As the last blog entry, I decided to reflect on this first unit.
I knew what to expect but at the same time I did not have a clear idea of what was involved in undertaking this certification.
Initially, if I look back, I felt very lost. The first reading, about Mozambique, reading the first few lines I was wondering why. Then the why came, as in all phases of this first unit the why, why I was doing a specific activity came right on time.
So I started to stop wondering why I was doing an activity, but simply observing and waiting.
If I had to define it with one word, I would define it with “growth.” It was a gradual growth in awareness of what I was doing, growth in the means of teaching, and personal growth also in being able to become a student again.
Coming back as a student somehow you also empathize with your students, you empathize much more with certain situations, you understand what may be obstacles that you hadn’t calculated before. For example, even just how Moodle is structured and how to use it, you think it’s all clear to you but it is because you did it. However, when you have to use the material provided by others you understand that we don’t all think the same way.
So the result of the first unit is positive, I feel I’m learning and I feel I have more tools with which to do my work the right way, improve parts I knew I wanted to improve and give attention to other details I didn’t even know existed.
Also, I realized how much it takes me to focus on writing, to find the right flow, to get into my bubble where thoughts follow each other and you know what you want to say. I hadn’t written in a long time, maybe too long.
Also Seeing and analyzing what other colleagues are doing is very interesting and insightful.
The activities I enjoyed most were microteaching and observing a peer teaching.
Both activities gave me an eye-opening look at personal and colleague practices that I had never stopped to observe, for better or worse, and gave me a Greater awareness in attending to all aspects of teaching. Or at least trying to do so.