R/D11

I would like to talk about the three competencies that I would like to develop in my elementary education along ‘2004 ISPI/ASTD PT Competencies.’

‘Use partnerships or collaborate with clients and other experts as required’
This year is the first time for me to teach ‘Japanese language.’ Since I do not have experience teaching Japanese language,　I was not certain how much first graders have knowledge of their native language, and how fast first graders can learn in Japanese (We didn’t have a curriculum to follow at present time).　　For the first few months, I had to prepare the lessons on my own. It was more of a trial and error process since teaching Japanese is quite different than teaching English. I am on the process of learning and finding my comfort level to teach this unfamiliar subject. For example, I try various teaching styles and methods to see which one works and not when I make lesson plan. I also I tried to ask other teachers for help when I have problems. According to this list, I should have asked other teachers more and look for resources on internet and books. I could have also asked students what was nteresting and fun to learn.

‘Be systematic in all aspects of the process including: The assessment of the need or opportunities.’
For my first graders, this is their first time to come to school and study. Some of them are still young and act like kindergarteners. What they are learning is the very fundamental of Japanese language and this will be their first time to study the Japanese language as a subject. Thus, the assessment is always a big concern for me. They just started to learn how to study and they might not be able to fully express themselves yet. In these conditions, could tests or quizzes be the good tool to assess their real abilities? If I do not use test or quiz, I feel that I do not value the students who could get a high score on quiz. Also, we traditionally use a lot of tests and quizzes in Japanese curriculum and I am following the curriculum now. I am still not sure whether it is the best way to assess students’ abilities. I use portfolios too but still not comfortable using tests.

‘Be systematic in all aspects of the process including: The analysis of the work and workplace to identify the cause or factor that limit performance.
As I mentioned before, I work at a brand new school, which started last April. So far, working at my school, there are some problems that I need to overcome. Some of them are more complicated than others. Another concern is communication. Because of the diverse nationalities of teachers in our school, there are a lack understanding and different methods of doing things. It is sometimes frustrating because it takes so long to make one decision. Nobody is right or wrong, and we just have different ideas. To make the situations easier, analyzing the cause or factors will work well.