[Shaza Soliman]

Step 2: Defining Reflective Practice
Reflective practice in teaching is a process where educators critically evaluate their own instructional approaches, decisions, and classroom experiences to continuously improve student outcomes and personal effectiveness. It involves thoughtfully analyzing what went well, what didn’t, and how future teaching can be adapted. Central to this practice is a commitment to self-awareness, ongoing learning, and openness to change, all with the goal of enhancing both teaching and learning.
Step 4: Comparative Reflection
After watching the videos, I noticed that both educators emphasized the importance of ongoing reflection as a way to grow professionally. In the first video, the speaker highlights reflective practice as a cycle of thinking and action, which connects well with my definition where I mention the need to analyze and adapt based on experience. The speaker emphasizes that it’s not just about identifying what happened, but why it happened and what can be done differently, an insight that reinforced the importance of critical thinking in the process.
The second video adds a practical perspective, showing how reflective practice can be part of everyday teaching, such as after a lesson or conversation with a student. What stood out to me was the idea that reflection doesn’t always have to be formal or time-consuming, it can be quick, intuitive, and embedded into regular practice. This was a slight contrast to my original definition, which I framed in a more structured way. It reminded me that both formal and informal reflection are valuable.
One new insight I gained was how student feedback and outcomes can be used as part of reflective practice, which wasn’t something I explicitly included in my initial definition. I now see how powerful it can be to involve student voices and data in shaping the teaching practice.

[Shaza Soliman]

Unit 5 – Week 1 – Task 1 – Part A
Active Learning in Weiman’s Model
Active learning is a fundamental aspect of Weiman’s model, which emphasizes that students should be actively engaged in their learning process rather than being passive recipients of information. This means creating opportunities for them to explore, interact, and construct knowledge through various engaging activities. In Weiman’s model, students are encouraged to think critically, discuss ideas, and solve problems collaboratively. This approach is particularly effective for young learners, as it fosters a deeper understanding of the material and helps them develop essential skills such as communication and teamwork. The model also promotes a sense of community in the classroom, where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and learning from one another.
Adapting Weiman’s Model to Classrooms
To adapt Weiman’s model effectively in our classrooms, Teachers can implement several engaging strategies:
1. Interactive Learning Stations: Set up different areas in the classroom where students can participate in various activities, such as reading corners, science stations for a small experiment or math games. This allows them to learn through exploration and play, which is crucial for year 1 age group.
2. Role-Playing and Simulations: Incorporate role-playing activities where students can act out stories or scenarios. This method not only makes learning enjoyable but also helps them relate concepts to their own experiences. For example, students could role-play a market scene to learn about counting and money.
3. Group Projects: Encourage collaboration by assigning small group projects. For instance, students can work together to create a poster about a topic they are studying. This promotes teamwork and communication skills while allowing them to express their creativity.
4. Hands-On Activities: Use materials that students can manipulate, such as blocks for building. These activities help reinforce learning through tactile experiences, making concepts more concrete for young learners.
5. Storytelling and Discussions: Facilitate storytelling sessions where students can share their thoughts and ideas. This encourages verbal expression and helps develop their listening skills, fostering a sense of community in the classroom.
6. Incorporate Movement: Integrate movement into learning activities, such as scavenger hunts for new phonics words or interactive games that require students to move around the classroom. This not only keeps them engaged but also helps them release energy, making it easier for them to focus on learning.
7. Interactive Games: We can use educational games that promote learning through play. Games like bingo with sight words or math facts can make learning fun and engaging. Incorporating technology, such as interactive quizzes or digital games, can also enhance participation and excitement.
8. Peer Teaching: Encourage students to teach each other. After learning a new concept, students can pair up and explain it to their partner. This not only reinforces their understanding but also builds confidence and communication skills.
9. Classroom Jobs: Assign classroom jobs that require students to take responsibility and work together. For example, students can take turns being the “line leader,” “materials manager,” or “storyteller.” This fosters a sense of community and helps students develop leadership skills.
10. Reflection: Incorporate reflection time at the end of lessons. Students can share what they learned or how they felt about the activity. This practice encourages self-awareness and helps solidify their learning experiences.

[Shaza Soliman]

1. Resources, such as relevant checklists and specific environment audits (e.g. for hearing or vision), are used to inform their classroom practice.
Agree – Using checklists and environmental audits helps teachers address the specific needs of each student, fostering a more inclusive and customized learning environment.
2. There are alternative locations for play as well as the playground, for example quieter areas.
Agree – It gives students the opportunity to select environments that cater to their sensory needs, enhancing their well-being and supporting social growth.
3. There are opportunities for flexible groupings and pairings, and children/young people have access to positive role models to allow for paired work to support sensory, physical and medical needs.
Agree – Flexible groupings encourage teamwork and peer learning, while positive role models play a crucial role in offering guidance and support especially when it comes to addressing sensory or physical challenges.
4. Children are appropriately seated to access the information provided by the teacher and reduce distractions.
Agree – Organizing seating effectively reduces distractions and helps students stay focused on the teacher, which is essential for promoting effective learning.
5. Seating is considered so that the pupil’s writing arm is on the outside edge of a shared desk.
Agree – Making sure students have enough space to write comfortably is key to maintaining focus and minimizing discomfort during writing activities.
6. Children’s feet are on the floor, or another platform, when seated to maximize stability.
Agree – A stable seating posture promotes physical comfort and helps reduce fatigue, leading to better concentration and improved learning results.
7. Physical needs are considered when sitting on the carpet and ‘w’ sitting is discouraged in younger children.
Agree – Discouraging ‘w’ sitting is crucial for encouraging proper posture and avoiding future physical problems. Ensuring comfort while sitting on the carpet is also key to supporting active participation and maintaining focus.
8. Potential fatigue factors are taken into account for some physical activities, for example, linked to PE.
Agree – Acknowledging students’ physical abilities and needs during activities like PE helps create a safe, inclusive environment where every student can actively participate.
9. Lighting and acoustics are considered so that:
o Curtain/blinds are used to control the light entering the room.
Agree – Proper lighting helps minimize glare and creates a more comfortable environment that supports better learning.
o Artificial lights are even and ambient.
Agree – Bright, direct lighting can be overwhelming and distracting, while ambient lighting creates a calm and focused atmosphere.
o Furnishings are in strong contrast to the surroundings.
Agree – Furnishings with high contrast can assist students with visual impairments or sensory needs by making it easier for them to navigate the room.
o Areas are carpeted where possible.
Agree – Carpeted areas help lower noise levels and offer comfort, creating a more pleasant and conducive learning environment for students.
o Shiny, reflective surfaces are avoided to minimize glare.
Agree – Reducing glare from reflective surfaces is crucial for preventing distractions and discomfort, especially for students with sensory sensitivities.
10. The school and classrooms are free from clutter and the chairs are pushed in when not in use. Cupboard doors and drawers are kept shut.
Agree – A clutter-free environment helps maintain focus and safety by reducing distractions and minimizing the risk of accidents.
11. School trips and extra-curricular activities are carefully planned and risk assessments are completed to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made when necessary for individual needs.
Agree – Careful planning and risk assessments are vital to ensure that all students can take part in school trips and activities while addressing their individual needs.
12. They are flexible to make temporary reasonable adjustments to the learning environment as required following temporary illness or injury.
Agree – Being flexible with adjustments ensures that students who are temporarily ill or injured can continue to learn without being at a disadvantage.

Additional Point Based on My Successful Classroom Management Strategies:
Clear Visual Layout and Accessible Materials
In the classroom, ensuring that materials and resources are clearly labeled and easily accessible helps students navigate the environment with ease. Having distinct, organized spaces for books, supplies, and equipment reduces clutter and minimizes distractions.

[Shaza Soliman]

Nourhan, I completely agree with your points on creating an inclusive, accessible learning environment. Using resources like checklists and environment audits is crucial for meeting students’ diverse needs. The ideas of alternative play areas, flexible groupings, and thoughtful seating arrangements all help cater to various learning styles and promote comfort. The flexibility for school trips and temporary adjustments ensures equal learning opportunities for all.

[Shaza Soliman]

Heba, I really appreciate your detailed evaluation of classroom management strategies. Your emphasis on creating a print-rich environment is fantastic, especially in supporting early literacy and fostering independence. I agree that labels, word walls, and visual schedules can make a big difference in helping students navigate and engage with the classroom.

[Shaza Soliman]

Teaching counting in tens
Approach: A visual and hands-on approach using interactive activates (constructivism)
Method: A pattern based method so students can focus on the sequence of counting in tens
Technique: Using a large number line on the floor and have students hop the line in steps of ten or using a hundred chart to trace the numbers
Strategy: Repetition with using visuals like the number lines and hundred chart to help them recognize the patterns

[Shaza Soliman]

1. Introduction
Have you ever wondered how people learn and behave? Learning theories help explain how individuals acquire and apply knowledge. (ELM Learning,n.d.). Among the most prominent are Behaviorism and Constructivism, which offer different perspectives on learning. Behaviorism, focuses on observable behaviors and emphasizes the role of reinforcement and punishment. (Cherry, 2021), while Constructivism emphasizes the learner’s active role in constructing knowledge through experience. (Olusegun, 2015). This essay compares and contrasts their views on learning, the role of the teacher, and classroom applications, highlighting their influence on educational practices.
2. Similarities Between Behaviorism and Constructivism
Both behaviorism and constructivism focus on how teachers deliver knowledge and how students process and understand it. Both theories play essential roles in structuring educational frameworks. They emphasize the importance of the teacher in guiding the learning process. (Desklib, 2022).
3. Differences Between Behaviorism and Constructivism
The primary distinction between behaviorism and constructivism lies in their views on learning. Behaviorism focuses on reinforcement and punishment, where positive stimuli encourage desired behaviors and negative stimuli discourage unwanted ones. It emphasizes learning through conditioning, with teachers focusing on observable behaviors (Cherry, 2021). In contrast, constructivism suggests that students build knowledge by integrating new information with prior knowledge, shaped by context and personal attitudes. Knowledge is actively constructed through experiences and interactions, influencing educational practices (Olusegun, 2015).
Another difference lies in classroom application. Behaviorism encourages positive behaviors through reinforcement, such as praising students and offering rewards like points or prizes (Cherry, 2021). Constructivism, on the other hand, fosters student independence by encouraging active participation in learning. Hands-on activities and open-ended questions stimulate critical thinking, promoting student engagement and real-time problem-solving (Fedar, 2021).
The teacher’s role also differs. In behaviorism, the teacher manipulates the environment to encourage behavioral changes (Brau, Fox, & Robinson, 2022). In contrast, the teacher in constructivism acts as a facilitator, guiding students in exploring concepts and constructing knowledge (Tam, 2000).
4. Conclusion
While behaviorism and constructivism both aim to explain learning, they differ in teaching approaches, classroom applications, and the role of the teacher. Behaviorism focuses on observable behaviors and reinforcement, while constructivism emphasizes cognitive development and active knowledge construction. Despite these differences, both theories recognize the importance of the teacher in supporting students’ learning.

Personal Learning Philosophy
The Role of the Teacher
The teacher serves as both a facilitator and a guide. blending both constructivist and behaviorist strategies. As a facilitator, the teacher creates opportunities for students to explore and construct their own understanding through experience, collaboration, and reflection (constructivism). As a guide, the teacher sets clear learning objectives, offers structured activities, and provides consistent reinforcement to shape behavior, helping students meet goals through positive feedback (behaviorism).
The Role of the Learner
Learners are active participants who take ownership of their learning. They are encouraged to explore, inquire, and reflect on their learning, making connections between new and prior knowledge (constructivism). Additionally, learners benefit from clear goals and reinforcement (behaviorism) to encourage desired behaviors, such as consistent effort and task completion. The learner’s role is to construct knowledge while responding to feedback that guides them toward specific outcomes.
The Nature of Knowledge and Learning
Knowledge is dynamic and evolves through personal experience and interaction with the world (constructivism). Learning involves continuous growth, inquiry, and reflection. While learners actively construct knowledge, behaviorism emphasizes that learning is observable and measurable. Through repetition and reinforcement, learning outcomes can be broken into smaller behaviors that can be tracked and measured.
The Role of Technology in Learning
Technology is a tool for both active exploration and reinforcement. It enables learners to engage in self-directed learning, access a variety of resources, and collaborate (constructivism). It also tracks progress, provides immediate feedback, and reinforces desired behaviors (behaviorism), supporting both independent exploration and structured learning.
Assessment Practices
Assessment should be both formative and summative, integrating both learning theories. Formative assessments are interactive and provide opportunities for self-assessment, reflection, and application of knowledge in real-world contexts like interactive number lines, math word problems, story retelling or visual word hunt (constructivism). Summative assessments track specific, observable outcomes and measure mastery of skills, aligned with learning objectives (behaviorism). Both types of assessment use feedback to guide learning and reinforce progress.

[Shaza Soliman]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qgUrzA5lzkegWUpDjxXp2ZyqWLCYw0qF/view?usp=drivesdk

[Shaza Soliman]

I completely agree with you Sandra. As you mentioned, clear expectations and positive reinforcement are essential for maintaining focus and engagement.
I really like how you’ve highlighted the importance of communication, It helps in building rapport with the students as you mentioned and it encourages students to engage in the classroom.
Lastly, your point on subject matter knowledge is so important. It’s essential for building credibility and answering questions effectively. Strong subject knowledge enables teacher to explain concepts with confidence. I also love how you highlighted its impact on giving clear instruction.

• This reply was modified 10 months ago by Shaza Soliman.

[Shaza Soliman]

My top three qualities are:

1- Classroom management
I believe that effective classroom management allows the class environment to be organized and well structured. When students know what is expected of them, they are more likely to focus on their work and less likely to engage in disruptive behavior. Teachers should use strategies to organize and arrange students, learning materials, space, and use of classroom time to maximize the efficiency of teaching and learning. They should establish clear classroom rules from day one and set a routine for the students.

2- Excellent Communication Skills
Teachers should know how to teach the subject in a learner-friendly and engaging way. They should be able to break down complex concepts into simpler, more digestible parts. It helps the students in understanding material that might seem overwhelming to them. It also helps in encouraging student participation by having an approachable and friendly tone. Additionally, it helps in building strong relationship with the students because they will feel that the teacher is approachable and explains things easily so they will engage in the learning process.

3- Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is important because it sets the tone for the classroom atmosphere. The tone should be energetic and upbeat like greeting the student enthusiastically at the beginning of the day for example. Vibrant classroom encourages students to be more focused and creative and it helps in boosting students’ self-esteem. When a teacher demonstrates excitement and belief in their students’ potential, it motivates them to believe in themselves and take on new challenges.

[Shaza Soliman]

I really liked how you compared your own definition with the ideas from the videos. Your reflections were well-balanced and helped me see the bigger picture of reflective practice, especially how it connects theory with everyday classroom decisions.
I was especially interested in your point about reflection being a habit of mind rather than just a task we do occasionally. That idea stuck with me because it shows how important it is for teachers to make reflection a regular part of our thinking.
I liked how you explained the difference between reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action. I hadn’t thought much about reflecting during a lesson, so that part really helped me see how reflection can happen in the moment, not just after the fact.
I also thought your point about using student feedback was interesting. I usually think of reflection as something we do on our own, but involving students makes a lot of sense. It shows how we can learn from them as well.

[Shaza Soliman]

Ms. Nourhan, your summary of Wieman’s active learning model is concise and effectively highlights its key components. The practical strategies for classroom adaptation are particularly useful for teacher looking to enhance student engagement. Overall, this is a well-crafted resource that encourages a shift towards more interactive teaching methods.

[Shaza Soliman]

Ms. Heba, your insights into Wieman’s active learning model are well-articulated and effectively highlight the importance of student engagement. The practical adaptations for Foundation Stage 1 students demonstrate a thoughtful approach to fostering an interactive and supportive learning environment. By incorporating play-based learning and collaborative activities, you are setting the stage for meaningful educational experiences that can significantly enhance young learners’ understanding and retention.

[Shaza Soliman]

Nourhan, Your work demonstrates a clear and thoughtful understanding of both Constructivism and Humanism, and you’ve done an excellent job in connecting these theories to your personal learning philosophy. Your emphasis on the active role of the learner and the teacher as a facilitator is particularly commendable. It’s evident that you value student-centered approaches, where the learning process is dynamic, collaborative, and deeply rooted in real-world application.

I also appreciate how you’ve highlighted the importance of creating a supportive learning environment that nurtures both cognitive and emotional development. This approach is crucial for fostering not just academic success, but also personal growth and lifelong learning. Your focus on autonomy, self-reflection aligns well with contemporary educational practices and demonstrates a deep commitment to empowering learners.

Overall, your integration of Constructivism and Humanism into a cohesive learning philosophy is highly effective, and it’s clear that you’re advocating for an inclusive, engaging, and reflective approach to teaching and learning. Keep up the great work—your perspective is thoughtful, practical, and inspiring.

[Shaza Soliman]

Nourhan, Your focus on emotional security and supporting students through social-emotional development is vital. Helping students express their feelings and guiding them through conflict resolution not only supports their emotional needs but also teaches valuable life skills. It’s important to let students express their feelings and emotions.
In addition, prioritizing relationships can positively impact academic performance. When students feel safe and supported, they are more likely to engage in learning, ask questions, and feel confident in their abilities.
Overall, your approach to supporting students’ emotional needs while promoting social-emotional development is essential for creating an environment where children feel valued, respected, and ready to learn.

[Author]

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