Thinking in two minds.
A few recent experiences and situations has had me thinking critically about Health Education on a number of levels. Syllabus review, planning for professional development, merging our subject with a university project and providing guidance to a pre-service teacher has had my mind being pushed. There has been a constant shift between conceptual thinking and operational / functional thinking.
Conceptually, I’ve been thinking about the relationship between the syllabus and what occurs in my class. How do the different sections of the syllabus inter-relate to inform the understanding of teachers in this subject, and subsequently what impact does this have on the pedagogy and student outcomes. How do I construct this into a logical order when guiding others through the development of work programs, assessment items and units of work?
Functionally, how do I effectively structure my lessons to ensure the quality of evidence submitted by my students, particularly in an integrated task, is representative of the quality of thinking they are capable of. How do I structure tasks and criteria so there is no perceived advantage or disadvantage to group size?
These are questions that I will need to find answers to very quickly. I know the answers are within my understanding of Health Education and the resources I have access to, its a matter of finding time to reflect and take notes.
Recently I have been taking the time to observe other teachers in other subjects. One has been a senior English teacher teaching the writing of feature articles to year 12s. This has really opened my eyes to the skill of writing – something I thought I had a reasonable handle on. My perception is now that I have so much more to learn. Consequently I wonder how my knowledge and abilities in writing have limited the effectiveness of my teaching and results of my students. Fortunately our criteria for assessment do not rely heavily on language and literacy ability.
So much to think through.
