Getting inside the learners' head

(Module 3 - EDS 113)

After immersing myself in this week's readings, I learned about the kind of assessment that is involved in evaluating the needs of the learners. These are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students don't know yet and are best identified prior to teaching the modules, to serve as a guide for future teaching. It makes the course more effective, since deep thinking has to be applied in the instructors' teaching strategies and lessons, based on evidence gathered from these assessments. 

It is essential to get inside the learners' head and determine the gaps that need to be filled. Teachers can then craft methodologies that are flexible and can adapt in response to these assessment results. 

As a newbie teacher, I inherited the curriculum and learning modules from the previous art teacher in my department. It helped though, that there was a guide regarding the learning gap of students in this age group. It was concluded, based on their needs assessment, that grade 2 students should be given more activities that would develop their fine motor skills. Fine motor skills require the use of smaller muscle groups to perform smaller movements with the wrists, hands, fingers, and the feet and toes. Generally, there is a retention loss of fine motor skills over a period of non-use. Hence, during this online learning period, I thought of fun activities that would engage my students asynchronously. I prepared instructional videos that made use of their hands more often. I believe that the activities worked, because as we close the school year, I noticed that their drawing and coloring skills improved.

I would not have been able to come up with relevant lessons, had I not known that these were the gaps identified prior my teaching. 

For your reference, here are some videos that I put together and shared with my students.