1. Procedures of Teaching
Just like in the Philippines, I observed the usual parts of the lesson plan. Although the class discussion and standards are non-negotiable, I want to make them feel at ease, by having a small talk, at first. Contrary to the opinion of my SEAMEO colleagues from Quezon City, I called them, "guys", instead of students or something else that are formal and distant.
It is my principle even as a student that that sense of friendship, that hint of informality, is enough for students to participate and to open up about concerns. I myself, am motivated and pressured to perform, if I had a teacher who has regarded me as a friend.
2. Time Management and Organizing Activities
My lesson has no room for delays, and dallying, so I have to start early to set-up.
Activities are managed by projecting the instructions before it starts.
3. Problem Solving
Time management really was my main concern at the start of my demonstration on Wednesday, January 23. I have to start early, since there is no Grade XI class on Friday.
There was virtually no space for delays in my lesson plan that setting up happens before the period officially starts. I have to tweak the lesson plan during and after classes, especially in my first two classes.
I think I overestimated the students’ English proficiency to create a summary within 8 minutes, compounded by the students’ preference to move slowly doing this or that physical stuff as going to their groups or posting the table puzzle parts on the board. I suppose it is a cultural trait. I assumed that they would delegate the tasks, and use correct key search keywords as a strategy, specifically by searching about the periods of Japan first, it’s significantly easier to organize other terms in their respective categories, namely time frame, significant people, and significant events. Even the concepts themselves are clues. Time frames are from this date until that date. Significant people surely will contain personalities. Significant events are incidents and happenings.
Thus, the progression of my revision is about scaffolding the students, from them forming brief summaries to simply one-word descriptions, just for them to have sufficient knowledge to give them a crash-course of my lecture. At the end of my class in Grade XI- MIPA III ( 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.), my first class, I revised that instead of 5 minutes of summary using the concepts on the puzzle,I just told them to give a brief description of each period.
In Grade XI- MIPA I (10:15 a.m. - 11: 45 a.m.), there was a case of competition among the groups so that if the other group can present a lengthy summary, the following one would usurp it by making a more detailed one, despite my reminder of making it a short summary only.
I have hurdled my lesson plan in Grade XI- MIPA II ( 1:50 p.m. -2:10 p.m.) because before the start of the class I transformed it the summary to one sentence or one adjective only per period.
Thursday. In Grade XI- MIPA VII (8:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.), where Dr. Leo Agung, my mentor and evaluator from Universitas Sebalas Maret, and Grade XI-MIPA IV ( 1:30 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.), I was only able to finish the lecture, but not the application and the assessment, because the students took some time to finish the table puzzle activity, as there was less students who are proficient in English here, and like other classes, they have a propensity to move slowly.
Monday.The day before my demonstration. I decided in my class in Grade XI – MIPA V(12: 15 p.m. - 13:35 p.m.) to adjust further that it is okay if they cannot finish the Pemuda Manifesto in the class, and they will be given one day to revise it before the manifesto lag starts. While finalizing my lesson plan that night, with Ma'am Winahyu's approval, I decided to cut the groups to three, and to post the periods already on the board, thus making their task easier.
Tuesday. I only have two classes for the day: Grade XI – MIPA VIII ( 10: 15 a.m. - 11: 45 a.m.) and Grade XI- MIPA VI (12: 15 p.m- 13:35 p.m.). I decided to that my evaluation will happen on the second one, so that I could dry run on the first. In my first class, I finished on time to my delight, but I nervousness overtook me as I only have more or less 15 minutes to remove my stuff in MIPA VIII, and set-up in MIPA VI.
So short was the time, hurriedly did I set-up my materials, thanks to Ma’am Winahyu and the students’ assistance. After finishing it, the nervousness disappeared. Chin up, smile. I could start and, had started on time, even before Dr. Leo Agung arrived.During the observation of Dr. Leo, I lost my nervousness. I have rehearsed this moment for one week. I have mastered the lesson plan, and the topic. The concessions paid off, as, again, I finished the lesson plan for the time period.
As we took our group photo, I smiled with satisfaction and gratitude, but I can feel it, that pang of sadness setting in as I concealed within my smiles the nasal sighs. My main reason for being in Surakarta is now done. As it were, it was the beginning of the end.
4. Classroom Management
The class gets noisy sometimes, but they are easy to control, especially with the fact that they self-discipline as a group, when the noise gets too much
During activities, I roam around to monitor their progress, for swift addressing of queries, and to make them perform faster.
I have a bit of problem when students get lengthy with their summaries that are more or less cut-and-pastes from the internet.
Let me articulate my feelings further with this music.