Learning diary 1( teaching practice)

 Analysis about pedagogical approach during teaching practice

Pre assignment provided for students  to have good motivation and basic knowledges about European Unions, how it has been built, Finland history to join as European Unions's member and what is important value etc. As a flipped classroom approach, teacher's role and absence or not are significant to activate student's self learning in advance before teaching class. But student's memory skills depends vary. A flipped classroom approach is suitable for special needs students to have active participation while class or repeated learning to have certain knowledges and information. Student's discussions regarding topics is improving by their own capacities considering student's language skills, memory skills, social recognitional skills, learning difficulties and strengths. 

Inquiry based learning pedagigical approach was effective so far to improve their participation by giving them to think and answer about questions according to their opinions and guess. Structured questions were to get precise answers. Used structured answers were for example as below:

" How many European countries are belongs to European Union. Tell me any number between 20-30"

" Which one do you choose to participate in voting among 3. Home voting, pre election voting, voting on election day" 

" Is Finland one of European union members?"

" what currency use in Finland?"

" What can you use ID card in Finland?"

4 Special needs students could give answer or thought about how to give answers to me. They could develop to speak about own opinions as whole sentence. However, students were still need to improve to discuss in details. And their active efforts to  give answer to me or others have shown significant interaction skills regarding topic. Learning process was cooperative together but still passive to learn and learn to develop as question or leading discussion as one of facts.

How connectivim theory support to do collaborative learning? 

Digital media , tools and digital platforms helped to provide special needs student's learning by having high quality contents as learning materials. And It provided to deliver information to students. Considering student's own reflections and participations, special needs students's own digital literacy skills are highly requires. Visualisation as connected form via mentimeter was meaningful to have interaction and trials of collaborative learning as one group in digital space. However, student's dgital literacy skills still remain as hindrances to be connected via digital platform in learning process or to participate in activities digitally.  Assistant's collaborative learning approach was prompted to help student's assignments waiting for other's completion, dividing or sharing and helping each other to complete assignments during entire learning process.

Special needs student's assistant collaboration skills and digital skills are highly influential to take learning steps further at fixed teaching time. 

Digital tools and internet connection issue may disturb or cause issues to do teaching, if assignment is oriented only by digital platform and tools. Teacher's knowledges and teaching resources should be able to prepared just in case. 

Special needs student's own reflection in wrriten is required to practice digitally by learning languages recognition and digital literacy.

My reflections 

It is mandatory to remember and keep in mind that student's learning difficulties and individual special needs are different to learn teaching topic. 

Teaching should keep in short with clear descriptions in Finnish

Teaching topic should be not so many in order to students focus on certain topic to learn more specifically.

Assistant's collaborative skills, own professional skills should be able to recognized precisely by me to help student's learning process. Open mind to give feedback and receive feedback from them. 

Having more chance to talk with students to give positive feedback, proper guidances according to good guidance instructions 

Understanding of student's learning target in details indivisually is needed.

Participating to observe personal competence development plan's meeting with parents if possible.

Remembering individual works and cooperation works with guiding teacher to assess student's learning and to give guidance related in learning or daily school's issues.

Double check about Finnish education regulations, laws and copy rights.