Reflection on the last week in EVG

In an blinking of an eye, three weeks has gone by and it is now time for us to wrap up on our school attachment experience at Evergreen and return to books and our student profile. It has been a wonderful experience working with the rest who are equally passionate about teaching.

Before coming to EVG, I was a little apprehensive of the whole idea of having to teach in a seconday school; fearing that I would not be able to manage the students. But after interacting with the students, I am getting the hang of how I can get the proper deference from them, without being too stern. The key is to be firm and not stern.

From experience, I have always enjoyed lessons where teachers are less stern as that somehow encourages a positive atmosphere for students to fire questions and learn more effectively as compared to a classroom atmosphere that stifles creativity and deters students from clarifying doubts.

Having interacted with primary school children in my previous attachment and secondary school students this time around, it is evident that no matter how disobedient a child may appear on the surface or how old they are, there is still a tinge of innocence and need for acknowledgement and attention in each and every one of them. Especially in this time and age where parents are spending lesser and lesser time with their children, teachers are probably the only adults who are spending more time with these adolescents and thus it is our repsonsibility to look out for any signs of distress in the students and step in to help when necessary.

With a rapidly evolving society, it is thus essential for teachers to constantly upgrade ourselves in order to be able to stay abreast those changes and hence adapt to the changing situation accordingly. In this way, we would be better-equipped to cater to the students' needs be it in terms of studies, CCAs or other aspects.

Lastly, I am glad that this attachment has further affirmed my decision to take up teaching for there are boundless opportunities for personal growth; to help the students and to get the sense of achievement. The thought of being able to interact with the young people and be a part of an important phase of their lives gives me the drive to go to work everyday. And of course, the friendly greeting by students along the corridors also makes my day each time it happens. =)

Rui Shan's Daily Log of Activities

Day 9 (20/07/09)

- Went back to MOE for an Induction course

Day 10 (21/07/09)

- Contact time

- Meeting with Mr Henry Kwek with regards to the Motivational Talk that we were to deliver to the graduating students

- NE Project

- Oral Practice for the graduating students

Day 11 (22/07/09)

- Lesson observation with Mdm Komathi's banded Sec 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking - watched how Mdm Komathi go through common mistakes with the class with regards to the summary component in English Paper 2 and assisted Mdm Komathi in their daily in-class oral practice

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Day 12 (23/07/09)

- Lesson observation with Ms Tan's 2 Character Math class - assisted her with the in-class assignment

- Lesson observation with Mdm Komathi's banded Sec 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking

- Motivational talk with some of the graduating classes

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Day 13 (24/07/09)

- Motivational talk with some of the graduating classes

- Oral practice for the graduating students

- Informal bonding and farewell with the NE Ambassadors

- Project presentation

the half way mark

Li Ying's Reflection

It was during one of the English Oral Practices where I encountered my first ‘difficult’ student. From the start, I can tell that she wasn’t interested to be there at all. When I asked her to read the last paragraph, she retorted with, “I don’t want to. I want to read the first.” Perhaps she sensed that since I wasn’t a full-time teacher in school, I don’t have that much authority to command her so I relented and let her read the first paragraph. After which, she proceed on to lying on the table, resting her eye. It was trying for me. What I took away from that experience was an endless questioning of my ability at classroom management. If I can’t even handle one, how can I handle 40?

The next test of my classroom management ability came almost immediately. Kai Ying and I had to relief in 2 Achieve. As it was a last minute thing for me, I was at a total lost. But it is also through this experience that I learnt classroom management skills from my fellow attachment mate. I must say Kai Ying really has a thing or two in controlling the students, capturing their attention – something I can definitely learn and apply the next time I step into a class.

After attending one of the CCD lessons, Mr. Tyrus Chua asked for our reflections. I find his style of imparting skills very effective because it isn’t a matter of spoon-speeding but placing the person into the shoes of another, allowing the person to reflect, to think, and to contribute. Through observing his lesson, I managed to learn more about classroom management and how to react when things don’t go according to plan.

This week’s experience made me question about teaching – whether I am suited for it, how I can better manage and relate to the students and, at the same time, impart knowledge. After questioning myself, I find that there are two responses that I can have. One is to learn from my failure, and the second is to dwell in my failure. I've learnt to look on the bright side, taking every failure in my stride, and of course, learning to be a better teacher who doesn't just teach but mentor as well.

Week 2 Itinerary

13^th July 2009(Monday)

1) A short discussion with Mrs. Raj on the NE Project.
2) A short sharing session with Mr. Chan.
3) English Oral Practice with the graduating class.

14^th July 2009(Tuesday)
1)Contact Time.
2) Lesson Observation: Mr. Tyrus Chua’s class - 2 Achieve.
3) Induction by Mrs. Karen Tan and a short dialogue session with the students from Step-Up.
4) NE Project.
5) English Oral Practice with the graduating class.

15^th July 2009(Wednesday)

1) NE Project.
2) Lesson Observation with Mrs. Raj’s class: 1 Respect (Getting the gist)
3) Meeting the NE ambassadors.
4) English Oral Practice with the graduating class.

16^th July 2009(Thursday)

1) Lesson observation: Mr. Edward’s class – 3 Achieve.
2) Lesson observation: Mrs. Raj – 1 Respect.
3) Relief class: 2 Achieve with Kai Ying
4) English Oral Practice with the graduating class.

17^th July 2009(Friday)

1) Lesson observation: Miss Maslinda’s class – 1 Integrity.
2) CCD: 2 Thinking.
3) English Oral Practice with the graduating class.

Week 2

Before we knew it, week 2 had come to an end. It had been a really hectic week, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

I observed lessons from many different teachers this week, and was able to learn from their various classroom management styles and teaching methods. The teachers have been very helpful, sharing with me their rationale for doing certain things, and asking me to reflect on the areas that can be improved on.

I had more opportunities to interact with the students more closely this week. It is indeed refreshing to interact with young people, listening to their new (and sometimes funny) ideas and their enthusiasm for the things that they like. The NE ambassadors really had the passion towards contributing to the NE in school; they were very willing to commit and work together with us on the project, despite having to cope with their heavy schoolwork and other CCA commitments. This is something I admire and appreciate very much. It makes me feel that I want to do more for them and leave behind a good NE project that can benefit them now and in the future.

I also got to interact with the Secondary 4 students when helping them with their oral practice. Though it is compulsory for them to come and practice their oral during recess time, they did not complain and really made good use of the time by practicing seriously and asking us for feedback. I was touched by their earnestness to learn and improve themselves.

Through interacting with the students, I was able to reaffirm my purpose in wanting to become a teacher-- to connect with the younger generation and to nurture them. There might be many challenges in doing so, and the results might not always show so soon, but I am confident that as long as I do not forget my initial purpose, I will be able to persevere in this endeavour.


Week 2 Schedule

13th July Monday

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: Secondary 4 HCl class

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 4 Dynamic, 4 Thinking, 5 Dynamic, 5 Thinking

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 2 Respect, 2 Integrity, 2 Commitment

Lesson observation on positive discipline
Mr James Ng: 3 Excel

Meet-up with Mrs Raj on the NE Project

14th July Tuesday

Lesson observation on literature costume design class
Mr Tyrus Chua: 2 Integrity

Induction by Mrs Tan on the STEP UP programme and interaction with the students in the programme

Attachment project on NE

15th July Wednesday

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 2 Respect, 2 Integrity, 2 Commitment

Lesson observation
Ms Ma Ning: 2 Aspire, 2 Achieve

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 3 Aspire, 3 Achieve, 3 Respect, 3 Integrity, 3 Commitment
(Band 1 Class)

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: Secondary 4 HCl Class

Meeting with NE Ambassadors on the NE Project

16th July Thursday

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 2 Dynamic, 2 Thinking

Lesson observation
Mr Pan Ming Gang: 1 Integrity, 1 Respect

Lesson observation
Ms Ho Wei Ling: 3 Character, 3 Excel
(Combined class with Mdm Huang Bi Fen)

Attachment Project on NE

17th July Friday

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Bi Fen: 1 Achieve

Lesson observation
Ms Ho Wei Ling: 3 Aspire, 3 Achieve

English oral practice with the Secondary 4 students

Lesson observation on CCD
Mr Tyrus Chua: 2 Thinking

Induction by Mr Henry Kwek on Pupil Well-being

Attachment Project on NE

Rui Shan reflecting on her second week...

Time indeed flies. It is already Week 2 of 3 and soon the attachment will come to an end. Coming to Evergreen for the attachment has again affirmed my decision to take up teaching as a career.

Of the jobs that I have attempted thus far, teaching is the only one which actually draws me to work every morning. No matter how lethargic I am, seeing the students alone perks me up and awakens that desire in me to want to help them in their studies and to want to do more for them.

Anyway, my take-home points for Week 2 are as follows...

1. As a teacher to-be, I must always remind myself that every student is an individual - s/he may have came from a very different background from her/his classmates, have different learning profile/ learning styles and may have varying moods and attitudes towards learning when they come to school everyday. Therefore, it is essential for a teacher to be attentive to all these variables and react accordingly to the situation instead of adopting a 'one-style-fits-all' method to teach the students or worse, be quick to judge when a student under-perform or mis-behave.
   
   
2. Teaching really involves more than the classroom teaching and imparting of knowledge to students. More often than not, it is also crucial for teachers to take the initiative to know more about their students outside of the classroom context; to find out more about the possible reasons that might be affecting/impeding their learning progress. For instance, Mr Kwek's talk on Pupils' Well-being has highlighted the fact to us that sometimes, some students are skipping schools not because of the fact that they do not want to go for lessons but rather, they might not be able to go because they had to take care of their younger siblings while their parents go out to earn a living. Apart from students who live a different tale than others, there are also the at-risk students who needs our attention.

All these are but snippets of the bigger reality in the society; a small portion of the great number of children in the world who needs our help. I felt so small and helpless, but at the same time, it has also fired the determination in me to do my best for my students for that is what they deserve.

Rui Shan’s Daily Log of Activities

Day 4 (13/07/09)
- Lesson observation with Mr Chong’s 3 Aspire A.Math class – Mr Chong was teaching them on Trigonometry (the various sine, cosine and tangent curves)

- Lesson observation with Mr James Ng’s 3 Excel Positive Discipline class on the topic of ‘Cheating’ – it is meant to be an opportunity for us to experience how it is like teaching a Normal (Technical) class

- NE Project Discussion

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Day 5 (14/07/09)
- Contact time – talked about Absenteeism of the students and the standard procedures of dealing with it; group discussions on upcoming week’s CCD topic

- Lesson observation with Ms Tan Wah Sing’s 2 Character Math class – I also try to walk around and help the students while they work on their in-class assignments

- Lesson observation with Ms Sem’s 3 Achieve E.Math class – Lesson on bearings, which Ms Sem taught using an interactive computer game. I believe it was very useful in helping the students visualise the essence of bearings calculation

- A talk by Mrs Karen Tan on Positive Discipline and a dialogue session with the ‘Step-up’ students

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Day 6 (15/07/09)
- Lesson observation with Ms Sem’s 3 Achieve A.Math class – Lesson on Trigonometric curves

- Lesson observation with Ms Tan’s 2 Character Math class – as well as assisting Ms Tan along the way

- NE Project Discussion

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Day 7 (16/07/09)
- Lesson observation with Ms Tan’s 2 Character Math class – Ms Tan got the class to do an assignment in pairs, which is part of the famous Cooperative Learning strategies. From my observations, I do think that it did help the students in visualising the assignment as a more surmountable task

- Took over Mdm Komathi’s banded class of 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking for a period for Oral Practice; though it was impromptu, I felt I did alright, but of course, there will always be room for improvements

- NE Project Discussion

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Day 8 (17/07/09)
- Lesson observation with Mdm Komathi’s banded class of 4 Aspire, 4 Achieve and 4 Respect

- CCD class with Ms Loola’s 3 Thinking on the topic of ‘Resilience’ A talk by Mr Henry Kwek on Pupils’ Well-being

- Oral practice for the graduating students

Yi Fong's Reflections for the 2nd Week

The second week of school saw my exposure to different streams, and it was an eye-opening experience for me. The deepest impression I had was that of the Normal Technical classes, where I saw a marked difference in the style of teaching and the type of classroom management skills. Students are a lot more vocal and expressive, and without a firm hand in restraining them and keeping them focused on the task, they can get sidetracked. Yet, it was also a welcome change as opposed to a class that remains silent and unresponsive whenever a question is posed at them.

As I was helping Mdm. Komathi with English Oral Preparation for the graduating classes, I had to go through the same oral practice for different classes every day, and this gave me a taste of what being a teacher is like. We had to practice differentiated learning for the different classes despite it being the same lesson, with the purpose of preparing the students for the same examination. For example, while I had to practise with the students varying tones and expressions for the better classes, I was more focused on pronunciation and a smooth rhythm for the others.

Whereas English Oral Practices are conducted in small groups of less than 6 most of the time, I had the opportunity to teach a full class of 40 under Ms. Fiza, and I found the experience enriching. While I could pay more individualized attention to everyone in the small group, in class I had to monitor the progress of everyone and be more aware of the pace at which I was delivering content. Ms. Fiza also gave me wonderful feedback on my teaching, and sharing with me some of her experience and her methods in delivering a content subject such as geography. I also came to appreciate the workload of teachers, the effort required in preparing for a seemingly simple class, juggling the delivery of the syllabus and yet engaging the students at the same time.

During this week, with a more complete idea of what we were going to do for our project, we begin to meet the NE Ambassadors and discuss the ways to improve the NE tour. This was an excellent opportunity for us to collaborate with the students outside of curriculum time due to the stopping of the CCAs because of H1N1. It was a time when we could interact with the students in a less formal occasion. I look forward to working together with them next week.

13th July 2009
4 Achieve
Mdm Komathi
(Teaching) English: Oral Examinations Preparation

4 Commitment (Express)
Mr Sam Soo
Geography: Natural Vegetation

3 Excel (Normal Technical)
Mr James Ng
Class Assembly: Cheating

14th July 2009
2 Respect
Ms Fiza
Geography: Land

15th July 2009
4 Integrity
Mdm Komathi
(Teaching) English: Oral Examinations Preparation

1 Thinking
Ms Sabrina Yong
Geography

16th July 2009
4 Integrity
Mr Edward
Literature: Unseen Prose Analysis

2 Integrity
Ms Fiza
(Teaching) Geography: Land

2 Integrity
Mr Tyrus Chua
Literature: Irony

跑吧，孩子

Week two basically went by in a flash. Without realizing it, it was already Friday. Perhaps the event which left the most impression in me was the lesson which I have conducted with 2 Integrity this Thursday. There were good and bad points about my lesson, and basically Mr Chua got me to reflect on my own lesson after it had ended so that I could know which were the areas where I could improve on, and which were the areas where I have done right. Overall, I was pleased with my performance and it was significant to me because it re-affirmed me that this was what I have always wanted and liked to do. I have learned that to be able to serve with passion in the career which I have chosen, I have to know what are the things that can keep me going on and where do I draw my motivation and sense of satisfaction from. For me, I have found that – to build a connection with the students and to deliver good lessons… :)

A little picture of the week and I am glad to say that after two weeks of bonding, we have came to know each other better, indeed and sincerely:


Itinerary

13/7 Monday
I discussed my lesson plan with Mr Chua for the “Irony” lecture and he gave me lots of constructive and helpful feedbacks and encouragement.

14/7 Tuesday
Observed 3 Excel for their Assembly period and the highlight was that the class could be a little more rowdy as compared to the other classes which I have observed. One thing which I have noticed was that the teacher, Mr Ng, instead built a strong bond with the class as a friend/teacher relationship and the students responded well to his method of teaching.

We had Positive Discipline induction with Mrs Tan at 230pm, and we had a chance to interact and talk with students from the “Step-Up” program.

15/7 Wednesday
I basically brushed up on my lesson preparation on “Irony”.

We met up with the NE ambassadors after class to have a group discussion and one to one chat to give our feedbacks on what we observed during the NE tour, and vice versa, the students shared with us their experience and ideas on how to improve on the tour.

16/7 Thursday
I observed Mr Edward’s Literature class for 3 Achieve and 4 Integrity so as to have an exposure to the Literature syllabus across the different levels, and also the different kinds of teaching methods adopted to teach the students. Lower secondary Literature was more fun and interactive while the upper secondary Literature was more of serious work and intensive preparation.

I conducted my maiden lesson with 2 Integrity for the “Irony” lecture, and Mr Chua gave me useful feedbacks on my teaching and classroom management. I have indeed enjoyed myself.

17/7 Friday
I observed the following teachers for the different classes:

Ms Maslinda – 1 Integrity, Literature – The students had a quiz and after that they did an activity-styled worksheet on “Tsunami”. The students had fun and some of them shared their instinctive reactions of what they would do if they were to encounter a tsunami.

Ms Lynn – 2 Thinking, History – The lesson was based on student presentations and one group impressed me because they actually infused hilarious pop quiz in the middle of their presentation. This got the students to participate in their presentation as well, and I thought that was a good idea. Generally, the students were a little soft during presentation so it was a pity that some of their contents were lost in the process. This is perhaps one area where the school and students could work on to develop their potentials further.

何老师 – 3 Achieve, 华文 – This was an impromptu lesson which I decided to crash because it had been a while since I attended a Chinese lesson, so I kind of missed it and wanted to join Stephanie in her lesson observation.

Ms Loola – 3 Thinking, CCD – The five of us were given 2 Thinking and 3 Thinking to go for their CCD lessons, and I decided to go for 3 Thinking because I had little interaction with the sec 3 level as the lessons which I had observed were mainly sec 1, 2 and 4. Thus, I would like to have a look at how the students in sec 3 level would be like, and if there would be any difference in the teaching methods and discipline skills.

In the afternoon, we brushed up on our skit for the NE project and worked on our report.

Kai Yiing

Rui Shan reflecting on her first week...

I have been looking forward to this Mid-term attachment program ever since we were informed by our scholarship officer a couple of months back and true enough, it has been a wonderful experience thus far.

As the week started on Tuesday (as Monday was a school holiday - Youth Day) and I only joined the group on Wednesday (as I had to complete my Professional Attachment prior to this), my first week in Evergreen was essentially just three days. Short as it may seem, but I am glad that I have actually seen and experienced a lot during my first week in Evergreen.

I was very glad that I managed to have lesson observations on my first day itself. I sat in to observe my mentor, Mdm Komathi's class which comprises of students from 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking as it was a banded English class. Though these are Normal (Academic) students, they were actually much more polite and well-behaved than what I can recall of my fellow schoolmates back in my secondary school days. On top of being polite and well-behaved, they were also very attentive and responsive in class. What touched me the most was their keen-ness to want to learn and be engaged in the lessons, because I personally felt that when the students themselves have the right learning attitude, half the battle is already won. This positive learning attitude was something that I have observed in most of the classes that I have been to, except for some Normal (Technical) students who might need a little more motivation than others, to ignite that interest in learning.

Truth be told, before interacting with the students, I have qualms about my abilites to teach secondary school students because I do not have any teaching experience with secondary school students prior to this. However, it seems that my worries might have been a little over-rated because these kids are actually quite similar to the primary school kids I have taught; they are equally sweet-natured and innocent but of course, also equally or perhaps even more vulnerable to external influences than them, and that is where teachers comes into the picture. We do not just deliver content knowledge and help them achieve academic excellence. At the same time, we also play an important role of imparting them with essential values of life and in their character development, with the utimate goal of moulding them into fine, young men and women, who are capable of contributing to the society positively in future.

Rui Shan’s Daily Log of Activities

Day 1 (08/07/09)
- Induction by Mrs Lim
- Meeting with the Math HODs Mr Chong and Mr Peter Yeo
- Sit-in to Mdm Komathi’s (my mentor) banded class of 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking – Oral practice and explanation on requirements of the Situational Writing component in Paper One

- Participated in the Welcome Party for the Mongolian Asian Youth Games players and the Mongolian delegates

Day 2 (09/07/09)
- Lesson observation with Mdm Komathi’s 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking – Oral practice, going through their Situational Writing assignment
- Lesson observation with Mrs Julia Raj’s 1 Respect English class – assisted them with their in-class writing assignment
- CCA talk

Day 3 (10/07/09)
- Lesson observation with Mrs Raj’s 1 Respect English class – Mrs Raj went through one of their online writing assignment with them- Commencement of English Oral Practice with the Sec 4 and 5 classes during recess time (first 15 minutes and last 15 minutes)
- NE Tour

- NE Project Discussion

Li Ying's Itinerary for Week 1

7th July 2009(Tuesday)
1) Induction by Mr Chan: Keeping our objective/goal in mind.
2) Learning more about our attachment project.
3) Department Induction by Mdm Komathi

8th July 2009(Wednesday)
1) Lesson Observation: Mrs Raj's class - 1 Respect
2) An impromptu tour with the Mongolians athletics.

Highlights:
Mrs Raj did predicting skills, and a short sharing session on the students' first trip with their friends to stir the students' creativity in writing narrative(Write about your first trip with your friends which you did or did not enjoy).

9th July 2009(Thursday)
1)Lesson Observation: Mdm Komathi's class - 5 Dynamic and 5 Thinking
2)Lesson Observation: Mrs Raj's class - 1 Respect


Highlights:
Observing how Mdm. Komathi conducts English Oral Practice with the graduating class.
Timed Essay with 1 Respect.

10th July 2009(Friday)
1) Lesson Observation: Mrs Raj's class - 1 Respect
2)English Oral Practice with 4 Achieve
3) NE Tour

Week 1

The first week in school had indeed been a fruitful one. From the talks with the Principal, Vice principals and the Heads of departments, I have gained an insight into how policies are formulated and implemented in schools, and was able to appreciate the importance of the policies for the development and welfare of the students. Some examples would be the professional learning communities and the overseas immersion programmes. Even though these programmes meant more work and heavier responsibilities for the teachers, students would definitely have much to benefit.

Through the lesson observations, I picked up many tips from the teachers on classroom management and teaching strategies. I could see how the teachers structured their lessons differently to cater to the different interests, needs and abilities of the students. For example, for Normal Academic and Technical classes, there were more hands on exercises in class to engage them instead of just having them listen to the lessons, because their attention span tends to be shorter than their counterparts in the Express classes. I felt that this was a good idea as well for they would get to revise their work consistently, and the time in class would be better spent when the teachers do not need to waste time disciplining the class, trying to get their attention. My mentor also shared with me how she would make extra efforts to find videos that would attract the students to allow them to enjoy the lessons even more. I could tell that when the students enjoyed the lessons, they were better behaved.

An encounter with a rebellious girl from Secondary 4 left a deep impression on me. She was very rude to the teacher, and talked back to her throughout the lesson. Initially, I felt that she was just seeking attention and did not give too much thought about the issue, until my mentor told me that her behaviour was actually due to her family problems. I began to feel more sorry for her and was less judgmental, because I realized that her nature might not be so bad after all. If she were to undergo proper counseling and guidance, she might become a much better student. From her case, I learnt that teachers should not just judge students on the surface. Making an effort to know the student’s background would certainly help in gaining a better understanding the student. Scoldings and punishments might not be sufficient in disciplining the students if there are more complicated issues troubling them and affecting their behaviour.

I enjoyed interacting with the students. They were generally courteous towards me, even though they did not know who I was or what I was there for, something which I appreciated very much. I certainly look forward to the next two weeks when we can work even more closely with the students.



Week 1 Schedule

7th July Tuesday

Induction Programme with the Principal and Vice Principals

Induction by Mdm Huang Mei

‘O’ Level MT oral observation

8th July Wednesday

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 2 Respect, 2 Integrity, 2 Commitment

Induction by Mr Imran on the departmental goals and policies

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 3 Aspire, 3 Achieve, 3 Respect, 3 Integrity, 3 Commitment
(Band 1 Class)

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: Secondary 4 HCl Class

Visit from Mongolian delegation

9th July Thursday

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 2 Dynamic, 2 Thinking

Lesson observation
Mdm Tan Kah Choon: 2 Character, 2 Excel
(Combined class with Ms Ma Ning)

Lesson observation
Mdm Huang Mei: 4 Dynamic, 4 Thinking, 5 Dynamic, 5 Thinking

CCA & Holistic Health Induction by Mr Taufiq and Mr Sanjay

10th July Friday

NE tour with NE ambassadors

Attachment Project on NE

To teach is to learn

The first week of school was a fulfilling one - one full of reflections, learning, activities and perhaps even self-doubts. It had been two years since I signed on with MOE and during these two years, things have changed - mindsets changed and thinking changed. Upon receiving the mail for the attachment, my passion for teaching was re-ignited. Like a sleeping dragon, I had been awoken to fulfil my calling. Filled with excitement and uncertainties, I braved through the first week of my attachment with words, interactions and finally, pictures! As pictures speak a thousand words, attached are some sneak preview of my life as a quasi-teacher in Evergreen Secondary School.

During the first week, I basically shadowed Mr Tyrus Chua for his English Literature and English Language classes. He impressed me with his firm, systematic yet interactive teaching style. His classes are always filled with lots of engaging activities but most importantly, these activities did not distract the students but rather the students were able to appreciate Literature more and bag home new knowledge while having fun.

Lessons aside, Mr Tyrus had also very willingly shared with me many teaching materials and lesson tips on how to conduct interesting lessons, maintain class discipline and so on. At the same time, he also exposed me to some other teachers so that I could take a look at their teaching methods and devise a personalised teaching style which I am most comfortable with. He had also kindly allowed me to teach two of his lessons on “Irony” for the following weeks – one is a lecture and the second one is a poetry appreciation. Ultimately, the objective of these two lessons is to prepare the students for essay writing. The greatest irony of all is that the topic “Irony” is actually my weakest link, but I have learned that being a teacher, we have to be able to take up the responsibility to teach whatever that is in the syllabus, though not to follow it blindly but to do research and preparation to brush up on what we do not know in order to pass on the right content to the students.

During one of the days after class, we had an impromptu program which was to join in the Mongolian athletics for a tour around the school. Excited like a tourist, I took lots of photos:

Multi-racial dance performed by the students

Gamelan performance

Group photo: Mongolians and EVGians

Finally, this little section is attributed to my group mates who had been there for me when I nearly fainted after school and had severe stomachache. I greatly appreciated each and every one of their help because I understand that some of them had to make sacrifices just to be there for me. Thank you! :)

The greatest lesson learned of all: To teach is to learn!

Itinerary

7/7 Tuesday
Had an induction with Mr Chan, Mrs Lim, Mr Lee and the respective Department Heads.

8/7 Wednesday
Shadowed Mr Tyrus Chua the whole day and the following are the highlights:
I observed Mr Chua’s English lesson for Band 10. The class had an oral practice and students were randomly picked out to speak to the whole class so as to boost up their confidence in speaking to a crowd. Mr Chua then explained his lesson objectives and rationale to me after the class. He also went through the English Language and English Literature syllabus with me for the secondary school curriculum.

9/7 Thursday
Shadowed Mr Chua the whole day for the following classes:
Literature – 2 Respect, 2 Integrity, 2 Achieve and 2 Thinking
English – Band 10

Below are the highlights:
For the Literature lessons, I got to see more fun and interactive activities being carried out for the lower secondary classes and this was in contrast with the English lessons for the upper secondary where they were mainly drilling and practices.

We started on our NE project in the afternoon when all the lessons were over.

10/7 Friday
Shadowed Mr Chua the whole day for the following classes:
Literature – 2 Thinking and 2 Dynamics
English – Band 5
CCD – 2 Thinking

As for the highlights, the CCD class was carried out in a slightly different mode from the Literature and English classes. A more relaxed atmosphere was set up so that students could enjoy and hopefully remember the moral of the story learned – to “always look on the bright side of life” – and the class ended with everyone singing that song. :)

*for all the days when I am free during the recess period, I will join in with the oral practices in the NE library.

Kai Yiing

Yi Fong's Reflections

I had lived a sheltered life since young. I studied in a secondary school where everyone read 10 subjects and took 2 languages as first language - there were no normal academic or technical streams. Moreover, as I went on to Junior College and eventually my National Service, I was in a predominantly, even entirely, Chinese environment. Having the opportunity to be attached to Evergreen Secondary School was hence a blessing for me, being the first time I came into contact with students of different streams and races. Yet I was also uneasy: many friends had shared "horror stories" of "neighbourhood schools".

It hence struck a deep chord in me after my first week, when I realise how disciplined the students were. They can be loud, boisterous, and even rowdy at times, yet in every single class that I went, students settled down and listened attentively whenever a teacher starts to speak, without even the need for teachers to quieten them.

I also noticed a distinct characteristic of the students, something which I seldom see in "better" schools: the willingness to try, the courage to make mistakes. The classroom scene that I'm familiar with is one where the teacher's questions are met with silence because students are afraid they get the wrong answer, or lack the confidence that their answers are correct. However, in Evergreen Secondary, students will always venture an opinion, or hazard a guess, or attempt the question with whatever creativity they can muster. What is more admirable is their perseverance: despite being told their answers were wrong, or being teased by classmates for coming up with an improbable answer, they would still continue to try until they know what the answer is.

Another trait that I observed in the students was that of inquisitiveness, the eagerness to learn. Just like my teachers before me, I will always end classes, or sharing sessions with the question: "Any questions?". Just like my teachers before me, I expected there to be none, that students will want to rush off now that classes are finally over. Yet, to my pleasant surprise, there are always questions, and not just from one student but a number of them. These attitudes of the students showed me their tremendous spirit of learning, something which I believe even we as seniors could improve on.

In terms of teaching skills, I have also come to appreciate the efforts of teachers in planning a class. For instance, I was attached to Mr Tyrus Chua's literature class with 2 Dynamic. His timely interjection with videos and music kept the class engaged, yet at the same time, these materials served an ultimate objective of familiarizing the students with the main character of the play they were doing for this semester, and contextualizing the setting for the students. To ensure that students are processing and remembering the information they obtain from the video, he also prepared a close passage based on the video commentary. Through this one lesson, Mr Tyrus Chua had established the background knowledge the student required to analyze the play, practised listening comprehension skills with the students, and highlighted moral values that students can learn from the character in the video - perhaps most impressively, keeping the students engaged throughout these processes. This learning opportunity for me on curriculum preparation is further enhanced when Tyrus evaluated his methods with me at the end of the class, explaining his intention and objective of each activity.

All in all, the first week was memorable and eye-opening. I look forward to the second week where I would get my hands-on at teaching a class.

Classes Attended in Week 1
8th July 2009
5 Dynamic/Thinking (Band 1 Normal Academic)
Mdm Komathi
English: Oral Preparation, Situational Writing, Class Outing

9th July 2009
2 Dynamic (Normal Academic)
Mr Tyrus Chua
English Literature: Play, Elvis Presley

2 Integrity (Express)
Mr Tyrus Chua
English Literature: Unseen Prose

4 Achieve, Aspire, Respect
Mdm Komathi
English: Oral Preparation

10th July 2009
5 Dynamic
Mr Zainudin
Geography: Rivers and Coast Test

4 Aspire
Mdm Komathi
(Teaching) English: Oral Examinations Preparation

reflection #1

The first week of attachment at Evergreen Secondary School went by in a flash. I must say, stepping up to a teacher’s standpoint really does require a paradigm shift - old mindset has to be broken. The transition from a student to a teacher, for me, was quite a challenge. However, as I began to attend various inductions conducted by the different HODs, the reason behind implementation of certain code of conduct/rule became clearer to me. The inductions also helped in widening my perspectives on teaching.

Besides attending inductions, I also had the opportunity to observe Mrs. Raj’s class. I remember the first lesson I attended was a 2-period lesson in the afternoon with Secondary 1 Express class. I noticed that a teacher does not only have the challenge of engaging the students in class, she also has to fight against the drop in the students’ energy level. The afternoon heat made the situation worse but I could see that most of the students were still very attentive.

The one thing that stood out to me was the way she managed to draw the students’ attention. The one activity that struck me was the little sharing session she had with the students. The students were asked to recall their first trip with their friends and, to lead by example, she shared with the class her own experience. She then began to call out various students to share about their own experience. After that short sharing session, she revealed the essay assignment, which was basically a narrative about their first trip with their friends. In her words, she said that in sharing personal experiences with the class, you will begin to form a closer relationship with them. I find that activity refreshing because I never had a teacher who is willing to break through that invisible wall between a teacher and her students. In doing so, she managed to reach out to the students as well as to tap on their own imagination in creating stories as she began to ask them to build on their own experiences.

Of course, I also understand that on many levels, semblance of professionalism has to be maintained and I think that is what Mrs. Raj has achieved. I am looking forward to more lesson observations in both English Language and English Literature classes, and hopefully, a chance for some teaching experience.

Li Ying