TEACHING PRACTICE

 

In photo: Me and all of the panelists after My Final Demo Teaching

1.1 Procedures of Teaching

It was a valuable opportunity for me to conduct teaching practice abroad. I felt excited and slightly nervous. I taught Grade 9 students based on the lesson plan that I prepared. The teaching procedure consisted of three main parts: opening, core activities, and closing.

In the opening session, I greeted the students in English and introduced simple greetings as part of cultural sharing from Indonesia. Before starting the lesson, I invited the students to pray together as a form of gratitude. To stimulate students’ curiosity, I used a simple guess-the-picture game related to the lesson topic. The students showed enthusiasm and actively participated.

In the core activities, I asked students questions related to their daily needs and wants and wrote their answers on the board. I explained the topic using PowerPoint slides and asked open-ended questions connected to real-life situations. I also provided examples from Indonesian culture to help students understand that needs and wants is influenced by social and cultural factors. To strengthen understanding, students watched a short video and worked with partners chosen randomly.

In the closing session, I asked students to submit their tasks and invited them to share what they learned. The lesson ended with a closing prayer and greetings.

1.2 Time Management and Organizing Activities

I taught one lesson period for each class. To ensure that the lesson ran effectively, I managed the time by dividing the teaching activities into opening, core activities, assessment, and closing, based on the lesson plan that I prepared.

The opening session lasted approximately 10 minutes. During this time, I invited students to pray before starting the lesson, checked student attendance, provided short motivation, and informed students about the learning topic and learning objectives for the day. This opening activity helped prepare students mentally and created a positive learning atmosphere.

The core activities were conducted for about 35 minutes. In this session, I explained the material on Needs and Wants using PowerPoint slides. During the explanation, I shared simple examples and fun facts related to students’ daily lives and asked stimulus questions to encourage active participation. When students raised their hands to answer questions, I approached them to build confidence. I also encouraged passive students to participate and walked around the classroom while explaining to ensure students stayed focused and engaged.

The assessment session took around 10 minutes. In this activity, students worked with partners that I selected randomly. This activity aimed to check students’ understanding of the topic while also encouraging cooperation and social interaction among students.

The closing session lasted about 5 minutes. In this part, I invited students to share conclusions from the lesson and provided validation of their answers. The lesson was then closed with greetings.

1.3 Classroom Management

Classroom management was achieved by creating a positive and friendly learning atmosphere. I entered the class with enthusiasm and a smile to build positive energy. I encouraged students to be confident in answering questions and assured them that making mistakes is part of learning.

I used interactive activities such as games and questioning techniques to maintain students’ attention. By moving around the classroom and directly engaging with students, I was able to keep the class focused and active.

1.4 Problem-Solving While Teaching and Staying in the Designated School

During the teaching practice, I encountered several challenges both inside and outside the classroom. One of the main problems during teaching was the difference in students’ levels of understanding and participation. Some students were very active, while others tended to be quiet or hesitant to answer questions. To address this, I simplified my explanations, used more daily-life examples, and encouraged students by approaching them directly and giving positive reinforcement.

Another challenge was maintaining students’ focus throughout the lesson, especially during longer explanations. To solve this problem, I used stimulus questions, short interactive activities, and movement around the classroom to regain students’ attention. These strategies helped keep the class engaged and reduced distractions.

While staying and teaching in the designated school, I also faced challenges related to adapting to the school environment, schedule, and classroom culture. I learned to adjust myself to school rules, time discipline, and teaching routines by communicating with mentor teachers and observing how regular teachers managed their classes. These experiences helped me become more adaptable, patient, and professional as a prospective teacher.