Purpose of Practicum:
SEA-Teacher Program granted us a massive opportunity to learn from our peers, helping us grow in a place outside of our comfort zones both figuratively and literally. We were pushed to a place unfamiliar to us, allowing us to grow and become independent. This allowed me to return home triumphant, a champion in my own way. I do not know if I'm any more worthy than when I left the Philippines, but I'd like to believe that although small, there was growth to be had.
Practicum Procedures:
-Observation
-Demonstration
-Evaluation
Due to time constraints and there being plenty of us, we didn't observe as much as we should have, but we demonstrated lessons a total of four times. The couple times we were given the opportunity to observe, it let us grasp the house rules and teaching process of an already established teacher in the local setting, helping us to have a reference when crafting our own Lesson Plan.
Challenges Faced:
-Language Barrier.
This is naturally the heaviest burden we faced. Although the learners were taught to speak in English, I was told once or twice that I spoke too fast, while I was told the same amount of times that my English was clear, crisp and easy to understand. Despite this, Mathematics is a very technical subject and some terms used in Math are very difficult to translate. Even when I am using a term they should be familiar with, they give me incredulous stares because they don't know the English word for "vector" or something similar.
Suggestion:
The learners are quite skilled in written English, but their spoken English could use a lot of work. Perhaps some workshops or practice that involve public speaking may help the learners in adjusting and growing to be excellent English-speakers.
-Food Habits
In the part of Vietnam that we had visited, the people tend to eat food that is particularly sweet. Even food that we thought would taste salty, ended up tasting sweet instead.
Suggestion:
I didn't fight against this wave. I instead, attempted to immerse myself in their culture. I ate what was offered to me and tried to step out of my comfort zone. I didn't go for things that I expected to like, but I went for every single thing that came my way, and man am I glad I did.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Given this opportunity, I truly came to learn many things about myself that I never had the chance to see. Talents bloom in the harshest of circumstances, showing the tenacity of the human spirit. With this, I return home no taller than when I left, but I do stand straighter than I used to.