I noticed something interesting when i went for science class observations. A particular student is always tasked to announce to the class of the homework to be completed for the day and any special reminders for the following day. This announcement will be made at the end of the last period, before they are released from school.
That boy is actually very active and outspoken in class. Sometimes he is "too participative" in class. However, i think that that boy actually has a talent of public speaking. I realized that he is brave and daring to speak in front of people. He may not have the best speech delivery yet but he has something which the majority of students are missing. And that is the bravery and confidence to present and to speak out loud. I personally think that he has potential talent in performing arts. With proper training, encouragement, challenge and opportunity, the non-academic side of him is something we could look forward to. And i'm glad that his teacher gives him the right opportunity and platform to improve his public speaking, and channel his energy and potential talent for the right use and even for the benefit of the class.
It is only a simple job tasked to him. The whole announcement probably takes no longer than 3 minutes everyday. Yet it struck me so much. Why? Simply because i had walked through a similar journey.
My seat was always cold during my sec 2 chinese lessons. It was because i was standing most of the time! Outspoken! Too much "small group communication" during the lessons. Oh well. Yet my teacher was kind enough to select me to represent the class for Group Story Telling competition! And by the way, my group won. haha. She could have easily chosen her model students in class. But she channeled my "participative" energy for the right purpose. In sec 3, my English teacher realized that i liked presentation and favored role-play segments in my project presentation. So she included me in Inter-house Drama competition and even recommended me to represent the school for debates. Up to this day, i am still very thankful of what these teachers had done for me, and thankful that how they saw and "activated" the potential side of me for the right purpose. This is one of the main reason why i join teaching. I aspire to do the same like them. Thus i am very encouraged to see my science CT giving that student such opportunity. Be it unintentionally or intentionally, she has actually developing the non-academic side of that student. Consider it holistic education? Readers, you decide.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
P4 English
Mrs Muruga decided to give a double period to Melvyn and i to have a feel of teaching a P4 English class. We were given the freedom to do a simple planning on teaching of the topic, Adverb to her class. Met up with her to present her our lesson ideas after our own discussion She was very supportive of our lesson ideas and even gave us more suggestions on how we could improve on it and help us vision how our lesson could tie in with her teachings in the following lessons.
We decided to start the lesson with technical aspects of adverbs such as its function and how adverbs can be constructed and identified in a sentence. It will then be followed by an activity where students would act out some assigned actions(consisted of a verb and an adverb) and asked the individual groups to guess the assigned verbs and adverbs. Then, the class will try to complete and extend the sentences formed from the set of verbs and adverbs.
On the day of teaching, the class was very responsive, especially during the activity. Although the dry technical aspect in the beginning is important, i felt the learning curve really kicked during the activity. I felt that students absorb knowledge in an increasing rate when they going through the learning experience themselves.
I was very encouraged by the fact that some of the "quiet" students were participating eagerly during the activity. Thus i made an extra effort to sieve through the sea of hands and picked them to answer the questions.
I once learned from a leadership camp that as a leader, you have to sustain an energy level that is higher than the rest of the group. I think this applies the same for an teacher. If a teacher's energy level is only at 70%, the class will most likely to response with an energy level that is a notch lower than 70%. That does not mean that a teacher needs to be prancing around the classroom, but rather keeping an good amount enthusiasm and interest in the delivery of the lesson.
To conclude, it was a valuable teaching experience. I am glad to be given such opportunity to deliver a lesson to the class. This will surely build me up for my future teaching attachments.
We decided to start the lesson with technical aspects of adverbs such as its function and how adverbs can be constructed and identified in a sentence. It will then be followed by an activity where students would act out some assigned actions(consisted of a verb and an adverb) and asked the individual groups to guess the assigned verbs and adverbs. Then, the class will try to complete and extend the sentences formed from the set of verbs and adverbs.
On the day of teaching, the class was very responsive, especially during the activity. Although the dry technical aspect in the beginning is important, i felt the learning curve really kicked during the activity. I felt that students absorb knowledge in an increasing rate when they going through the learning experience themselves.
I was very encouraged by the fact that some of the "quiet" students were participating eagerly during the activity. Thus i made an extra effort to sieve through the sea of hands and picked them to answer the questions.
I once learned from a leadership camp that as a leader, you have to sustain an energy level that is higher than the rest of the group. I think this applies the same for an teacher. If a teacher's energy level is only at 70%, the class will most likely to response with an energy level that is a notch lower than 70%. That does not mean that a teacher needs to be prancing around the classroom, but rather keeping an good amount enthusiasm and interest in the delivery of the lesson.
To conclude, it was a valuable teaching experience. I am glad to be given such opportunity to deliver a lesson to the class. This will surely build me up for my future teaching attachments.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Announcement
Dear Readers,
Mr Leong will be juggling both his education duties and his theatre commitments simultaneously this week. He will be down with final stretch of rehearsals for almost every night till friday. His Chinese Opera performance (The Lady Yang Warriors, by Chinese Theatre Circle) will be on this saturday night at Drama Center(National Library-Bugis). Not to worry, he will not give discounted effort to any of his commitments to the school or to the theare group.
Thank you.
ps: pls note that Mr Leong's final entry will be posted by Monday July 28, 2008, 1200H.
Mr Leong will be juggling both his education duties and his theatre commitments simultaneously this week. He will be down with final stretch of rehearsals for almost every night till friday. His Chinese Opera performance (The Lady Yang Warriors, by Chinese Theatre Circle) will be on this saturday night at Drama Center(National Library-Bugis). Not to worry, he will not give discounted effort to any of his commitments to the school or to the theare group.
Thank you.
ps: pls note that Mr Leong's final entry will be posted by Monday July 28, 2008, 1200H.
P2 English
Melvyn and i had a first hand experience on taking the P2 for an English lesson today. We were tasked to teach them Present Continuous tense. Mrs Yan-Ko provided us with the necessary teaching materials, so all we need to do is just to deliver it and gain some lower primary teaching experience.
Melvyn did the introduction and the general rule of change a verb such as "do" to "doing". I continued the lesson by consolidating of what Melvyn had thought and went on to teach the students to form sentences with present continuous tense using the pictures given.
For example, i showed a picture of 2 people doing some gardening work. I asked the class to tell me how many persons are there in the picture and so if it was singular or plural and whether "is or are" was to be used. Then i asked the students what the action was in the picture. Once they had replied, eg, "They are cutting the tree.", i wrote the sentence on the board. Next i would underlined "cutting" and explicitly told them that word is present continuous tense. This process of forming sentences from the pictures went on for a few more rounds. Next i split them into their groups for group activity.
In the group activity, each group will be given 3-4 pictures. Each group was to form sentences using present continuous tense and wrote them down on the mahjong paper. I felt that this group activity was well received as students like to be involved in activities. Also, i felt it was a good opportunity for us to check on their understanding of the lesson. During the facilitation of the activity, i realized while some students managed to grasp the concept well, there were a few who really struggle to even differentiate between using "is" and "are". Thus i had to spend more time with them and formed the right sentences with them. Having me alone was not enough i thought, so i constantly reminded the rest of the group members to coach the weaker ones and formed the sentences as a group. I did not want to let the weaker students to just sit out and let the rest do the work. Neither did i want the stronger students to just finish their part and leave their teammates struggle on their own.
I personally thought that teachers or P1 and P2 have to identify the weaker students in the class as fast as they could when they take over the class. This will let the teachers know that these students need more time to learn a concept. Detecting and doing it early can also ensure that these students do not fall too back behind from the rest of the class.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the lesson I had with the P2. They are very well disciplined.
Melvyn did the introduction and the general rule of change a verb such as "do" to "doing". I continued the lesson by consolidating of what Melvyn had thought and went on to teach the students to form sentences with present continuous tense using the pictures given.
For example, i showed a picture of 2 people doing some gardening work. I asked the class to tell me how many persons are there in the picture and so if it was singular or plural and whether "is or are" was to be used. Then i asked the students what the action was in the picture. Once they had replied, eg, "They are cutting the tree.", i wrote the sentence on the board. Next i would underlined "cutting" and explicitly told them that word is present continuous tense. This process of forming sentences from the pictures went on for a few more rounds. Next i split them into their groups for group activity.
In the group activity, each group will be given 3-4 pictures. Each group was to form sentences using present continuous tense and wrote them down on the mahjong paper. I felt that this group activity was well received as students like to be involved in activities. Also, i felt it was a good opportunity for us to check on their understanding of the lesson. During the facilitation of the activity, i realized while some students managed to grasp the concept well, there were a few who really struggle to even differentiate between using "is" and "are". Thus i had to spend more time with them and formed the right sentences with them. Having me alone was not enough i thought, so i constantly reminded the rest of the group members to coach the weaker ones and formed the sentences as a group. I did not want to let the weaker students to just sit out and let the rest do the work. Neither did i want the stronger students to just finish their part and leave their teammates struggle on their own.
I personally thought that teachers or P1 and P2 have to identify the weaker students in the class as fast as they could when they take over the class. This will let the teachers know that these students need more time to learn a concept. Detecting and doing it early can also ensure that these students do not fall too back behind from the rest of the class.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the lesson I had with the P2. They are very well disciplined.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Drama
Perhaps allow me to do a brief introduction on myself with regards to this subject, Drama. I am actually majoring Drama in NIE. I learn theatrecrafts and also Drama with regards to education. Thus, i am trained in making theatre works and teaching Drama as a subject itself.
It has been my 3rd consecutive week observing and helping out in Speech & Drama Club. As much as i could, i tried to attend both AM & PM sessions of it. I really enjoyed and relished these sessions as i don't get to observe Drama in classroom curriculum unlike my Drama classmates in other schools. Thus i tried my best to make use of the limited time i had and and shared with the students some of the drama conventions that they can apply to their preparation for Trinity & Guildhall Speech & Drama examinations. So actually i had already started co-teaching a class through these drama lessons. Some of my friends may think that teaching CCA is less demanding as compared to teaching a curriculum lesson. Not exactly. The conventions i adopted for this CCA are the same as those used in Drama lessons of schools' main curriculum such as the schools in UK, Australia, New Zealand, Mayflower Pri Sch, Tampines Pri Sch, Gongshang Pri Sch, Ang Mo Kio Sec Sch, St Margaret's Sch, CHIJ Sec Sch, Anderson Sec Sch etc.
Drama as a subject may seem new in Singapore, but it is definitely not new overseas. In Singapore, Drama has always been seen as a tool to complement language studies, especially English. Although Drama can be used as a tool to facilitate and complement certain components in English and other subjects, let us not forget that it is also a subject in its own right(Woolland, 1993). Education system in New Zealand, Australia, UK and America have been including Drama in their main school curriculum all these years. Thus in my course of studies, we studied the Drama curriculum in these places and explored on how they can be modified and applied in local context.
Woolland, B. (1993). The teaching of drama in the primary school. England: Pearson.
It has been my 3rd consecutive week observing and helping out in Speech & Drama Club. As much as i could, i tried to attend both AM & PM sessions of it. I really enjoyed and relished these sessions as i don't get to observe Drama in classroom curriculum unlike my Drama classmates in other schools. Thus i tried my best to make use of the limited time i had and and shared with the students some of the drama conventions that they can apply to their preparation for Trinity & Guildhall Speech & Drama examinations. So actually i had already started co-teaching a class through these drama lessons. Some of my friends may think that teaching CCA is less demanding as compared to teaching a curriculum lesson. Not exactly. The conventions i adopted for this CCA are the same as those used in Drama lessons of schools' main curriculum such as the schools in UK, Australia, New Zealand, Mayflower Pri Sch, Tampines Pri Sch, Gongshang Pri Sch, Ang Mo Kio Sec Sch, St Margaret's Sch, CHIJ Sec Sch, Anderson Sec Sch etc.
Drama as a subject may seem new in Singapore, but it is definitely not new overseas. In Singapore, Drama has always been seen as a tool to complement language studies, especially English. Although Drama can be used as a tool to facilitate and complement certain components in English and other subjects, let us not forget that it is also a subject in its own right(Woolland, 1993). Education system in New Zealand, Australia, UK and America have been including Drama in their main school curriculum all these years. Thus in my course of studies, we studied the Drama curriculum in these places and explored on how they can be modified and applied in local context.
Woolland, B. (1993). The teaching of drama in the primary school. England: Pearson.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Many Styles | One Choice
One thing pointed out by my Math CT was that there may be many styles of teaching and classroom management that i would have come across during my observation, but that does not mean i need or i should adopt all of them. She thought that the important factor is to understand myself and see which style speaks to me, which style i'm comfortable with. I just simply cannot fuse everything together. She suggested i adopt one i prefer and refine it as i clock up more experience.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
No Delay
I learnt that math assignment marking should be cleared the very same day it was being handed in. This will allow immediate feedback the very next day. This will enable to mistakes of the students' to be ratified as soon as possible. As math requires students to get the foundation right before it can be progressed to a more difficult stage, immediate feedback and ratification of problems are essential. I think it is an efficient and effective method to facilitate students' learning. I do also see that it will take a great deal of discipline from the teacher to carry out that.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Nothing Else !
"Just your pencil case will do. I want nothing else on the table."
A simple yet effective way of minimizing the chances of students getting distracted or misplacing their focus in class. That is what i think. I saw my Chief CT using that in her English lesson. I really think it is useful. The lesser the things on the students' tables, the lesser the "toys" there will be for the students.
A simple yet effective way of minimizing the chances of students getting distracted or misplacing their focus in class. That is what i think. I saw my Chief CT using that in her English lesson. I really think it is useful. The lesser the things on the students' tables, the lesser the "toys" there will be for the students.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
recess(extra time)
Here is something interesting i found out from my math CT when i was talking to her which i want to share. She gave a mass toilet break in the midst of her lesson. She explained that her P4 class was scheduled for recess at an early timeslot, so she used that toilet break to give her students a breather. It benefits the students as they have to go through a longer half of the day due to their early recess.
She also told me that in fact last year when her students were in P3, she even allowed them to have a short snack break in the beginning of the year. It was because the students were still adjusting to study in PM session. Thus students might take some time to adjust their eating habits.
i thought these strategies are quite innovative. This really showed fulfilling not just the educational needs of the students but also that of their welfare.
She also told me that in fact last year when her students were in P3, she even allowed them to have a short snack break in the beginning of the year. It was because the students were still adjusting to study in PM session. Thus students might take some time to adjust their eating habits.
i thought these strategies are quite innovative. This really showed fulfilling not just the educational needs of the students but also that of their welfare.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A Catalyst for Re( flect + search)
After attended both Mrs Muruga's and Mdm Nafisah's class observation, i noticed that both have them have autistic children in their class. Though i had heard about such special needs pupils cases in NIE, still it was the first time i saw it myself. This prompted me to do a simple reflect and research on Autism. Even i once studied biology for O Levels, a number the medical terms i encountered during the research looked French to me. Relax, i will take some time to digest them. Will be back soon to tell you the insights and thoughts i had.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Back to Navigate the Compass
I was posted back to Compassvale Primary School for my Teaching Assistantship. I had been there last year for my School Experience, but it was just a short 1 week stint. So going back there this time gives me a mixed feeling of familiar and new experience this time.
Kicked off my 1st class observation with a Pri 4 Science class. After a semester of Subject Knowledge and Curriculum Studies on Primary School Science, I was eagerly anticipating the topic that will be thought in class. However, I was greeted with a lesson of administration work, filing and going through answers and corrections on the practice paper that the pupils did before they went for their June holidays. Nonetheless, I saw this as a valuable learning experience for me. It was because the allocation of time for these necessary and can't-be-avoided administrative work was never factored in in the lesson plans which I had done. The attention of it was also not very much discussed in details by my lecturers. Perhaps the modules have not reached that stage yet. In any case, the awareness for such work, especially in the beginning week of a new term, will surely be a consideration in my mind during my class time management in the future.
Kicked off my 1st class observation with a Pri 4 Science class. After a semester of Subject Knowledge and Curriculum Studies on Primary School Science, I was eagerly anticipating the topic that will be thought in class. However, I was greeted with a lesson of administration work, filing and going through answers and corrections on the practice paper that the pupils did before they went for their June holidays. Nonetheless, I saw this as a valuable learning experience for me. It was because the allocation of time for these necessary and can't-be-avoided administrative work was never factored in in the lesson plans which I had done. The attention of it was also not very much discussed in details by my lecturers. Perhaps the modules have not reached that stage yet. In any case, the awareness for such work, especially in the beginning week of a new term, will surely be a consideration in my mind during my class time management in the future.
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