#1: Reflections - My Teaching Practicum Experience (Primary School)

In this issue, we have invited PE Trainee Teachers to share their experiences in school during their Practicum as they enter the teaching profession. 

Introduction

Would you like to introduce yourself?

Hello! My name is Aloysius, and my students call me Mr Tham. I am a second-year Student-Teacher pursuing the Diploma in Education programme at the National Institute of Education (NIE). I will be teaching Physical education at the primary level. I have been exposed to the sporting scene from a very young age when I started Taekwondo in K2. I learned and competed and realised that I found satisfaction in helping others achieve their goals and aspirations through leadership roles and coaching. My dream to teach PE was solidified when I did my Polytechnic Internship in a Primary School, where I discovered the joy of working with children and helping them learn to excel at sports and grow as people. 

Pre-Practicum

How has your experience at Physical Education Sports Science (PESS) /NIE been?

My two years of learning in PESS/NIE were an enlightening experience as I went through the different courses, learning interesting and valuable concepts to help me hone my abilities as a teacher. The highlight of the two years was working with a group of closely knitted classmates, learning and playing together. It was an eye-opening experience to tap into the different strengths of my classmates and learn the finer points of a myriad of sports from their competitive experience. I am thankful for the support system we have created to support one another throughout our teaching careers, and it is heartening to know that I can always turn to them for support.

The courses provided in NIE provided a world of insight into the pedagogical concepts in teaching. The course in particular that helped me most was the course titled Teaching and Managing Learners at the Primary Level, where we learnt various ways to structure our classrooms and how to connect with students at a deeper level to foster a stronger Teacher-Student Relationship. As the saying goes, "Students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Teaching effectively and managing our learners is indeed a combination of both art and science. This course has shed light on an area where we potentially may experience some challenges.

Before I began my TP2, I was concerned as I had heard about the immense workload and stress shared by my seniors. I felt overwhelmed by the uncertainty given the differing practices across the different schools and was unsure of what was required of me. As a class, we decided to share all our lesson plans to serve as guides that we could refer to whenever the need arises. This collaborative resource certainly helped alleviate some of the stress as I embarked on my TP, knowing that I have a wide variety of resources. 

My Cooperating Teachers were Mr Rolan Tambunan and Mr Su Haojing from Marsiling Primary school. From the minute I stepped in, I was carefully guided and supported by them through all the challenges I faced. Throughout the ten weeks, they have wholeheartedly shared many valuable advice on managing life better as a teacher. With their bountiful experience in teaching, they understood the challenges teachers faced and were more than willing to extend their helping hands to ensure that I started my career on the right foot. The most impactful piece of advice was that no matter the challenge or hardships, a teacher should stay true to their beliefs and always keep the child at the centre of what we do.  

In-Practicum

Describe your experience during Practicum. What were some of your key learnings, insights, and thoughts about the practicum experience?

My practicum experience was a relatively smooth sailing one compared to what some of my peers have shared. There were the usual ups and downs, but I am thankful to have overcome them through help from my Cooperating Teachers and NIE Supervisor. I would do my research to deepen my learning and contribute to my professional growth. 

A key learning point for me was the importance of reflection. Often, once a challenging lesson ends, I want to move on and look ahead. However, I have realised that by completing the post-lesson reflections, I can identify areas for improvement and what went well in my lessons. It also helps me revisit the lesson and analyse my student's overall performance to determine how I should proceed with my next lesson. This reflection cycle eases the load on lesson planning as new ideas often spark when I reflect. 

Being quite interested and invested in technology, I implemented some technologically infused lessons as a trial to identify what works for my students. I have discovered both the benefits and drawbacks of using technology in lessons through this. Technology creates a unique experience for the students who might not have been exposed to the use of technology in physical and sports participation. The ICT Tools engage them through the use of devices. With the rising trend of student device addiction, using technology in lessons also helps teach students the benefits of technology and how it makes learning fun. However, it is also important that this is coupled with clear instructions as it can be new to the students which will result in confusion if they are not guided in a structured and progressive manner. 

Lastly, during these ten weeks of my Practicum, I was exposed to the different roles and responsibilities of a teacher, which provided some insight into the job scope. I realise that a teacher has many roles outside our classroom teaching, e.g. Form-teachership, committee members, CCA teacher duties and various other duties such as canteen duties. While this might appear quite overwhelming as a new teacher, I figured that it is more of a rhythm I needed to get in tune with once I returned to school after my NIE training. With time and experience, I am confident that I will be able to navigate all of these demands quite easily. 

Post Practicum

Describe what aspect of the work you enjoy most about Practicum? What will you do differently? What are some of your struggles and challenges? How do you cope and overcome them? 

The most enjoyable part of the Practicum was seeing students who faced challenges with a skill finally able to perform it after tweaking and modifying the activity to better suit the learners' needs. Trying out many different variations of an activity, modifying the equipment, and changing the instructions, all pays off when you finally see the progress made by these students as they learn a new skill. I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with task variations and modifications on the fly and implementing them with minimal disruptions to the lesson. I have found that having the ability to exercise flexibility in my lesson enactment is necessary for skilful enactment.

Through observing and sharing with my peers, one practical piece of advice that helped me significantly is to list down students' preferred names and create a simple classroom seating arrangement printed and clipped onto the clipboard. One of my challenges is that I have difficulty remembering student names. The practice of creating and printing the seating arrangement has helped me to recall my student's name. This small action of calling them by their names in the first few lessons also provides the students with the feeling that the teacher is putting in the effort for them and will undoubtedly help boost the Teacher-Student Relationship positively. 

One thing I would do differently would be to take my mind off the workload and my eyes off my laptop more often during my time in the staff room to connect with my colleagues in the different departments. Teaching a class is very dynamic. When faced with challenging students, it would have been easier for me if I had approached their subject teachers to find out what the teachers do to overcome the challenges, which would have been more efficient than starting from scratch all the time.  

Conclusion

Summarise your overall experience in Practicum. Share your future aspirations? What do you look forward to next?

Overall, my Practicum was a fruitful experience as I gained valuable insight into life as a teacher. I have learned to translate many theories into practice, enabling me to be better prepared to face the future. Moving forward, my wish is to continue growing and learning as a teacher, improving myself and challenging myself to better the students' learning and development. As I step into the workforce, I am most looking forward to seeing one batch of students grow from Primary 1 till graduation in Primary 6. Seeing them grow into wonderful people and reach their potential will indeed be a heartwarming sight that I, unfortunately, have yet to experience. 

Note: 

Due to his outstanding performance at the Diploma in Education (PE) at NIE PESS, Mr Aloysius Tham is currently pursuing his degree, Bachelor of Science (Education) - Primary in NIE ESS. He can be contacted at aloytham1997@gmail.com.