Poster Making - My Reflections
How it all began
During the second day of our face-to-face sessions we were informed about one of the assessment tasks - working in small teams, three to four people, making a poster. The poster had to be associated witha teaching or learning related topic. Initially Emma and I thought of going with one of the other students who was from Albury but as he wasn't prepared to work on the poster outside work hours that didn't really work out. That response made me feel a little flabbergasted which surprised me; however, for me work comes first and as such am happy to work on my study outside work - do I have my priorities wrong? The idea of the five Wodonga TAFE gals doing the poster together didn't really appeal to me - too many chefs in the kitchen or captains on the ship, which ever way you want to look at it. However, there didn't seem to be any way of escaping it and I found myself at the same table as Dianne, Karin, Emma and Justine.
Discussions about the topic of the poster were smooth, respectful and full of ideas. It quickly became clear that no-one wanted to be the leader nor the follower, that we were all there on equal footing listening to each other creating the best outcome for all of us. Using multiculturalism in the classroom was quickly agreed on with specifics to be decided later. I can't remember who came up with the idea of doing a simple poster supported by a blog, but we all jumped at it. Even my scepticism of being part of a "large" group melted away like snow on a hot summer's day.
Objectives of our Poster
Multiculturalism was a subject we were all interested in for various reasons. For me it was the development of a special class for migrants from Buthan, Nepal and Sudan doing the Certificate III in Children's Services. Talking to the teachers about the delivery showed there were many issues we didn't automatically think about when we organised delivery. Coloquial words have a completely different meaning for non-english speaking students; words such as "engagement sheet" may be taken completely the wrong way (engaged to be married, not engaged as contact). And how would we go about doing practical work in a health related area, such as massage, where students would have to partly undress and touch each other? So when we decided on the multiculturalism topic I was stoked. We came up with the following objectives:
16.09.2013
Our first real meeting to bring together all that we have gathered and discuss certain elements in more detail. Getting together with the other four stimulated my desire to learn more and it also increased my enthusiasm to do my bit for the poster and Weebly. I just need to ceate time to get my teeth into the articles I found on multiculturalism in the classroom and enjoy reading, discovering and learning more about this very interesting topic.
Our meeting today only lasted an hour but it was a good meeting/discussion. We sorted out what we wanted to do and I am happy with my role in the whole activity - need to put something together for our Weebly in regards to "general Issues and strategies in a multicultural classroom". As such I have made another tab under "poster making" in the hope I can then transfer my piece to our multicultural Weebly.
During the second day of our face-to-face sessions we were informed about one of the assessment tasks - working in small teams, three to four people, making a poster. The poster had to be associated witha teaching or learning related topic. Initially Emma and I thought of going with one of the other students who was from Albury but as he wasn't prepared to work on the poster outside work hours that didn't really work out. That response made me feel a little flabbergasted which surprised me; however, for me work comes first and as such am happy to work on my study outside work - do I have my priorities wrong? The idea of the five Wodonga TAFE gals doing the poster together didn't really appeal to me - too many chefs in the kitchen or captains on the ship, which ever way you want to look at it. However, there didn't seem to be any way of escaping it and I found myself at the same table as Dianne, Karin, Emma and Justine.
Discussions about the topic of the poster were smooth, respectful and full of ideas. It quickly became clear that no-one wanted to be the leader nor the follower, that we were all there on equal footing listening to each other creating the best outcome for all of us. Using multiculturalism in the classroom was quickly agreed on with specifics to be decided later. I can't remember who came up with the idea of doing a simple poster supported by a blog, but we all jumped at it. Even my scepticism of being part of a "large" group melted away like snow on a hot summer's day.
Objectives of our Poster
Multiculturalism was a subject we were all interested in for various reasons. For me it was the development of a special class for migrants from Buthan, Nepal and Sudan doing the Certificate III in Children's Services. Talking to the teachers about the delivery showed there were many issues we didn't automatically think about when we organised delivery. Coloquial words have a completely different meaning for non-english speaking students; words such as "engagement sheet" may be taken completely the wrong way (engaged to be married, not engaged as contact). And how would we go about doing practical work in a health related area, such as massage, where students would have to partly undress and touch each other? So when we decided on the multiculturalism topic I was stoked. We came up with the following objectives:
- To develop a poster with teaching tips for a multicultural classroom which could be used by teachers
- To focus on cultures that we see the most here in the Albury/Wodonga region, those being Napelese, Buthanses, Sudanese
- To focus on multicultural issues is a health related classroom - as this was too narrow it was eventually changed to a multicultural issues in a general classroom
16.09.2013
Our first real meeting to bring together all that we have gathered and discuss certain elements in more detail. Getting together with the other four stimulated my desire to learn more and it also increased my enthusiasm to do my bit for the poster and Weebly. I just need to ceate time to get my teeth into the articles I found on multiculturalism in the classroom and enjoy reading, discovering and learning more about this very interesting topic.
Our meeting today only lasted an hour but it was a good meeting/discussion. We sorted out what we wanted to do and I am happy with my role in the whole activity - need to put something together for our Weebly in regards to "general Issues and strategies in a multicultural classroom". As such I have made another tab under "poster making" in the hope I can then transfer my piece to our multicultural Weebly.
22.09.2013 - I finally did it. Organised my page about issues in a multicultural classroom and strategies that can be used to overcome the issues. I actually loved reading articles, putting together the page and then copy and pasting it to the group Weebly. I know I will be adding to this page the more I read. As a matter of fact, I will be searching for some more articles right now so I can read them in the bus to Sydney the day after tomorrow. Lets hope I find some interesting ones.
Having come from another country myself and knowing how difficult learning (and teaching) in another language can be I am always interested to learn more about other cultures and their way of doing things. After all, multiculturalism as well as "diversity is a resource that can enrich learning" (Hunt & Chalmers, 2012, p. 186). However, utilising examples from a student's own birth-country is something I have not really thought about but it would be interesting to get a milticultural view on democracy, personal space or even body language. Arkoudis states that:
'from both the students' and staff perspectives, interaction among students from diverse backgrounds potentially leads to: increased awareness
and understanding of different perspectives; better preparation for the workplace; improved English language skills of international students; and a
greater feeling of belonging' (as quoted in Hunt & Chalmers, 2012, p. 186).
07.10.2013 - The poster and associated Weebly are coming nicely together. Everyone has really put in their bit and Karin has done a great job with the poster. Unfortunately not everyone was able to attend the meeting but the three of us had a very constructive meeting leaving us all with renewed energy and looking forward to our next and probably last meeting.
Having come from another country myself and knowing how difficult learning (and teaching) in another language can be I am always interested to learn more about other cultures and their way of doing things. After all, multiculturalism as well as "diversity is a resource that can enrich learning" (Hunt & Chalmers, 2012, p. 186). However, utilising examples from a student's own birth-country is something I have not really thought about but it would be interesting to get a milticultural view on democracy, personal space or even body language. Arkoudis states that:
'from both the students' and staff perspectives, interaction among students from diverse backgrounds potentially leads to: increased awareness
and understanding of different perspectives; better preparation for the workplace; improved English language skills of international students; and a
greater feeling of belonging' (as quoted in Hunt & Chalmers, 2012, p. 186).
07.10.2013 - The poster and associated Weebly are coming nicely together. Everyone has really put in their bit and Karin has done a great job with the poster. Unfortunately not everyone was able to attend the meeting but the three of us had a very constructive meeting leaving us all with renewed energy and looking forward to our next and probably last meeting.
19.10.2013 - our final meeting together and boy are we proud of our end result. We believe we have dotted all i-s and crossed all t-s making sure that the poster and associated Weebly are according to the assessment task guidelines as well as not break any Wodonga TAFE marketing rules seeing that we are using the Wodonga TAFE logo on the poster and using the Wodonga TAFE name in our Weebly..
Working with this bunch of beautiful women has been one of the best things that has already come out of my study. I am normally one to do thing preferably by myself, but have learned that team work can actually not only be informative but also be very enjoyable and above all productive and a wonderful opportunity to share ideas and thoughts with others. I will certainly be more open for team work activities in the future (especially with these women). |
The submission
21..10.2013 - We did it. Submitted the poster and associated link to the Weebly (just for easy reference). What a feeling. Now all I need to do is finish my work with this Weebly which has been so enjoyable to create and work on so far. It's finding the time that has been the problem, but once I start I seem to get a fair bit done. Should I revisit my priorities? Shouldn't work be between the hours of 8.30am and 5pm and not involve nine to 10 hours of work each day (not including the work done at home and during weekends)? Love the study so lets give it a little more attention.
Reflection
I was a bit scepticle when we decided to work together as a group of five. "Too many people who all want their say", were my thoughts. However, as soon as we started discussing the topic of our poster it seemed that we all had respect for each other, listened carefully to each others' opinions and suggestions and came up with the final draft quickly and democratically. Dividing the roles went just as easy and no-one dragged the chain. I am extremely proud of the end result and would attack any task with these women in a heart's beat. We are already talking about doing electives together. So what was so good about this teamwork?
According to Duncan Brodie there are six benefits of team work and I agree with each and every one of them:
1. Creativity - "We all have different skills, knowledge and personal attributes. By utilising all of these different aspects in a team, more ideas can be generated. As more ideas are generated, more creative solutions are generated, leading to better results". Karin was the artistic designer who constructed the poster following a team brain storming session, Dianne ensured proper company rules and guidelines were used (use of Wodonga TAFE logo), Justine ensured we followed the UB guidelines, Em and I brought our teaching and multi-cultural questions forward. We are stoked with the end result those being the poster and a fantastic Weebly. Personally I am dull and need to be in the right frame of mind to create something spectacular. Doing the poster I feel I was in the right frame of mind every time I was with my "team mates".
2. Satisfaction - "Individuals working together as a team to achieve a common goal are continually developing. As they interact more energy and enthusiasm is created. When this energy is utilised, it produces results which positively impacts on motivation". Each session we had together left us more enthusiastic and creative; we sometimes had to ensure we kept an eye on what it was we wanted to achieve as ideas were often flying through the room easily leading us off track. I enjoy studying, but doing this poster with the other four has given me way more than enjoyment.
3. Skills - "When a team works together, it has a huge range of skills available that it can utilise to deliver extraordinary results". It seemed that whenever someone had a question, no matter if it was in relation to referencing, research, how to do reflective writing or the Weebly there was someone with an answer or guidance into the right direction to find the answer. I feel I am already much "richer" even after such a short period of time.
4. Speed - "By splitting up the project, work can move forward in parallel and the ultimate goal achieved faster". With Karin looking mostly after the poster the other four had the time to focus on the Weebly, interview people and find associated readings whilst at the same time still continue with our extremely busy life styles. Would I have done this by myself something would have had to give to make time for the poster.
5. Sounding board - "In a team situation, other team members can act as a sounding board, allowing us to cut through the options and get on with those most likely to achieve the desired goal". The brainstorming sessions were the most fun; so many ideas, so much creativity, but also so much honesty reported back in a respectful way. I would have never come up with any of the ideas by myself or would have reached the end result.
6. Support - I"t is amazing the amount of camaraderie that is created in teams, especially when the going gets tough. People will often go to what seems like extreme lengths when they know that they can rely on the support and encouragement of the team". For whatever reason, we all felt supported by each other from the start and the more support we received from one another, the more we wanted to give back. What a fantastic way to work together.
My own experience with the poster groupwork has stimulated me to incorporate teamwork (in the form of the reverse classroom) in my teaching with some great results. Loved creating the assessment task but it was even better to watch the results of the task.. It brought out some unexpected strengths, great teamwork, as well the development of in-depth material which was well presented to the rest of the class. It made me realise that groupwork can indeed "enhance the quality and depth of student learning" (LTC, 2008). Although many things need to be kept in mind for teamwork to work well for me few things stood out:
My main contribution to the poster/Weebly can be found on the next sub-tab: Issues in a multicultural classroom.
Reference:
Brodie, D. - Six key benefits of teamwork. Retrieved from (21.10.2013) http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Key-Benefits-of-Teamwork&id=774055
Hunt, L., & Chalmers, D. (2012). University teaching in focus. A learning-centred approach. Newcastle, Australia. ACER Press
LTC (Learning and Teaching Centre), Macquarie University (2008). Assessing group work (Assessment toolkit resources). Retrieved October 27, 2013 from http://staff.mq.edu.au/public/download/?id=40233
21..10.2013 - We did it. Submitted the poster and associated link to the Weebly (just for easy reference). What a feeling. Now all I need to do is finish my work with this Weebly which has been so enjoyable to create and work on so far. It's finding the time that has been the problem, but once I start I seem to get a fair bit done. Should I revisit my priorities? Shouldn't work be between the hours of 8.30am and 5pm and not involve nine to 10 hours of work each day (not including the work done at home and during weekends)? Love the study so lets give it a little more attention.
Reflection
I was a bit scepticle when we decided to work together as a group of five. "Too many people who all want their say", were my thoughts. However, as soon as we started discussing the topic of our poster it seemed that we all had respect for each other, listened carefully to each others' opinions and suggestions and came up with the final draft quickly and democratically. Dividing the roles went just as easy and no-one dragged the chain. I am extremely proud of the end result and would attack any task with these women in a heart's beat. We are already talking about doing electives together. So what was so good about this teamwork?
According to Duncan Brodie there are six benefits of team work and I agree with each and every one of them:
1. Creativity - "We all have different skills, knowledge and personal attributes. By utilising all of these different aspects in a team, more ideas can be generated. As more ideas are generated, more creative solutions are generated, leading to better results". Karin was the artistic designer who constructed the poster following a team brain storming session, Dianne ensured proper company rules and guidelines were used (use of Wodonga TAFE logo), Justine ensured we followed the UB guidelines, Em and I brought our teaching and multi-cultural questions forward. We are stoked with the end result those being the poster and a fantastic Weebly. Personally I am dull and need to be in the right frame of mind to create something spectacular. Doing the poster I feel I was in the right frame of mind every time I was with my "team mates".
2. Satisfaction - "Individuals working together as a team to achieve a common goal are continually developing. As they interact more energy and enthusiasm is created. When this energy is utilised, it produces results which positively impacts on motivation". Each session we had together left us more enthusiastic and creative; we sometimes had to ensure we kept an eye on what it was we wanted to achieve as ideas were often flying through the room easily leading us off track. I enjoy studying, but doing this poster with the other four has given me way more than enjoyment.
3. Skills - "When a team works together, it has a huge range of skills available that it can utilise to deliver extraordinary results". It seemed that whenever someone had a question, no matter if it was in relation to referencing, research, how to do reflective writing or the Weebly there was someone with an answer or guidance into the right direction to find the answer. I feel I am already much "richer" even after such a short period of time.
4. Speed - "By splitting up the project, work can move forward in parallel and the ultimate goal achieved faster". With Karin looking mostly after the poster the other four had the time to focus on the Weebly, interview people and find associated readings whilst at the same time still continue with our extremely busy life styles. Would I have done this by myself something would have had to give to make time for the poster.
5. Sounding board - "In a team situation, other team members can act as a sounding board, allowing us to cut through the options and get on with those most likely to achieve the desired goal". The brainstorming sessions were the most fun; so many ideas, so much creativity, but also so much honesty reported back in a respectful way. I would have never come up with any of the ideas by myself or would have reached the end result.
6. Support - I"t is amazing the amount of camaraderie that is created in teams, especially when the going gets tough. People will often go to what seems like extreme lengths when they know that they can rely on the support and encouragement of the team". For whatever reason, we all felt supported by each other from the start and the more support we received from one another, the more we wanted to give back. What a fantastic way to work together.
My own experience with the poster groupwork has stimulated me to incorporate teamwork (in the form of the reverse classroom) in my teaching with some great results. Loved creating the assessment task but it was even better to watch the results of the task.. It brought out some unexpected strengths, great teamwork, as well the development of in-depth material which was well presented to the rest of the class. It made me realise that groupwork can indeed "enhance the quality and depth of student learning" (LTC, 2008). Although many things need to be kept in mind for teamwork to work well for me few things stood out:
- Students need to be given strict guidelines in regards to not only what is expected from them but also how they will be assessed. Each group will have their leaders and those who drag the chain and contribute very little. Good support needs to be available in setting up the groups and discussing and dividing the task at hand, especially when students are younger, such as VET in Schools students.
- Students need to be given enough time to work together as a group, especially when students may only see them when they attend your class. However, allowing students to prepare their group assessment during classtime provides the teacher with an excellent opportunity to assess everyones contribution to the task and at the same time provides an opportunity for students to clear any inquiries they may have.
- When a presentation is part of the groupwork assessment task, students need guidelines so they know if they are marked on their presentation skills and/or on the depth of information they present.
My main contribution to the poster/Weebly can be found on the next sub-tab: Issues in a multicultural classroom.
Reference:
Brodie, D. - Six key benefits of teamwork. Retrieved from (21.10.2013) http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Key-Benefits-of-Teamwork&id=774055
Hunt, L., & Chalmers, D. (2012). University teaching in focus. A learning-centred approach. Newcastle, Australia. ACER Press
LTC (Learning and Teaching Centre), Macquarie University (2008). Assessing group work (Assessment toolkit resources). Retrieved October 27, 2013 from http://staff.mq.edu.au/public/download/?id=40233