive relations among group members and foster effective communication and collaboration. 

The topic of interest for this class session focused on atmospheric energy. The Sun is the source of heat energy and light on Earth’s surface. Additionally, a percentage of radiation from the sun is absorbed by earth, while a percentage is reflected and scattered. One way in representing this information was by drawing an annotated diagram which helped in understanding the transfer of heat energy to the Earth. In addition to that, key skill in geography is to interpret diagrams. Thus, this class allowed me to sharpen my skills in interpreting and explaining a diagram related to the greenhouse effect and the ways in which CFC’s, deforestation, carbon monoxide emissions and fossil fuels affect the atmosphere.

  Source: https://images.google.com/ 

  After interpreting the above diagram, it was time to compare answers with my fellow team members. Unfortunately, one of the Triple S team members were not present but we still managed to work around it. In an attempt to deepen our learning experiences, we were instructed to present our interpretation of the diagram as a group. This was an indeed fulfilling exercise for me because I was able to engage in some form of critical thinking. Each group were required to ask the presenting group a question. As a result, some interesting questions were raised after each group presented which I intend on investigating to deepen my understanding about the greenhouse effect, the causes, the consequences and the ways in which it can be controlled.

Ultimately, I’m looking forward to more activities that will foster effective communication, and collaboration among group members, and critical thinking because these are the strategies that I will be implementing in my classroom. 

Week 1: Tropical Skies Make Them Excited

Final year is here! This is one of the two remaining Geography courses required to be completed for the Social Studies/Geography Specialization. 

Apart from successfully passing this course on atmospheric systems and processes, I do expect to gain a deeper understanding of the content it entails and develop a clearer understanding of the way in which the dynamic atmospheric systems work.  I also intend on developing new skills which will allow me to successfully deliver a lesson efficiently and effectively using various teaching strategies and techniques. 

What makes the Earth's atmospheric systems and processes so intriguing?


Perhaps it is due to the way in which the elements of weather and climate interact within the environment to create the varying atmospheric conditions that are experienced across different regions and spheres of the Earth. However, its a bit more complex than it seems and i'm about to find out the reasons for such processes to occur.

Weather and climate are two distinct driving forces experienced by human beings. According to an article published on NASA's website (2005), the difference between the two is the measure of time. Weather is deemed as the short term state of atmospheric conditions that can change at any given time. For example, it can be sunny in a particular place during the morning and by the evening it can rain. On the other hand, climate is the average atmospheric condition of a particular region experienced over a long period of time, usually about 30 years. For example, some regions experience a Tropical climate where it is hot and dry while other regions experience a Mediterranean climate where there are mild winters and hot, dry summers (Locsin, 2017).

Dividing students into groups and then into peers to work together on each concept was a great strategy used to build on each others ideas and I do intend on implementing this strategy in my classroom. Additionally, discussing the differences between the two concepts in peers was also a very effective way in allowing students to share their knowledge about the concepts of weather and climate. In order for students to remember the concepts, a great tool that can be used is a Venn diagram graphic organizer to show the similarities and differences between weather and climate after they have completed their discussions.
Other activities incorporated outside of the classroom was a great strategy to keep students interested in the content.

  After this first class I know i'm in for a treat! I am definitely looking forward to learning other strategies that can be implemented in my Social Studies and Geography classes.

Sources
Locsin, A. (2017). What are the Six Major Climate Regions?. Sciencing.com. Retrieved 5 September 2017, from http://sciencing.com/six-major-climate-regions-5382606.html 

NASA (2005).  - What's the Difference Between Weather and Climate?. Retrieved 5 September 2017, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/noaa-n/climate/climate_weather.html