Introductions: The Teachers' Meet and Greet Forum

[ITEN]

Hi All:

Please introduce yourselves here and tell us a bit of your teaching interests and about your teaching styles.  Share some of your experiences so far and remember to mention where you want to end up in this world of teaching and education.  

[Paula Lockhart]

Hello All:

I am Paula Lockhart from Pointe-Michel in Dominica. I am a part of the Inter-American Teacher Education Network team, tasked with supporting the needs of the Virtual Community in support of the advancement of teacher development efforts and to promote the opportunity for teachers to share, learn and connect. I am a teaching and teacher education professional as well as an international relations and conflict resolution practitioner who is very involved in academia. I have taught and served at the elementary, middle school and high school levels, as well as at the college and university levels.

My teaching interests are diverse since I love teaching French as much as I love teaching social sciences- economics and civics and international relations. As for my teaching style, I tend to prefer content based instruction, using real world issues, objects and subjects to plan and lead lessons and teach topics and concepts. Like using a French song to teach French verbs or a film etc or even current news pieces to teach history and government.

So far my experiences have been mostly positive, although I had my challenges in my middle school classrooms and lower high school classrooms. In the end, I learned about classroom management the hard way, but I think classroom management can really be a key for succeeding in teaching. I'd like to end up as an administrator who can still directly be influencing and involved daily in the classroom, while also publishing and contributing to the academic discourse overall.

Please send a message here in the community and share your thoughts on what you feel is key for your development as a teacher and/or education professional.

Remember to introduce yourself here in the Introductions discussion forum.

[Miranda Boodie]

Hello,

I am Miranda Boodie from Guyana. I am a language teacher and I teach at a private high school. I joined ITEN a few months ago and have been really encouraged by the plethora of information and development opportunities available on the network.
I enjoy finding out the history and development of various languages and I particularly love Spanish.

I prefer the student-centered approach to learning where I coach the students and encourage them to think critically. There are formal and informal teaching sessions and assessments. Songs, videos and tours are some of the techniques I incorporate into my lessons.

I have only been teaching for 12 years now but have had numerous experiences - mainly positive - over the years. I have taught from adult right down to kindergarten levels. I prefer high school the most however, and even though sometimes I tell myself that this is my final year as a teacher, I just can't seem to leave the profession.

Ergo, in the teaching and education world, I would one day like to see myself as an administrator. So, even if I am no longer teaching formal classroom sessions I would still be making an input in the lives of future generations.

[ITEN]

Waw Miranda.  Well done.  12 years is quite a bit, a dozen in fact.  So there is a lot we can learn from you.  I believe that there is a language group, but we should probably start up a foreign language teachers group. I teach French myself, so we should look into that.  Do your students get a good bit of opportunity to practice orally?  What do you do to help with that? 

Oh, also, the virtual Community in Spanish is very dynamic.  consider joining the Spanish community if you feel like you want some extra real time practice in a fully Spanish environment.  Its at www.riedamericas.net

We look forward to networking with you further and to meeting some of the fellow teachers at your school.  An announcement for the critical thinking toolkit was sent out earlier so look out for it.  Lastly, be sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter, #ITEN_OAS (https://twitter.com/ITEN_RIED) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iten.oas/?ref=page_internal)

Keep up the great work with our students.

Paula L. (Team ITEN)

[Fatima Korisha Ali Shah Hosein]

Dear ITEN Members and Companions

My name is Fatima Korisha Ali Shah Hosein, I am from Caracas –Venezuela.

I am a Lawyer, Specialist in Administrative Law, Doctorate in Constitutional Law, University Professor, Specialist and Magister in Virtual Education, I studies in Venezuela, Panamá, United States of America (Organization of the American States, NASA) in Education and others areas.

I work as consultant in International Law (Constitutional Law, Education Law, Ecological Law), also I work as virtual tutor, in the implementation of distance learning education, University Professor in Education.

My experience and interest in education starts with my participation in a doctorate seminar where I participate as a teacher, follow that occasion I give Law class in University in the modalities (traditional, e-learning, b-learning) also I give class in areas as education and e-gov, in education I have eight (08) years of experience as a University Professor and Virtual Tutor.

I hope that with my experience, knowledge I can help to students, teachers/professors and schools to obtain the goals proposed and obtain good/excellent results.

Best Regards
Fatima K. Hosein

[ITEN]

Thank you so much Fatima.  We can definitely learn a few things from you.  For example, I hope you can give us tips about e-learning and the best practices, since this is a virtual community and since most of what we will do is through the e-learning format. 

We look forward to your feedback and your shared experiences. 

See you soon

Paula L. (Team ITEN)

[Fatima Korisha Ali Shah Hosein]

Dear Paula

I will like to collaborate with some tips about e-learning and best practices.

I'll be awaiting to know you news about what you need.

Best Regards
Fatima K. Hosein

[ITEN]

Wonderful.  I am so happy to hear of your willingness.  I am networking with schools to get a sense of what their needs are so that we can figure out how to best use e-learning to support those needs. 

Thanks Again.

PL

[Robert Geofroy]

Hello All,

I am Robert Geofroy. I am a trini but have worked both in and out of Trinidad. I studied at the University of the West Indies in St. Augustine, the University of Cambridge, the University of Toronto (OISE), and the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar in Sucre, Bolivia. I have done several of the OAS and GIZ online courses and have embraced the online modality entirely although I do miss the highly interactive laboratory sessions in Physics which I used to enjoy so much as well. I continue to keep abreast of developments in education and especially online education even taking courses myself to help me with subjects in my own areas of speciality.

My teaching experience ranges from secondary through to university level. I taught Physics and Mathematics in Trinidad for many years at Presentation College, San Fernando. While there, I did a stint as an Exchange teacher in Birmingham UK which I enjoyed very much. I brought back many good practices which I observed there which I though would have benefitted the college. I taught briefly in the evening programme for UWI Extramural and also in the Science Technicians course at San Fernando Technical Institute before it became University of Trinidad and Tobago. I taught at the South University Centre before it became the University of the West Indies Open Campus and I also taught briefly at the Faculty of Education, St Augustine befoee moving on to Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. From St. Lucia I moved to the Community College in Cayman where I taught computing and mathematics and then to the University of the West Indies also in Cayman where I was Head for some six years.

I have always believed in experiential learning where knowledge is created through a transformation of experiences. When you put your hand in the fire you get burned and that is what helps you to understand the notion of heat. I have always maintained that practical experience in science is essential and necessary even when the resources are scarce and that was the essence of the Cambridge philosophy of a spirit or urgency and self reliance. Needless to say, there are many topics in Advanced level Physics which are still only accessible through textbook learning but we just have to make the best of what we have. Of course, being a bit of a mathematician too, I admit the abstractions and this helps us to grasp many concepts which have developed through great insight on the part of great mathematicians but now have provided a short cut for us to "see" these notions. As much as possible, I believe that teachers should give students experiences which help them develop their powers for discovery and innovation and with this we will move forward as a people.

I have now retired but still teach online courses in mathematics education as well as general education courses. I have now dropped anchor in Honduras and work online. It is said that a rolling stone gathers no moss and so I imagine that I am free of work encumberances in the main. I still maintain my interest in education in the region. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities of free education which were afforded me by Trinidad and Tobago. I know that the right to education is a fundamental right but many still do not have access to proper education. I have always seen education as a key for the development of the region and as such have continued to be involved actively as a teacher albeit virtually where I hope my experience will help in some way. While the virtual modality provides me with the opportunity to be involved I must admit that I do miss the face-face contact with students and the sharing in the communities which that affords as well.

I am happy to be part of this community where in some measure we can share our thoughts and ideas. I am also a memebr of the Caribbean Educators Network where I participate in the discussion there as well. What would we do without the modern communication technology we have today? We are empowered!

Robert

[Miranda Boodie]

Thank you Paula. A foreign language teachers' group would be great.

My students get some interesting opportunities to practice. Sometimes visitors from Cuba, Venezuela or Mexico would visit the school and I would organize for the students to have discussions with them.

I received the announcement and will definitely follow up on it.

Looking forward to networking in 2017.

Miranda




ITEN said:

Waw Miranda.  Well done.  12 years is quite a bit, a dozen in fact.  So there is a lot we can learn from you.  I believe that there is a language group, but we should probably start up a foreign language teachers group. I teach French myself, so we should look into that.  Do your students get a good bit of opportunity to practice orally?  What do you do to help with that? 

Oh, also, the virtual Community in Spanish is very dynamic.  consider joining the Spanish community if you feel like you want some extra real time practice in a fully Spanish environment.  Its at www.riedamericas.net

We look forward to networking with you further and to meeting some of the fellow teachers at your school.  An announcement for the critical thinking toolkit was sent out earlier so look out for it.  Lastly, be sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter, #ITEN_OAS (https://twitter.com/ITEN_RIED) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iten.oas/?ref=page_internal)

Keep up the great work with our students.

Paula L. (Team ITEN)

[Fatima Korisha Ali Shah Hosein]

Dear Paula

That’s interesting; networkings are a very powerful tool in education.

Best Regards

Fatima K. Hosein

ITEN said:

Wonderful.  I am so happy to hear of your willingness.  I am networking with schools to get a sense of what their needs are so that we can figure out how to best use e-learning to support those needs. 

Thanks Again.

PL

[Renee Ramdial]

Hi my name is Renee Ramdial from the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. I am Head of Department for Modern Studies/VAPA. I maintain a teaching portfolio in Social Studies and Caribbean History. I am always looking for educational opportunities which I can share with members of my department. ITEN is a great network to meet teachers in different countries/regions to share knowledge, experiences and sometimes solutions to issues that arise in the classroom.

My teaching style involves using different instructional strategies e.g. group work, worksheets, questioning and individual assessments.

I have had many different experiences in my teaching journey. Some very enlightening while others eye-openers. Teaching gave me opportunities that I may never have experienced had I remained in sales. 

I hope eventually to do my Phd and move on to tertiary lecturing or to move up the educational rung to Vice Principal and Principal.

[ITEN]

Wonderful to hear of your experiences Renee.  Please request that your teachers sign up.  That is the first step towards us building this community and exploring the needs and goals of fellow teachers. 

By the way the OAS-VUB program offers Ph.D. studies in education related fields. 

ITEN looks forward to engaging with you and all of your fellow teachers.

Paula L. (Team ITEN)

Ps.  Do you find that questioning works well in your classroom for advancing critical thinking or do your students get  fed up of the probing?