The student teaching experience allows
you to put everything that you’ve learned about education and your subject
matter into action. You get to test the waters under the supervision of an
experienced teacher who can guide you along and help you become the kind of
teacher that you want to be. If you embrace the opportunity, you can learn a
lot from the experience. In fact, here are some things that I learned during my
time in School Based Experience (SBE) phase 3 in SK Pekan Telipok.
First
of all, prepare for the unexpected. During my student teaching experience, I
spent a lot of time preparing activities that will suit each level of students,
I looked for activities that my students would enjoy, and I made sure that I
had all of the materials and other things that I needed before class started.
Even then, there were always things that would go wrong. Technology would fail.
Students would complete activities quicker than planned. Or students would
require much more time and explanation than expected. As such, I realized that
I needed to be prepared as much as possible, but, more importantly, I needed to
prepare to be flexible. You never know what’s going to come up or what will
catch the students’ attention. When creating activities, remember that you need
to be prepared for changes. Figure out alternative activities in order to help
your day go as smoothly as possible and allow your students to gain the most
from the lessons.
Next,
make friends. Teaching is difficult. You’re going to have rough days, and
you’re going to need help sometimes. Introduce yourself to the librarian,
cafeteria staff, administrators, custodians, secretaries, and other teachers.
Of course, finding a teaching mentor is always a good idea. As I talked to
other teachers about lessons that I was working on, they had plenty of
suggestions for activities that I could use. I loved getting ideas for tried and
true activities for my students, but I also enjoyed the tips and ideas that
they could provide to help me grow as a teacher. They could also help you land
a teaching job, too.
Furthermore,
get involved. Immersing yourself and taking advantage of every opportunity
afforded to you can really enrich your student teaching experience. One of my
biggest regrets during my SBE was that I didn’t get involved more. For example,
I wish that I would have taken the opportunity to train the school’s football
team with Mr. George, the school sport teacher who happens to be a former IPG
Gaya students. He offered me the chance to train with him but I had to refused
because of our pack schedule back in college.
Finally,
One of the most important lessons that I learned was the importance of
feedback. During your SBE, you want to find ways to improve your teaching
skills. Don’t be afraid to ask your cooperating teacher or mentor for advice.
When observing you in action, he or she will notice things that you hadn’t
noticed before. Maybe you use too many filler words, look at the floor too
often, or stand in one place the entire time. Your mentor can point out these
things to you, so you can make the necessary changes to improve. More than just
asking for feedback, you need to have a good attitude about the information
that you receive. What will you do with this information? I found that when I
was teachable and willing to hear criticism, I saw greater improvements in my
teaching and increases in my confidence.
In
conclusion, School Based Experience was a great experience. It had its ups and
downs, but I became a better teacher by working to make the most of my
experience and looking for opportunities to learn.
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