What I Knew and Still Reinforced?

Sometimes we pushed our self to be a good teacher in front of our students. We try to be perfect. In some case I agree that we have to do like that but we don’t need too idealist with our idea. In example, sometimes we explain our materials in front of our students. We use our time mostly to explain and speak a lot in front of time in order to make our students pay attention to us and make our student thinks that we are smart teacher by talking too much because sometimes the result is that our students bored with the lesson because the teacher doesn’t give an opportunity for the students to speak up. Instead of explaining our materials, we can ask our students what they know so far about today’s materials for example. By doing that action, we already let our student to be active and become the part of learning activities. Good communication is a communication that happens between a couple and a group of person that cooperative one and other, so communications happen not in one way but two ways communication. The same way also happens in the learning and teaching process. Not only does teacher explain but students give feedback during the learning process.

What Worked Well and Not?

Sometimes reinforce our students is good but too often we reinforce them only make us look as if we are insincere and dishonest to them. As a teacher we have to know when we have to praise, reinforce or reprimand our students. Although we allow to reprimand our students but do it wisely. The characteristic of Senior High School and Junior High School students’ are not steady. Just imagine how we look like when we were in their age. They were in the Age where they always try to break the rules and being an idealist person with their ideas.
Well, sometimes we try to give our students brief instruction on what they have to do next. But at that time we forgot that we make the instruction unclear to understand. In my opinion, after observe many times, I come up with a conclusion that as a good teacher, we have to make sure that our instruction should clear to understand and don’t make it to be ambiguous. Just make the instruction clear and simple.

What Now?

Comparing myself from the very previous action in Micro Teaching Class with now I act as a teacher is very different. Honestly, in the beginning of the class in January, I could not imagine what I have to do if I teach in front of the class. Many questions came out from my mind. What I have to prepare? What I have to teach? What kind of material? What should I dress in? How should I act in front of the class? I think that what makes some teachers candidate in this class become so nervous at the first teaching. As the time goes by, Micro Teaching Class has end. What did I get? I get many things and the most important thing is that now I can answer all of those questions that came out from my mind in the beginning of the class. I have taught in peer, in a group of four students, in a class and also in a big class in Paragraph Writing II Class. I cannot say that now I can act like a perfect teacher. I can say I am a good teacher, but not really, but at least I can do the thing that everybody not really can do, it is teaching. Now I know what I have to do to be a good teacher. I can handle my nervous. I know what I have to prepare to teach the class. I know what I have to do in front of the class and also I know what I have to dress in if I have to teach. I am still learning how to be a good teacher. I am thirsty of experiences in teaching because now I feel that teaching is felt well. I can enjoy when I teach someone or even some people. Remember that experience is the best techer.

I am back. First, I’d like to say sorry because I have been disappeared for a month. There was nothing wrong, but there were only many assignments to do and I had to split my study time and my working time. For the last 4 weeks, I saw that all of my friends’ ability in teaching is rising. They are look more confident and relax when they teach. Although that is not as perfect as the real teacher, but this phenomenon should get applause and cheers. Well done my friends, together we can. One more important day that happened in the last 4 weeks was the first “Pembekalan PPL” on Saturday, April 24th 2009 with Mrs. Carla and Mrs. Nanik. In that day, we had to choose one of some schools in Yogyakarta for our school observation. I decided to choose SMA N 5 Yogyakarta for the first option and SMA Santa Maria for the second option. The result was being announced at Monday, April 26th 2009. The result was I had to do the observation in SMA N 5 Yogyakarta together with my friends, Kurnia, Jojo, Tata, and Arum from English Education Study Program.
Last week, on Friday, May 8th 2009, I did my last class teaching in Micro Teaching Class. I had to teach Vocational High School. It was my first experience to deal with Vocational High School. I had to teach about simple business letters. Honestly, it was not easy to find examples of simple business letters. First, I decided to teach about application letter, but it has been thought by Sari. Then, I decided to change the material. Fortunately, I found an example of business letters on the internet. I tried to search for more examples and I found some again for my examples. Thank you God. I prepared the material as well as I can. When the day that I had to teach was come, I tried and gave my best to do it. I had to teach for the last turn. Knowing that the students were tired, I decided to make the class more relax and little bit fun in order to gain the spirit of the students to learn by giving some jokes. Fortunately, it worked. 30 minutes passed without being felt. I have done my last class teaching. When I received the observation sheets from Mr. Prast and from my friends, I smiled. Some good positive comments and also some negative comments but I feel satisfied. I still have to work with my weaknesses and I will never give up trying and learning again to be a good teacher.

It was Friday again and I had Micro Teaching Class with Mr.Pras as usual. I have done my class teaching and last week I was just a student in class. Mr. Pras said that we had to act like senior high school students when some of my friends did their class teaching. Wow, I liked it. I could be such a bad student and always chat in class…hehehe. Dita was the first teacher in class teaching last week. He did it well and confident enough but I could not feel his spirit in teaching. Sorry Dita, but it was the fact. I hope he can find the spirit in the next class teaching. The second teacher was Sari. She was really good. She was confident, had a spirit and mastered the material well. I am sure Sari will be a good teacher someday. The third teacher, Esti, also taught well. It seems like she was a little bit vicious…hehehe. Next, we have Sarce as a teacher. Sarce was a really good example of a teacher candidate. She was cool, calm, and confident. Go Sarce go…hahaha. The last teacher was Zico. He did well, but he needs to smile. Just smile, not laugh as he did last week. Zico was a royal teacher because he gave us candies in the beginning of the class and gave some pens for some active students. I cannot imagine how much money he will spend if later he teaches regularly in a school and always gives the students some candies and pens. It is only two weeks more before the lottery of the second class teaching. Keep the spirit of teaching guys!!!

1. My writing content is appropriate for senior high school students.
2. It fits because the students will be able to write one short narrative text.
3. In the beginning of the class I asked my students about their childhood experience in having bedtime stories. Some of them have had that kind of experience. Then I explained about narrative and remind them about the using of past tense. It can be simple past tense, past continuous tense and so on. And the result is: success.
4. My instructional was easy to be caught. I delivered the handout, let them to read then I explained it further. I also proved an example of a short narrative text in the handout.
5. At the end of the class, the students succeeded to make one short narrative text about folktales.
6. Students-centerd pattern. I asked them to read the handout, found the understanding about narrative, asking questions when they were confused, and wrote a short narrative text.
7. What worked were my preparation to explain about the material and the time management. What did not worked was my teaching style.
8. Yes, I would. I will learn from the comment sheets from my friends and Mr.Pras. I am on my way to be a good teacher.

Last week on micro teaching class was a new class teaching experience for me. I am lucky number 8 and I have to teach the class after Tian a.k.a Mupet. I had to teach writing and the topic was narrative. I prepared the material well. I practiced teaching also. Well, I did it. When I received the comment sheets from my friends, Zico and Esti and also from Mr.Pras, I saw there were still so many weaknesses on the comments for my teaching style. But, some of the comments were good. Fiiuuhh… I saw also the video of my teaching practice last friday and I smiled in a silent. What the observer were saying and commented was true. I did some of “strange movements” at that time. Yeah…It is still the beginning. I am on my way to be a good teacher. My next challenge is teaching writing in Mr.Chosa’s paragraph writing class. it will be on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009. I hope I can do it better.

Keep the spirit of teaching my firends…We can do that if we want!!!!!Yeah….

17. Admit you ignorance
The worst thing to do is to give an ad hoc explanation which later turns out to be untrue. The best thing to do, in this as in so many other things, is to take the students to your confidence – do your best to help them, but if there are occasions when you cannot, make that, and the reasons for it, clear to them.
18. Consult colleagues
One of the quickest and easiest ways of finding the answer to a question which you cannot answer is to ask someone else.
There is a saying a trouble shared, is a trouble halved; it is as true for the language teacher as for anybody else!
19. Consult students
As teachers, we too often pretend that we know what our students feel, when it is extremely easy to find out by simply asking them, but there is a danger in consulting the students too frequently, so that they feel the process of language learning is more important than learning itself.
20. Demonstrate, rather than explain, new activities
Demonstrating reduces the amount of unnecessary teacher language, is explicit, gives an idea of timing, and is generally more effective than any explanation.
21. Exploit real events
Inevitably much of the language used in the classroom is unnatural – the teacher sets up situations and gives students an opportunity to practice. Unfortunately, opportunities for natural language use are often ignored.
Too often teachers try to give things to students. Some of the liveliest and natural language use can be stimulated by asking students about what they already know, and are interested in.
22. Divide the blackboard
Try dividing your blackboard – it is a discipline which helps all the teachers.
23. Use the overhead projector to control what students see
With the blackboard, and even with a textbook, the teacher can never be sure what the students are looking at. With the projector, you can control precisely what the students can see.
24. Machinery will not solve all your problems
Machinery cannot do the work for you. It is only a first step. The second step is the software used on the machines and the third, and probably the most important step is you, the teacher. No machine can smile at the students. Teaching is a personal activity and anything which obscures that needs to be treated with the general caution.
25. Expand, don’t clutter
Bad teachers are disorganized; good teachers are organized; but, very good teachers are half-organized and have techniques – how to do a pronunciation practice on the basis of any mistake; how to ask comprehension questions and conversation questions about any type of text; how to develop a simple collocation practice or drill a particular grammar point.
Remember, students learn best when they are relaxed; similarly teachers teach best when they are prepared and alert but equally are also relaxed.

I hope the summary above can be useful for all of you who wants to be a teacher someday. Thank you…

On February 13^th, 2009, I joined micro teaching class for second time. Class began at 2.15 p.m. At that day, my lecturer, Mr. Pras, only gave the students explanation about theory of teaching in a short time. He said that he had already explained all the theory to teach and then we have to practice it. At that time, we had to teach in a group of 4 students and one student will have 25 minutes to teach. My group members were Yason, Stella, and Nisa. I got the first chance to teach them. I used the same material which was I used at the pair teaching in the last two weeks. My set induction was good already but my set closure was not really good because I was run out of time. My time management and my lesson plan did not work properly. I got feedback from my friends, in my group, and they said that my problem was too much in read and explain the material but did not give some chances for the students to practice it. Since I thought speaking so I have to give many chances for the students to practice it. I think my problem is still the same. When I practiced teaching in pairs with Yason, I got feedback from him that I did not give the students enough chance to practice the material. I still can not solve this problem. I still need to practice a lot. I also need support and guidance from my friend and my lecturer.

Next week, Mr. Pras will choose randomly one of the students to practice class teaching in every week. So, I have to prepare the material and bring it every week because I do not know when I will be chosen by Mr. Pras. It maybe happens next week, next two weeks, or next three weeks. I do not know. I hope I can teach better for the next chance and I will try to overcome my problem.

On February 6^th, 2009, I joined micro teaching class with Mr. Pras for the first time. I felt so nervous at that time because I couldn’t figure out how this class will be. Was that the lecturer killer, serious, bored and other negative thinking. But, that was all wrong because my first impression was that the class and the lecturer were so nice. 4 hours passed with enjoyful and and delightful. I hope this class will continue like that.

At that day, I have to do micro teaching in pairs or we call it pairs teaching. My pair was Yason Hendro, student from year 2004. We have to practice teaching in 15 minutes with our own teaching material. We have to practice especially in set induction and set closure. That was my first experience teaching someone seriuosly. Although I was so nervous at that time, I could do that well. Not so well but at least I mastered the material well before I teach it to other people. But I still have some weaknesses. Yason gave me feedback and I have to pay attention on my weaknesses. Yason said that I was too rigid and have to smile more often. Yason also told me that I should do more interaction with my student. It means that I didn’t give enough chance for my student to ask or give his/her opinion. This was the most important feedback for me. Later, I have to interact with my student more often. Thank you very much for Mr. Yason.

In the next meeting, I have to teach in groups of four. I hope I can do it well and I can overcome my weaknesses. I still need to learn more and I hope I can learn how to be a good teacher from my beloved lecturer, Mr. Pras.

Since this reflection will be posted, I want to share my knowledge in how to make good set induction and set closure in teaching.

Set Induction

1. Greeting
2. Praying
3. Introducing ourselves at the first meeting
4. Checking the attendance list at the first meeting
5. Pre-activity : discussion today’s topic (don’t forget to ALWAYS START WITH THE FUNCTION OF THE MATERIAL)

Set Closure

1. Review
2. Give motivation
3. Try to get feedback

On January 30^th, 2009, I haven’t attended micro teaching class with Mr. Pras because I have a schedule to work and I haven’t got any agreement from my manager to change my schedule. I am so sorry about missed the first meeting.

My friend told me that that day, they were discussing about what makes a good teacher. He told me to make a blog and make a reflection about the first meeting. Though I was absent at the first meeting, I tried to post my first reflection. When I heard about what makes a good teacher, I remember that I have ever had a speech about it in Public Speaking II class with Ms. Mita. In my opinion, a good teacher is friendly and cares about his/her students. He/she should be patient to guide or teach his/her students.

I have attended in some nice classes when I study at PBI of Sanata Dharma University. AMT and CMD classes with Mr. Kus was so enjoyable and interesting. Vocabulary I class with Mr. Purba was also interesting although in class maybe some students were so nervous.

I have a question for you, Mr. Pras.

Since we are going to be a teacher, someday if we want to, what should be the first step to be a good teacher?

Thank you very much for your attention.