WEEK 5 PRACTICUM (2/10/2023 - 6/10/2023)

 Assalamualaikum and welcome back my readers. This is my fifth week of practicum and I would like to thank you all for being with me until now. It’s almost half of my practicum journey, can’t wait to know what will happen next.

On Monday, 2^nd of October, the assembly was supposed to be at the assembly ground but it was raining so everyone was inside the school building. Students in their classroom and teachers in the teachers’ room. The assembly proceeded as usual but there was no speech from the administrators of the school.

Next, my class with 4 Kenanga on that day was carried out successfully. I started using a reward chart in the class and it worked great. There were positive improvements in regard to the students’ attitude. My students started to use and talk in English more even though it is not perfect. That for me is already a great achievement.

The next day, the 3rd of October, was similar to Monday. I taught 4 Kenanga a new sub-topic which is ‘Environmental Sustainability’ which is still under module 7 ‘Helping Out’. I showed them pictures of materials that can be recycled and had them read a text from the textbook. During the class, I introduced to them a new rule which is if they speak in Bahasa Melayu, then they will have to pay. At the beginning of the class, I gave each of them three sweets and reminded them that if they talk in Bahasa Melayu then, they will have to pay one sweet. Due to the new rule, most of them kept quiet but the rest tried their best to speak in English.

Sweets for the students

Moving on to Wednesday, I had a class with 3 Dahlia, still under the same topic as last week which is ‘Where Were You Yesterday?’. I had the students read a dialogue and asked them a few questions to test their comprehension. Most of them were able to answer and some required some guidance. Moreover, I tried to implement the rule of no Bahasa Melayu words in the classroom but it didn’t go well. At the beginning of the class, the students were able to follow the rules but as time passed, the class became chaotic. The classroom was still manageable, just needed to have my voice raised a few times. The no ‘Malay’ word rules can be implemented in the classroom but gradually so that the students are able to build the courage to speak in English.

Later that evening, there was a teacher meeting at Bilik Wawasan at 2 o’clock in the evening. Before the meeting, I had my lunch and prayed Zuhur. The meeting covered minutes of meetings from the co-curriculum, ‘Hal Ehwal Murid’, and from the administrator. It was quite a long meeting. Additionally, there was sudden news received which was about the headmistress's transfer to another school. It was sudden and a heartbroken moment for everyone but it was orders given by Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah. The meeting ended at 5.20 pm. I was really exhausted, hungry, and cold. As soon as I arrived home, I slept for a while.

Teacher's meeting.

The next day, I had a class with 3 Dahlia. I taught them about adjectives and past simple statements. The lesson was conducted successfully but there were some mistakes that needed to be addressed. One of the mistakes that I found was my time management during the class session. I sometimes take too long on one activity which results in the other activities being concluded in a rushed manner. Another one is my classroom management skills. But for this, I can say that there are small improvements compared to my first few weeks of practicum.

Fast–forward to the evening, there was a discussion about the ghost house that will be held on Entrepreneurship Day, 14^th October 2023. We discussed the props that we planned to use and materials to cover the windows and the things in the library. The meeting lasted for about 45 minutes to an hour. The conclusion from the meeting is that the ghost house team will start to decorate the library starting from Tuesday next week. The activities inside the haunted booth were also confirmed and accepted without any objections by all members of the ghost house team.

One of the props

Moving on to Friday, there was an event held which was the Maulidur Rasul celebration. The event started at 7:40 a.m. with a recitation of surah Yaasin and continued with a performance by the school’s kompang team. They performed well for the opening ceremony but their tempo was fast. The singer had to sing fast to catch up with the team’s tempo. After that, there was a talk given by a teacher invited from another school. His talk was quite interesting to hear. As soon as the talk finished, there was another performance by the school’s kompang team. It was very nice for the ears to listen. The event ended around 10 a.m. It was quite long but worth it. After the event ended, there was food provided for the teachers and the speaker. The menu was ‘nasi kerabu’ and it was totally delicious. My stomach was full until the evening. Next, I submitted my lesson plan to the office for the administrator to check and sign. I had my lesson plan checked and corrected by my mentor the previous day. I hope that my lesson plan does not have any problem.

The speaker 

School's kompang team

Nasi Kerabu with fruit cocktail

At bilik Wawasan

SWOT ANALYSIS

CLASSROOM TEACHING

            STRENGTH

-          I was able to identify students’ level within the classroom.

-          Daily lesson plan was tailored with the student’s proficiency in mind.

WEAKNESS

-          Not managing the time carefully.

-          Skills in classroom management.

-          Anxiety to perform planned activities.

OPPORTUNITY

-          Diversity of presentations by the pupils.

-          Various usage of teaching aid.

THREAT

-          Limited resources.

-          Classroom management issues.

TEACHER’S MEETING

            STRENGTH

-          Encourage collaboration and exchange of ideas among teachers.

-          Collection of feedbacks.

WEAKNESS

-          Time constraints

-          Disengagement during meetings.

OPPORTUNITIES

-          Professional development and sharing of teaching strategies.

-          Address specific challenges and finding solutions.

THREATS

-          Conflicts and disagreements.

-          Perceive meetings as additional administrative burden.

MAULIDUR RASUL

            STRENGTH

-          Foster a sense of unity and inclusivity.

-          Provides an opportunity to celebrate the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

WEAKNESS

-          Resource allocation

-          Scheduling and setup is time-consuming.

OPPORTUNITIES

-          Understanding the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

-          Incorporate educational activities.

THREATS

-          Resource constraints.

-          Weather conditions.

CONCLUSION

That’s it for my story during the fifth week of practicum at SK Serdang. Thank you, my readers, for staying with me until now. Look forward to the exciting experiences that I will share with you later on.