Professional Practice 4: Lesson Preparation

Humans stereotype, humans critique both positively and negatively. It is a human nature to realize differences and make comparisons between themselves. Have you heard about "equity vs equality?" I am pretty sure most of us are taught about these terms over and over again in different context. Sometimes, people educate you by providing information that can make you feel like you understand it. But, by experiencing it on your own is when you really understand what it is. Today, I am thankful for the one week experiences in SKKL that taught me a lot about "equity". 

 

When I first joined the teaching course, I often compare both the quality of education in national and international schools. I was silly enough to think that I was being reflective when I did the comparisons. Fortunately, I now learnt that I was wrong. The reason why I have changed my mind set is when I got to learn more about a government school, not from a student's perspective but a student teacher's point of view. I saw a lot of constraints and challenges that a national school has to deal with. For instance, the school has limited fundings. We hardly see this issue in an international school because they have adequate of fund. This is what makes national and international schools different from one another. Realistically, money makes things possible. Thus, how can we compare two different settings with solely one measurement? It feels like comparing the speed of a bicycle and a motorcycle without taking into account of their differences or individual characteristics.

 

It is not fair for us to conclude that international school students are better than national school students because what they received from the schools are not equally same. With that being said, I no longer see why we should be comparing the outcomes of a government school and an international school. In fact, the insufficiency should be looked into in order to improve the quality of education for national school students. Comparing is not a bad thing if it is a fair comparison. 

 

In addition, as a relief teacher, I learnt the importance of positive reinforcement in giving constructive feedback to students. There was a disruptive student who walked around the classroom and disturbed his peers. Therefore, it was difficult for me to control the classroom as students were distracted by him. It clearly shows that he was seeking for my attention but I did not want to react to his misbehaviour. After I have conducted a lesson activity, he handed in his work. When he was about to walk away, I stopped him. I can see from his eyes that he was expecting scoldings from me but I praised him for his work (although he did not follow my task instruction). He looked surprised and he began to behave positively after the compliment. Even until today, I feel accomplished because I saw the change in him after the day I taught him. I think this is the additional incentives that a teacher will receive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the past 2 and a half year, I always thought that I am not as good as my coursemates regarding my language proficiency. However, my experiences in SKKL have taught me that language is not a barrier to fulfill my dreams as long as I am up for it. Of course, it is still vital for me to be proficient in English in order to become a role model for my future students. I am truly thankful for the students for teaching me so much about myself and creating memories that will not be forgotten.