Tuesday, 26 November 2013

QLK520 - End of Course Reflection


QLK520
Communication Skills for Teachers
End of Course Reflection


Personally, I found the skills learned in this course to be very applicable when we eventually go out to our actual teaching in schools. Many of the skills learned are what we would call "soft-skills", which are vitally important in the social working context of the school. For example, I found the lesson on writing appropriate emails to be particularly useful, as I myself have had troubles with deciding on the kind of tone I should use when writing emails. Without the benefit of body language, communicating using only text may result in miscommunications between both parties. There are many nuances involved in the writing of emails, and the course has opened my eyes to some of them. With practice, I hope that I would eventually be able to craft out emails appropriate for any situation.

 Another aspect of the course which I found to be particularly effective was the section on Vocal Health. From my time spent teaching during my Enhanced School Experience, I found that my vocal health suffered. Many times after teaching a class, my throat felt sore and tired, and my voice sounded hoarse.

After the section on Vocal Health, I found that I had several bad vocal health habits. For example, I often slouch, and this affects the movement of air through my body. I also learned that I should employ better use of my diagram to help throw my voice across the classroom. However, I found it difficult to actually make conscious use of my diaphragm, and the breathing exercises were unfamiliar. But I believe that with practice, such good vocal practices would become second nature to us.

All in all, I found this course to be both fruitful and highly enjoyable. We were blessed with a tutor who was both caring towards us and highly knowledgeable with her course content.

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