Creative + Calm + Understand + Good Preparation = Good Teaching

Micro teaching... In the last meeting is turn for us to be a teacher even this is only practice actually. I had learned about kind of instruction for teaching and I know there are four kind of instruction such as lecture discussion, group interaction, lecture discovery and direct teaching. From my friends micro teaching I guess most of us use group interaction for assessment and lecture discovery for explain the material.

I think we can apply our instruction based on our students’ condition. So, for the first and important we should know the characteristic of our class and the lesson that we will teach. After that we can decide the right instruction which not only help us to deliver material but also make our students feel enjoy with our course. For this meeting I learned grabbing our students’ attention not only in the beginning of the class, but also in every time is really important. If our students pay attention with us they can understand the instruction which we deliver.

I know to make balance teaching and learning process we should combine the right instruction, method and technique. All of that can complete each other if we combine well. My lecture said, we can use more than one instruction but I confused because it will be complicated I think.

For my group micro teaching, I think it not really good. There are a lot of differences with the plan. Everything is change because there is no good coordination between each member. In my opinion that is my group weaknesses. Does not care with the assignment, not well preparation, and technique problem also include in weaknesses. All of that we can handle with our lesson plan and clear explanation, I think those are my group strengthens. For this micro teaching I learned how to be creative and never give up if our lesson plan not works well. In my opinion, everything will be in our control if we still calm and not panic.

This meeting can be important lesson for me to be more creative. I think in this micro teaching myself did not give the best. I am panic and give up. I learned to improve myself for the future. 

Listen, Imitate and Say it

Well, this course is more complicated. I am not only learning about the principles of use technology for teaching language in general view, but also learn deeper. Especially for listening, speaking, reading and writing. In my opinion those are four aspects that very important to emphasize someone’s knowledge in learning language. After I learned about technology to teach listening, now is turn for how I teach speaking skill with technology is.

I think the most important when we want to use technology to teach language is the basic vocabulary which our students know. We need basic vocabulary to encourage our students in pronunciation. For example if we use software in computer to make their pronunciation and articulation right but they do not understand the meaning of that words, I think that it useless. Because even they know how to spell one words correctly but they do not know the meaning, they will not use it for communication. I think with technology students can get comprehensible input and they can make comprehensible output.

Listening first and then try to imitate. I think many software and website which use that sentence as the instruction for people who want to have correct pronunciation. Maybe with that way students can get input and then they can produce words based on that input. I heard that there is software and website which provide the shape of mouth when say something. It shows how vocal track in our body produce a sound, in my opinion it is good to increase students’ knowledge in speaking skill.  Even though, it maybe not similar with the native speaker but that kind of software can help students to produce words correctly. In my opinion it is good if we use the software like to help students in speaking that rather than they must taught by teacher who have wrong pronunciation.

Use technology in speaking such as software, website, audio recorder, etc. is not really help the teacher I think. In my mind by those tools the students can produce language accurately in context of pronunciation and speaking in advance level. What about the structure of the language. What is the important teach students about the structure first and then speaking or speak first and then abut accuracy.  I do not think that with technology we can encourage passive students to more speak. I am agree in my friends statement that if students learn with software in computer to increase their speaking ability can maximize their confidence, because if they do a mistakes computer will not laugh at them. That is true I think, but how if they use “Skype” or something website like that which they should interact with the real person by computer. I am not sure that if students make mistakes the other speaker not laughs.

The same question, how about the students with no computer or internet access in their schools. The worst is the students with stubborn teacher who does not want learn or improve their speaking ability and then teach the students wrong pronunciation. I think this is crucial problem in this country.

Effective Teaching in Thematic course and Effective Lesson Plan

Miss Ine, I feel this course really help me to be professional teacher to give effective teaching for my students. I really interested when you show the video about effective teaching in thematic course for elementary school. Actually, I have observed the school which use thematic in teaching but I still confuse about the lesson itself. I think it will make students to be confused because the teacher should mix another subject of course. It is really difficult to deliver all of that effectively but after I watched the video, I know how the way to teach thematic for our students.

The video tells us about thematic teaching and learning in “IPS” course and it should include knowledge of plants, member of family, colors, and number. In my opinion the teacher in video use good enough to encourage students to be active in learning. Even though, teacher does something boring like telling the story. After watched video we have discussion in group about the effectiveness the video, the activities, and what will we do when we teach with thematic. My group thinks the teaching and learning in video is good because teacher give the real example when explaining the course. I like when students observe the real Rambutan tree, they take the fruit of that tree and then they have presentation how many fruit they have, the color of that fruit. I think it is we call with learning by doing. The teacher also asses the students by direct question and students should answer it. I think it is good to know the understanding of our students, without make paper or pencil test even though we need it. We do not make our students afraid if we only ask the students about the materiel. Paper and pencil test or drawing maybe we can give in the end of lesson for post test or homework. For story telling my group also think to change it by sharing session about students’ unforgettable moment which still have connection with the subject, or we can use story book and involve the students as actor in story.

After discuss we should write down the result in flip chart and put it in the wall but we do not have gallery walk. In the sharing time actually I do not agree with April. I think the teacher use media when teaching her students like Rambutan tree and the picture in the wall which have different color. Media in teaching and learning process not only ICT but everything that can help teacher to deliver the subject easier. Once again, I think there is time when teacher should point her student to stand up and explain something. It can encourage passive students to more speak up. It doesn’t wrong if we use it seldom.

 The explanation about professional teacher’s knowledge is clear. I know the differences between pedagogical content and general pedagogical knowledge. After that we have explanation that lesson plan which we made it not only include active learning activities but the benefit of activities itself for help our students understand the subject. Miss Ine, told us it is what we call “Twin sins in Curriculum”. The first is teacher make activities without meaning and second teacher only come to the class, explain the subject and then do the assessment. In my opinion there are a lot of teachers in schools which do that. I ever feel that, my teacher only come to my class and then give assignment and go out. It is really annoying and I hate it. I hope when I and my friends be a teacher, our students can enjoy every second the subject that we teach and they can absorb the knowledge with the activities that we gave. For that we need to prepare our lesson plan well, so in the last session we learn to make short lesson plan.

We should make activities which have meaning for our students and it should represent our expectation. We also try to arrange the assignments to know the understanding of our students. Clear instruction is really needed when we teach to make teaching and learning more effective. The conclusion is to be teacher we not only should have professional knowledge but we also have to prepare our lesson well. Lesson plan is our module to conduct our students to understand the subject that we taught.

Principles of Effective Teaching and Assessment

Teacher is person who teaches us the new knowledge in this world. Everybody can be as a teacher for other person. Not only at schools but in real life we are also act as teacher. I have a principle that a teacher is not God who always true and knows anything. That is arrogant teacher. I think as a teacher, someone not only teaches but can learn something from students. So, teachers also have to learn to develop their teaching methodologies and their knowledge itself.

The first meeting of this course, I think is interesting enough. Miss Ine who will teach us for this semester especially for PETA course is kind. It makes me feel enjoy during the course. Actually, I do not know more about the benefit we learn this subject but after last meeting my understanding increase. In my opinion we should learn PETA because we need understanding about how we teach and give assessment to our students effectively. Maybe effective in this case talk about effective of time, cost, method of teaching and assignments. The last meeting give me the fact that teacher who teach in classroom is really different with teacher who teach private student. Teacher in classroom have to have skill of time management, grabbing attention, and they also should know condition of the students itself.

I really like sharing session in pair. I remember that we should share to our friend about the most inspiring teacher in our life. That was really useful for me, I can know the story about inspiring teacher from my classmate and from that I can understand the characteristic of ideal teacher who always dreamed by students. In the last session, we also talk about what kind of teacher who we like the most and the teacher who we dislike. I have a lot of new information and I think I can use it as a mirror. So, when I am being a teacher I do not do the things that students hate. This session make me remember my teachers. I have 3 teachers who I like most. All of them are male but they are the best teacher I ever see. They are care to the students, never angry, they know when we need to be serious and when we feel bored. Their technique of teaching also interesting, they always give example from the real life so it makes the students understand easily.

After sharing session we have to divide into groups. I think that is permanent group for this semester for PETA. In groups we discuss about what is the meaning of effective learning and teaching. Then we have gallery walk, but there is no one who explain. Everybody moves on. I think our opinion is same. Most of us write effective teaching and learning will appear if the students use the true technique for their students. They also have to know the development of students itself, so they can mix and match the way of teaching. So, we can make our standard assessment for our students. It is better than we force the standard from government to students. I think it makes our students being stressed.

The most interesting session is when we discuss the characteristic teacher who we dreamed. All of groups answer that a teacher should competent in materiel, good looking, kind; have good skill when teaching, not always serious, never give body punishment, etc. That thing as a lead for me to be good teacher because all of that comes from ourselves who ever feel be students. The most important teacher has to learn and not only teach. I think this sentence can be representative of our answers.

In the end of session Miss Ine tells us to fill in questioner and write our hopes, goal and fears of this course on post it. For me, my hopes is I can apply what my lecture give to me and what I learn when I teach someday. So, I can be effective teacher for my students. Teacher who teach and asses my students effectively. The teacher who can be inspired my students to be better and better. My hopes and goals are not only getting good score but also I understand deep about this course. I am afraid that sometimes maybe I will feel sleepy and bored so I cannot understand the course. After that, we put our post it in flip chart. It can be remembered for me when I get down or lazy.