TEACHING PRACTICE

Purposes of the Practicum

To gain experience in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL)
To test my capabilities as a teacher in both the knowledge and the pedagogy aspects
To expose myself into a new teaching setting that is outside of my comfort zone.

Procedures of the Practicum

The standard procedure of the practicum is observation for the first week, teaching-assistant for the second week, and then teaching demo for the third week. However, some adjustments had to be made in my case.

I was tasked to handle 12 classes: 5 classes in XII Science, 4 in XII Social Studies, and 3 in XI Social Studies. I only got to meet each class once a week, so in order for me to have an adequate number of teaching sessions for each class, we did not follow the standard procedure.

I had observation only on my first day, and then I had teaching demonstration every day for three straight weeks.

Procedures of Teaching

As I had mentioned in the previous page, I was given the freedom to use any teaching plan format that I felt most comfortable with. So I went with the format that I had always been using in my previous teaching experiences. Here is the procedure:

Motivation – capturing the attention of the students by recalling the previous topic or with having a creative ice breaker
Presentation – introducing the topic
Discussion – elaborating the content of the topic
Teacher-Student Interaction – interactive activities during or after the discussion that that encourage oral participation of the students
Evaluation – assessing the students’ understanding of the lesson

Time Management and Organizing Activities

Each class has time frame of 90 minutes. I spend the first 5 minutes with the motivation and the introduction, after which I then proceed with the discussion. After about 10-15 minutes, in order not to lose the attention of the students, I initiate teacher-student interaction by presenting interesting facts, showing a video, or having a short question and answer portion before proceeding with the rest of the discussion.

I usually get finished with the discussion around the 45 minute mark. I then give the remaining time (also 45 minutes) to answer the evaluation. By giving a huge time allowance, I have extra time to use whenever the discussion might take longer than expected.

Challenges

I was able to identify three main problems during my practicum:

Language Barrier - many students have below average English speaking skills, and I could not speak in fluent Indonesian, so communicating with my students and getting them to understand the lesson was quite difficult at times.
Classroom Management - the students, especially the ones from the Social Studies classes, can be very physically active, to the point where they can get rowdy at times. Many students also would not listen during discussions, and would often interrupt the class with heckling and jokes.
Building Rapport - because I only basically had three sessions with each class during the entire practicum period, I was worried that I would not be able to build a solid teacher-student relationship with them.

Problem-Solving

Language Barrier

For the language barrier, my countermeasure was language-switching. During discussions, I would always clarify from time to time whether or not the students understand. If they did not, I would select students who have decent English skills to translate what I said in Indonesian. This method accommodates student comprehension, as well as promotes inter-activeness.

During class recitations, I allowed students to answer in Indonesian in order for them to accurately express what they really mean. Then afterwards, I would again pick someone else to translate it for them in English, then I would ask the student to repeat the English translation. That way, they will also learn the English equivalent.

As for the evaluation, I avoided individual tests all in all, and opted for group activities instead. I made sure that each group had at least one or two students who can speak decent English

Instead of putting a stop to their rowdy behavior, I manipulated it so that it became a benefit instead of being a problem. How did I do it? Whenever the students start interrupting me in the middle of discussion with silly acts and jokes, I would just go along with them, instead of showing anger or disappointment. This often results in the entire class laughing themselves out.

Now, this practice may seem counter-intuitive, but the key here is drawing the students to my side, not pushing them away. Getting angry at them would definitely push them away, but going along with their jokes would bring them to my side. And it did, because I noticed that the students who had been rowdy earlier on their now seemed to be focused on me, as if they were amused and flattered by me going along with their jokes and were waiting for more. Those who were also initially apathetic are now tuned in to the discussion all of a sudden, curious about what the other students are laughing about.

So I used it as a reward system. Throughout discussions, I would repeat their own jokes and gags every now and then, as if rewarding them for listening to me.

Now that I had captured their attention, classroom management became a bit easier for me. It also helped me feel comfortable around my students and vice versa, and this acted as a bridge to building rapport with them.

By the second and third weeks of teaching, I had become close with many of my students. They would always greet me every time I meet them in and out of the campus. During free time, they would approach me to ask questions, or simply just to talk and hang out. Some students even treated me with snacks, and even invited me to go out with them on weekends. I never thought building such a strong bond with my students would be possible within a short amount of time, but it was.

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