MOBILE LEARNING

Today, We attended Omnia Workshop Presentation by Mrs. Mervi Jansson and Satu Jarvinen which emphasize on Mobile Learning and any activity that allows individuals to be more productive.  Therefore, their focus are three combined elements such as Technology, Content and Pedagogy. Nevertheless, in their program they have multiple roles based on:

Which means their Program and Teaching Method have Multi-Learning channels to suit different student's needs, as we know every individual has different ability learning level, some prefer visualising, reading, writing or verbal, these learning techniques facilities are powerful ways of improving student's achievement and most useful development of understanding. Not only that the Program also take on consideration what the market needs of knowledge and skills. In that way the students will be ready, prepared and updated for the job requirements.


Personally, I really like their concept of Teaching and Learning Methods which combined Technology, Content and Pedagogy together to serve and to meet student's learning needs. Also, the atmosphere, outlet and the invironment are really supportive to Teaching and Learning Solution. In addition to that, they are aware of what the workplace demands. I wish that one day we will be able to have that kind of Teaching facility in the near future.

Assessment

The session started by Dr. Aaltonen asking what we had learned from the previous topic (Guidance and Counseling), so everyone of us wrote what we can remember. Personally, I like this way, it helps to refresh students memories. Then, she introduced the topic of the day which was assessment based on three questions.

1. How can we identify the negative and possitive nowadays about assessment practices?

2. How to be capable to have a suitable assessment process to support our students learning outcome?

3. How to be able to use a new assessment methods in our future teaching?


These questions are really the key to get into the assessment process. Nevertheless, we had brain storming and fishbowl exercise based on the main principles of good assessment. After that, she highlighted on traditional and the new pedagogical thinking of assessment. Personally, I don't really like the ancient method of assessment, I would rather use a new pedagogical thinking of assessment, I think that a new method will help students to learn more and to improve the learning outcome process. Assessment also in my opinion is just a tool to achive the main goal of teaching and learning. In this case we should always think in a friendly way to be sure the students absorb, benefit and learn the most of the topic, rather than to use hardship method which discourage the students. Therefore, I strongly believe in assessment method can be use during the entire teaching and learning process, which emphasise on understanding between learning and to encourge to a change in students thinking. I like also assessment to empower and motivate students challenges. After all, the diagram below explains really the main purpose of the assessment which in the end to improve the learning outcome process and teaching method.
                                 

At the end, we agreed that in order to have constructive, effective and fair judgement we should have assessment criteria and indicator such as, what we expect the students to achieve higher grades, what the acceptable standard to different levels of performance, also the students have to be aware of that criteria because they learn best and understand what they are trying to learn and what expected of them, especially when they are given a regular feedback about the quality of their work and what they can do to make it better. In addition, feedback is powerful to improve students achievement and useful also to support the development of deeper understanding, but in the reality to come up with solid criteria is not easy. After all, we are human beings make mistakes, and not perfect all the time. But we have to do our best as much as we can to be fair and supportive rather than to be judgemental.

Shadowing 3

Shadowing 3

Before the class started I meet Mrs. Suonpaa and Mr. Innanen. I introduced myself in brief, such as profession, field, education background and the purpose to attend their class. I was well prepared because I wanted to make a first impression. They told us this class is about Researching Target Markets and the students had assignment on project collecting data as a group, regarding how to establish business in Finland, what are the obstacles and the challenge that will face the investors. Then, they went on with several questions concerning if we want to get involve or to comment during the lecture. The students started to come, Mrs. Suonpaa had to introduce us to the students and also we had to give a little bit introduction about ourselves. Then, she started talking about the assignment that she gave them from the previous session and how they are going to present the outcome of their research. The students suggested to give little data that they had collected so far from the survey. Mrs. Suonpaa agreed, after that the students started their  presentation as a project team work. While the students are giving the presentation Mrs. Suonpaa and Mr. Innanen were elaborating and asking questions, at the end of the presentation they took the attendance.

My Personal observation point of view:

In the beginning of the session Mrs. Suonpaa set up a clear agenda for the lesson as well as the objective.

The Instructor related today subject to the previous one. Then, she outline the roles and structures of the class from the beginning such as the outcome of each group research has to be presented, also the evaluation will be based on the quality of the presentation and individual project assignment.

Mrs. Suonpaa and Mr. Innanen were very well prepared, planned and organized. Also, their teaching methods approach were based on social functional activities which means to help the students to interact in a group discussion and demonstrate their focus.

The participation of the students was encouraging very strong, well supervise by the instructor in constructive and protective way which to make sure their students understood the subject.

The atmospher in the class was very good, well organized such as the setting, supports the student interaction and help them to focus on learning.

The students seemed to be cooperative helping each other by working in their research as a group, sharing the data and learning from each other.

The main focus of this class is independent research as a project team work on collecting data about the investment future in Finland, through survey questionnaire. Therefore, the content was accurate and up-dated.

Conclusion:


The Objective of the session was really clear, through the students presentation by starting the questionnaire and the data they are getting.

The planning, preparation and organizing were on place. The method learning approach was effective, Mrs. Suonpaa focused on cognitive, social and constructive in these methods were a lot of participation engagement and the students were encourage to play active role on mental process as Thinking, Reasoning and Remembering. However, in the meantime Mrs. Suonpaa emphasize her role in the class by taking the attendance which means she is in control. After all, I really admire her teaching style and techniques which  she combined different methods approach. Therefore, I'll use this suitable effective method to achive the learning objective in some of my teaching class.

Guidance and Counseling

Today, Dr. Aaltonen and Dr. Turunen walked us through valuable various tools, methods supporting student's learning and study a process. Then, they focused on guidance and counseling styles, such us:


Approving counseling - The Teacher has to give the students a chance to elaborate what's bothering them.

Catalytic Counseling - The Instructor is trying to get more information out of the students as much as he can.

Confronting Counseling - The Teacher tries to convince the students not to avoid the problem facing him or not to recognize the consequences.

They also illustrated the issue of practical principle for guidance and counseling which imphasize:

On  active listening with possitive feeling - investigate the students with clarification also empathize with the students without judging her or him.

Tolerance of silence - give more students time to express themselves.

Tight altogether - summarize all the facts and the conclusions.

The objective of  guidance and counseling is to help the students and to support the whole learning process.

                                                                              

At the end of the day, we had to implement counseling exercise among ourselves which was effective and we benefit from it.

As you see we have guidance and counseling program back home but its not comprehensive as well as what we have learned today, a new valuable constructive tools, techniques and methods, which Im going to demonstrate and implement in the near future.