Practicum Weeks 8 and 9

I have decided to combine the reflections for these 2 weeks into one post as my experiences during this time were very similar. Basically, practicum life in the aftermath of all the lesson observations returned to its simple routine of preparation for and delivery of lectures and tutorials, marking scripts, CCA observations, occasional consultations with students, and staff meetings. As I think I mentioned in my Week 6 reflection, it was actually quite good to settle down into a routine - while I tend to be the sort of person who values spontaneity and frequent change in my work, teaching by its very nature already involves much spontaneity and change, since every student and class has their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, and the material for each lesson changes from week to week. As such, having a basic timetable to follow was actually a good thing, since I was aware of the main tasks that had to be completed in the week as well as when they had to be completed by, and this gave me the freedom to decide when I wanted to do each task, yet kept me focused on finishing what I had to. I really am very comfortable with this sort of system, and am grateful to have a CT who is supportive and helpful yet refrains from micro-managing my tasks.

Of all the tasks that I had to carry out in these weeks, marking scripts was definitely the most challenging - my colleagues were amused to learn that Marcus and I took an average of 30 minutes to mark just one script, but also reassured us that the process would get better with time and increased familiarity with student work. We had a few meetings during these weeks to standardize our marking for the lecture test scripts (since there are 3 JC1 teachers including Marcus and I, and my CT was preparing to take over our work once we left the school) and these sessions increased my familiarity with the school's standards of assessment. In a sense, I felt like it was meant to be a test of how much my personal standards were in sync with the established standards, and after some practice, I was quite happy to have reached the point whereby my CT and I were  in agreement about the ballpark grade for each script. This tedious process of marking also helped me to understand why my CT and the other teachers were generally reluctant to mark other student work beyond their tests and assignments - marking really is quite time-consuming, and given their other responsibilities of CCA, Project Work, other committees, or being the civics tutor of a class, it would definitely be difficult to manage. While I do not anticipate taking on the full load of these responsibilities when I return as a Beginning Teacher, I think I will need to decide whether I can continue with my current practices, which include setting the students small in-class assignments and doing occasional "spot-checks" of their essay outlines (i.e. their tutorial preparation) that I take back to mark and review. Much as I feel that regular feedback and assessment is crucial for student learning, it unfortunately seems like this formative aspect would have to be compromised once the full spread of my responsibilities as a teacher begins.

Another thing that I participated in this week was my observation of my CCA (the Drama Club) carry out some filming work as part of their preparation for an upcoming production, due to be performed at the end of Term 2. The filming was conducted by the CCA teacher-in-charge at his own house, and I was impressed by his passion for the project and willingness to go this extra mile to make it a success. I was also surprised by the maturity and commitment of the students - despite this filming process being time-consuming (and especially given that it was taking place at a time where I'd expect many of them to have to grapple with assignments and lecture tests), they were willing to put in their full effort and never complained when things went slowly or technical issues cropped up and interfered with the process. I realised during this time of observation that JC teaching is really about preparing the students for life beyond the classroom, and that skills such as teamwork, discipline, and responsibility are often cultivated best during such extra-curricular projects.

Mr Bell and a member of the crew work together on filming a scene.