TEACHING PRACTISE
The disparity between classroom culture, setup, and atmosphere in the SD Lab School is far unrecognisable in comparison to what is familiar in the Philippine school setting. For context, classes in the school last for an hour each, and teachers contrary to Philippine school norms are non-disciplinarian by nature, hence cases of rowdy students in the middle of the class is normal.
Procedural teaching, though still observing what has been taught throughout my formative years as a Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) student, integrates adapted techniques and methods from teachers observed in the SD Lab School. Classes usually begin with a recall of familiar concepts that have appeared in previous lessons covered (in Math)—usually lasting for five minutes. And in other cases, picture prompt activities commence the class (in English). Then a 35-minute discussion proper is delivered. After the lesson proper, the remaining 20 minutes are spent individually assessing each learner if they are able to catch up with the lesson as delivered.
Classroom management practises implemented during the entirety of the exchange programme was akin to that of which is considered the “norm” in the Philippine setting, but with a more personal touch. When the class’s noise overwhelms my voice during class, I would hold a finger up to my mouth as the established signal for the learners to quiet down or completely remain silent. When said method does not work, I would clap my hands three times and call out “children” to signal the class into listening. In other cases of management such as when a learner expresses lag in the discussion, I discreetly approach the learner and ask a few questions to gain full context about their situation. And when it comes to delivering instruction for activities, I request reinforcement from the teacher present for translations as to effectively get my instructions across to the learners clearly.
Problem-solving whilst in the practicum school was heavily integrated in the classroom management itself. The primary challenges experienced in the SD Lab School were language barrier and the non-disciplinarian orientation the learners are familiar with. Hence, problem-solving came smooth through the aforementioned methods explained in conjunction with classroom management.