Keynote: Vicky Papageorgiou

• Vicky Papageorgiou is a foreign language teacher (English, Italian, Greek) with approximately 20 years of experience with mainly adult learners. For over 15 years she has been preparing students for English language exams of various exam boards. She holds an MA in Education (Open Univ. of Cyprus) and an MA in Art (Goldsmiths College, UK) and she is currently studying at University of Wales Trinity Saint David for her PGCE in Technology Enhanced Learning. She studied in Greece, Italy and the UK but also participated in an international project for the McLuhan program in Culture and Technology for the University of Toronto, Canada. Her fields of interest are Inquiry Based learning, ESL and Art, translation, use of video. She is currently based in Thessaloniki (Greece) working as an Adjunct Lecturer at AMC College for the past 5 years, preparing students for IELTS, teaching ESP and General English.Twitter: @vpapage

Blogging for the 30 Goals: Reflecting on My Teaching &

Learning Experiences

Vicky Loras

Why the Goals

As Shelly writes describing these goals :• The goals can be completed at your own pace• You can start anywhere• They are manageable which is great especially

for beginner writers/teachers• They help you reflect on your experiences• They help you regain your spark and

confidence in teaching

My first steps……

My first blog post

Why Reflect?

Reflective thinking in teaching is associated with

the work of Dewey (1933, 1938), who suggested that reflection begins with a dilemma.

Effective teachers suspend making conclusions about a dilemma in order to gather information, study the problem, gain new knowledge, and come to a sound decision. This deliberate contemplation brings about new learning.

In Defining Reflection :Another Look at John Dewey and Reflective Thinking, Carol Rodgers sees four criteria emerge from Dewey’s work that characterize reflection

• Reflection is a meaning making process that moves a learner from one experience into the next with deeper understanding of its relationships with and its connections to other experiences and ideas.

• Reflection is a systematic, rigorous way of thinking, with its roots in scientific inquiry.

• Reflection needs to happen in community, in interaction with others

• Reflection requires attitudes that value the personal and intellectual growth of oneself and others.

10 dos and don'ts when starting your blog

• If you feel the need to reflect on your teaching practice, to present your work, just follow your heart. Go ahead and do it! Do not hesitate!

• If you want to start blogging and you lack the confidence or do not know where to start, 30 Goals is an excellent choice because it provides a lot of ideas to help you begin with writing and blogging and a whole community of like minded people.

• Don't worry about how many hits you will get or how many visitors you will have. It doesn't happen immediately.

• Don't think that what you write is too ordinary. Writing about your teaching experiences will be interesting anyway, especially if there is a dilemma. And who knows? Perhaps even while writing, you will find the right solution.

• Don't worry about how much you write but don't let it become an....essay. You want to attract other people's attention and very long posts tend to discourage readers. Sometimes, though, it depends on what you have in mind and how much you want to share.

• Bring your students into the game, too. Don't just talk about them. Use the Goals as an opportunity for them to write, too! You won't regret it!

• Don't worry too much about who will read it to begin with; write down your thoughts and something you want to say and it might amaze you how many people will identify with you.

• Experiment as much as you like. Do not just write about past experiences or current ones. Create your experiences, too! Pick one of the Goals about something you have never tried before, try it out with your students and then blog about it! It makes a difference!

• Liaise with the rest of the bloggers. Visit their blogs, read what you find interesting and leave comments. Start a discussion.

• Don't wait. Start blogging now. You won't regret it.

My blog is https://vickypapageorgiou.wordpress.com/

Thank you for your time!Shelly, thank you for the great

opportunity!

References

• Dewey, J. (1933). How We Think. A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process (Revised edn.), Boston: D. C. Heath.

• Dewey, J. (1938) Experience and Education,New York: Collier Books. (Collier edition first published 1963).

• Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking, Teachers College Record. Vol. 4, Number 4, pp. 842-866.

Before I go, I would like to remind you: My country needs you!

Stand by Greece #SeeYouInGreece ! Best way to support #greece is by visiting!