Dialectical Journal for ED 335 Teaching Practicum
Date : 1 February 2017
Observations/ Account
(What Happened?)
My cooperating teacher could not give any of
his class sessions today because the students
had to practice for assembly and go swimming
during his UOI class period. However, on the
next day, I will teach the two lessons I
originally had planned for this day and the next
day in one combined lesson for a longer
period.
Though I have observed students swimming
for two days, I did not understand why some
teachers in the sixth grade should go to the
swimming pool. I realized that if teachers are
not going to supervise, the students might go
wild. Students may play too much and they
may even fight. Students also may not return to
the class as soon as they finish their swimming
assessment. Moreover, teachers in the sixth
grade helped the teachers who teach swimming
to control the students.
In the afternoon, I joined a Professional
Development meeting in the staff room. This
time, three teachers who had attended a
conference in China about play-based learning
led the meeting. The leading teachers had us
think in groups the similarities and differences
between inquiry and play. They define fun, it is a challenge for teachers to make
playing as doing whatever we enjoy.
SPH sends some teachers three or four times a
year to attend education conferences. After
those teachers return, they will share to all
teachers in SPH what they have learned in the
conference. Professional Development shows
that SPH cares about promoting the quality of
their teachers.
Name : Jeremia Alexander
Reflections & Critical Response
(What do I think of it? What went well? What could be
improved? How? What will I do differently? How
does this connect to the theory I have read from
class?)
I will have to teach two lessons in one extended
period because my cooperating teacher also
needs his UOI sessions since the six-grade
students have to finish their action plan project
as the unit ends by the end of the next week.
There was no lesson to deliver, but today I
learned more about the roles and activities of
the teacher in SPH. I did not understand why
some teachers would accompany students to
the swimming pool because when I was in
school, my teachers seemed not to care about
us. I had to be in the swimming pool on my
own, without my teachers from the class. I was
expected to be responsible for myself. But here
in SPH, the teachers actually help students
understand their responsibility by showing
loving care.
I understand inquiry as intentional learning
or learning for the sake of learning. I learned
that inquiry and play have a lot of
similarities. This meeting reminds me of
Essentials of Instruction class about fun
learning. Though learning cannot always be
learning interesting because students will learn
more when they enjoy what they are doing.
This professional development meeting
reminds me of Educational Psychology class
where I learned some ways to promote the
quality of teachers. Having teachers attend
international conferences about education is
one of the effective ways.