In the first week of POTCERT, I discovered that it’s not simply about learning about methods/tools that can be used in the classroom but about finding out which methods/tools are right for MY course(s).

In this second week of POTCERT, I was able to reflect more on my own pedagogy. The “Beginner’s Questionnaire” revealed that I am quite a “mix” (I scored a 13). I believe Lectures are important for my teaching of languages yet it is vital for students to practice to really “get it”.  I focus a lot of my teaching on a student’s individual learning style. At the beginning of each semester, I ask students to take an online quiz to determine what kind of learner they are. Once they know and I know, I gear their learning experience based on their learning style. I could go into details about various ways that I do this but one way would be pairing up students according to the learning style and assigning an activity that helps them learn the same topic in a different way. My instruction isn’t therefore based on a student’s self-instruction but on a combination of my lectures and student activities that help them practice, reinforce learning and review.

The “Getting Started Chart” reinforced my belief in using Blackboard for my course. Much information I post on Blackboard is effective in student teaching and learning. I don’t find Blogs effective in learning French (the subject I predominately teach) at least for now–if I taught a French Literature or French Philosophy class, I might find Blogs useful for students to describe their thoughts on what was studied. I am very curious about using Moodle and hope to learn more about how to use it. I currently organize my classes on Blackboard via “Leçons” (Lessons). Each lessons contains videos, handouts and other useful information for learning the content of each individual class.