REFLECTION

At that time, I got invitation as the topic to be taught. I got it from the lottery. At first, I thought that teaching this topic would be easy since it is an invitation, it would be colorful and interesting. It was also not hard to make the questions for exercises. Then, to make it more interesting, I decided to use quiz to deepen students’ understanding.

I planned to review a bit about invitation in my teaching, then give them exercise and last give them a little quiz about it. From this activities, I think I will know students' comprehension of the materials using the exercise I gave. If the students managed to answer all the questions, it meant that students have understood the materials and got the skill to read an invitation. I also planned the quiz to be one of the assessment since it needed the skill to get the information fast and accurately.

My teaching plan worked smoothly I thought until I reached the last minutes of my teaching and I had not finished my teaching yet. I had not started the quiz meanwhile it was my key point in my teaching. However, I still continued my teaching and gave them the quiz and I ended up ending it late.

From my experience here, I think that it is not really good to have a bunch of activities. It will be not effective in time. I think the better strategy is plan minimal activities but make sure the students understand the materials. This is the key point that I got from my teaching that time. I hope I can teach better in the future  :) 

WORKING ON LIP

Last two weeks, we learnt how to make a Lesson Implementation Plan (LIP/RPP). Actually, it is such a burden for me because making an LIP is not as easy as it looks. Last semester, it took me 1 semester to finish 1 LIP. But last week, a handout was given for us a guide to make a good LIP. In the handout, there are a few guiding questions such as "what do you want your students learn?" This kind of question really guided me to decide what kind of teaching-learning activities I want to establish.

Besides, we also learnt about making indicators for a basic competence. We worked in groups and each group had to establish indicators for a basic competence. From the activity, we didn't only learn making indicators from our own basic competence but we also learn from other groups' basic competence.

From what I had in the class, I hope I can make a good LIP for my midterm test in the closest, and good LIP in my future teaching. AMEN.

Hello, It's Me.......

Hello, it's me.......

Last week, we still work on teaching group in micro teaching class. BUT, Tari got the chance to teach the whole class! Woohoooooo! I learned so many things from her teaching last week actually and here are a few points of them:

1. She build active communication between teacher-students. She taught the class in a discussion mode so the class atmosphere is lively and the students can learn well.

2. She organized her teaching very well. She began with the opening, then discussion then closing and it was smoothly executed. Well done!

3. She made a good opening. She knew that we like game so she began her teaching using game which was hangman. It actually attracted the students and it also built the good atmosphere before the class.

I think what she did was a good example of teaching and I want to do what she did in my teaching later.

Well, Lesson Plan is Important

Hey, how's life? I've been doing well after finishing my teaching hahhaahahhhha! I feel alive now. here, I want to tell my story of teaching my own friends. Here we go!

Last week, I did my teaching practice in front of my group. I did feel so nervous because that was my first time teaching my friends. I've prepared my best material, the one which I feel I mastered the most. Then, here it came, my turn to teach my friends, At first, it went smoothly. But then I forgot to tell my students the aim of the lesson. Also, my students seemed bored so I felt a little bit nervous. But the show must go on.... then I continued my teaching and fortunately it went smoothly and what's the most relieving was I didn't forget to do the review because from my observation of my friends's teaching, they tended to forget revewing.

I was quite satisfiied wth my performance except for forgettng one of the activities I've prepared before. My mistake is I don't print a lesson plan and I only rely on my brain. I think it's a bg mistake because when we're nervous, we tend to forget things. I better prepare a printed lesson plan next time.

TEACHING MATES (!)

Hellooooo! This is already the 3rd or the 4th meeting of Micro Teaching class. From this moment on, we are required to teach our classmates. Well, teaching our mates is as hard as teaching real students.......

From the last meetings, we wee taught how to give questions for students to keep them in the right track of our teaching and also to guide them. We also learn the stimulus variation skills which are meant to keep the class conducive and to hold the students in our hands. Then, in the class, we may give the students open-ended questions to guide them about the materials. We can also give rhetorical questions, just to keep them aware of the materials. We also learn that we can't talk while writing on the whiteboard. We also learn so many things else.

Then, the next day, we tried those skills. We were divided into two groups and we were asked to teach our own group. I haven't got the turn to teach my group, but I could learn many things from my friends. From my friends' teaching activities, I could see that teaching friends was not as easy as it looks. Because we have already known each other, the students seemed like teasing the teacher, so it needed extra effort to keep the class calm. I also learned that our appearance could keep students' attention (HEHE). Also, I think that when we teach, we are likely to forget all the theoretical things we have learned. So, I don't think that studying so many materials about teaching can make us a good teacher, but doing practices can.

I hope I can do a good job in teaching my friends and also my real students. I will give my best to implement all of the good theories in my teaching activities. I also hope that I don't forget those all.

AMEN.

HOW TO ATTRACT YOUR STUDENT?

Well, some people say that first impression is the most important thing.

Indeed. It also does work in teaching. In my opinion, the most crucial thing in teaching is how to make your student interested in you and what you're going to teach. It really is crucial because when your students have already interested, they will absorb the materials easier. Sometimes, as a student, it's still so hard for us to absorb the materials even though we're already interested. Could you imagine when your students are not interested? So, the first impression is a crucial thing. And now the problem is, how to make our students interested?

This is what we learned in micro teaching class.

Last meetings, we were taught how to begin a class and also to close a class. Actually there are many things that we can do to begin a class. There are some basic things like greeting, praying and checking students' attendance list. Now, how to introduce the materials? It could be done by brainstorming. This activity is meant to activate students' brain (?) to dig students' background knowledge. This activity is also meant to give perception of what they're going to learn. Beside that, singing a song can also be something that can be done to attract students' interest, especially young learners. For adults, telling stories is quite effective to begin a class. After your students seem interested, you can go drown to your materials.

Sometimes, I also use one of those things for my teaching activity. I often ask my students to do real things related to what I am going to teach. For example, when I'm going to teach how to read clock, I ask my students "When did you get up this morning?" or "When did you take a bath this morning?" to stimulate my students of what they're going to learn. From this class, I found other ways to do the openings and I will implement those in my next teachings.

Fighting!

Are You Sure Want to Be A Teacher?

Hiiiiiii! I'm Shinta and I'm a 6th semester student of English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta. Since I'm learning here, I am forced to be a teacher (hehehehe). And as a 6th semester student, I need to attend one course titled Micro Teaching this semester. This course requires us all to be a teacher. It is the place for us to do simulation of teaching in the class. This course is only 2 credits but there are 2 times of meeting in the class (HOW COULD THAT BE!). This course is also gonna be a tough one, but FORTUNATELY we got Mr. Prast as our lecturer! It is such a relieve because he's so extremely funny and...... lumayan, penghilang duka lara 2x seminggu.

Now, let's move to the serious part :p

You sure have your own criteria for your ideal teacher. They may be funny, caring, understanding, kind-hearted and many else. So do us. In our micro teaching class, we have been trapped decided our own characteristics of a good teacher. For us, there are at least 25 characteristics of a good teacher. So many, right? I can't describe them all right now, but overall, the job as a teacher requires us to be role model of our students. I think this job is a full-package job. You need to master the subjects, but mastering the subjects only is not enough. You need to plan them so you can convey the materials well so your students understand and learn what you teach. Teaching is not only about teach but also how to be an entertainer. You know, a strict teacher is so boring, so would you entertain them and conveying the materials in the same time? But there comes a problem, when you're being too funny, your student may humiliate you. So, how to be funny and in the same time, having authority? Also, you need to be caring and understanding, it is easy when you only have 1 student, and if you have 25 students? 30 students? From what I've mentioned, there are only 4 criteria to be a good teacher. There are 21 more criteria (according to our class's discussion), and are you ready to follow those all?

Sure, being a teacher is a tough job, but tough doesn't mean impossible. So, are you sure want to be a teacher?