Number of journal : 5/8

Week : Week 5

Date : 28th August 2015

Problems

Week five was a week full of programmes and I also had a hectic week with the preparation of this and that (helping the teachers). Apart from preparing lesson plans, I also needed to prepare the revision questions which really required careful planning so that I would not only prepare a random set of questions but to prepare questions that suit their language level and abilities and help them to answer the questions in the easier way. This week, my biggest problem is to find ideas that can be implemented in the teaching and learning activity especially on those days of which I had to do revision with them. At times, I feel like throwing in the towel and just do a boring and a mediocre lesson before distributing the revision paper. On the contrary, I want my student to enjoy and learn something from my lesson (especially to help them to be able to answer questions during examination in a very easy way). Planning a lesson plan is still a major problem to me; which I think takes a lot of time and careful thinking. It is hard to device the teaching and learning activity so that it will coincide with the curriculum specifications and the learning objectives stipulated in the lesson plan.

I have a lot of questions and doubts popping into my mind when preparing a lesson; Is the activity suitable for my students? What should I plan for the Closure stage? The Set Induction stage takes only 5 minutes, but why did I take forever to come out with a suitable activity? Does the activity provide a lead-in to the next activity? How and where should I apply the strategies and ideas suggested by the reference books and the websites that I referred to?

On top of that, I need to prepare the teaching aids that will complement my lesson plan, which is also time consuming and would drag my time up to 5 o’clock in the morning.

Analysis

My short of ideas in finding the best method to be implemented in my teaching and learning

activity may be due to my lack of experience and efficacy in developing a good lesson plan. I

am also sceptical to apply the ideas that I found from the internet and the reference books

which I refer to because I always think that the activities suggested are not suitable for my

students’ level and that they will not enjoy the activities.

Suggestions for Improvement

There are several ways that could be done to overcome the problem mentioned above:

I must make a proper mental and physical preparation by reading a lot of materials

related to motivation and pedagogical approaches in education.

I need to seek help and support from my supervising lecturer, my cooperating

teacher, the senior teachers or those who are more experienced, to discuss on the

best way to overcome my difficulties.

Considering myself as a neophyte at teaching English and Literature per se, I knew

that I could not prepare a lesson by merely using my prior knowledge. Preparing an

organized and detailed lesson plan is totally new to me. So, I need to make a lot of

homework by referring to plenty of reference books and the internet before

embarking on a “journey” of coming up with a lesson plan.

In the preparation of a daily lesson plan, I need to be resourceful in planning activities

which will suit the curriculum specifications and the learning objectives within the time

stipulated. I will always seek guidance and help from my supervising lecturer and

cooperating teacher who have been wonderful assistance so far.

Time for Implementation

I will try to overcome my problems soonest possible; that is prior to following weeks of

practicum. I realize that if I am unable to manage these problems immediately, the situation

might spoil and jeopardize the achievement of the learning objectives in the teaching and

learning activity that is planned in the daily lesson plan.

Conclusion

I spend an inordinate amount of time writing neatly organized lesson plans. I think it is good

because it forces me to think about things like how long an activity should take, what the

goal is, and what kind of interaction it involves. According to Katie, a TEFL teacher, in her

article “Lesson Plans: Tips for New Teachers”, teachers do need to prepare. But once a

teacher got the hang of what makes a good lesson, he/she will realize that going overboard

on the preparation is not what gives a lesson that extra something. Teachers have to have a

sense of how students are feeling and when they do not understand or when they are ready

to move on or when they need a light-hearted game. A good teacher needs to build up a

stock of activities that can be adapted to whatever he/she is teaching. And these things do

not come out of long lesson plans. They come from experience. So, I just need to hang in

there.

Checked by

Signature

Name

Miss Hannah Sim Phek Khiok Miss Dayang Nurashikin

Date