Before teaching, I make sure that I am fully equipped, not just the materials (laptop, speaker, and powerpoint presentation and other sources but with knowledge. Before I enter the room, make sure that I'm knowledgeable of the lesson, that I studied it and prepared for it. I usually start the class with an activity to awaken the students who feel sleepy. They are always active when there's activity and it's a good start before I proceed to the lesson. I also practice the way I will deliver it, then the questions that I have to ask to the students. During discussion, I asks the students to read the material so they can practice their English pronunciation. Questioning the students during discussion very important because through it, I can tell if the students are listening or not.
Teaching should be systematic and you don't just say everything, as a teacher I always make sure that everything that I say are correct and reliable to avoid misinformation. If the students have queries or clarifications, I always respond and explain the concepts they are confused. Before I end the class, I ask the students if they have questions, if none, then I'll we'll end.
For English, I have 80 mins to finish the lesson. To manage my time, I choose activities that will fit in the time frame. During the discussion, I stay in the topic and relevant aspects and avoid discussing things that are outside and irrelevant to the lesson. I take my time during discussion because it's very important especially the exchange of ideas between me and the students. During the assessments or group activities, I use timer so that they will try their best to finish within the given time. Timer shouldn't be seen as a source of pressure but, it will challenge the students to think quickly and come up with an answer. I have noticed from the previous assessments that it took them so long to finish a simple task because they are distracted by their seat mates. I have observed that if I use timer, they are more focused on completing the task. The use of timer is a big help for me to manage my time and to finish everything on time.
Classroom Management is one of the most important thing to consider during the discussion. It is noted that Grade 7 and Grade 8 can be very playful even during class because they are still kids. I have no problem handling the Grade 7 and Grade 8 Purtri/ Girls. The girls are very friendly to me and they follow everything I say during discussion. They usually listen during the discussion and participate but sometimes they talk with their seat mates and gets distracted. When I notice them talking, I go to them and ask them to read the presentation so that I'll have their attention.
As for the Grade 7 and Grade 8 Boys/Putra, I struggled to keep them focused on the discussion because they don't follow my instructions sometimes. They keep on roaming around the classroom and play with their classmates. I totally understand the difference between the boys and girls. During the discussion with the boys, I have to repeatedly remind them to stay on their seats and to be silent. During quizzes, the boys more calm because they focused on answering. To get the attention of those who talks with their seat mates, I ask them questions relevant to the topic and I'm always surprised that even though it seems that they aren't listening, they actually have an answer for my questions.
PROBLEM SOLVING WHILE STAYING IN THE DESIGNATED SCHOOL
Confident to say that we experienced, no major problem!
For me, I experienced a slight struggle communicating with the students but there's no communication problem that "google translate" can't solve. To solve it, I tried to learn useful Bahasa phrases so that I can communicate with the students in their language. The teacher also helped us translate what the students are trying to say which is a very big help.
From the Principal to Teachers and the Students, they were very kind, generous and considerate!
From the first time we entered their school and until our last goodbye, they made sure that we will have the best teaching experience and also to build friendship with them despite our differences! It led to a very emotional and memorable goodbye.