Start of my Practicum Teaching Career

This semester is going to be tough because we are going to teach our fellow students in college and also the elementary and high school students. I felt nervous about it but in the other hand I am excited also. And the next week first, we were going to observe the after its our turn to teach. So help me God! Hope I can do my job and I will do my best.

"The Class"

         The movie "The Class" for me, as a teacher like Mr. Marin, the author and the main character in the movie who played the role of a teacher that in the real life he is a french teacher in public school in France, it would be great to watch it to know how to handle a classroom specially in multi-cultural society like France. As I watch the movie I have seen the most of the problem inside the class. We can vary it on our strategy in classroom management on how we can handle this kind of student who doesn't seem to respect their teachers.

         One of the factors we need to consider in handling a class is the cultural background. The students in the movie are come from the different countries and all grown-ups in different culture. Thus, all of them are far away from their culture and they seem to be so harsh in adopting the new environment in France specially the country known to be discriminating the black people. In result, some of the student is isolated in the new environment. The language also has a big influence to the students because when Mr. Marin introduce a new french word to his students and Esmeralda, one of his students, complaining that "why we need to know those words? We don't even using it?" Because Esmeralda is a french so that she always complaining about the lesson of his teacher.

         Mr. Marin also requested the student to make a "self-portrait." However, the students seem there are not interested on it. It is because some of his student spent their time to face computer or staying inside the room instead of going outside and mingle with other people to develop their own personalities. Unfortunately, this factor leads the students to be isolated and to create a self-world. As the result, their behaviors are form accordingly and when there are inside the class they always acting according to their rules which make the teacher harder to handle the class because they are not listening.

           One of the factors, as we observed the movie, is also the negative interaction of the student to his teacher. The barriers that blocks the relationship of the students to his teacher is a big problem also that makes the teacher harsh to manage the class. The student in the movie seems they don't regard the teacher as their friend and also they always contradict to the mentor's ideas, the harder the class to manage.

        The lack of discipline of the school is a factor that affects the classroom management. Students may have such a lot of freedom in the school they can do what they want to do without hesitation. In the movie, it is hard to manage like that situation, they don't respect their teacher, they don't obey the rules and they are not also afraid to face the guidance counselor and sending them to the others school either. However for Mr. Marlin sending them to the other school is not a good idea for the moment that they keep doing it. He also suggested that they must not give the student that kind of punishment because it is not helping them either.

           The one problem also is the teacher's ability to talk to his students. Because it the movie the teacher does not seem to know the personalities of his students, which it is harder for him to keep the students to listen. Mr. Marlin has a good temper when it comes inside the class no matter the student don't listen he still keep it going, however a teacher cannot hold like this situation without expressing his feeling for the whole year of class. Leading him to lose his temper and he is not able to handle the arguments between students either the argument between him to his student. Sometimes he's trying to settle the problem using the class time but still he failed to do it.

          And finally after the class ended, one of the students told Mr. Marlin "I do learn nothing, because I don't know what we’re doing". This factor is the most fragile to all i have mention earlier because, how can you say that you are effective in teaching if one of your student didn't learned in your class that why they said "you can't teach if you can't manage". It is heartbreaking to the part of the teacher to think he was not good enough to teach his students. In the movie, as we saw the whole from beginning to the end, the class is more settling those problems of the students. Instead of teaching, the whole class will spent the time by settling the arguments of one another. That is why some of the student doesn’t learn at all.

         To sum up, it is very difficult to manage the multi-culture class. The education system that has no discipline leading the students to be free to do what they want, must give an attention because if we let those student to do as they want, they will not respect the teachers also. To be patient at class is necessarily specially when you're teaching a class like in the movie. Teachers should create an environment for students so that they can get out of their self-worlds and express themselves more freely by following the classroom management principles. I believe, this can change the students` attitudes and lead to cooperation between the teacher and the students. Punishment is also necessarily but it must appropriate to the student not just by giving it accordingly but also explaining to the student why he has given that punishment and I do agree to Mr. Marlin that it is not necessary to expelled to student because it will make it worse. Also in leading the students the act like a good student we must not let our time to teach them be disturb or else they will learn nothing. It is important to know the appropriate ways to handle a class to be able to teach them efficiently and also to build relationship upon them. If not, I can't imagine our education system without classroom management.

17th Week: The Instructional Module, The Seminar, Classroom Management, Laboratory Method and The Art of Questioning

This week the report consists of five topics, The Instructional Module, The Seminar, Classroom Management, Laboratory Method and The Art of Questioning:

The Instructional Module

            This topic was reported by Ms. Cheene Rose Cayabo. The Instructional Module is one of the widely accepted instructional materials. According to Murray a module is a self-contained and independent unit of instructing with a primary focus on few-defined objectives. The learning module can develop a student’s optimum potential at his own pace. In other word, with the help of the module student can learn by its own capability to study, make a study material and review it until they can master it. A module can be helpful not only to a student or teacher but also to all.

The Seminar

            This topic was reported by Mr. Rico Recopuerto. The Seminar is deliberative body looking for the solution to the problem from the evidence based on reading, experiences and minds of its participants.

            In conducting a seminar, like being a teacher, it is necessary to the leader that he has the enough knowledge on giving a seminar. There are steps to follow in solving, first is Identifying the Problem they must know what the problem is; then Gathering Data they should collect all the information about the problem; then Analyzing the Data “looking over” they find what may the solution; then Formulating Hypothesis; then Testing Hypothesis if they find the solution they will take it to test the solution; and Formulating a conclusion or Solution. The seminar is efficient, if the step in solving the problem studied carefully.

The Classroom Management

            This topic was reported by Mr. Edsrail Khan Damada. The Classroom Management is ensures wise use of the teacher’s and the learner’s time, effort and energies. It is also includes operation and control of the activities involving seating arrangement, attendance, and utilization of instructional materials, the classroom itself, maintenance, discipline and planning.

The Classroom Management is the most important thing in teaching because it will vary also to the teacher’s ability to teach because you cannot teach well if you cannot manage your students. It is necessary to a classroom to have some regulation and rules to limit the students and to be the superior also so that they will follow you.

The Laboratory Method

            This topic was reported by Mr. Allan Bruces Jr. The Laboratory Method is a set of the firsthand learning activity such as: investigate problem, conduct experiments, observes processes, and applied theories in a simulated setting. Also this can be called a research method. The laboratory is referred to the place where the equipment’s, apparatus and any other materials needed in an experiment is here.

            The purpose of the laboratory method is to give an opportunity to the student to experience, observe and discover the things in actual. Also it may increase the interest of the students to learn and also it is much easy to learn and familiarize the type of learning that includes rote learning. It may help the student not only to learn but also to find out what is the possible solution to the problem they have encountered that will help them to learn as well by their own.

The Art of Questioning

            This topic was reported by Ms. Dhoriza Jean Loreto. The Art of Questioning is assumed that good teaching involves good questioning, especially when large groups of pupils/students are being taught. There are type of question such as; to thinking process involves it is from lowest (what, when, where) to highest (how and why) level; the answers required; the degree of person exploration or valuing.

            In questioning, there are categories and models of questions these are: Cognitive Memory Questions these require pupils to reproduce facts as rote memory or selective recall; Convergent Questions these require pupils to recall information that leads to correct answer; Divergent Questions these require pupil’s to generate their own data on a given topic; and Evaluation Questions these requires pupils to make value judgments about the quality, correctness or adequacy of information.

            In giving a question there things must remember it should be simple, clear and definitive, and it should be adapted to the age, abilities and interest to the learners. They must understand the question and relate it in your topic or else it would built-up curiosity.

"Some Random Thoughts on Demonstration"

In Demonstration, there are things that we must take consider when we are demonstrating something to the learners. Some of the audience or learners notice that some of the demonstration procedures are too fast, thus the learner learned a little a lot. In demonstration, we should assume that our audience has no knowledge in our topic in order to get the result of your demonstration.

In order to get the good demonstration we need to divide it two ways, one is Demonstrate, you will show them the exact physical procedures, while the second one is Demonstrating, explaining the reason and the significance of each step.

One reminders in demonstration is "Do not hurry your demonstration," in order to be followed by your audience.

The only task of the teacher in demonstration is not just letting them to understand your topic but also by showing them the right way of demonstration, they can be a good demonstrator someday.

16th Week: The Demonstration, Lecture and Meta-Cognition

This week Ms. Arcelyn Villaver reported about "Demonstration, Lecture and Meta-Cognition Methods in teaching". Demonstration Methods or “doing” method to teach skills. Demonstrate is using the exact physical procedures if possible while Demonstrating, explain the reason for and the significance of each step. This type of teaching methods usually help the learners to learn not just having knowledge about it but also giving them an opportunity to learn by doing it in actual.

Lecture Method is an old type of method use in teaching, in other word, this method is a traditional type of teaching were the teacher discuss the topic only or the teacher-centered type of teaching. We all know that this type of method is still the most frequently used method of instruction. However, this type of method causing the teaching style of the teacher to be boring without any combination of methods. But the use of this method can be effective if the teacher use it properly such as, let the student open a discussion, a lecture can also lead to ignite the mind of the student by giving them a nice topic to discuss with their group to build cooperation. Lecture method is good but to let the speaker not pausing it would be boring.

Meta-Cognition  processes include planning, monitoring one's own thoughts, problem solving, making decisions and evaluating one's thought processes. In other word, it is "beyond our critical thinking". In teaching the instructor should have broad knowledge about the topic in able to have the supremacy in the classroom. Because if you don't have the power to teach, they don't believe in you.

15th Week: Teaching Methods

This week Mr. Junamel Nuñez reported about "Methods of Teaching". These refers to comprises the principles and methods used for instruction. Such as Demonstration, Lecture, Dramatization, Questioning, and any other types of methods for teaching. This methods help the educators to instruct their students to learn more by doing it actively. Teachers are interested in ways to effectively cause students to understand better and learn. Teachers want to bring about better understanding of the material he/she wants to communicate. They seek more effective ways to meet the individuals expectation in education. By improving teaching methods it may help the learners meets it goal of achieving learning outcomes. The Teaching Methods can either be Inductive and Deductive.

The Inductive Method or process goes from the specific to the general while the Deductive Method or the process from general concept to the specific use or application. It is like that Inductive is the opposite process of Deductive.

14th Week: The Drill Lesson

This week, Ms. Ruelene Cabatuan, reports is all about "Drill Lesson" and "Application Lesson" which is the other types of a Lesson Plan. The Drill Lesson is intended for automatization of certain facts, information, habits, attitudes and skills to fix association for permanency or to perfect a certain degree a particular skill. This type of lesson is intended to let the student learn by not just showing or discussing it but also to learn it step by step by doing it in action. This lesson is very helpful because in teaching we need to let the student knows how to operate or manipulate the certain activities that in the future will be helpful to work, because they recognize it.

The next lesson is the Application Lesson, this lesson is a type of learning instruction that gives the learners the opportunity to relate, express and apply what they have learned. In other word, this type of lesson let the student apply what they have learned in the class. Example of this is how to fix computer, first the instructor will discuss about the computer and the common problem encountered by the troubleshooters then after that the instructor will make a lesson plan intended in fixing computer. The student will just not learn they can also apply it in their future work.