Bullying

 

Most children who practice violent bullying have social and psychological problems.  Some children have financial problems and suffer from poverty. They feel that there are many things that they can't afford and many needs that they can't fulfill, so they express their anger through violent acts. While others are spoiled and have impunity, so they think that they can do whatever they want without being punished. Some are just victims of their environment or their families. They are suffering from bad treatment, and this reflects in their behavior toward others.

The school I teach in is mainly for underprivileged students. Most students practice bullying; they try to hurt each other badly in any possible way. Our children have many problems, and most of them hide suffering and pain behind their aggressive attitudes, they feel afraid deep inside, and they need our help. They need to feel loved and secured. The school administration works hard to reduce bullying. Many actions were taken. We attended many workshops to know how to deal with them. Besides, we are lucky because we have social workers and psychologists that are ready to help these children. Many awareness campaigns about bullying were held in our school. Teachers, social workers, and physiologists interact with those children and their families, understand them, and try to help them. We try to tell the students what is accepted and what is not. We introduce lessons about school violence,  teach them about good morals and values, and how to be kind to others. We instruct students that problems and conflicts are solved by words, not by violent actions. 

Activities and Games in my Classroom

We are in the 21st century. Lecturing is unacceptable anymore, especially while teaching scientific subjects. The class must be student-centered. Students must participate in the learning process; they must deduce the rules by themselves. In my class, I try my best to make learning fun and interesting. I introduce lots of activities and games in my lessons. These activities allow my students to interact and enjoy learning. I design these activities using simple materials like CDs, plastic cups, spoons, forks, kinder eggs, tweezers, playing cards, etc. By introducing these activities and games, students become more motivated and eager to learn and pay more attention. Through these games, I try to encourage teamwork and cooperative learning. It takes time and hard work to create new activities in every lesson, but my efforts pay off when I see the smile on my students’ faces.

Effective learning in the 21st century

 

For better attainment and effective learning, I would like to emphasize the concept of affordability and how it is essential for the educator to consider various factors related to learners' environment, ability to access, and even tailored the material to fit with learners' diverse needs and abilities. Affordability is related to access to knowledge without barriers of any kind. Supporting the learners by developing effective communication channels allows educators to give feedback, support their students when needed, and listen to their problems. Dual communication channels make supporting easier where problems can easily identify and work on them before being dangerous to the education process. I agree with the importance of supporting students by developing effective communication channels that allow educators to give their students feedback and support. The universality of the material is considered essential for developing a global online course that can be applied to broader measures.

EDU 561

 

One of my favorite courses during this fall semester is EDU 561. In this course, we learn how to introduce technology in our teaching and apply different tools, apps, platforms, and websites in our lessons. These tools are applicable and useful like Webquest, Goformative, Google form, Padlet, Mentimeter, Kahoot, and Poll Everywhere. Effective teachers can benefit from these various tools in their teaching. They can use them to introduce a new lesson, evaluate the students, make them engage in learning activities, and many other ways.

This course is beneficial, practical, and essential, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic where remote and distance learning is mandatory.

 

 

My Online Teaching Experiences

Distance learning is a new experience for both teachers and students. It may be challenging and demanding sometimes, but teachers always try their best to make it delightful and beneficial. 

Although my online teaching experience of fall 2020 was enjoyable, it was tough at the same time. This experience enriched my skills and allowed me to use many new platforms. I enjoyed learning about these new tools to facilitate my work during remote teaching. It was an excellent opportunity to expand my knowledge, develop my skills, add to my expertise, and stay updated on the latest online teaching strategies. Besides, it was great to sit at my own pace, sometimes wearing my pajamas and drinking my coffee while delivering my lessons.

 However, it was challenging as I had to regularly find new methods to explain the lessons and keep my students engaged, which was not easy. I struggled to keep boredom away and make them enjoy the sessions. It cost an arm and a leg to find new activities, new platforms, and new resources. Moreover, the poor internet connection caused me frustration and devastation.

 In short, I miss being with my students and interacting with them. I  miss their laughs, curiosity, and even their misbehaving sometimes. I would do anything to go back to my school.