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