In Progress Report 4 you need to reflect on your experiences in one of the sessions within the framework of your work in the NGO (non-governmental organization) that you have attended. Please refer to the following points in your reflections:
1. What was your responsibility in the session? What did you do in the sesssion?
2. Do you think at the end of the session you achieved the goal that you at the beginning in the end?
3. Did anybody help you during the session? If so, who was he/she? How did he/she help you?
4. How was your relationship with the manager that you were responsible for?
5. What kinds of challenges and difficulties did you face? How did you cope with them?
6. What did you learn in the session that you have conducted? Please describe the new understandings and insights that you have developed in the session?
7. In what ways do you think the session that you have conducted has contributed to you? What kinds of skills and attitudes do you think you have developed by performing the session that you have conducted?
8. In what ways do you think the session that you performed were useful to the people that you were responsible for and to the non-governmental organization that you worked with?
9. What are the things that you liked and disliked in this session?
10. What are the things that you found yourself most relaxed in the session?
11. What are the things that you found yourself most challenged in the session?
12. If you did the session again, what would you like to change?
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As I said before, we had realized that our students in Altındağ had some difficulties such as nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, etc. In our visit this week, we decided to go over nouns. In the previous week, we had taught adverbs. However, this was a good experience for us to see that there are some points in teaching which a teacher needs to consider. That is the topics should be taught in a particular sequence, from basic to the more detailed or from the simple to the complex. We had tried to teach adverbs in the previous week, since the students wanted this. But we realized that without teaching nouns, we cannot teach adverbs perfectly. That was because, we needed to refer to nouns while teaching adverbs. I learned this by experience, and I will consider the importance of sequence as a teacher in my further teachings.
ReplyDeleteThere were also other things which I learned about teaching. In our lessons we had very limited number of students, no more than ten or even less. Yet, we had enough to provide us a classroom atmosphere and the necessary points to consider as a teacher. For example, the teacher should give all the students a chance to answer. In our courses, especially some students were interested to speak or answer the questions, while some others remained silent. The silents ones sometimes did not seem to be listening. Therefore, as the teacher, I thought I had to do something for this. Sometimes I directed the questions to the silent students so that everyone has a chance to answer. I realized that most of the time, they don’t raise hands not because that they can’t answer, but because they do not have enough confidence. I helped them and encouraged them to answer and they were more relaxed to speak. Another thing which I experienced was that the students always needed examples. They did not understand from the definitions but from the examples we supplied. Therefore, I realized that giving clear, concrete, and real-life examples is very important.
In my expectation rapor ı said that the first lesson will be exciting and difficult for me.But it wasn’t like that.I was very relax and ready. Of course ı was a bit excited but being together with Baygeldi and Sulgun gave me confidence.Firstly we introduced ourselves one by one and then the students ıntroduced themselves.We spent the fırst fifteen minutes for conversation.Because ı think relationship is necessarry. We tried maket hem to love us and the lesson. Because their english was vey bad and it would be difficult for them to learn it.So, we talked about the advantages of english and the opportunity that they caught.Then we start to teach the simple sentences and expressions that are used often in english.We teach them( How are you - how old are-what is your name-stand up- sit down-what is it- my name is …-my surname is…What is the date today.It is the first of April... and we teached some words including class like door, window, book, pen, pencil, lamp, blackboard, bookshelf and etc…) Teaching these words or sentences did nnot take much time but we did much practice with students one by one.I really liked the first lesson.We had a good relationship with children.From the first lesson they liked us.We also liked them because they are not spoilt.They listen carefully to the lesson and it gives us inclination to teach.( The name our students-Melike-Medine-Hazal-Nihat-Yagmur-Ozge-Dilara)
ReplyDeleteThe second week it was much more easy because we gained a bit experience and we were able to explain easily. Firstly, we reviewed what we learned last week.it took twenty minutes.Students came to the blackboard and we asked questions and they wrote on blackboard.At first look it seems very easy it was difficult for them to write.Because they just wrote what they heard, they knew what does it means but don’t know hot it is written.Therefore, we practiced for a fifteen minutes over it.Then we taught the colours, to count up to twenty, some sentences like ( give it to me, open the window, close the door, )After teaching we did some practice.And we played some games including what they learned.Also, we helped them in their homeworks.At the end of lesson we give to the students homework and when then come back next week we check them and if there is a problem we teach it again until everyone learns.If there is no problem we start to the new subject.And our weeks continue like that.Actually out teaching method are diffrent compared to Baygeldi and Sulgun.Each of us try to teach in different way.-And by this way we also take the advantage of eachother.
ReplyDeleteThis is the third week and as usual we checked the homeworks and reviewed what we learned last week.This week two person were absent( Ozge and Yagmur).They were ill and couldn’t come.In this week we couldn’t teach much because student came late and they did not studied their homeworks.For examples, much of them still did not know how to count.Therefore, we taught it again and as ı saıd above because they came late we did not have much time but nevertheless, we teach some new words and sentences (eraser-repeat after me- to listen-to go- to come-to put- to bring-to ask- to answer-What is your favorute day.)And at the end Baygeldı taught seasons( summer, winter, autumn,spring) and then showed them over the pictures.Therefore, students keep in their mind easily.And also there is Nihat who is lazy. He does not study and really take much of our time. We spend much time on him. Sulgun is good at making students to concentrate to lesson. For example, she gave chocolate to the students the second week and they liked this.At eleven oclock student went their school for the next week they will have quiz. So, we warned them to study seriously to the quiz.
ReplyDeleteToday is our fourth week and the students had a quiz.It was not so difficult.It was over the 60.Melike got the highest grade. She got 59.Because the others couldn’t get good grade ve decided to go over the quiz. Quiz shortly was like that:There were some words( In left side their english and in right side their turkish meanig.) and they were going to match them with a correct meaning.We gave some sentences and expressions and they were going to translate them to turkish.The third question was test.We mixtured the order of alphapet and they were going to find the correct order.And in the last question had to write from one to twenty.Everyone had a mistake in the last question.They know to count up to twenty but don’t know how it is written.Therefore, after quiz we went over it.It was Baygeldi’s task.He explained everything.Quiz took 30 minutes. Then we passed to the new subject.We explained some sentences as usual (Good morning,good afternoon,good evening,good bye, see you,I have a book, do you like it, ı am ten years old and so on.) but our main subject was about vocabulary. We taught some words( glass, teacher, student, school, key,desk, chair, table,wall and water).Then Sulgun used them in simple sentences. And we gave homework.They were supposed to use them ın a sentence. And next week we are going to explain Present Simple
ReplyDeleteIn our fifth week we taught present simple and and present .Before explainig we taught some word. Because children had a vocablary problem.For example they did not know what is the Present simple.They have just heard.It was my task.I especially taught the word including our new subjects.I have taught these words: present contınuous, present simple, verb, naun, sentence, word, subject, object. Actually our purpose were not to taught vocabulary.We had just taught to understand new subjects easily.Then Baygeldi started to explain.First we began from Present simple.He gave many examples some of which are- I go to school every day / I go to the cinema every week / I usually go to work by car / Ann speaks English very well and etc.Then Sulgun taught the negative and question form.She also gave some examples after explainig. We used the same sentences for understanding easily.(Do ı go to school every day / Do I go to the cinema every week / Do I go to work by car / Does Ann speak English very well).Then we dıd some exercises on the board. Children came to the board and wrote some sentences and we correct their mistakes.Of course while doing exercises or explaining the subject we taught the unknown words too.Sometimes we explain anctodes for fun when they got bored,or they explained.At the end of lesson we a gave homework.Children were supposed to write three sentences in all form.The next week we will teach Present continuos
ReplyDeleteThe sixth week we taught Present continuos.But first we revised our past subject.The first 30 minutes we seperate for Present Simple.First we checked the homework. Some of the children had mistakes so, we went over the mistakes.It was Baygeldi’s task.Then ı began to explain Present contınuos.Having taught in . Then ı wrote some sentences ( I amTurkish it was not so difficult for me doing my homework now / I am seeing you / We are teaching English to you right now / We are listening to the teacher and etc.After explaining I made them to write the same sentences by theirselves on the board.Then Sulgun taught the other forms of the subject that is the negative and question form.( I am not doing my homework now-Am ı doing my homework now? / I am not seeing you- Am ı seeing you? / We are not listening to the teacher-Are we listening to the teacher?) Then we played a game including our the last subjects.We mixtured the sentences and children were supposed to guess the correct form.In this game Melike was the first and Sulgun gave to her a chocolate.Sometimes doing such a activity ı think is necessary.Because it enables children to love the lesson. At the end Baygeldi did a general revise.Then we gave homework as usual.They were going to write ten sentencesın both subject.Actually we did not plan the next subject so we did not tell children what is our next week subject
ReplyDeleteAnd this is our the last week. Actually we were indecisive about the subject.Firstly we could not make our mind what to teach.Then we decided to explain the difference between ‘Some’ and ‘Any’. We explained the difference like that.In general we use some (also somebody/someone/something) in pozitive sentences and any(also anybody etc.) in negative sentences.And we gave some examples: Some-We bought some flowers / He’s busy.He’s got some work to do. / There is somebody at the door. / I am hungry. I want something to eat. Any-We did not buy any flowers. / He is lazy. He never does any work. / There is not anybody at the door. / I am not hungry. I do not want anything to eat.Also we saıd that in most questions we use any: Have you got any luggage? – ‘No I haven’t ’ Has abybody seen my bag? – ‘Yes it is under the table.’ Actually we did not explain all the differences.Because they would confused.By the way, while explaining we taught unknown words as well.It was my task. Then Sulgun asked some questions to the children one by one.Toward to end of the lesson Baygeldi did general revise that we have learned so far.Generally, there were not so serious problem. Because it was our the last lesson we explained the importance of English.And we gave our phone numbers and msn adresses.We had really good relationship with children.And ı thanks all those who arranged this organization especially to our teacher
ReplyDeleteIn one of the sessions, I was teaching particles and conjunctions. The topic was a complex one, and the same things are repeated over and over again with the different conjunctions and particles. Therefore, the students got bored throughout the session. And they began to talk to each other. I asked them to be quiet, but they kept on talking. I tried to express with my intonation and my behavior, they calmed down for a little while but then they began to write notes and exchange them with each other, which is distracting both for me and the students. Then, I tried using observation and asked questions about the lesson. Students became a little bit more quiet, but nevertheless I couldn't completely draw their attention to the lesson again.
ReplyDeleteAfter this experience, I understood that classroom management is a very important part of the teaching learning process. Without being concentrated, the students cannot focus on the lesson. Therefore, we should keep them focused with a variety of activities. I could have used a different type of activity, a game or a joke, for example, to draw their attention back to the lesson, which was not so possible in such a limited time. Because I was helping them to prepare for the exam SBS at the end of the term. I hope I was useful for them. I tried to engage all topics in Turkish grammar as much as I could. I used tests almost for all topics.
Apart from that, we had good relationships with the manager. He always helped us and tried to respond to our needs and requests. He was kind to us all the time, for which I was really appreciated.
My responsibility in the session was to teach Turkish to 4th and 5th grade children. I aimed to make repetition of the subjects that the students would like, to make them aware of the beauty of the Turkish language, and to try to teach them good manners. I believe I achieved my goals to some extent, as much as I could. This also depends on the children’s motivation. Some of them were reluctant at times. I did all the sessions myself, like a real teacher. The manager was a very nice lady, who tried to help me in many aspects. I also was respectful towards her. We didn’t have any problems, fortunately. Commuting was a challenge for me, firstly. I went there by bus and it took almost 2 hours for going and 2 hours for coming. I spent my time on the way more than I did there with children. I could go with dolmuş, as well, but it would be much more challenging for me in material terms. Second hardship was managing the students; they were too noisy to go on with the lesson at times. I tried some ways such as talking to the misbehaving students in private, taking them outside or stopping the lesson. These didn’t solve the problem, however. I think I need to work on my voice and my classroom management style. I learned a lot of things from the students: First of all, they have different levels of proficiency; some of them understand the subject and answer my questions rapidly while some are slow at even reading and writing. And, they want to be respected and understood, they can’t tolerate someone not listening to them while they are speaking, they also want me to meet their intellectual needs, give right feedback, and inform them about their progress. Lastly, they are very good at adjusting their behavior according to the teacher, when they see me not caring about noise, they start making noise at once, for example. The session I carried out contributed to me in that I gained more confidence in teaching and I have been able to see my missing parts. The children said they liked me and would like to see next year, as well, which made me feel very happy. Some of them thought that their Turkish needed no improvement, but they showed progress, even a little. One student liked to read poems and was good at it, she improved herself in our poem reading and writing own poems parts. The non-governmental organization was also pleased with me, as a student from METU. I actually didn’t like the political aspect of the organization, and liked the friendly manner of some teachers there. The things I found myself most relaxed in the session were that the class was almost mine and that I freely planned what I was going to cover according to the students’ preferences. The things I found myself most challenged were managing the classroom when they were very noisy and adjusting the level of the materials that I was to use with them. I would make a test to measure their proficiency and simplify the material for their better understanding if I were to do the session again. I also would state my rules from the very beginning in a direct and authoritative manner so that they would have a clear idea of how to behave in the sessions.
ReplyDeleteEverything was okey up to this week. There was no problem with class management or my relations with students. But today tension was high in the class and 4-5 of my students were against Şevval. They always insulted and looked down on her. I didn’t know why. When I asked the reason behind it they said that they don’t like Şevval because she screams when noise raises in the class, sets nicknames to the others, swear when she gets angry. I told them that she screams because she wants class to be silent during lesson and I added that I can’t do anything until I hear something bad from her. Then they thought that I took Şevval’s side but that was not the case. I talked to Şevval during the break time and said that I don’t want her to do or say anything bad and just to wait my warning, not to scream, in the class when others begin speaking. She said okey and promised not to do anything bad. Next lesson the girls agains Şevval were active again. They disturbed her. When I asked why did they do it, they said Şevval set nicknames and she swore at them. I asked Şevval if it was true or not, firstly she said that it was lie but when I insisted she confessed that she did what they said. I warned Şevval not to do it again because she had promised and I said that I would dismiss her from the class if she goes on like that. Nobody spoke that lesson but during the break time the girls against Şevval came up to me saying that she continues her annoying behaviours. I went to talk to Şevval and said her to go gome. After the break I made a speech to the class about Şevval and the other girls. They talked about their opinions. Then I began teaching colours. Firstly I wrote the basic colours with their Turkish translations and showed them the colours with the clothes on them and me. We made some exercise and then I began teaching clothes. Firstly I draw the clothes as good as I could, then write their names next to them. I thought pronunciation is important so we made repeat after me exercise. After that I wanted my students to describe their clothes with their colours like:
ReplyDeleteMy jeans is blue.
Her t-shirt is green.
His shirt is black.
Our skirts are pink.
After this exercises I made a quiz that to cover and remember the things we had studied. At the end of the quiz I gave a chocolate to the one who got the highest mark. It was a tiring, difficult and bad day. I learned that managing 4th and 5th grades is really hard. It was a really important experience for me. I learnt a lot from this lesson.
My relationship with the manager was quite well, she behaved motherly. I think all the things that I did for Anaçev were useful because students were from low class families. I think that they shouldn’t feel neglected or ignored so I tried my best to show affection and love. I behaved as well as I could. I tried to be patient and never shouted at them or tried to break their heart.
I disliked Şevval’s and some other students’ behaviours but they were considerate when I gave the speech. The most challenging lesson was this session for me. That’s all I can say for now.
During the next weeks, I asked my students if they would like to solve puzzles like simple crossword puzzles or word search puzzle, and they got excited about solving a puzzle more than I imagined. one of them told me that she always wanted to understand the logic behind these kinds of puzzles and solve them. an we also went on reading different kinds of texts that I found from the internet and stories that are in the library of the Eğitim Evi, they continued to write the poıems, or later the stories that I read them aloud.
ReplyDeletewhat I can say about my community service experience, it was a total success for me and, I believe (and my students confirmed that), also for my students. Now, I feel more mature, experienced both as a person and a future teacher, and I think that I can understand how important education is, better. because I used to see education as a must and natural before my community service experience as if it is not a gift, but now, I understand that it is actually a gift. we all saw people who are hungry for any kind of information they can get, but they do not have the opportunities we have, therefore I think we all have to know how lucky we are. and after learning that I think if I can have enough time next year, I will go on teaching or working with ANAÇEV, because it was both fun and experience for me.