Teaching Practice
Procedure of teaching:
Before entering the four corners of the classroom, I make sure that I'm ready and equipped with knowledge and learning materials such as lesson plan, PowerPoint Presentation, worksheets and activities to support learning. When I entered the room, the class immediately greeted me, and Sir (the cooperating teacher) would then give instructions to the students to keep quiet and listen to me while I was discussing.
Before I started my discussion, I asked the class first how they felt at that moment so that I could know how to make them comfortable. For instance, there are times that they tell me that they are sluggish, so I think it's important for an energizer to keep them lively and ready for the discussion. After that, I instruct them on what we're going to do within the class hour and check their notebooks to see if there are any assignments. Then, I will proceed with checking their attendance.
As the class settles in, that is when I will review the students past lessons. I may then ask several questions about the previous topic or give an assessment test to the learners just to find out whether they really understand their past lesson. After that, I proceed to their next lesson, and while doing so, I do not let the student write anything whenever the discussion is still ongoing to prevent any distraction or the student from missing important terms while writing. The learners can only write when I tell them to do so. I also give the student some time to write down their own thoughts or understandings about our lessons. If there was any remaining time, I gave them worksheets to enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
​Time management and organizing activities
Since I only have fifty minutes for every class discussion, I tend to use time management so that I know how to manage my time for discussion and other instructions. What I have learned about managing my time effectively is that in order for the class to finish their task or topic faster, I must know how to make the lesson understandable and easy.
I must know how to explain really well, and every time I provided them with some pictures and illustrations about the lessons so that they had something to read and see. Also, giving the students activities and videos about their lessons can improve their imagination and creativity. As we all know, studying science is a hard task for every student, especially if you encounter it for the first time. So doing all of this will be a great help in making the students understand the lessons.
In order to organize my class activities, before the class starts, I prepare everything they might need in order for them to accomplish my activities faster, and then I give my students a time limit so that we can use their class time meaningfully.
Classroom management:
Every teacher has different classroom management strategies, and I have my own too. Most of my students are easily distracted by their classmates and their gadgets, so I try my best to make them attentive during my class. I also find a way to make the class lively when they are tired by having a short motivation, short game, or energizer.
Speaking different languages, which they are not used to, makes teaching and learning very hard. I know they are listening and participating in my discussion, but there's a doubt in my mind about whether they understand it or not. I also reminded them of the importance of cleanliness, so I always reminded them to keep their classroom clean and organized so that we could focus on our discussions.
Also, giving the students a set of routines helps them be ready, just like after checking their attendance, they are expected to settle in and listen to my discussions while reviewing their past lessons.
Lastly, having a classroom management program teaches the students how to be responsible individuals. Giving them a task and making them accomplish it day by day makes them feel motivated to do other activities. All in all, I think that it is pleasing to our eyes if we see the classroom well maintained, clean, and functional.
Problem-solving while teaching and staying in the designated school
The next problem is that they have a different culture, values, and norms than what I used to, like when it is okay for some teachers if the students are talking unrelated to the lessons or even sleeping while the teacher is at the front discussing the lessons. But, during my practice teaching, I make sure to keep my students attention away from distractions.
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There are times I use Google Translator whenever I'm not familiar with other words in Thai. I'm also studying and learning Thai words and phrases so that I can communicate them well. Since they can't also understand English well, I start teaching them the basic English words.
I remember the times when I used to stay late at night to do my lesson plans and activities and then translate them to Thai, but at the end of the day, I can say that it was a great thing to experience. Hence, every time I went to school, my heart was flowing with happiness because I knew that I could learn from my students as well as from my surroundings, and at the same time, I was excited to impart new learnings to my students about all those things and be able to represent my school in their country.
I am teaching the classes of grades 7 and 8 and observing some of the sections from grades 7-9, and they are likely the same as the students that I encounter in the Philippines. The first problem that I encounter is the language barrier, since some of the students don't know how to speak and understand English.
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