Killing Two Birds With One Stone

Well, it seems like this is the last entry for my blog. This will be the reflection of my own true feelings towards posting blogs. Well, at first, I really thought writing blogs is a burden to me to me because I hardly blog and never have had a blog spot. I have a secret to share with the reading of this blog. Well, it is quite embarrassing to share actually but since this is the last entry of my blog for EDU 3217, there shouldn’t be any harm sharing this secret. When Dr. Edwin first started to ask use to create a blog spot, I was so eager to sign up, and guess what, instead of typing www.blogger.com, I actually typed www.bloggers.com. I actually signed up for that website and I had a hard time wondering why I couldn’t change settings or even post a blog. I looked at my roommate’s blog spot and I was shocked!!! I actually felt so silly, like what Dr. Edwin always calls us, “dummies”. I really felt like a dummy, a real dummy. Anyway, I managed to sign up to www.blogger.com.

At first, I felt burden about writing blogs. But as time went by, I started enjoying blogging. Before that, it took me one a month to actually manage to post 2 blogs, and as time passed, I started to get active in posting blogs. How do blogs contribute to reflection on this study? Well, I actually felt more freedom writing blogs because writing blogs aren’t the same as writing an academic essay. Blogs are personal and we can write whatever we wanted to. And I realize that posting blogs is better than posting forums because blogs can be edited if we find grammar mistakes or etc. Forum seems dull and uninteresting. I really enjoy blogging now. I am actually thinking about creating a new blog spot for my personal blogs, but still in the process of deciding because I will not be able to online back at home. Well, this issue can be discussed some other time.

Besides, blogging has actually contributes a lot to my learning for this course, EDU 3217. How do blogs contribute to my learning? This is a good question. The true is, I am not a very hardworking person, meaning that I hardly do research for information. So, when Dr. Edwin gave this blogging assignment to do, I was actually forced to do research and read a lot. For example, Teiresias, I have to actually go online and read and blog about it. Isn’t that amazing? I am actually doing assignment and also doing revision for final exams at the same time when I blog. Dr. Edwin is a very dedicated and creative lecturer. If you ask me again, “Is blogging a waste of time?”. My answer will be, “No!”. I am actually killing two birds with one stone; doing assignment (blogs) and doing revision at the same time. I really think that posting blogs has contributes to my reflection on this study and help in my learning for this course EDU 3217, “Teaching The Language Of Drama”.

Ahem...Good Morning Class!

This semester is quite heavy for me because I had to actually carry out three micro-teaching/ simulated teaching. First, I presented a micro-teaching for EDU 3204 Teaching of Reading Skill. It was not a successful one and I realized much weaknesses and little strong points. Then, I presented for EDU 3208, Teaching of Literature in ESL, which I think was a quite successful presentation. The similarity about these two courses is that they both require us to write a lesson plan before we carry out our micro-teaching, which I think is dull and hard.

And then, it reached the time for me to carry out my simulated teaching for EDU 3217, Teaching The Language of Drama. This course did not require us to write a lesson plan so we can actually change our lesson easily without headaches. But, we were expected to fill in peer evaluation forms which everyone thought was a something not fun. It is not easy to evaluate on your friends, but the experience of evaluating is unspeakable. When you are evaluating on your friends, you are actually identifying their strong and weak points; and then from that, you can reflect it on yourself regardless whether you have presented or not. If you have not presented, you can make adjustment and changes to your simulated teaching to make it better. That was what I did!

Carrying out a simulated teaching is something that should be done often. I do not mean that it is something fun or something enjoyable, and I do not mean that it is something not fun and not enjoyable. Confusing? You should. Well, the real reason is that, simulated teaching provides us with the appropriate practice and experience so that when we finally go out to teach, we will be more prepared and more presentable. Am I right? I am sure I am right.

I really hope there will be more simulated teaching in the future although it requires hard work. What I see is that, practice makes perfect. I rather I suffer now, rather than have to suffer when going out for practical and posting. I cannot imagine myself losing sense of direction during practical. That is why I hope that there will be more simulated teaching or micro-teaching in the future before my practical actually started.

Simulated teaching really gives me a lot of experience and practice. I hope my stage fright and nervousness will slowly diminish through drillings and practices. I cannot wait till the day I am free from nervousness and stage fright during teaching. I am waiting for that day to come. =)

The PLG, Then The Madman's Diary

Watching a theater should be something interesting to try. When I started our lesson with Dr. Edwin for the course, EDU 3217: “Teaching the Language of Drama”, Dr. Edwin actually asked who have watched a theater before and guess what, less than 5 people actually raised up their hands. It had never crossed my mind to actually make an effort to go and watch a live theater. I did watch my seniors performing their theaters and Dr. Edwin actually commented that those were not considered as theaters at all. This had made me wanted to watch a real theater. Thanks to Ziham Fatimah that some of us managed to actually watch the theater, “Puteri Gunung Ledang” at Istana Budaya.

We managed to get cheap tickets, only for RM 24. I think the ticket was reasonable and worth it. Although it was a Malay language theater, I think that it actually brought the same effects. We were seated on the top floor where we could hardly see the stage at all. But, the theater was amazing! I love it. They spoke so well and sang so beautifully. Only then I realized what the meaning of being a professional is. But, it was a pity that just a few of us went, not the whole class. The experience and pleasure of being able to watch the theater, “Puteri Gunung Ledang” made me wanting to go for more theaters. Maybe at KL Pac. That would be nice.

Then, Dr. Edwin actually informed us that we were supposed to blog on our experience of watching a theater. But, we did not manage to watch a real English theater, because of my own mistakes and own faults. I did not put in efforts to go online and google information of interesting and possible English theater that we could watch. Maybe I should blame myself for my own laziness. Luckily, recently, my course mate, Samantha Yong found a theater entitled, “A madman’s Diary”, which will be on show from 6th April till 9th April 2009 at KL Pac for only RM15. We managed but to buy ticket for the whole class. Thanks to our group leader, Farah, that we were able to get to watch a theater as a class activity. Thank you, Farah!

Although it was a little too late to watch the theater as we have to hand in our blogs assignment before our final exam which is on the 6th of April, I am still looking forward to watching the theater. I hope we will be able to book UPM bus to KL Pac. I am already very eager to go and watch the theater. I cannot stop thinking about it. I wonder if my other classmates think the same too.

Too Fast Too Furious!!!

It was such a rush presenting our pre and while reading activities for our simulated teaching today. But, thankfully it is finally over. I actually thought that I would only be able to present my simulated teaching for pre and while reading activities next week, but it turned out that Mr. Harold wanted to rush everything through. I was lucky that I had prepared my worksheet and activities earlier. Therefore, I did not rush anything that night before my presentation.

But, it turned out to be an oxymoron. We had to actually rush my simulated teaching through. It was like "Whaow"...So rushing. I could still remember Yvonne's reaction when she was presenting her simulated teaching. Mr. Harold said, "Ok, conclude your lesson." Yvonne actually said, "Huh? So fast conclude?". She looked so blur and confused. I couldn't help but kept laughing, looking at her innocent face. Haha. Then, I told myself, "You are dead Hui Nee, you have group work and a lot of worksheet. How can you make your lesson short?". I was totally lost. And guess what, I really fast forwarded my activities because I could see my friends getting frustrated and busy with the evalution forms. I did not follow what was written in my teaching procedures, But I guess, it is alright because I managed to convey my message to the class and managed to inform the class about the main them in the plat, "Selfish Mr. Pederson". As long as the message is conveyed and the students understand what is being thought, everything will be just fine. Think positive!

To make things worse, we actually had to rush through filling peer evaluation forms. I felt like I was almost going mad; right hand aching, right wrist aching and neck aching terribly. Before I could even finished evaluate on one, another was up to present. I was like, "I am giving up!!!!". But did I? Of course not!! I couldn't because I would fail my friends if I do that. Evaluating peers' simulated teaching isn't and easy task. It requires full attention, observations, and PATIENCE!!!, which I do not really possess. ;P But, no matter what, I managed to finished up with the peer evaluation forms. It was actually kind of fun to see everyone acting crazily because of trying to finish up the peer evaluation forms for each other.

Carrying out Simulated teaching for pre and while reading are actually something fun and enjoyable. I enjoyed watching my friends carrying out their activities. And when I reflected back on my simulated teaching I could not help but laughing at myself. This is for the first time that I did not feel stressed or pressured for presenting lousily and rushing through the whole lesson. Maybe this is a good sign for me, because simulated teaching is meant to be a practice for becoming a more creative and more experience teacher, not a stressful teacher. Don't you agree?