QED 523 - Reflections of 3 Core Competencies in Graduand Teacher Competencies Framework

From the knowledge acquired from QED 523, three core competencies were analysed from the Graduand Teacher Competencies Framework, from the perspective of a Beginning Teacher with regards to considerations during the development of these competencies. In this analysis, a core competency from each dimension of Professional Practice, Leadership & Management and Personal Effectiveness was selected. The diagrams below are parts of a presentation slideshow containing relevant artifacts in the support of these core competencies.

Reflecting on the Graduand Teacher Competencies Framework, I have chosen to discuss the following core competencies that are closer to my heart as a student-teacher.

Firstly, I am in agreement with the direction that teachers should provide quality learning for a child in Co-curricular Activities (CCA). To me, teachers’ support of CCAs in schools is a clear illustration that learning can take place outside of the classroom and that academic performance is not everything that education is about. Personally, I believe that classroom learning is only one of the many ways children can learn. In fact, there are certain content, like life skills and character building that cannot be taught strictly via direct teaching in a classroom setting. CCAs can help students to develop their talents in sports, music and the arts and are a possible channel for students with outstanding performance to earn recognition for their abilities and effort. In many CCAs, students take on leadership roles and learn about organization skills, which are important skills for them in the workplace and in their lives.

In today’s classroom, a teacher often finds himself juggling many priorities in order to provide a holistic learning experience for the students during the academic term. The teacher must resist the temptation of making students miss their CCAs to increase their curriculum time for teaching or administrative purposes. In other words, CCAs must not be treated as extra curriculum that can be sacrificed for other matters. In my opinion, it is critical that every teacher believes in the importance of CCAs to the development of the students and actively make their CCA educational, enjoyable and safe for the students.

Secondly, I think it is inevitable for teachers today to interact with the parents of students. Being key stakeholders in the education system, both parents and teachers must recognize the fact that they must work together to deliver the best for the children. An effective and professional teacher must not only provide a holistic education for the students in the safe environment, but also earn the confidence and the trust of the parents to leave the child in the hands of the teacher. Just as the student population is diverse, the parents can also come from different background, have different expectations and face different kinds of challenges outside of school. Teachers must be aware of issues like social-economic status that may affect the parents’ involvement in the child’s development and address these issues tactfully.

In my opinion, I think that effective communication between teachers and parents is critical to ensure that we are moving in the right direction and providing adequate and suitable measures to help the child grow up with the desired outcomes. I believe that keeping parents in the loop with regards to the progress of the student, whether is it negative issues or positive achievements, will catalyze the effectiveness of communications. Not only will this improve the understanding of the child’s development in school for the parents, it will also allow the parents to intervene before an adverse behaviour escalates into a larger problem.  As mentioned above, the kinds of parents can range from the over-protective kinds to the can’t-be-bothered kinds. Teachers must have a high level of awareness and versatility in this aspect when communicating with the different parents to ensure the exchange of perspectives and consensus that must eventually be in the best interest of the students.

Finally, with all the recent negative reports on teachers and Public Servants, I feel that the core competencies of personal integrity and responsibilities cannot be emphasized enough. Placed in a position where about a couple of hundreds of young children are impacted by your speech and actions, the teacher is undoubtedly an influential figure, especially to the young minds. Students look up to teachers as a guide to how to behave. Therefore, it is essential that teachers lead by examples and behave appropriately in school and in public. Being a Public Servant, teachers must keep in mind that they represent the Public Service and should expect a high standard of their conduct of themselves, including that of online social media platforms. Furthermore, teachers have access to sensitive and secret information like students’ particulars and examination questions, which by nature of job ethics, are not supposed to be revealed without proper permission. In the event that job ethics do not exist, which really should not be the case for teachers, it will then fall under the jurisdiction of legal responsibilities as these information are covered under the Official Secret Act.

In my opinion, I believe that the personal beliefs and values of a teacher are of utmost importance. A teacher’s beliefs and values lay the foundation for his teaching philosophy, which in turn guides his behaviour in the class. While I believe that a truly passionate teacher will naturally possess a high moral standing and upright values, these criteria are hard to determine during the recruitment process. In addition, the teacher must seek a balance when dealing with relationship between students and themselves. Often, maintaining a strictly work-only interaction with students creates the teacher-student barrier that prevents the building of rapport and mutual understanding, hindering effective classroom management and a deeper understanding of the students beyond their learning needs. On the contrary, being too friendly with the students can risk sending the wrong signals to the students and create unwanted stress in carrying out the duties of a teacher.

Reflection on QLK520 (E-Learning)

The QLK520 module has been very educational for me as a student teacher. I believe that the module has enhanced my communication abilities, which is critical in my career as a public servant representing the Ministry of Education because the very nature of this job requires a lot of communication with parents, colleagues and most importantly, the students.

Thinking back on the module, I found the lessons on voice production and vocal health the most useful. I have tried the exercises and techniques recommended during my presentations in other modules and found that I was able to project my voice louder and clearer without feeling any strains on my vocal organs. I also appreciate the fact that my tutor, Dr. Angelia Lu, had encouraged the class to share any personal remedies or exercises for the vocal health on the online forum. I had a very good discussion with my fellow colleagues and learnt a few tips that I will definitely try when I get to school in future.

The coverage on oral communication was thorough as it went through the various scenarios, and thus different speaking styles required. While it may be common sense to many of us, the academic presentation of this component of communication reinforced the importance of assessing the purpose, audience and context before launching into a conversation or presentation. In essence, my take away from this section of the module was that how you speak to others depends on very much on the situation. For example, while the professionalism of being a teacher requires the teacher to speak formally in standard English to the students in school, I believe that exceptions do exist. I believe that sometimes, in order to engage the students better, teachers should bring themselves down to the students level and speak in their "lingo". Of course, this does not means to condone the use of Singlish or improper language, but simply as a mean to engage them and thereafter, bring the students up to a appropriate standard expected of them.

The written communication section of this module will stay in my memory as a enjoyable and educational experience. I particularly enjoyed the exercises for writing the students' report card and testimonial because of the challenge of writing strictly in a positive and constructive manner that must serve as motivation to the students and an accurate evaluation of the child's performance to the parents. More practices and exercises in this aspect, for a variation of scenarios, would definitely be beneficial for student teachers.

In conclusion, QLK520 has been a fun and informative module. I am confident that I will be able to apply what I have learnt in this module as a teacher in school.