Fifth Shadowing Session
The
session started at 8:00 Am. It was the earliest class that I have attend since I got here. First,
we had a little meeting with Professor Timo Leinonen, the lecturer of the class.
He was very nice and funny. The class that we attended is called an ENG. Electronics lab..
He started introducing to us the course structure and passed out to us some
handouts. The course consists of 6 lab experiments and a final exam. After each
lab experiment there is a tutorial class to explain the experiment as the
session that we attended. What was wandering us is the professor asked each student came late to class about the reason of being late in a funny way.
I think the class is a mixed of
different learning theories. One of the methods followed in this course is behavioral
method. He explains and simplifies issues and matters. Then, the students have
been examined. As we attended in the tutorial
session that was substituted with the lab, the teacher gave us the method that he uses in the lab. The
students interact with each other where the professor has only a role of an
assistant when they do their experiments in the lab section of the course. So,
in this cases the teacher may be considered to be a social gathering
where students learn by working as groups a partially absence of the professor.
Finally, as my colleague Nawaf
wrote" When we finished shadowing the lecture, we went with the professor
to the teaching faculty lounge to have some coffee and discuss more issues
regarding learning methodology. There we many professors sitting there having a
short break. We talked about who and how curriculum may be chosen and designed.
One of the interesting things the professor told us was that once a while the
department professors and director meet in the sauna and have an informal
discussion. Then when they meet in the department they discuss those issues
again in a formal meeting. It sounded funny when he told us that, but I think
it is kind of an ice breaking in the way of managing the department and working
as close as it could be in the sauna. I really liked today's shadowing since I
have added something new to my experience."
I'm not quite sure, but was the lab substituted with the tutorial? That is: was there no lab, only tutorial?
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to labs as a learning method, I think that they are actually early representatives of Inquiry-Based Learning. The students have equipment and must find the answers through research. Labs could also be seen as experiential learning (as defined by Kolb) if there were the full cycle of reflection etc. to follow the actual experience. Did you have a chance to see, what the students should measure in the lab and how they should elaborate it in their report?
From what you write I draw the conclusion that Timo Leinonen is one of those teachers who puts his own personality into play. I think it is important to realize that even midst all the theories and methodological approaches, teaching still is a profession where personality matters. I warmly welcome some humor into classrooms!
I'm also happy that Timo spontaneously offered to take you to the teachers' lounge! I find it a great idea, and I have made a note that in the future this should be included to shadowing all programs!
- Irmeli