Reflection on BDS (MOE) Teaching Internship Week 1

(27 June 2022 -1 July 2022)

What I observed during Mr. Joshua’s PE class with 3C which one of the girls hyperventilating after training for the NAPFA test, I walked up to her as I notice something was wrong. Immediately, Mr. Joshua also noticed, he did not panic and was very calm and assisted the student, he asked how is the student feeling and then instructed her to follow his breathing techniques to breathe in and out to regulate her breathing so that her heart rate will slow down which after 5 to 8 times of doing the breathing exercise, she felt better and stop hyperventilating. I was worried for her as I seldom see anyone hyperventilating which I only came across three times in my life, they also did breathing exercises but use a plastic bag to breathe into it and it helped also. Everything turned out well, which was a relief. I think that Mr. Joshua is very well prepared for this kind of situation, and handled it in a calm manner which is very impressive. If I were in his position and experienced this incident, I might not react as quickly as he did and still be calm, but seeing him helping the student, and aided me in my knowledge in this field if I face any similar situation. I think I would be able to handle it as well. As these are also life-saving skills that a PE teacher should acquire.

We ended the first day with e-assembly. I have noticed that the school recognises students’ efforts in both academics and character in a way that they give out prizes/awards to those students who excel in these areas which they call “Honours Day”. What makes it different from my time in secondary school was, that they are also very focused on developing one’s character and recognises the actions that students did which are also one of the traits of Bedok South Students, caring. What I remembered in my own experiences was, that my school gives out only academic awards each term but not character awards. Hence, this shows a difference in the different school systems and how they wish their students would turn out to be fine ladies and men. This is something that all schools should implement into their student development.

The way that different class was handled, is due to the traits and characteristics of the class and made adjustments to it. So that it will suit individual classes better, in their learning process and experience. During 3E class, students were very active individuals, they are more eager in playing the sports activities than to practice for the NAPFA test, hence naturally they gave a lower engagement and shorter attention span to the teacher. The first thing that Mr. Joshua did was to set ground rules for the class, which is to listen to the speaker when they are giving instructions and give them respect by listening and not talking. It is harder for Mr. Joshua to handle this class compared to the other classes he had with 3C,3G, or 4A on Monday this week. In order to gain their attention, Mr. Joshua has to raise his voice and get their attention, and restated the ground rules. This is one of the ways to get their attention and to show your authority as a teacher that you have a certain power, yet might not be the best way to do it. If I were in his position, instead of raising my voice I would actually stop my speech and just stare at the bunch of students who are not giving me the attention. And wait till they realised that the atmosphere was not right, which naturally they will quiet down and I would give some hand signals to them to gather/sit down. I would as well as restate the ground rules, “If one person is talking, what we can do is listen, and the faster we get it done with the first part of the class, the more time we can have to have some free play towards the end. The more chit-chatting that you guys have internally within yourselves and not listening to my instructions, the more time I will spend on making sure that you all got the instructions. Let us all cooperate with each other, the more efficient we can do things, the more we all can enjoy it together. Don’t you guys agree with me?” they will give some replies, and then I will say, ”Did I make myself clear on this?” Then move on. I felt that it will be a better way to handle it rather than raising their voice as students sometimes tend to be even more disrespectful towards the teacher as they think that they are at the higher end just because they made the teacher irritated. So in order to communicate effectively with the students, we need to use a different approach as they are turning into young adults in years to come, and they have the understanding they need to actually listen to us.

It was a small class for art 3A/B, Ms. Sheena conducted an activity in the art room that consist of sharing one photo that represents the student themselves well and then explaining why the teachers have to share as well. What I observed was the students were able to interpret well why they think that the image represents them, and not just choose it because they like it. They are able to use that item to symbolise them, which this activity that Ms. Sheena did with them helped the teachers to know the level of their thinking is at hence better altering the art class lesson plan for the students. I felt that the students were learning in advance in the art field knowledge where they are exposed to a variety of art, experimenting with different mediums, and knowledge of artists as weak as works. They also had class activities that allows them to be innovative and creative in using the material to produce a sketch.

During the art class, the students have to share their watercolour paintings that they are required to do during the school holiday break. From what I know, the students were exposed to acyclic, oil paintings, drawing, and hence this holiday they started on a different medium. Ms. Sheena wants them to be good in various mediums hence they could be prepared better for their O levels which are in 1 year's time. Ms. Sheena emphasised the importance of practicing their skills, as it makes them better over time. The students did food paintings over their holidays, which after they brought them back to class and have a discussion around the table. This discussion that is conducted in the class helped the students to learn from each other, what they did well and how can they be even better, and this also allows the teacher to know the progress of their students. Also allows the students to know more about the “thinking process” behind the work that they produced.

I think the school provided an excellent environment for the students to grow in this art field, which is different from what I have experienced in Secondary. Ms. Sheena is well versed in all areas of art hence the students have an advantage in learning from her which they will greatly benefit from her. Ms. Sheena also promoted class peer learning, which allows the students to learn from each other in class while they are required to share their research on the topic and then share it with their classmates, this will optimise their learning to the fullest within a short time. I have learned that it is important for teachers to be well prepared in their field and regularly stay updated in the industry hence helping the students better in excelling.