a)
Curriculum Designing and
Development
My experience in
teaching mathematics at high school level, and professional qualification in
education and curriculum development enabled me carry out the task of writing
the mathematics curriculum for Bachelor of Education (Secondary option)
programme. The document has been in use since then. Writing the curriculum involved setting the appropriate
general learning outcomes for the whole course and the units’ learning outcomes,
the units’ content and relevant references. Setting the right learning outcomes
is essential for effective learning to take place (Biggs & Tang, 2007).
b)
Redesigning EDU 461
seminar in education practice syllabus
I had the opportunity to facilitate this unit during the April 2014
session. The unit is very relevant in preparing teacher trainees. The students
are normally briefed on what and how to write a teaching portfolio and on
writing a reflective paper, before they go for teaching practice. The students
are supposed to present the portfolio after teaching practice, during their final trimester.
The proposed curriculum is designed to introduce learners to the concept
of reflective practice before the proceeding for teaching practice. it is also supposed to introduce the learners to the concept of Action research. This is an essential part for an effective teaching who plans to change his or her own class based on research carried locally in the school. It is during this unit that students are suppose to reflect on the individual education program. This way it
will add more value since they will be more informed on the concept of
reflection, keeping a reflective diary and action research.
c)
Redesigning Department’s
Course Outlines
The Commission of
Higher Education (CHE, now CUE) of Kenya in September (2009) required universities under
its jurisdiction to review their course outlines to reflect the emerging issues
of being student oriented (Biggs & Tang, 2007). I was given the
responsibility of editing all the course outlines in the department. In
particular I had to review the course purpose and learning outcomes. Previously
the outlines had course objectives and course purpose that did not reflect
clearly the vision; mission and objectives of the institution and the unit. The
learning outcomes were also to be development in line with Bloom’s (1956)
taxonomy of learning objectives.
d)
Developing Manuals as
Support Resource and Supplement to Core Textbooks
I have developed
four manuals for MTH 102- Mathematics for Science and MTH 201
- Linear Algebra, MTH 211 - Calculus II, MTH 100- Basic Mathematics and for MTH 104-Mathematics
for Liberal Arts.
The manuals are a
supplement to the core textbooks and are highly focused to the learning
outcome. The manuals help students ‘make sense of what is learned’ (Race, 2005)
and make them ‘want to learn, need to learn and learn by doing’ (Race, 2005).
It motivates them since it makes learning focused and they are able to achieve
the expected learning outcomes within the stipulated time.
e)
Developing Soft Copy of
Learning Materials
I have developed
soft copy learning materials that I avail online in the learning portal of the
university. I normally save set questions and their solutions
such that the students can work out on their own. This encourages them to
desire to learn on their own (Race, 2005). It also makes class discussions
active since most students are aware of the topic contents.
f)
Developing Student Logbook
for Interns
Students in the
department of computing and information technology faced the difficult of
writing good reports after their internship because they lacked documented
evidence of what they did. I prepared a logbook where
students can log in their daily activities and therefore document evidence that
can assist in report writing. It also made assessing the student easier and efficient
(Biggs & Tang, 2007). It also provided a good source of evidence for the
student to self evaluate himself or herself. I included guiding notes on how to
write a report and a student evaluation form for the supervisor at the place of
internship. This logbook offers ‘feedback on learner’s own self – assessments’
(Race, 2005), since a well written logbook indicates the types of tasks the
student did or did not accomplish. It also make the student more employable
(Race, 2005) since it is evidence enough of what he has or he can accomplish.
g) Online Mathematics Lesson Plans
The Institute of
Distance Learning at ANU started online classes in the
academic year 2010/2011. In order to facilitate quality online learning I have
prepared a teaching manual and twenty lessons plans aimed at
addressing the main concepts in the unit MTH 100 Basic Mathematics. I have also
formulated a guide on how to carryout the online teaching. The lesson plans are
outcomes – based (Biggs and Tang, 2007). This will allow both the learner and
instructor to focus clearly on the outcomes as they go through the lessons.
h) Online Reflective Teaching Portfolio
Initially I had a hard copy of my reflective teaching portfolio but over time I have always encouraged my EDU 491 students to have their reflective teaching portfolio in form of a blog. This way, they will be able to showcase their current work and make it easier to update their portfolio. So far none of my students have started one. It is also a task to convince the students that beside earning an academic grade for writing a good portfolio it is equally important for a professional teaching to have one.
