i gained A LOT just in 14 weeks.

I have learned a lot form the lectures and tutorial. The discussion of storylines of the dramas in class is one of the most important aspects of the lectures and tutorial in my opinion. When Dr.Edwin and Miss Kasthoori discussed the dramas in class, I get a clearer picture of the play. I learnt that the meaning of the drama does not entirely lie on what we read on the surface; there are ironies, hidden agendas and mysteries impelled in every sentence. These discussions are very helpful in the study of drama. Literature being a very subjective subject and every one having their own opinion from their own point of view, many interpretations will come about.

Every aspect of the lectures and tutorial is related to my field of study. With the latest KBSM syllabus for the literature component of English 1119 made it compulsory for students to answer on at least 1 play during their SPM, this course will be helpful.

I might interpret the content differently, as different individuals have different point of views; but from the lectures and tutorial with Dr.Edwin and Miss Kasthoori, I find that what I think and what I get from the plays is almost the same as what they explained in class.

From what and how I have studied drama in this course, I am confident that I can adopt and adapt to the skills that had been taught in class for my future lessons in real school scenario. Though there may be challenges, I prefer letting the students to discover the play then for me to spoon feed them, especially on texts that are simple enough. In my opinion, as long the teacher has given enough input to the students, they can discover the play themselves. Dr. Edwin’s skill of interpreting dramas is a real lesson for me. I would like to try it out in the real school scenario one day. He relates the elements of the dramas with other aspects, such as religion, history, society and myths, and not just depending on delivering the surface messages. Learning drama is not about how to read and act it out, but to read and discover the real intentions of the writers.

The only question that I have now is that how would I be able to study and interpret drama texts to the full extent? Though we went over the plays over and over again, I still feel that it is not studied and discovered thoroughly. I think that I would be able to solve this problem is if really get into it. ‘Practice makes perfect,’ they say. I am not perfect, but I can improve myself with the input from the people around me, from my lecturers, tutors and my fellow course mates. There will always be someone much better from whom I can learn from.

The Question in MY Head

How can I make my activities more interesting? That is what was bothering me even before I prepared for my simulated teaching. I find it difficult to be creative and at the same time make sure the message of the lesson is put in clear view for the students. My main point is to make sure the students gets the message of the lesson, and being so focused on that point, I tend to forget that, yes, maybe the students will get the message, but if one is not interested in the lesson, how can one learn anything? I did spend a lot of time figuring out of what I should and should not do on my lesson, but in the end I just focused on getting the message through. I lack inspiration on being creative with classroom activities. I do need input from friends and lecturers. Looking back at my course mates’ simulated teachings, and how creative they were coming up with activities that I myself could not imagined; I have now some ideas on how to manipulate the text and come up with far more interesting activities. But still, that is not enough.

Second Chance?

If I am given another chance to do my simulated teaching and deliver the similar lesson again, I would definitely change some aspect of my lesson, especially the activities. I think that the activity is not creative or inspiring enough for the students in form 4. It was rigid and straight to the point, like what I learn in most lectures. Maybe by making the activities more interesting, I can grab the students’ attention and inspire them to learn, and not end up spoon-feeding them with the knowledge that they are supposedly to gain. For me, a teacher’s job is not just to teach, but also to inspire students lo learn.

Simulated Teaching vs Real Classroom Situations

From my point of view, simulated teaching does have its similarities and differences with real teaching in real classroom situations. It is similar in the sense that teachers always relate certain things to the lesson to hint and introduce the content of the play to the students. It is different in the sense that during simulated teaching we encourage students to discover the play, whereas in schools, teachers tend to spoon-feed the students due to time constrains to make sure that they can finish the syllabus. For the teacher it is their job to make sure they finish what they are supposed to teach, and it is the students’ job to learn and understand their own studies. The classroom environment is also different. In my opinion teaching my own course mates for the simulated teaching is way easier then teaching real students in a real class, because my students during the simulated teaching are cooperative since they have no choice, unlike in real classroom situation where the students can be challenging. Though simulated teaching is quite different than teaching in a real school, simulated teaching is a good experience for teachers-to-be as a practice before entering the schools. We can prepare ourselves and plan our lesson better when we start teaching in real schools.

Learning Through Strengths and Weaknesses in Simulated Teaching

Through Miss Kasthoori’s comments and my own evaluation on my simulated teaching, my strengths in my simulated teaching are my voice projection and my paced lesson. Voice projection is an important element in the teaching profession. Having a loud and clear speech helps to grab the student’s attention. In real classroom situations, the environment can be hectic and noisy. A teacher who has good voice projection can surely take control of the class with her voice that students can hear despite all the other noises, but teachers who tend to speak softly will have a hard time getting the students’ attention. Simulated teaching is a great place to practice my voice projection! Miss Kasthoori mentioned that she liked the way I handled my lesson, she said it was well paced and she liked that I did not rush through reading the extract like most of my friends did. Rushing to finish the lesson leads one to confusion, and I dislike confusion. Being too slow does not help either. A teacher needs to have good time management, and this simulated teaching had taught me how to pace my teaching.

On the other hand, my weakness was that I am not creative with my lesson. It was rigid, and the activities are not exciting, even to me. I was just doing the activities for the sake of getting the message through, and did not put to mind the notion of getting the students to be interested in the lesson. I will try my best not to repeat this mistake in the future. A lesson is not just getting the message through; it is also about inspiring the students to want to learn.

I am glad for the opportunity to practice teaching. This is when I can learn and figure out my strengths and weaknesses, and learn to improve myself.

MY Simulated Teaching

I did my simulated teaching on the 13th of March. I taught about the characteristics of Oedipus through the Priest’s dialogue to Oedipus in the prologue. For my set induction, I showed a picture of a king, and I asked the students to describe what they see. The class cooperated, many of the students responded. I was glad they did! If the did not, I would have failed my set induction! Then, I related the description of the king to introduce the lesson. As for my pre-reading activity, I instructed the students to highlight the characteristics of Oedipus in the extract I had given them. Then for my while-reading, I called upon a few students to list down the words and phrases they underlined onto the white board. After that I asked the students to complete activity 2. I then discussed with the whole class the words and identify the connotation of the words. From the connotations that the students give to the characteristics of Oedipus in the text, I asked the students to conclude on the characteristics of Oedipus in the earlier scene. After that I instructed the students to complete task 3 at home, and we rounded up the lesson by reviewing what I had taught them for the day. I was quite nervous throughout the simulated teaching, but I am glad I was. If it was not for my nervousness, I don’t think I would be pumped enough to do the lesson.