a. INTRODUCTION
Describe the approach/strategy used.
b. DEVELOPMENT
What were the challenges encountered during implementation?
What were the tactics employed to resolve the difficulties met?
What further improvements can be suggested?
c. PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
What new insights/discoveries have I made in relation to my role as a teacher?
How will I make use of this new knowledge in future?
What further information or knowledge should I seek to expand my knowledge in relation to this context?
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11th Jan 2010:
ReplyDeleteThree Things I observed today:
1) At the flag-raising ceremony today, I saw many instances where the teachers had to reprimand the students for being late and yet they did not have the sense of urgency. One particular incident caught my eye. Two teachers were speaking to a student about her attire and she gave the “cannot be bothered”, nonchalant facial expression throughout the time when the teachers were advising her on the correct school attire. To top it off, she purposely stomped off to show her displeasure and was obviously trying to show the teacher who was the real boss in school. Honestly, this was something that I have not come across before and was indeed a little shocking for me.
2) Today was also my first time entering a class not to study but to observe a class. The class that I observed was Ms Pow’s 403 class. The classroom experience was similar to the experiences shared by my trainer at NUS and was definitely a contrast to the classroom I was in when I was a student. I could see that the classroom management skills is tailored made for the different kind of environment and certainly not a “one size fits all” approach. Though the class was a little rowdy, Ms Pow stood firm with the class and was able to handle the students effectively.
3) Having been in the Integrated Programme (IP), today also marked the first time I had witnessed the release of ‘O’ Level results. The feeling was weird because my time to receive the ‘A’ Level results will come very soon. As the results slips were given out, I saw a myriad of emotions amongst the students. Regardless of tears or joy in the students, the teachers were always there to console/ congratulate the students and I could sense the pride that the teachers had placed in the students when I hear the teachers saying, “I knew you would do well.”
Two things I like:
1) I thought that the silent reading programme on every morning was a really nice initiative to have because I could see students having discussions on the articles that they were interested in and it was a good way for them to be engaged with what was happening in the community. On top of that, it was also probably a good way to start lessons punctually as the reading time could serve as a buffer time should there be any disruptions to the flag-raising programme.
2) I like the way Ms Pow arranged her students’ seating arrangement in class; putting the mischievous students in front and the focused students at the back of the classroom. It led me to realize how important it was to do a proper classroom seating arrangement and this might be the reason why she could handle her class even though they were a little rowdy.
Reflection/ things to improve on:
1) Today marked my first experience of most of the things in school and I got to admit that I did experience a little culture shock in this brand new environment. As I walked around in school, it was no longer as the status of a student and I really felt uneasy because the students would observe you and gossip a little about you. I believe that karma is reciprocal and what I have done to my teachers will come back to me. Let’s just hope that I would adapt to this environment soon.
12th Jan 2010:
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Classroom observation (Class 112 – Normal Academic Stream and Class 101 – Express Stream )
- Alpine House Meeting
[Highlights / Challenges]
I attended Ms Teh’s class 112 and class 101 lessons today and it was a stark contrast from the lesson observation of class 403 yesterday. I could not help but felt amused as I observe the Secondary One students. I was especially amused when I saw the students sitting down outside the classroom corridor in pairs while waiting for Ms Teh to get them in. My immediate thought was, “Try asking class 403 to do that and they will definitely protest strongly.” My general feel about the Secondary One students were that they needed more “spoon-feeding”, e.g. holes were already punched before Ms Teh gave out the worksheets and when any homework was given, Ms Teh will have to say “Class, open your handbook now and take down what you are supposed to do.” The Secondary One students seemed to be less defiant and they will really keep quiet when the teacher raised her volume slightly. (Perhaps it might be because they are relatively new to the school and time shall prove if they are indeed less defiant). The greatest takeaway from classroom observations today was to know the difference between Upper Secondary students and Lower Secondary students and also the difference between the Express Stream class and the Normal Academic class.
After attending the Alpine House meeting today, I gained a new insight of the students. During flag-raising and lessons, students were never as enthusiastic as they were during the house meeting. I could sense their pride to be the champion house and they showed great level of interest in sports. For example, a student asked me, “Cher, can I sign up for more than one sport?” and another student said, “huh…. I signed up for five sports already, cher, can right?” I like the sight of them ticking off the boxes of the sports they are interested to take part in and their passion for sports exuded from their facial expression.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Having been in a sport CCA myself, I always feel that sport is a good platform to forge bonds and team spirit. The sportsmanship required in sports is very much in line with Ping Yi’s school motto: Perseverance yields success. Since the students have exhibited great interest in sports as what I have observed during the house meeting, I am thinking that more emphasis can be placed in sports at Ping Yi because perseverance is strongly emphasized during sports training and this value of perseverance can be applied to their academics as well. Sport is a good way for character development and this area can eventually become a niche for Ping Yi such that she will become a choice school. Idealistic as it may sound, it is not impossible because I remember the trainer for TIP mentioned about how he built sports as his niche area to attract students to join his school as well and I believe Ping Yi has sufficient resources to make it feasible.
One area of improvement for me to work on is my confidence. Some students were using their phones during school hours today and I attempted to stop them from doing so. Although I did manage to get them to keep their phones, I was actually very scared to confront them even though I am a “teacher” and they are students. Hence, this is an area that I seek to improve in because it is illogical for a teacher to be scared of a student.
- Li Hui
13th Jan 2010:
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Staff meeting
- Additional Mathematics lesson (half of Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
As a student, I never had a complete picture of what exactly are the roles and responsibilities of a teacher and staff meetings are a good way for me to better understand and appreciate my teachers. For example, some Secondary One students were reluctant to stay back for the Speech and Drama enrichment lessons. Having been through such a scenario myself, I am sure they would not have considered the good intentions of such enrichment courses or knew that the teachers did actually have enrichment lessons to improve their English Proficiency as well.
During classroom observation today, I tried doing the questions that Ms Pow got the students to do on the spot and a random thought hit me. I was pleased when I completed the questions much faster than the students and the random thought came. Actually, I have nothing to feel pleased about since I have learnt the topic before, there should not be any reason for me to take a longer time than them to complete the questions and I realized what defines a good teacher. To have good content knowledge is a pre-requisite but the ability to impart this knowledge to the students is what defines a good teacher.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
I remember sitting in class and teachers never fail to tell us that “teachers are learners too”. I am never convinced because a teacher teaches and a student learns is my perception. If not for staff meetings, I would never know that teachers need to clock 100 hours of professional development courses or to attend story telling enrichment courses when students have to attend drama enrichment lessons. I am finally convinced that teachers can be learners too.
It is the third day in school already but I cannot help but feel that I am neither a student nor a teacher, too old to be a student there but too young to be a teacher. Though I am not decked in the Ping Yi uniform, I would still have the reflex action of “Please do not call me to answer the question!!!” when Ms Pow starts to scan the class and call upon students to answer her questions.
- Li Hui
14th Jan 2010
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Elementary Mathematics lesson observation (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Additional Mathematics lesson observation (Class 403 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics lesson observation (Class 101 – Express Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
During lesson observations today, some students that had happened to pass by Ms Teh’s class tried to be a nuisance along the classroom corridor and pose as a distraction for the students in class. During the training at NUS before the school internship began, we were always discussing about classroom management skills IN CLASS and not about distractions OUT OF CLASS. Thus, lesson observations had certainly provided me with more exposure and things that I had not foresee to happen.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
One of the main learning points today is really about having tailor-made teaching methods and pace for each class. Having attended the best Secondary One Express class and the Secondary One Normal Academic class, I could already see the difference in their behavior and the pace of the lessons and though they are learning the same set of syllabus, a generic lesson plan can no longer serve its purpose. This is also where it has dawned on me that good observation skills is important for teacher so as to develop a personalized lesson plan for each of his classes so as to maximize learning in the students.
During Ms Pow’s lesson today, the phone in class rang. I have never seen a classroom equipped with a phone before. It becomes scary when I think about the purpose of the phone; to call for help when students become unmanageable. On the other hand, the phone might just be there to facilitate communication between the caller and the teacher teaching. I remember Ms Pow saying that the students though naughty, are harmless and I would rather believe in the latter purpose of the phone.
- Li Hui
15th Jan 2010
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Elementary Mathematics lesson observation (Class 311- Normal Academic Stream)
- Discussion with Mr Malek on the Secondary One Mathematics Trail
- Elementary Mathematics lesson observation (Class 411 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Meeting on Restorative Practices and Discipline
[Highlights / Challenges]
During Ms Pow’s lesson, I went around the class with the answers that I have prepared and tried to clarify doubts that the students had. As I was double-checking a student’s answer with mine, the answers were different and I immediately said, “Are you sure this is correct? (Pointing to his answer).” It was the BIGGEST mistake to commit because I spotted a careless mistake in my own worked solutions. Even though it was only a careless mistake, the students might assume that I did not know the content well (which is a popular belief of new teachers). These students were quick to point out mistakes of teachers and perhaps they will feel that they had “won the battle” or “I am smarter than the new teacher”. This had definitely heightened my guards against careless mistake which coincidentally is what teachers often say to students, “Don’t make careless mistakes!!!!!” so I better practice what I preach. Teachers condone the mistakes of students but if teachers were to make mistakes, they will eventually lose the respect of students and I do not want that to happen.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Over these few days at Ping Yi, the encounters with the students formed the impression that they are sadistic. For example, I was at the staircase when a student fell down and his peers immediately laugh at him instead of helping him up. To make things worse, some even brought other friends to come and laugh at the boy. This was a very shocking sight and the peers who were laughing did not even feel apologetic when a teacher reprimanded them for their behavior. In addition, students in class will try ways and means to sabotage their friends to be punished by the teachers. Surprisingly at Class 411 today, I saw a different side of the students. A student, Shahidah, whom I suppose was weak in Mathematics was called upon to answer a question and she answered it correctly. What followed after that was rounds of applauses from her peers as a form of encouragement. There are always two sides to everything and if we were to be too judgmental, we might end up only focusing on the bad side of these students. I was really heartened by what I saw and I ended off the week knowing that these students have a softer side of them.
I like the “parking lots” initiative which I saw during lesson observation where students will write down two things they had learnt from the lesson and one thing that they were unclear of on a post-it note and stick it at the Parking Lots before they leave the class when the lesson was over. It was a good way to generate feedback on areas to focus on for the next lesson. By writing down on a post-it note, it ensured that feedback could also be gathered from the less outspoken students in class.
Mr Malek said something really meaningful to his class today; that he did not want students to fear him but rather, to respect him. This philosophy of his had made him a very approachable teacher as I could see students asking him questions even after the lesson were over. I am really amazed that though he was very friendly with the students, his authority in class as a teacher was not threatened at all.
- Li Hui
18th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Lesson Observation (Class 121 – Normal Technical Stream)
- Lesson Observation ( Class 403 – Express Stream)
- Lesson Observation (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Mathematics Department Meeting
[Highlights / Challenges]
What I found especially challenging was how a teacher can conduct group work effectively. I observed that while group work was a very good way to engage a student, it was not time effective as there was a lack of co-operation from the students. This was something that I found challenging for teachers. On one hand, the teacher had attempted to conduct creative learning instead of the usual rote learning but on the other hand, the lack of co-operation from the students had hampered the flow of the lessons for maximum learning to take place. Looking from the teacher’s point of view, I really appreciate her effort in teaching arithmetic numbers through number chips (when she could have easily chosen to teach using the normal way which will take less effort).
One observation I had while walking around the class was that some students refused to participate in the group work even after much prompting. I was thinking that pair work might be a better way to ensure the higher participation rate of the students in class. Together with the good observation skills and intervention by the teacher in class, I am sure the lessons would have been more fruitful. Nonetheless, I admire her for not choosing the easy way out but rather, make things more difficult for her in exchange for the students’ interest level in learning the topic.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
The department meeting today was on the review of the ‘O’ level results for 2009 and it was nice to see teachers not blaming on the students but to reflect on their past teaching methodologies. “The Ladder of Inference” shared by Mr Malek summed it up nicely. The Ladder of Inference was about how all of us live in a world of self-generating beliefs which remain largely untested. By assuming that our self-generated beliefs truly reflect the potential of the students, the potential of these students will never be unleashed. He had emphasized the need for teachers to believe in their students and from my personal experience as a student, I had always worked hard for the teachers who had believed in me. This is clearly the significant role that a teacher plays in the lives of the students because the set of beliefs that teachers have about their students will make or break the student’s interest level in learning.
- Li Hui
19th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Lesson Observation (Class 421 – Normal Technical Stream)
- Lesson Observation (Class 401 – Express Stream)
- Lesson Observation (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Assembly on Campus Change Makers
- Staff Contact Time
[Highlights / Challenges]
The main highlight today was to attend Class 421’s lesson. It was definitely shocking to see the students sitting down quietly outside the classroom before the teacher asked them in. It was even more shocking to see them settling down in class without making any noise at all. My first reaction was, “wow, this teacher must be really fierce!” After the lesson, I knew that my assumption about her was unfounded. She was strict with the students but she was not fierce. Her good classroom management skills was largely attributed to her keen observations of the students in class such that when the students realized that their every action can be clearly seen by the teacher, they will not tend to do anything frivolous in class.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
In all the lessons I have observed so far, the difference in the pace of the students was always a concern because the faster students would be disengaged once they had completed their work. A nice and flawless solution was found in the classroom observation of Class 421. In this class, peer tutoring was the emphasis and so whenever the faster students had completed their work, the teacher would appoint them to the slower students. This not only ensured the faster students did not get disengaged, but also ensure that the slower students were not left behind. Though the faster students were not trained teachers, I thought they had done a good job in explaining the concepts because there were times when I could not understand what a teacher was explaining but understood what my friend had explained (even though the explanation was rather similar) This was certainly a learning point for me.
I was impressed by the first Chemistry lesson that I had attended today. The teacher exuded an amicable personality and it was hard to find any students dozing off during her lessons. As a result of her personality, her students found her approachable and did not hesitate to ask when in doubt. Her personality resonates with my belief of how a teacher should treat a student. All along when I wanted to be a teacher, I had always thought about ways to improve student-teacher relationships. Through my encounter with Mrs Toh, she had showed me that while student-teacher relationships were important, relationships with colleagues were important as well. On my first day in school, she showed me where she was seated and told me to approach her if I had any problems in school. For a teacher who did not knew who I was and yet took the initiative to guide me along, she had taught me that a teacher must not only focus on building student-teacher relationships if he/ she want to look forward to coming to school every day. Her amicable personality is something I seek to emulate so as to build good relationships.
Teachers pass on content knowledge and open the doors of opportunities to the students. Opening the doors is useless unless the students decide to walk through these doors and this can only be done if there is a good rapport with the students such that they find it worthwhile to work hard for the teachers.
20th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Staff Meeting on Professional Learning Community (PLC)
- Meeting with the Principal, Mdm Shanti
- Classroom Observation (Class 201 – Express Stream)
- Classroom Observation (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
During flag raising today, a student purposely sat with another class in the school hall. When the teacher finally found him hiding at the back of another class, he did not reprimand him nor did he use a harsh tone. All that the teacher said was, “We love you Adrian, so please go back and join the class cause we really love you and would like to have you around.” I was taken aback because I had never thought of saying “I love you” to a student and much less for a male teacher to say that. This approach of his was effective and the student did return to his class in the end. It was a good way to deal with such students without being fierce or generating hatred from the students.
I saw “Circle Time (where the students sit in a circle formation)” for the first time in the lesson observation for Class 201. It was more interactive than I had imagined it to be and it was great to see quiet students speaking up when the ball is passed to them. Talking about speaking up, I feel that the Ping Yians here have problems with oral and presentation skills. My inference is that they lack the confidence to speak up in class and if we could celebrate their little successes, it will definitely go a long way to boosting their self-esteem and do a better job in presenting their ideas to the class. Rome was not built in a day and if we could provide more opportunities for students to speak up in class, it would be effective in brushing up their oral skills. For e.g. giving opportunities to students to present their math solutions to the class is actually helping the students in English as well. This inter-disciplinary approach might well improve their oral skills which happens to be one important component in English.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
The interns posted to Ping Yi had a meeting with the Principal, Mdm Shanti today. She shared her experiences such as the challenges and rationale behind each school policy/ initiative. She was one who embraced new ideas and encouraged us to provide her with ideas for the betterment of the school. I had a few ideas in mind and I would like to spend the next few works to observe and find out more about the school just in case there are already similar initiatives in place and to also consider the pitfalls of my suggestions.
- Li Hui
21st Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Classroom Observation (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Classroom Observation (Class 403 – Express Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
I was walking around the class today asking students if they needed any help. Some of the students clearly did not know how to go about doing the questions but declined my help. This was a challenge because if we were to assume that they did not need help just because they said so, they would never be able to grasp the concept well. “Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open” is apt to describe the students. When they are open to help from the teachers, the benefits of lessons would be maximised. I did not want to appear as if I did not trust the students when they said they know how to do the questions and hence I took a mental note of the questions they were at and approached them after awhile when I still see them trying to do the same question. It was still quite easy to take a mental note of these students because Rimiko was also in the class and the student: teacher ratio was small. Thus, this could be a challenge when we become full time teachers taking care of the WHOLE class.
Another challenge for me was how to explain concepts to students that did not understand. Many believed that easy concepts were easy to teach. This resonates with my belief and the interactions with the students here had altered my belief. Teaching easy concepts had its own difficulties. Take for example, I was trying to explain the concept of fractional expressions to a student and he just could not see the light. It was precisely because I found it easy that I could not think of the possible missing gaps that he had in his understanding. Thankfully, I found out the solution to this challenge. I got the student to explain the rationale for each of the steps that he had written down and it became obvious where the gaps of his understanding lied in. The mistake I had committed was to explain the whole concept all over to him immediately when he said he needed help. A more effective approach would be to get him to explain his understanding, identify the areas where he had problems in and try to fill up the gaps together with his pre-existing understanding of the concept.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
I always enjoyed lesson observations where the teachers gave out the test results of their Peer Assessment Learning (PAL) or the Back To School (BATS) test papers. Every student would be waiting anxiously to see how they fared against their peers or whether they had passed or failed. I enjoy watching them take the results because I could see the competitive side of them. Who says students from neighbourhood school do not care about their results? They do and I think they care more than I do when I was a student. Especially in Ms Pow’s class, the students care alot about the grades (and especially for the boys in class, good grades is for the so-called man’s pride) The culture to excel in class is strong and with their desire to do well, success is well within reach for all of them. This could be why Ms Pow has constantly produced classes with high distinction rates because by screening the results for the whole class to see, everyone will know where they stand and to also be motivated not to be the lowest in class again because it is rather embarrassing for the whole class to know that you are the last in class.
- Li Hui
22nd Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Classroom Observation (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Classroom Observation (Class 414 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
I attended Class 414 today and experienced a new challenge. Even though the teacher had tried hard to inject relevant examples from everyday life, the students had short attention span and were clearly distracted. Some girls were putting foundation on their faces while some boys were trying to style their hair. It was unrealistic to expect them to listen attentively to your lesson because they just could not. Mr Neo shared with us that it was precisely because he knew it was hard for the students to concentrate and hence he had to be tolerant of the distractions the students were making. If he was to fully enforce discipline in class, the students would probably fall asleep and much less expect them to absorb the knowledge that he was trying to impart. On the other hand, if he was to tolerate a little noise level and distractions of the students, he would still be able to impart some knowledge because the students would still be aware of what the teacher was teaching.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
After school today:
Ms Saw: Do the two of you mind passing a test paper to a student in my class? He’s taking the test after school but I got urgent things to settle. Once you pass the test papers to him, you can leave the classroom. There will be another student taking the test now in the classroom also.
Me: huh? If we leave them alone, won’t they copy?
Ms Saw: No they won’t. So both of you can leave after handing out the paper to the student.
Honestly, I was not convinced and Rimiko and I went to a hidden area to observe the two students after we left the classroom. They did not copy at all! I felt a little guilty for doubting the students. The Ladder of Inference that Mr Malek shared during the department meeting immediately came into my mind, “If we believe the students can do well, they will and likewise if we believe they can’t, they can’t.” Lesson learnt: We must always have faith in our students and avoid thinking the bad side of them!
- Li Hui
Dear Li Hui,
ReplyDeleteIt is very enlightening to read your reflections. Many at times, we tend to judge people or an environment too fast. It is important for all of us to learn that perception and judegment are very powerful and we must learn to manage them correctly.
I am glad that you are able to see both sides of things here in Ping Yi. Always keep an open mind and learn as much as possible.
Cheers!!
Mr Abdul Malek
25th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson Observation (Class 512 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Mathematics Lesson Observation (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics Department Meeting
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
- When we were discussing about the Sec 1 Mathematics Trail during the Department Meeting today, the major concern was whether the Secondary 1 students could understand the instructions in the worksheet for the trail. I feel that the greatest challenge of a teacher is not the lack of content knowledge but rather, to impart their knowledge in such a way that it can be easily comprehended by the students (which might not be that easy). It was just like the lesson observation of class 512. The students were learning about sets notation. It was an easy topic for me but it was an uphill task to phrase your teaching in such a way that it will seem easy for the students. Getting students to see from your train of thought is hard and before I fully convert myself to a real full time teacher, I should jot down all the difficulties I had when I was a student so as to better relate to the students because seriously, I am not any much older than them (for now).
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Li Hui
26th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics lesson Observation (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Assembly in class
[Highlights / Challenges]
- It was flag raising in the hall and a student was sitting on the chairs at the back of the hall instead of lining up with her class. I told her nicely to line up with her class and she said, “wait lah”. Then I tried in the fiercer tone and she said, “Tell you to wait right”. Immediately after that, she shouted the full name of the teacher who was approaching her. It’s disappointing to see students behaving in such a manner when they are reciting, “Respect Our Core” every morning during flag raising. At the same time, the even more saddening thing is you know it’s the wrong thing to do but yet feel helpless about being able to correct the behaviour. It is apparent that teachers no longer pass on content knowledge and perhaps “Life Coach” is an more apt term for teachers.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- As a student, I did not think much about taking my own sweet time for flag raising. As a student, my behaviour was very much like them and I did not see anything wrong with that. Now that my role has reversed to become a “teacher”, I think and care more for everything and the slightest thing that did not seemed to concern me previously, has now become much more of a concern for me now. Will it be possible for them to experience the change in perspective and realize how foolish their behaviours are at times? Or maybe there is only one route towards maturity; Age?
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Li Hui
27th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Professional Learning Community (PLC) on Weight Management for students
- Geography lesson observation (Class 403 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics lesson observation (311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
- The class had Physical Education (PE) lesson just before the Geography lesson and some of the boys were still decked in their PE shorts instead of the school pants. Having been a student myself, I always hated the way teachers nag at students for not changing out of the PE attire. Instead of the usual nagging that teachers often give, the teacher said, “Hurry go change out before the clock strikes 12. Once it strikes 12, all those wearing shorts will turn into pumpkins!!” By making the nagging more “creative and funny”, the students had a good laugh and went to change without hesitation. From what I had observed so far, students seemed to have a more lasting impression of naggings that sounded funny or childish and using such an approach seemed to correct the students’ behaviour more easily.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- As per normal, I was walking around the class to ensure that the students understood what had been taught to them during the lesson. Honestly, I felt disheartened to know that some students obviously needed help but rejected my help even when I took the initiative to ask them if they required any help. To me, it was an indication that I was not approachable and that the students would rather not understand the concept than to ask me for help. It showed how weak my rapport was with the students. Today, things had changed. I was walking towards this boy, knowing that he would reject my help even though I knew he needed help. I was so surprised that he called out for me when I past by him. I am not exaggerating to say that it was an exhilarating moment for me because I could sense a better relationship with the students in class. I tried my best to explain the concept to him because this was the first chance he willingly gave me and he would definitely not ask me ever again if I did a poor explanation of the concept. Luck was on my side, he understood all that I had said and finally he gave a smile and said, “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, like that only? So easy?” That really made my day. (:
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Li Hui
28th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics lesson observation (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Social Studies lesson observation (Class 121 – Normal Technical Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
- Low self-esteem in students has always been my area of concern after I came into Ping Yi. In my opinion, self-confidence is a major obstacle of the students here and it affects the way students speak and their attitude towards academics. Self-confidence cannot change overnight and teachers play a crucial role in managing the self-esteem of the students. The students were supposed to take turns to read out the passage and most of them were hesitant when asked to read out loud to the whole class. I realized that whenever the teacher stood nearer to the student whom was reading the passage, the student did a better job in reading out the passage. The interesting thing that I observed was the students were not intimidated by the teacher who asked them to read the passage, but rather, their own peers in class. They were more concerned with how their peers judged them when they read than how the teacher judged them. This was a challenge because the teacher in question would not be able to do much if the stress was not generated by the teacher himself. Proper intervention by the teacher is required to correct the behaviour of peers laughing at other peers. To me, intervention must be executed with care because improper intervention will cause Student A to generate hatred for Student B because Student A might feel that the teacher is defending Student B because he likes Student B more.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- It was apparent that the students here create trouble in class to attract attention. Whenever some students wreak havoc in class, they would turn to look at me to look at my reaction. My instinct tells me that they really need attention. The teacher spoke to a student who was showing disruptive behaviour in class and true enough the student’s parents were divorced and perhaps he purposely created trouble in class just to try to attract attention to make up for the lack of attention from his parents. Actually, their disruptive behaviour reminds me of the students at the Family Service Centre where I volunteer to teach, on a weekly basis. The only difference is whenever I receive a new student from the Family Service Centre, their family background will be made known to me and I could understand what is going on in the student’s family without having to probe whereas for the students in Ping Yi, it is really up to the teachers to find out about their family backgrounds.
Students come into class with their troubles and problems and it would be impossible for a teacher to be aware of all that has happened. The learning point for today would be to be mindful of students’ behaviour and assess the situation carefully before scolding the student for their behaviour. Rapport is a delicate thing that can take a long time to build upon but be shattered in just a short time frame.
- Today I went into the mathematics lesson feeling enthusiastic and the “clique” of the boy that I had taught yesterday seemed more receptive to receive my help. It really felt good to be able to teach them concepts, making them understand and to hear their “ohhhhhhh, chay so easy”. This might well be the reason why some teachers can teach for so many years with their unfaltering heart. To hear the students calling out, “Cher, can you help me?” is an indication that I am starting to build rapport with the students and I am quite convinced by the often cited cliché that teaching is rewarding.
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Li Hui
29th Jan
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics lesson (311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Co-curricular Activity
[Highlights / Challenges]
- The highlight for today was to see the students attending their CCA. CCA showed a different side of all of them. For example, some of the students were from the classes that I had been following for the past few weeks and their attitude towards learning did not gave me a very good impression of them. During CCA, they were really different. I saw the positive attitude in them and their initiative in helping others. In particular, that student was helping his junior tie his shoe laces because time was running out. To be able to see the positive side of them is the greatest takeaway for today.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- The conversation with our Supervisor today was great because I got a chance to talk about a teacher who had changed my perspective to Mathematics so much so that my passion for Mathematics grew and even aspire to become a Mathematics Teacher just like him. He taught me about perseverance and was ever ready to lend me a helping hand because Mathematics was an alien subject to me. He taught me that with a positive attitude, hardwork is actually more important than intelligence. For that, I am really grateful to him for putting his faith in me even though I seemed like a “no hope” student and ever since he started teaching me, doing well in Mathematics has been my goal ever since and it has brought me far. With such a teacher who has inspired me and continued to do so even though I am no longer his student, he has really “touched my life” though it really sounds so cliché. As I am preparing notes for the lesson of Indices next week, I realized how much effort is required regardless of whether it was a one page summary or a pop quiz or notes. I think back about how much effort he has put in to prepare additional notes or class tests for us and how all of us had grumbled with the additional pile of work. Perhaps I might not be able to convince others that teaching is really for me since I jolly well know that the workload that I am receiving at Ping Yi Secondary is definitely much less than what the full time teachers are receiving but I will use quality work to make up for quantity and convince the people around me that teaching is indeed for me. The thought of joining the same career as the teachers whom I hold in high regard will see me through the journey to become a teacher!
--
Li Hui
Hi Li Hui,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your comments. You show clarity in thought and I am glad that you take a step back before reacting to issues or behaviour.The perspectives are interesting and show maturity beyond your age. Now that you are mid-way - give some thought on how to raise the confidence and esteem level of my students. And I may ask you to share with my staff the key learning points and highlights of your time at Ping Yi :) Shanti
Sorry - spelt your name wrongly.
ReplyDeleteHello Mdm Shanti,
ReplyDeleteYou spelt my name correctly. It's Li Hui. (:
1st Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Principle of Accounts Lesson (Class 511 – Sec 5 Normal Academic Stream)
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 403 – Sec 4 Express Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
- The lesson today helped me gained an insight to the varying abilities of students in class. When I saw this student using A3 sized notes instead of the usual A4 sized handouts, my initial thought was, “Did he just took the teacher’s notes?” However, on second thought, I do not remember the teacher using A3 notes and hence I decided to ask the teacher after lesson instead. I found out that he had weakening vision and would go blind in the near future. The implications of his health conditions are adverse because he would have trouble plotting graphs and lose marks unnecessarily during tests or examinations. As the teacher shared more and more, I found out that there was a slightly autistic child in class as well. The challenge is, “how can a teacher ensure that he gives adequate love and attention to each and everyone in class and to also take special care of students with special needs?” The good thing is, teachers will always be there to walk the journey with his students regardless of whether they are normal students or special needs students.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- As I stepped into school today, a Secondary 1 boy, Syazwan, (He was the typical “troublemaker” in a class which I had observed) gave a big bubbly smile and said, “HI CHER!!!!” It was the first time he greeted me with such enthusiasm and I think I only managed to win him over last Fri and hence the change in his way of greeting. Last Fri, I was at the Girl Guides and National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) combined session and I saw him having difficulties tying the knot. Luckily I still remembered my knots and lashes as I was previously from Girl Guides and I went over to teach him. He was surprised that I knew how to tie lashes and he listened attentively and following each and every step with great interest. After he managed to learn the square lash, he proudly showed it to the friends around him and said, “My lash is the neatest and it is the nicest. This cher taught me one.” Then, it just so happen that another student was having difficulty in the lashing and it was a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. From all the classroom observations I had attended, I knew students here lack confidence and have low self-esteem. Thus, I gave Syazwan a task; to teach the other student how to go about tying the knots and lashes. In my view, it was the best opportunity to raise his confidence level since he showed the rest his completed square lash with so much pride. With a little prompting here and there, Syazwan repeated ALL the steps that I had taught him earlier and spoke with confidence, as though he was a real teacher. At some instance, he would be scolding the girl for not remembering the steps or for not listening to him attentively and I would always interrupt by saying, “Have more patience. Look at your teachers in class, they won’t scold you if you did not know how to do a question of a new topic right? You must be as patient as your teachers.” Then, he will give the guilty look and try to teach the girl all over again with patience. I doubt I made an impact on him when I went into his class for classroom observation. However, to see him greeting me so loudly today and talking about his knots and lashes, I think I made an impact on him this time round. The encounter with him today started my week on the right note. (:
- Li Hui
2nd Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 403 – Sec 4 Express Stream)
- Elements of Business Lesson (Class 322 – Normal Technical Stream)
- Staff Meeting
[Highlights / Challenges]
- In contrast to the mundane classroom happenings, a fight broke out in class today between the boy who had weakening vision and another boy. It came so unexpectedly that I was SHOCKED. I had never seen a real fight in class in my entire schooling life and I did not know how to react except to give the stunned look.
After the fight, the same boy needed help with the math problem and called for the teacher. As I happened to be nearby, I went over only to be rejected by him and he continued to call for the teacher. Then, the teacher asked him to ask me instead as she was attending to another student but he rolled his eyes at me and rejected my help. 0.0 He was the first student ever to reject my help in such a rude manner. I tried to keep my cool and asked him nicely again if he needed help and he rolled his eyes again! Some students in the class decided to call me over and told me, “Cher, it’s not your fault, he is always like that.” I was really touched to know that students care about the emotions of teachers too!
Halfway through the lesson, he packed his bag and walked out of the class and I was stunned by his behaviour again. I went out to find him while the teacher continued with the lessons. It did not feel good to see him rolling his eyes at me and the irrational side of me would choose to ignore his absence in class. I was really feeling angry about all the trouble he had caused. Just as sudden as he left the class, I reverted to the rational side of me and got increasingly worried when I could not find him in all the supposedly favourite haunts of students. Finally I saw him right outside the staffroom which was a weird place to find him at and I told him, “Your mathematics teacher is really worried about you. Shall we go back to class together?” Guess what he did? He rolled his eyes at me again. Perhaps he does not trust others easily or perhaps I was not worthy of his trust. It seemed as though I cannot win him over no matter what I did or how many times I tried. The challenge is to remain upbeat and treat each disappointment as an obstacle that I will eventually overcome.
- Li Hui (Part 1)
2nd Feb
ReplyDelete- In another class that I went today, a small fight broke out as well. To be able to see fights in the consecutive lessons and to deal with the situation required a great deal of patience from the teachers. The challenge is to be composed and not scold the students immediately. For sure, they fight because they needed attention. If teachers were to respond and give the students due attention through scolding, the outcome would be worse. If I were the main teacher in these two classes, I would not dare say I can be the patient teacher and it is hard to let them see from your point of view that it is childish to dabble in fights.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- The main learning point of today is not to learn how to pre-empt fights in class and it is certainly more than learning how to deal with fights in class calmly. We should talk to the students amicably and find out the rationale behind their behaviour. Ping Yi is a Restorative Practise (RP) school and this has put her in good stead to handling such delinquent acts in school. Talking to the students involved, their peers and teachers are essential in order to have an accurate conclusion. For example, as I spoke to the peers of the boy who had the weakening vision or to teachers who know him, I gained an insight that I could not observe with my naked eyes. At Class 322 where the other fight broke out, the teacher talked to the student only to find out that he was feeling angsty because his father got into trouble by fighting with a taxi driver. Only when we get the broader perspective of what is going around in these students’ lives would we then be able to help them achieve the desired outcome. If we chose to jump to conclusions quickly, teachers would appear to have lost the human touch and students no longer feel that the teachers understand them. When this delicate relationship is broken, teachers will lose the students forever.
- Li Hui (Part 2)
3rd Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Professional Learning Community Meeting on weight management
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Sec 3 Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
- As I saw Class 311 today, my anxiety level grew. I had rehearsed my lessons for umpteen times and let’s just hope tomorrow will be fine!
- Li Hui
4th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Social Studies Lesson (Class 121 – Normal Technical Stream)
- English Lesson (Class 113 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
- Today is a very special day for me because it was the first time I got to take over the WHOLE class and conduct the lesson all by myself. Honestly, I was uptight about the lesson outcome as the topic of Indices was something I had found hard to grapple with back when I was a student. The feeling is weird because I was standing up there, teaching a topic that I used to fare so badly in. I was worried as to whether I could deliver the lesson because it was not only a topic which I used to be weak at, but also because the class size was big. During the many lesson observations I had in this school, I had always wondered if the students understood what had been taught in class and hence I decided to modify Mr Malek’s “parking lots” feedback forms. I asked them to set a target for the pop quiz on the next day and let me know one thing that they learnt and one thing that they did not understand. True enough, the response was very different from their undivided “We understand” and by collecting their individual feedback, I could find out the difficulties they had, especially from the less out-spoken students in class.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- I had special permission to pull the disruptive boy, Patrick, out from Social Studies lesson today and I sat beside him at one corner in class while the lesson continued. Initially, he was lamenting about how unlucky he was, having to receive special attention from me and he even complained to the teacher in front that I asked him so many questions. I insisted that he read the text from the textbook for me while I corrected his mistakes. He was reluctant to do so but he did it anyway. Since our progress was faster than the class, we diverted to non-academic topics. He asked if I watched a certain drama, knew a certain artist, a certain singer and when I said “yes” even though I did not really know them well, he was so excited about it and I could sense that he felt that I could relate to him. After much probing here and there, he started sharing his thoughts and feelings with me. E.g. His broken family and how he felt sad whenever one of his subject teachers made him stand in class for almost all of that subject’s lessons. I’ve seen his behaviour during lesson observations and I could understand why that teacher chose to punish him.
Him: I don’t understand why I always get punished in class. I knew all the answers that cher asked
Me: How about you try imagining yourself as the teacher? Imagine you are the teacher teaching and you have this student who walks around in the classroom and keep raising for every single thing. How will you feel?
Him: I will be angry!!
Me: So now you understand why your teacher made you stand even though you knew all the answers?
Him: (Gave the guilty look and nodded)
- Li Hui (Part 1)
What surprised me the most was how he had voluntarily read out the passage for me after the first time when I insisted he read the passage. I knew clearly the driving force behind his initiative. All I kept saying was, “See, you think you cannot read but actually you can. I told you left-handers are smart.” And that was reason enough for him to keep on reading and reading for me. When the worksheet came, he could do it effortlessly because he was well-equipped with content knowledge after reading to me the entire text. Who says that students cannot be bothered with Social Studies just because it was a non-examinable subject? He is a good testimony that students do care about the subjects that they are learning.
ReplyDelete- In the English lesson that I went, the teacher was introducing me to the class, “Today we have Ms Wee with us..........” and before she could finish the introduction, the class went, “Oleh, Oleh Oleh Oleh, Oleh, Oleh~~~” The students were so adorable that they make my stay in Ping Yi a really joyful one.
- After school today, I had a makeup lesson with the pair of twins as they were late for school and had missed my lessons. I was expecting the “cher, don’t need extra lesson la...” when I proposed to them to stay back for math but their response was, “ok good good. Cause we detention also got nothing much to do.” After finishing what I had to teach, they still had one hour of detention and they started sharing about their hobbies and ambitions.
- If I were to describe my experiences in Ping Yi, a book would be apt to describe it. As I come to school each day, I would experience a whole new encounter and interaction with the students here. This is parallel to reading a book, where a whole new story unfolds in every chapter.
- The first lesson that I had conducted in Ping Yi was memorable and I would have never imagine myself telling my students about Powerpuff girls or introducing Indices as my friend. Mr Whey was right in saying that good lesson planning might not necessarily equate to good lesson delivery. E.g. I had prepared a mathematics video to summarize the Laws of Indices but there was some problems with the audio when I tried to show the class. Unforeseen circumstances can happen anytime and I think the Girl Guides Motto: Be Prepared is apt.
- Li Hui (Part 2)
5th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- ICT Lesson (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 112 – Normal Academic Stream)
- CCA
- 311 Chinese New Year Classroom decorations
[Highlights / Challenges]
The main challenge I realized after I started teaching was mainly on the varying ability of students here. Some students might find the pop quiz that I gave the class today too hard and some find the pop quiz too easy while some find the quiz normal. With the different abilities of the students in class, how will teachers be able to teach in such a way that it will stretch the brighter students and yet ensure that the students on the other end of the spectrum do not lag behind?
[Reflections / Learning Points]
I saw Patrick this morning and I made a small conversation with him. Though it was nothing but just a frivolous chat, he enjoyed it. I only see him once a week for Social Studies. Yet he could remember me, treat me as a friend and tell me about what had happened at home or school. Seriously, making small chat might seem like an insignificant affair, it made an impact on him.
Over the week, I tried making small chats with students along the corridor for e.g. “How was the pop quiz today?”, “How’s the accounting test you all had?” There are also occasions when one student will purposely “betray” the friend by telling you “cher, she got boyfriend!” just to sustain the conversation and to make the conversation a little more juicy. There is a fine line between teachers and students. In class, student-teacher relationship must be strictly enforced. Once we are out of the classroom, there is no harm being the buddy of the students. In fact, when we establish good relationship with the students after school, they are more likely to listen and respect you in class. I remember Mr Malek telling his students, “I don’t want you all to be scared of me, I just need all of you to respect me.” I think it works that way too.
- Li Hui
Yesterday the twins talked to me about their ambition and drama serials during their detention. When I conducted the lesson today, they were the ones that were actively participating in class. As long as the rapport is there, students will “give you face” by listening to your lesson even if it is boring.
ReplyDeleteI was “loitering” in school with Rimiko and we went around looking at students in their CCA activities. It was around late afternoon when my students approached me and said, “Cher, we cannot find our form teacher. Something bad happened to our classroom, you want to go see?” Considering that I am new to the school and had only taught them a few lessons so far, I was pleased when they actually approached me for help (though I doubt I am of any help). It turned out that one of the classroom panels had fallen out and we tried to rectify the problem through various methods. After we finally managed to fix it back, one student said, “Cher, so late already, die la, don’t think we can finish decorating the classroom today.” Then I told them, “Chay, I stay back with you all to do” and I started taking off my shoes to climb up and put on the decorations. They were shocked by how spontaneous I was. Nevertheless, they carried on decorating as well. All the random questions came and it was a great bonding session with them. I remember vividly how a student was telling me all the reasons why I should not have came to Ping Yi but he ended off by saying, “Stay leh, don’t leave the school after March”. Some other students responded by saying, “Yah! Don’t go”. They really made my day. (:
As a young teacher here, I had the advantage of being able to click with the students better. However, I do not think that being youthful automatically means that we can click with the students. I see older (as in older than me) teachers forging wonderful relationships with the students here as well. I think to be young at heart matters more than the age when it comes to forging bonds with the students.
- Li Hui (Part 2)
8th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 403 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics Department Meeting
[Highlights / Challenges]
After a student came and took the makeup mathematics test, I could finally collate the results (something that I had been anticipating.)
I remembered asking the class to set a target before the test on a small slip of paper and many cited A1, A2 as their targets. As I compared their targets back to the usual scores they had received, I thought that it will be an uphill task for them but I was secretly happy that I managed to make them feel so confident about the test though I was just an untrained teacher.
After collating the results, I was glad that the class had achieved 25A1s for the pop quiz. There were students who had performed well miraculously and they were the ones that made me feel so proud of them. There were also students who had been constantly not doing well and there were those who had not made any improvements at all. It was very easy for me to observe the individual results trend when I started plotting out their results for all the tests thus far.
The main challenge is that there are students falling into the two extremes, the A1 category and the F9 category. How do I ensure that the students who scored A1s will not be complacent and achieve consistent stellar results? How do I ensure that the students who scored F9s stay positive and be motivated to keep on trying?
[Reflections / Learning Points]
After marking this class’s pop quiz, I could finally see it from my teacher’s perspective; on why they could be so angry at me whenever I made some careless mistakes and ended up losing marks unnecessarily. As I marked their quiz, I felt angry and at the same time, my heart goes out for them when I am sure they knew the concept but was just careless, especially when they needed just one more mark to achieve their target.
The track record of their test results is a pretty good idea which was modified from what my mathematics teacher used to give us. It took me quite some time to finish the individual track record for the whole class but I know that it was worthwhile because by knowing their own results trend, it was easier for them to know when they need to put in more effort in the subject. As for me, doing up the record tables for all of them gave me a good indication of their performance and helped me keep a lookout on students that need immediate intervention or students who had made drastic improvements which was worth commending about.
At the two ends of the spectrum, I have 25A1s and 5F9s. I cannot wait to tell them about the 25A1s but yet worried about the students who had not achieved their intended targets. I will put in more effort to help the five students who scored F9s and giving up on them was not an option because if my mathematics teacher had chosen to give up on me, I would never have had the chance to teach mathematics today. Now is the time for me to pay it forward!
- Li Hui
9th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 403 – Sec 4 Express Stream)
- School Assembly
[Highlights / Challenges]
Back at the staffroom today, a teacher approached me and told me my “best friend” (a secondary one student), was punished for being rude to his teachers. Intuitively, I knew I had to intervene even though I only see him once a week for Social Studies lesson. Coincidentally, I saw him just as he was entering the hall for assembly. I told him to find me after school today and he gave the typical, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~~~” response. Even though he said no, I was so sure he would find me after school because he used to say no when I asked him to read out the text in his textbook but spoke up even when I did not told him to do so.
After the assembly was over, he was stopped by two teachers and he was scolded. From where I was standing, I could see him but he could not see me and thus he thought I had already left. He retorted in a lousy tone with a facial expression that was sure to piss off any teachers. When he was finally done, I appeared before him. His facial expression changed to one that was guilt-stricken and he ran off.
Not every student will be open to sharing about their thoughts and feelings. It is challenging to try to understand the student when he/she refuses to share about anything. How can we then as teachers, try to gain the trust of these students such that they can share with you comfortably and work out a solution from there?
[Reflections / Learning Points]
It was not my intention to scold him or anything. I merely wanted to offer a listening ear and showed him the broader perspective of the picture. I could have give chase when he ran off but I chose not to. Give him some personal time and I am sure he would talk to me in no time. Sincerity will do wonders.
- Li Hui
10th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Action Research Training
- Mathematics lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
Class 311 had a mathematics test today and I asked my buddy teacher if I could invigilate the class by myself. All went well till the class next door decided to have some “fun” after they realized that I was next door. (I went for their elements of business lesson). What followed shortly was the rowdy behaviour made to attract my attention and to disturb the class. It was easy for them to come over and disturb because they could actually open up the partition that was separating the two classrooms. It was hard for me to manage because my own class was egging me on to scold the students next door and the students next door had great fun trying to disturb my class.
I decided to be fierce and asked the students next door to stop the nonsense but it was to no avail. Even as I stood at the partition of the two classes, the students next door carried on the misbehaviour (even when there were already two teachers in their class). Intuitively, if the hard way does not work, I should try the soft way. I remember the “I” messages that the trainer in NUS taught us about. Thus, I told those students, “When you make a scene in my class, I feel worried for my students because they are having a test. I feel lousy that I cannot create a conducive environment for my students to take their test in. Can all of you cooperate and stop disturbing my class?” And that does it! They got serious and stopped creating a nuisance in my class. (:
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Sometimes, students will misbehave on purpose because they derive joy when the teacher gets irritated. If our immediate reaction was to use a harsh tone on them, they would most likely want to deviate more from the behaviour that teachers expect them to have. However, if we could talk to them nicely, treating them as though they were on the same level as us, the results would have been very different. Of course, it will take a great deal of patience to talk to them calmly and nicely when all you want to do is to lock them up in their classroom. (haha) Once the students know that you treat them with respect, they will automatically show you respect too. Share with them about your thoughts and feelings just as what a friend would do and they will get the drift on how they should behave or to “give face” to a “friend”. That is the main learning point today.
- Li Hui
11th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Social Studies lesson (Class 121 – Normal Technical Stream)
- Meeting with the Principal
- Mathematics lesson (Class 403 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics Trail for station masters
Highlights / Challenges]
Today my buddy teacher was not in school and I got a chance to take attendance with the co-form teacher. I always thought taking attendance was easy until I tried for it myself. Suddenly, all the students’ faces looked alike and it was hard to take their attendance accurately. Their photos at the back of the class register did not help much since all of them looked so differently now. Nonetheless, it was a good experience for me and I can take their attendance tomorrow again. (:
The students in class were a little restless today because my buddy teacher was not around. Thankfully, I have a playing card in my hands to keep them quiet; the pop quiz results. When the test results were revealed, their expressions were priceless so much so that I regretted not taking a photo of their faces. They were so thrilled by their peers who had jumped from F9 to A1 and these are the students whom I am counting upon to bring up the class morale.
At the Social Studies lesson today, I could finally have a chance to talk to the secondary boy whom ran away from me at the hall the other day. We had a long talk outside the class while the other teacher continued teaching the rest of the class. He was adamant in sharing at first because he did not want me to know about his “ugly” past. Maybe to him, my impression of him is good since I praised him often whenever he read the text to me. I told him that there was no point in trying to hide about anything because I knew everything about him all the way to his primary school experiences. Along the way, I talked about snippets of his life as though I really knew his entire life. I sounded like I did, but actually I only knew a little about him here and there after conversations with the various teachers. Eventually, he was convinced I knew everything about his whole life and he started sharing. I finally got the whole picture after he shared. It was insightful because I got to hear things from his perspective and this would complement the perspective I get when I talked to teachers in the staffroom.
- Li Hui (Part 1)
I did not reprimand him and all I did was to talk to him nicely. I shared with him about my personal experiences in a bid to try to relate to him. He listened and took the initiative to promise me that he would change for the better. This was actually quite similar to the students who tried to wreak havoc in my class. When teachers talk to them nicely and let them know that we are all on the same level, the students will eventually listen to what the teachers have to say.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were about to enter the class again, I told him, “This is your first chance to change. Your friends will definitely laugh at you but I do not want you to be bothered by them. Ok?” He nodded and went into class. He even wrote down his promise for me in my staff handbook and left his signature behind as well. “Cher, you must stay in school and I will definitely change” was what he said to me. For a student who had been a trouble maker since primary school, to even want to promise me that he would change, came as a surprise to me. I had never expected myself to change him just after sharing about myself and my wish for him. Especially for a teacher like me who had no prior experience in dealing with such students, I was glad to be able to make an impact on him. After the talk, he listened attentively in class and even raised his hand to correct the teacher when he forgot a word in the textbook. Teaching literally touches lives. (:
[Reflections / Learning Points]
After school, I met up with the students who have failed the mathematics pop quiz and had a good chat with them. Having been a student who had failed the subject consistently, I could totally relate to them because I would remember teachers writing, “See me.” when I fail a test. We talked for almost one hour and one student told me, “Cher, I am not sad with the results because I know I am going to get an A1 for you, Miss Wee.” As a teacher, our job scope is one that TEACHES. In actual fact, I had learnt much from these students. When I see students feeling so upbeat even after they failed a test, I see positivity in them which was something everyone should be doing in life. When I see the secondary boy promising to make a change, I see the effort made to attest to the statement, “Old habits die hard.”
As I read through the little slips of paper written by my students (they will write their feedback on the slips of paper after each mathematics lesson), I felt a tinge of achievement because I could make them share their thoughts freely in the slips of paper. “I feel kinda hopeless... I didn’t pass my maths since pri school”, “I feel very proud of myself today”, “I love your lessons cause you teach us step by step”, “I like how you teach” and “I feel disappointed as I could have done better”. All these feedback made my day because I know that I am in a position to either keep the morale high for those who had already achieved their target and to be there for students who feel upset about the test.
- Li Hui (Part 2)
12th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- New year celebration
- Makeup Test with the students
[Highlights / Challenges]
I am currently basking in the blissful joy of teaching the students because they have been surprising me with their acts of kindness. I was teaching the class today and they got a little rowdy probably because of the new year celebrations after the lesson. So one of the students stood up and said, shut up la. Miss Wee teaching” and there were many other students who will “shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” just so to help me keep the class in order to give me an easier time in teaching. After the lesson, there were even students who offered me tissue papers after seeing how much I have perspired during the lesson.
They have made my day and I made their day too when I gave them their personalized cards.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Teaching is a two way reciprocal affair for both parties. Frankly speaking, I had never expected things to turn out so well to the extent that I would do things for these students not because I have to but mainly because I want to. When they knew that the chapter was ending and I would stop teaching, the students told me, “Ms Wee, our whole class get A1 for you and you stay and teach us ok?” I feel empowered by having the ability to make a difference in their lives. (:
- Li Hui
17th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Professional Learning Community (Weight Management)
- Mathematics lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
Today is the first day of lesson after the long Chinese New Year break. I came to school early because a student said that she needed extra help in the topic that I was teaching and I told her that she can ask around if any of her classmates needed to find me for further clarifications. It was 7am in the morning on the first day after the long holiday break and ¼ of the class turned up to clarify their doubts on the topic!
I am so glad that they are coming forward to seek help. Having been a student myself, I knew that it was impossible to absorb 100% of what the teachers taught in each lesson. Thus, seeing that they were coming forward to clarify their gaps in understanding was an indication that they care for their studies.
I always believe that attitude is much more important than intellectual capacity. If I were to extrapolate their results should these positive attitudes continue, they will definitely achieve their desired grades. My teacher used to tell me, “You can and must do it if you are clear of your goals.” That sentence pretty much sums up what I feel about my students now. I believe they have the capability because when they come and find me for help in Mathematics, I generally feel that they understood the concept but they lack the confidence and keep having the notion that “it is difficult”. In actual fact, they know how to do it but they always need the extra prompting to get the boost of confidence. Having been once poor in mathematics myself, I could relate to them and I really hope that they could build their foundation well because having a weak foundation in mathematics has always been one of my regrets when I was in secondary school.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
When students find you approachable, they will surely come and find you for help if they needed it. I guess my young age puts me at an advantage such that they are willing to come forward to seek help. The crucial thing to note is when the age gap between the students and I get bigger and bigger, I will need to stay young at heart and stay approachable so that I can still click with the students.
Initially, I was overwhelmed by the challenge of commanding respect from the students because I felt that young teachers are especially vulnerable to disrespect. When I was a student, young teachers often distance themselves from students and tried to pull a long face such that they do not become the recipients of students’ misbehaviour.
Thankfully, my teacher kept reassuring me with his “Sincerity does wonders.” I tried to keep myself approachable and till now, I do not feel that it has undermined my status as a teacher. After all, students need to know that I am actually similar to them in many ways and my aim is definitely not to highlight the differences in our status and thereafter, drive the gap between my students and I bigger and bigger.
As I establish better relationships with my students, I increasingly look forward to school and the conversations with the students. (:
- Li Hui
18th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Social Studies lesson (Class 121 – Normal Technical Stream)
- Mathematics Trail (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics Trail (Class 103 – Express Stream)
Highlights / Challenges]
There was a boy in the Social Studies class who was misbehaving today and the teacher told him, “You better behave yourself, the teacher beside you (me) is leaving the school soon.” The boy reacted strongly to what the teacher said, “CHER I THOUGHT YOU PROMISE ME TO EXTEND. YOU BROKE OUR PROMISE!!!!! PLEASEEEEEEEE I PROMISE TO BEHAVE MYSELF.”
After school today, some students came to find me for consultation and they diverted to other topics after we were done with the math problem sums. They started talking about their crushes and I was sort of taken aback by what they said. I would never be able to imagine myself talking about such stuff to a teacher and they were discussing about it so comfortably and even started asking me to take notice of their crushes in school.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
We can never imagine how students would go the extra mile for the sake of teachers. It makes my day when I see students holding a high regard for me and do things that I would approve of. I am glad to be able to forge a close teacher-student relationship with all of them.
I guess students often like to try to scrutinize and nitpick on any potential faults of teachers. Leading by example is a good way to gain the respect of students. For example, when I asked the weaker students to complete the extra practises and find me for consultations, I ensure that I would have at least completed the full worked solutions of the questions I give them. When the students see that I am doing the assignments that I have assigned to them or if not more, they would then have no excuses not to do it because they know that everyone is doing the same things and we are all in this together.
My stay in Ping Yi is increasingly meaningful because I get to help students understand and love mathematics more and more. As I see students coming forward at 7am in the morning or after school at 4pm to ask me mathematics (maybe because their PAL test is coming), I feel empowered because I am able to be of help to the students. The feeling is probably the same as my students who are seniors to the younger juniors in school during CCA; the self-worth that one derives by being able to do something significant to others.
- Li Hui
19th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Total Defence Day
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
Today during Total Defence Day, I got a good chance to catch up with the students as they learn how to tie knots and lashes in the hall. Some were probably taken aback when I managed to teach them the knots (since I was previously from Girl Guides) and they will be like, “Cher, how come you teach us maths and can also teach us how to tie knots?!”
It was when I sat down together with them and joined in the activity that they started sharing what they wanted to say to me.
Student A: Cher, I failed my test today. ):
Me: But remember you scored full marks for pop quiz? It means that you have it in you right?
Student A: (shy but secretly happy)
Me: So... Can I expect something from you for the next test?
Student A: OK!!!! (:
It was a simple conversation but I guess it means alot for a student. Every teacher in Ping Yi has different teaching strategies which they think is best suited for students. Though I am neither trained nor have any experience in teaching, my main teaching strategy is to work through the students’ heart. (That was how my teacher “tricked” me into working hard for mathematics too!) I will always imagine myself as the student and I try to be the teacher that I want myself to have as a student.
From my stay in Ping Yi, the significant role that a teacher has to play is actually that of a motivator. It might be a daunting task but there is no harm in trying to motivate the students for the fruit of the labour is really sweet. Students are smart and they are usually pretty hard to fool. The trick is to let your students know that you care about them as individuals and not as just another name or number on the class register.
After the interactions with the students in the hall, I was intrigued by the kind of lives that they are leading and I actually managed to search for their blogs (the wonders of internet). They probably will never know that I have once chanced upon their blogs and I do not intend to let them know because they might feel restricted to know that a teacher is looking at what they are writing. As I read their blog posts, I am glad. Students are saying, “went to the canteen, bought drink and went to meet math teacher!” (when they are coming to find me for extra lesson) or “I wanna cry! Hopeless on Maths. Help me PLEAAASEEEE Ms Wee!” Seeing these comments totally gives me no reason to reject the students when they come and ask me about mathematics.
- Li Hui
22nd Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Trail (Class 121 – Normal Technical Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
The Math Trail experience today was different from the classes that took the Math Trail last week. The students in this class were less motivated in carrying out the trail and they will tell you, “Cher, you help me do la.” or “I don’t want to take part.” They took a short time to finish the math trail not because they were fast, but rather, they chose to skip questions/ stations. The challenge is to boost their sense of competitiveness such that they will want to finish up the trail in the shortest time possible and yet with the most number of accurate answers in order to win the prize.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
I always feel that intellectual capacity is second to attitude. Though it is a Normal Technical class, I have never once looked down on them. In fact, I get the impression that they are not doing well in academics not because they are restricted by their intellectual capacity but rather, their attitude towards learning. It is a pity to know that they can achieve more than what they are achieving now if only they are willing to change their attitude. I guess attitude is a tricky issue to deal with because you cannot improve the students’ grades simply by giving them more practices. It definitely requires much more than that and perhaps we could all draw on the bonds with the students to make them change their attitude towards the subject that we are teaching.
- Li Hui
23rd Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Alpine House Meeting
- Mathematics Lesson Observation (Class 101 – Express Stream)
- Assembly
- Staff Meeting
Highlights / Challenges]
Three students tried to sneak off from the House Meeting right in front of me today. Given my relatively young age, it is no doubt a challenge for me to confront these students especially when they are only two or three years younger than me. I am glad that the eight weeks in Ping Yi thus far has been beneficial because I can now deal with the students with more confidence. (:
I got a chance to observe a fellow intern’s lesson and frankly speaking, it was really weird to be sitting at the back of the class listening to what my peer had got to say. There were much learning points that I can draw upon her lesson because the strengths and weaknesses of methods used by beginning teachers became very obvious.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Instinctively, students might think that young teachers are easy pushovers. I am happy by how I was able to make them go back to their seats even when they are the supposedly “tough” students in school. Especially for us interns, we might be tempted not to enforce discipline because we probably think the same way as them and some discipline matters might be actually insignificant. Though our age did not change much, our status in school have greatly changed and with this new status as a teacher, there is a need for us to be constantly be mindful of the students’ behaviour and to intervene when they deviate from the ideal behaviour. The intervention might be especially challenging for us but by looking at how I handle the students now compared to the first week in Ping Yi, I know that practice makes perfect. (:
- Li Hui
25th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Academic Stream)
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 403 – Express Stream)
- Mathematics Trail (Class 102 – Express Stream)
- Additional Mathematics Lesson (Class 403 – Express Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
The Vice-Principal was here today for lesson observation. There were some hiccups along the way, for example, the projector blanked out twice. Actually, it did serve as a timely reminder that teachers must not rely heavily on one mode of teaching, but to have a variety of teaching methods for backup purposes such that the lesson can be delivered no matter what. (Oh, I found it quite amusing to see a sudden change in the students when the VP walked in even though the way I teach was still the same.)
It was challenging to teach with a sore throat. It was only until today that I had realized how important the voice is to a teacher. In the past, I could still continue with lessons even when I had a sore throat because I was the one sitting down in the classroom. Presently, it was daunting to teach and to know that whatever voice that I had left would be gone the next minute.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
It was a busy day today since my buddy teacher was not around in school. During my only half an hour break, a student came and find me for a talk. I could never imagine why she would have wanted to talk to me but in any case, it felt good to be approached. She told me, “Cher, I came from a top Primary School. All my friends went to top secondary schools and I really do not know what I am doing here.” I could empathize with her because all of us would have encountered periods of self-doubt at some point of time but we must not ever wallow in self-pity. I told her everything about self-pity. Of course, seeing is believing and by relating back to my own experiences, I was able to convince her that all is not lost. A good school should not be just based on the academic grades she had produced and the increasing focus on character development is a great testament to that. Perhaps I got hungrier by the minute, she was fuller with motivation. Sometimes, we can never imagine how we are able to change the students through our words and behaviour. I was hungrier not only in the stomach but also hungrier for more accomplishments so that I will always be able to use myself as the example that as long as we keep trying, the fruits of our labour will definitely be sweet.
- Li Hui
26th Feb
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
- Mathematics Trail (Class 112 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
Today is the last day of the week and coincidentally, the students will be having an exciting Integrated Programme Week next week. The classroom atmosphere is pretty much attuned to any upcoming events. They were not as cooperative probably because they were all ready for the Singapore Flyer excursion and the level camp next week and most of them were not able to give me their 100% concentration today.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Having spent numerous afternoons with students on mathematics for the past few weeks, I feel that it is not true that they cannot do maths. The main problem is not with the brain but with the mind. They need prompting and assurance. However, we must not cultivate that form of reliance on teachers to prompt or reassure them each time. For me, I try to instil confidence in the students by getting individuals who had gotten the correct answers to guide the individuals who did not get the correct answers. It is an issue on pride. Everyone will want to get the correct answer and be praised by the teacher. When these individuals are tasked to help their peers, they will tend to feel good that they are not only able to get it right, but help others get it right as well. With the extra confidence boost, it will equip them with better anxiety control and ultimately perform better in their academics.
I told them that staying back in the afternoons is optional and I do not want to force them to come if they are not keen in it. Without any hesitation, they told me, “Cher, I want to come every week” and that is my small accomplishment. (:
- Li Hui
1st March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Invigilator for Sec 4 NA Mock Exam (Class 413 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
This is the second last week of our internship but I have done something new once again and I believe there will be many more new things that I will be doing for the whole of this Integrated Programme Week (IPW)
Today, I was the invigilator for an exam! This was something I would have never imagined myself to be doing especially when I am waiting for my ‘A’ Level examination results. As I walked around, I found it a pity that the students were not trying hard enough for their mock examinations and chose to give up without giving much thought to how to solve the question. Many did not make full use of the allocated time but chose to take a short nap instead. While this was my first time meeting this class of students, I had the strong urge to tell them not to give up and keep on trying!
I cannot help but think about a scenario where a teacher has to teach a class of unmotivated students, will he/she be able to stay upbeat and positive and make a positive impact on his/her students one day? Sadly, this is not just a scene in the typical drama serials but something real and happening in classrooms. This leads me to the conclusion that teachers who had taught for long periods of time are all positivity advocators and the batteries in their bodies are rechargeable such that there will never be a day that their batteries are flat. At times, they can even use the same battery to power the students’ lives and this makes teaching a very meaningful experience.
- Li Hui
2nd March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Geometer Sketch Pad Full Day Lesson (Class 301 – Express Stream)
Highlights / Challenges]
Today’s Geometer Sketch Pad (GSP) lesson was held in the computer lab and I generally found it hard to deliver the lesson partly because of the venue and partly because their peers in the Normal Stream had gone to the supposedly “more fun” excursion to the Science Centre and here they were having to attend a day full of Math. It was hard to engage the students and they preferred to be entertained by Facebook rather than the teacher. Thankfully after the teacher-centred component of the course was over, they were better engaged because the student-centred component involved hands-on experience on their part. That was the time when you can feel their interest level and they started to ask more questions and “Cher! Cher!” was going everywhere in the computer lab.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
The students were fidgety during the teacher-centred teaching and it was understandable. Perhaps the teacher-centred component can be dissected into smaller portions to be fused into the student-centred component. The teacher-centred component would then be more bearable and at the same time, not giving students one whole block of time at one go as it might become tempting for them to stray off task.
Nonetheless, the session today was akin to the “Own Time Own target” kind of learning style and it was definitely a much more enjoyable way of learning circle properties than learning it the normal way in a classroom setting where they would not be given the luxury of time to complete the chapter.
- Li Hui
3rd March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Visit to the Science Centre for “Amazing Chemistry” (Class 412 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
The class that I followed today was the most special class thus far in the sense that they really had strong class bonding. The students took initiative in ensuring every single one of them was always at the right place and time. They took good care of the teachers too and offered us the buns and drinks that they were given. Class 412 gave me a very good impression of them. (:
[Reflections / Learning Points]
Upon reaching back to school, the teachers involved were all called for a meeting because of public complaint on our students’ behaviour at the Macdonalds in Science Centre.
It is essential for teachers to always keep a lookout on not only the student’s behaviour but also his/her own behaviour. The public has high expectations of teachers and we must definitely live up to the expectations, after all, teachers mould the future of the nation. The actions might appear to be insignificant to some, but of utmost importance to others. When such feedback is received by the school, the only thing we can do is to take some time to reflect upon it and learnt from the lesson.
I remember my teacher used to say, “For the first time, you are forgiven. For the second time, you are teachable. For the third time, ARE YOU THICK-HEADED?!” and we were all immediately sent into the pumping position at the basketball court.
Through this incident, I realized the kind of stress that is bestowed on the teachers when they bring students out for excursions. Of course, as long as all of us could learn something from this incident, the negative complain can well be valuable though unpleasant.
- Li Hui
4th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Sec 2 Level Camp at MOE Dairy Farm Adventure Centre (Class 221 – Normal Technical Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
Having been through at least 20 camps, this was probably one camp experience that was so contrasting and worth highlighting because I was no longer a camper or an instructor but a teacher! I could remember vividly the embarrassing moments when a few instructors had mistaken me for a camper (probably because I blended in as a Ping Yi student) and this was the challenge that I was facing; being young and having to take care of a class (because the two teachers taking that class fell sick but thankfully Mr Liew was around.) that I had heard so much about.
It was a heavy responsibility to bear because any negligence could compromise the students’ safety and it would be impossible to hit the “Restart” button when things go wrong.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
The camp was a good platform to forge student-teacher relationship. My general sensing is that when we go all the way with the students, it seems easier to earn their respect because we are all in this together. For example at one of the elements course, they were eagerly trying to complete the obstacle. Team work was clearly exhibited and encouragements came from all of them. All of them have good hearts and I was game enough to join them in the elements as well.
Students: Ms Wee, you must join us also!!! All of us have completed.
Me: OK!
It was a significant experience for me because in usual team-building games, I would have to place my faith in my peers. When I said yes to them without any hesitation, it meant placing my faith in my students to ensure my safety. I did not regret saying yes to them because they had really done a good job in supporting me. More importantly, I wanted them to know that I am not the teacher that will be sitting below the shelter and wait for them to complete their obstacles, but one that goes all the way with them.
The skills that I had learnt in Girl Guides had served me well in this camp because the students were a little shocked and told me, “Cher, why you know how to climb wall, you also know to do outdoor cooking and you also know how to teach maths?”
It was only my first encounter with Class 221 and I had already felt close to them. As I was stationed at a checkpoint with a camp instructor during Night Walk, I was told, “Hey, after doing so many camps, this is probably the first time I have seen teachers so actively participating in camps.” From my own personal experience of attending camps, this was also the first time I see teachers following the students around at all times. Kudos to all the Sec 2 teachers for the great effort under the blazing hot sun! (:
- Li Hui
5th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- English Learning Journey to Sentosa (Class 412 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
Today’s journey was with the very bonded Class 412 again. They were not only bonded among themselves and they welcomed “intruders” (me) as well. When they saw me at the parade square, the students excitedly say, “Ms Wee! Are you going to Sentosa with us today? YAY!!!!” I enjoy coming to school because there is much joy that can be derived from the behaviour of the students. (:
[Reflections / Learning Points]
I went back to Dunman High to collect my A level results today. Many of the MOE interns started to congregate and talked about our experiences in the various schools. I cannot help but feel fortunate to be able to come to Ping Yi though it sounds so cliché. I could proudly share my experiences with them because I was the only one with the myriad of experiences such as going to Sentosa, level camp, invigilation for examination, trying out all the different streams and levels, planning a mathematics trail, lesson observation by the VP and so much more!
In Ping Yi, I can hear students saying “Hi Cher!” enthusiastically, whereas the other interns posted to other schools were telling me about students pasting stickers on their back. I derive pleasure when I manage to make interns posted to other schools green with envy as I share on the smorgasbord of opportunities and activities that Ping Yi has to offer to the interns. (haha)
- Li Hui
8th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Relief teaching (Class 103 – Express Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges]
- Though I have been in Ping Yi for ten weeks, this was probably the first time I took over a lower secondary class all by myself. The classroom setting was rather different and the pace of teaching was pretty much slower. The greatest difference between them and the upper secondary students was the kind of instructions given. For Secondary 1 students, I had to tell them, “Sit down along the corridor in two rows and keep quiet” and “Take out your textbook, handbook, math file, pencil case and exercise book and get ready for lesson.” These instructions had to be repeated time and again before the whole class did it. In contrast, these instructions were unspoken assumed rules in upper secondary.
[Reflections / Learning Points]
- Adaptability is the key competence in teaching. Teachers can neither choose the kind of school he/she would like to teach at, nor the level and stream of students. Even in the same school, I could feel a big difference between teaching the secondary 3s and the secondary 1s, much less the contrast that one has to face when teaching at another school. Based on the demand and supply of teachers in the school, one might have the possibility to be pulled out of his/her comfort zone and be tasked to teach a level he/she might have not taught for so many years. The thought of it can be daunting but thankfully, adaptability is a trait that can be possessed by everyone because being adaptable or not is largely an issue that has got to do with the mind; change your mindset and you can be adaptable.
- Li Hui
9th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- School Assembly
- Staff Meeting
Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
- The good thing about being posted to Ping Yi is the short travelling time but the bad thing is having a lack of privacy because so many other students are living near my residence. If I were to look on the positive side, it means having entertainment when I am travelling to school and this is a good bonding session to gain a new insight into the kind of student life that they are leading. While I used to be a student not too long ago, the kind of student life I had was by no means any similar to theirs because of the different school culture and environment. I love to hear issues from a student’s point of view and morning chats give me the opportunity to do so. A two-way interaction is a good platform to compromise on differing opinions in an amicable way because teachers might find fault with students unknowingly and likewise, vice versa. By having light-hearted chats, the rationale behind a student or a teacher’s behaviour becomes clear and a better understanding of one another is established.
- Li Hui
10th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- School Sports Day
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
- I like the way sports day is carried out in Ping Yi because it offers equal opportunities for all to take part in the various sports events. Back when I was in secondary school, the sports meet we had was inter-school and hence only the track and field team could take part in the events while the rest looked on and cheered.
- Today, I saw the enthusiastic side of teachers and how they took pride in their students regardless of whether they were leading the race or lagging behind in the race. I saw students who were full of drive, choosing to persevere till the very end. I saw students holding their house flag with utmost respect and encouraging their peers in the race. Clearly, the rain had not dampened everyone’s mood for sports day. Some may never had proven to be the best student in class but today I know that they can be the best runners on the track. Let us have faith and play our part to translate their drive from the stadium into the classrooms!
- Li Hui
11th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
- As I stepped out of the staffroom today, I met Student A again. I remember on my first day in Ping Yi, Student A came up to me (with his half buttoned uniform and of a body build much bigger than mine), feeling scared is probably an understatement. Thankfully, all he did was, “Hi Cher!” Subsequently, I had ALOT of chance encounters with him and honestly, he never fails to send a chill down my spine even though all he did was, “Hi Cher.” Today, his friend greeted me and was immediately confronted by Student A, “Why are you flirting with Cher?!!” I was dumb-folded momentarily and was worried that a fight might break out judging from Student A’s harsh tone. Immediately, Student A changed his tone, faced me, and said, “Hi Cher!”
- This is the only time when I wished I was much older (and of a bigger build) with much more experience in handling these students.
- Li Hui
12th March
ReplyDelete[Activities involved in e.g. classroom observation, participation in staff meetings]
- Mathematics Lesson (Class 311 – Normal Academic Stream)
[Highlights / Challenges] and [Reflections / Learning Points]
- The official internship period is over and the ten weeks are nothing less than a fruitful time spent. The confidence to face a class of 40 students, the close ties forged with students and the sense of empowerment I derived from the students are the biggest takeaway of this internship. Most important of all, my decision to be a teacher has been affirmed. If I had not gotten a chance to immerse myself in a school culture in the status of a teacher, I would never be able to say, “I want to be a teacher” absolutely. The positive and negative encounters gave a truthful reflection of how teaching is like and in a way, it was good that we were shown not only the rosy picture and hence further justify my reliability when I say I really want to be a teacher.
- The internship has provided me with ample opportunities to broaden my horizon through activities such as invigilating a class for mathematics examination, bringing students to camp and excursions on top of the regular teaching experiences. Staff contact time, department meetings and being part of the Professional Learning Community (PLC) for weight management were things that I could never had experience as a student.
- I am amazed by how my initial BIG culture shock and the reluctance to report to school the next day can be changed into a positive experience so much so that I want to extend the internship period. Admittedly, there are incidences where mistakes are made but the teachers have been understanding and are willing to show me the ropes so that I will not repeat the same mistakes again.
- There are so many role models that I look up to and seek to emulate the good qualities of. I remember at the two day training we had prior to the internship at Ping Yi, the instructor was going round the class, asking each and everyone the school that we were posted to. When it was my turn to say the school that I was going to, the instructor told me, “Good luck. It’s tough.” Contrary to what the instructor said, I survived and had decided to extend my stay too!
- Additionally, there are so many unquantifiable factors in the teaching-learning process. Elements such as caring, charisma, and determination, when stirred together in the right proportions with the skills, knowledge and passion of a well-trained teacher, constitute the magic. Everyone has a reason and a motivation for what they do. When times get tough, it is important to reflect and look back on these inspirations.
- In this neighbourhood school setting, I have come to an understanding that there are alot of things going on in the students’ lives and they bring it into the classroom. Some of them are fighting battles I, thankfully, have never had to fight. It is then essential for us to be observant at all times and impart a feeling within each student that they are being seen, appreciated and validated.
- Nikoes Kazantzakis once said, “Teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.” My aim is to be that worthy bridge builder in the teaching profession and I cannot wait to inform my teacher when I become a full time teacher because this teacher had not only made me excel in a subject I am weak at, but also to consider teaching as a lifelong profession.
- Li Hui