Deployment Day
January 14, 2019
Early as 7 o'clock in the morning we are already at the International Office of our Host University: Universitas Negeri Padang. Sir Ananda, Miss Ari and Miss Nola; our SEA-TEACH coordinators lead the meeting. Sir Ananda gave us a brief orientation about UNP, directions and about the courses offered by the school. Also, Sir Ananda gave us an orientation about our schedule during our stay in Padang, Indonesia including our field trips. Another agenda we had talk during our orientation, was where the school we are assigned. Some of us ask about the location of the school assigned to us. Sir Ananda answered all the question that was asked. After the thorough briefing, we started to move to our next agenda which is deployment to our school. We were deployed one by one to our school assignment. We were assigned by twos per school. I was assigned to SD Pembangunan Laboratorium, UNP together with John Jerome Agbunag. Both of us are so lucky because we are just assigned behind the UNP and still part of the UNP campus. Therefore, it is convenient for us to go back-in-fort to International office which is just near with our mentors.
It was already past 12 noon when we arrived to our school since we are the last teachers that was send off since were just along UNP: we meet the Headmaster Sawir, S.Pd., M.M and the teaching staff of SD Pembangunan Laboratorium. We meet our cooperating teachers Miss Loli Kota, S.Pd and Miss Risa Utami S.Pd. From Head Master to teaching staff, all of them are very accommodating and welcoming. Since we first enter the head master’s office, he welcomes us through his smile. After that, we meet all the teaching staff and we introduce ourselves. It was so nice meeting them all, all of them are so welcoming. Miss Loli, already told us about our schedule of teaching. She ask us of what subject do we prefer to teach and I told her that anything is fine with me. But she insisted for us to teach just one subject so that we will have one focus, and I choose mathematics. One reason I choose mathematics is that I love mathematics and I want my students to love mathematics just like how I love it. I ask Miss Loli to give me special day for me to have my trial teaching. Trial teaching will assess me of the background of my learners, my strategies that need to use and my language to use. Therefore, after having a small talk with the school teachers we had a tour around the school of SD Pembangunan. It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon when we finished talking and touring around the SD Pembangunan. After that, we were advised by our teacher to go home because the class is already finished and the pupils are already praying. It was a long tiring day but nevertheless I am so grateful meeting my new mentors and teachers where I am assigned. All was settled.
from left to right: Sir Ananda (SEA TEACH coordinator); John Jerome Agbunag (Participant from Saint. Mary's University;Miss Ari (SEA TEACH Coordinator); Buk Sasra Dewi (one of teachers in SD Pembangunan) and ME. The one sitting is Sawir, S.Pd. M.M. the headmaster of SD Pembangunan.
Observation Days
It was all started with an exciting Tuesday morning. It was the 15th day of January 2019. My first observation begun. I was assigned in Grade IV under Miss Risa Utami’s advisory. It was a lucky day for me. Today is English day. Every Tuesday in SD Pembangunan is English day. Their first class is from 7:00AM to 8:00AM and in that period of time, pupils are going to develop their skill such as dancing, singing and speaking. Every Tuesday morning, the pupils in SD Pembangunan are going to sing a song that is projected in the projector. Also dancing, the students are going to dance whatever projected in the projector. Most of the clip that is being projected are children rhymes and songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes; also Baby shark and many more.
Also after the ceremony of English day, the first class inside the classroom will start. During Tuesday, teacher in English who is Miss Loli taught about the months of the year. First, she presented the months of the year from January until December using the whiteboard. She shows to the pupils the correct arrangement of the months. Then, she gave the students activity where they need to write on the board the months of the year. The students had their board work activity where they need to go on the board and arrange January to December correctly. She calls one student at a time to answer on the board. The students are very participative during Miss Loli’s class. Everyone is listening. Miss Loli ended here class by giving them an activity. Her activity is in the students' workbook. Every students must accomplish their activity. It is an example of traditional assessment or the pen-and-paper test.
Pupils of SD Pembangunan in the Hall Room during the EnglishDay
There are points where students have to lead the song and sing in front using microphone. The purpose of English day is that learners are able to communicate and understand English. but it is not just Tuesday were learners are going to develop their skill and talents; everyday they have the time (7:00AM-8:00AM) where they devote the said activity. It is just everyday morning they have different theme to follow, such us gymnastic, talent development and religion.
Every Wednesday, the learners starts their day through talent development in the hall room. After that, every students are going back to the class to attend their class. Their first subject to Miss Risa is Theme. That day, my cooperating teacher lesson is about "Cinta Cinta" or Ambition. As Miss Rissa's motivation, she asks every students of what is their ambition when they grow up; some answers they want to be a doctor, others answer that they want to be a teacher, the other one said that he wants to be an army, and so on. All students were already conditioned and got motivated by the the discussion. Miss Rissa's motivation is effective since she already get students' attention. After that, Miss Rissa shows a video clip using her laptop, speaker and projector about ambitions in life. Then, the teacher explain about what is in the clip. Then, Miss Rissa shows her powerpoint presentation containing her lesson. After all throughout her discussion, she gave a task that the students need to answer in the workbook.
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Miss Rissa's way of teaching is already at the 21st century that caters learners need. Also, through the use of technology such as laptop, projector, speaker, video clips, pictures and other instructional materials helps students' learning and teaching easier. Intigrating technology in the lesson helps learners to cope on the new curriculum that demands higher order thinking skill. But, always remember that technology is just a backbone of teaching-learning process. In teaching learning process, teachers play the most important role. Their strategy, approach and technique are essential for the learners to understand and relate the lesson in their daily life.
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During their Mathematics class, Miss Rissa's lesson is about Collection Data. Miss Rissa did another strategy. Since mathematics is a subject which need more focus and attention, what did Miss Rissa did is she draw a bar graph on the board. She asks her students on what they can see on the board; what is the shape they can see. with that, every students are raising their hands to answer her question. When Miss Rissa already know that students' attention is already with her, she started her discussion through a question and answer technique. She asks students' favorite food, after collecting the data. Miss Rissa called a students to plot the data on the board. With that, my cooperating teacher maximize the use of whiteboard and the marker; also the skill in drawing - when she drew the bar graph.
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All throughout my observation period, there was no dull days; my day is always full of happiness.
