Animated movies seldom interests me. I suspect it is a childhood thing as I cannot remember being very fond of cartoons (though I did recall my elder sister and me going through a craze period over Carebears and Smurfs, but that was about all).
But somehow, I felt compelled to watch more of them these days due to a work necessity -- for someone in the teaching industry, it seems blasphemous that I do not know famous characters or songs from a famous animated movie, hence showing myself to seriously lack similar points of reference to these students??
I am glad I chose Kungfu Panda to ease me into this watching-animated-shows mode as it offers up several good learning points for me (hence fulfilling my need to always 'learn' something):
1. It is essential to know your student's learning needs.
Upon realising that Po is driven by food, Shi Fu is able to design his teaching based on what drives his disciple. That's a sound (but many a time forgotten) principle of good teaching.
2. Knowing your student's learning style is key.
Not all students learn the same way. When Shi Fu realises Po learns things the íncidental way, he sought to give lessons the way his student needs it. Remember the scene where Shi Fu was sparring with Po using chopsticks which proved to come in handy subsequently in Po's showdown with Tai Lung in which he used bamboo canes?
3. What matters at the end of the day, really, is to believe and to have faith.
This calls out to me as I would need tremendous faith as I embarked on a form-teacher role next year. Form-teachership is daunting and overwhelming as I think about it still. The mother-hen role of taking charge of a class and going beyond academics to see to their social, emotional and behavioural aspects.
Though I know somehow I will survive, the thought that I will have sleepless nights worrying about many things that need to be worried about certainly is not pleasant. Hence I need to have faith that whatever may happen, I will have the sensibility to know what to do, even if I have never had experience with form-teachership. I need to believe that I have enough, erm, love to go around a class of 20 with different needs. I need to have faith that no matter how trying and difficult a class is, somehow I will come to a way to connect to them. I need to believe in the cosmos that no matter how exasperating and hopeless a situation is, signs will reveal themselves to me along the way, showing me what I need to do. Most of all, I need to know that no matter what happens, I know I did my best as I always do.
Hmm, so what animated show next?
No comments:
Post a Comment