My Reflection on Microteaching Class Part VI

In the 6th week, I learned from my friends' experience how to conduct the class teaching for 30 minutes. In order to make a good class teaching, I should prepare all of the things well. I have to make sure whether my material is really appropriate or not. The class management is very important. However, it is really difficult to conduct a good class management because we have to make sure that we give the same attention for all of the students.

I also learned that I have to make a clear instruction for my students later on. I have to make sure that my students understand or not before I give them the assignments. I also have learned that I have to know my students' abilities so that I can give the appropriate material for them. Then, I have to make sure about the face validity and reliability of my material.

In my conclusion, mastering the material and delivering the material when doing the class teaching is really important. All of the teachers have to pay attention to this so that they can make a good performance in the class.

My Reflection in Micro Teaching Class (Part V) -Teaching’s Practice-

This week, I got a chance to do my micro teaching class for fifteen minutes. I was curious and nervous at that time. It was the first time for me to teach in front of my friends and my lecturer. However, it was very interesting and exciting. I pretended as a teacher and my friends pretended as the first grade students in senior high school. I could feel what my friends felt in the previous meeting. I did some mistakes at first because I was very nervous at that time. However, after I could solve my nervous, I did my microteaching well.

I taught about narrative which focused on speaking. First, I gave them greeting by saying good morning. Then, I asked them about their feeling and condition in that day. After that, I reviewed the previous lesson. It was about recount. I asked my students to remain about the purpose and generic structure of recount. My students were very exciting at that time. Then, I told them that we wanted to learn about narrative at that time. I asked them about what they still remembered about narrative because they had learned it when they were in junior high school. I used whiteboard as the media so that all students could see what we learned in that day. After explaining the lesson, I gave them a task in pair. I gave them some pictures, then they had to arrange it in a good order based on their feeling or imagination. Later on, they had to make a story based on the arranged-picture. I gave them 3 minutes to do it. Then, I asked some students to come in front to present their tasks. At the end of the class, I asked them to review what we had learned that day. I asked about the purpose and generic structure of narrative.

After doing my micro teaching’s practice, two friends of mine who acted as observers gave comments.

1. Positive comments :

- Set induction was good because I reviewed my previous material (recount).

- Set closure was good because I summarized today’s lesson.

- I looked confident.

- I mastered my materials well.

- My voice including the pronunciation was clear.

- My movement was good because I went around the class to help each student and asked them one by one.

- I involved the students in a class activity.

- I used the media (whiteboard and pictures).

- I spoke fluent.

2. Negative comments :

- I should give the example of narrative text.

- I had to be more serious to control the class.

- I had to speak louder.

- I should try to control the whole class.

In my opinion, the comments are really helpful for me to improve my teaching skills. Therefore, I can do the next class teaching well. The positive comments are very important for me to defend what are good. The negative comments are also important to check my weaknesses. Then, I have to improve it. It is also like the motivation for me. I conclude that I have to improve my skill in the class management because it is very difficult for me to control the class, to make my students concentrate in the teaching-learning activities.

My Reflection in Micro Teaching Class (Part IV) -Teaching’s Practice-

I learned a lot of things about how to teach well in this class. In this time, we did some practice to conduct the class. The class was divided into two groups. In each group, they have to teach other friends in the group for 15 minutes; 5 minutes for set induction; 5 minutes for main activities; and 5 minutes for set closure. Then, they were observed by 2 students. It was so interesting because we had to apply what we have learned from the first semester up to now. We pretended as a teacher and others as students in elementary school, junior high school, or senior high school. In the end, we concluded some notes, they were:

1. The use of “pause”

ð Pause is very important to give time for students to absorb and comprehend what they have learned. Therefore, the teachers do not have to teach 2 hours continuously. It will make the students feel tired and stressful.

2. The use of translation and media

ð Teachers have to know when they have to translate the words or sentences in English to Indonesian or Indonesian to English. Teachers also have to be creative and innovative in using the media. Media is very important to encourage the students in learning something. It can motivate and attract the students to learn.

3. Pronunciation

ð Teachers have to pronounce the words in right way to make the students pronounce well, too.

4. Interaction style

ð Using many variation in interaction style is very important to avoid boredom both teachers and students.

5. Genre-based teaching

ð Teachers should know that the main point of reading is not only introducing the texts’ genre but they have to teach about the reading skills; how to skimming and scanning.

6. Minimum requirements

ð Teachers have to pay attention about the minimum requirements. If the teachers are wrong, then the students are also wrong in writing.

By seeing my friends’ performances, I know how I have to do when I have a chance in doing the microteaching. I can learn many things from my friends’ weaknesses.

My Reflection in Micro Teaching Class (Part III) -Classroom Management-

In the previous weeks, I have learned about the characteristics of being a good teacher and also the teaching’s skills. Then, in the third week, I learned about delivery and stimulus variation skills, reinforcement of student participation, and also questioning skills. These things are very important because those relate to the classroom management, how the teacher can manage and handle the class in teaching and learning process.

A. Delivery and stimulus variation skills

ð Purpose : the teacher’ skill to deliver the materials and to stimulate the students in teaching-learning activity in the class. Therefore, they can be more active and enthusiastic. These are also to avoid boredom and apathy.

In this part, I learned many things, from the small things up to the big things. I learned that being a teacher is not easy. Teachers have to manage the class well. They have to pay attention to their appearance and performance in the class because it will influence many things related to their students; for example, teacher’s movement, teacher’s gesture, teacher’s voice, teacher’s silence, interaction style, and also eye contact and movement.

1. Teacher’s Movement

è It involves overall physical movement in order to handle the class and also to make more intimate atmosphere in the teacher-student interrelationship.

Example: - Move freely and relaxed to control the students’ behavior.

- Never write on the board while talking to make the clear explanation to the students.

- Looking to the students while explaining the lesson.

- Move away from the student asking the question to encourage student to speak louder in order to make the other students hear the question.

- Move slowly from back to the front in order to observe the whole class.

2. Teacher’s gesture

è It is about the teacher’s body movement in order to communicate to the student using body language to make a meaningful idea from the lesson so that the students will be more understandable.

Example: - Moving the hands or finger when explaining.

- Nodding the head to show agreement.

- Raising the eyebrows high to show teacher interest and adoration.

- Clapping hands to attract student’s attention.

3. Teacher’s voice

è It is about the teacher’s style and pitch control voice.

Example: - Speak attractively and energetically.

- Speak loudly enough.

4. Teacher’s silence

è Silence does not mean anything, but it means everything. In this case, teacher silence is to make the students can grab and comprehend what the teacher has explained.

Example: - Using a short pause after explaining a long material.

5. Interaction style

è There are teacher-students interaction style, teacher-student interaction style, and students-students interaction style. Teacher has to make sure which one should be used in the class at the right time. It depends on the class condition and the subject.

6. Eye contact and Movement

è It has a purpose to make a good interaction among the teacher and students for arousing a good emotion between them.

Example: - Look at the students while explaining.

Those skills are really interesting because not all of the skills I met in all of my experiences when I was studying in elementary school till senior high school. Now, I understand that to be a teacher is not easy. I have to use all the things and skills to teach the class. I have to use all of my creativities to avoid boredom and also to make my students later on to comprehend what I have taught.

B. Reinforcement of student participation

ð Purpose: It is to gives positive feedbacks to encourage students to be enthusiast in teaching and learning process.

Reinforcement can be verbal (using words to compliment) and non-verbal (using gesture and facial expression).

In my opinion, reinforcement is really important because students will feel that the teacher pays attention to them when they are trying to answer the questions. Although the students’ answers are not precise, the reinforcement should be given to them to make that the teacher respects and appreciates their efforts in the teaching and learning process.

C. Questioning skills

Purpose: - To increase students’ participation (to be active in the teaching-learning process).

- To arouse the students interest and their curiosity.

- To guide students to find a good and correct answer.

- To help students concentrate on the topic.

The important factors in questioning skills:

a. Clarity and relevance

The questions must be short and clear to the students.

b. Speed and pauses

There is must have pause between one question to other questions to give the students time to think the answers.

c. Distribution of questions

The questions must be distributed for all students in the classroom, not just for several students.

d. Reinforcement techniques

The reinforcement should be used following the students’ answer so that they can be encouraged to participate in the teaching and learning process.

e. Prompting and probing

It is to increase the quantity and quality of the students’ answer.

In my opinion, questioning skills are so important in the classroom. These skills build the interaction between teacher and students in the class and also arouse the students’ understanding about the topic which they are discussed in the class. Questioning skills also encourage the students to be critical when they are thinking. Moreover, the students can encourage the students to be active and brave in the classroom.

In this occasion, I also learned how to conduct the class. Based on my friend’s experience, as a teacher, I have to be more sensitive in the class. I have to know what my students needs so that it can be easy for me to conduct or manage the class. I also learned that as a teacher, I have to master the subject which I am going to teach. The preparation like handout, time allocation, and worksheet, should be prepared well.