Our English Board this week

Our English board this week! Thanks to Roshni, Thara and the gang :) There's nothing like maintaining the English environment in school...little things that hopefully will go a long way!

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A fighter's Lines: Lesson Plan

Tomorrow is observation day! Yours truly will be observed by the PK1. Can't say am excited but it's something schools do as a routine. Even after years of teaching and observations, no one can really say they enjoy being observed :) I normally have a habit of outlining the lesson plan of the observed lesson and keeping all the necessary files in one folder. Well, here's the plan. Hope I can execute it well tomorrow. In case you have better ideas you can still advise me o.k :) Just leave your comments.

Happy teaching peeps!

3 SET 2: A FIGHTER’S LINES LESSON PLAN(19/4/2015) Time: 80 minutes Objectives:  SS will be able to show understanding of the poem by translating the poem into BM with the correct nuances.
ACTIVITIES	STEPS	MATERIALS
1.    WARM UP        (5 mins)	1.       T plays the  Hangman Game: WORN, REMNANTS, WHEELCHAIR, VOICE 2.       T elicits ss reponses. 3.       T relates the words with the poem they will be studying.	whiteboard marker pen
2.    RESCONSTRUC- TION ACTIVITY    ( 20 mins)	1.     Divide ss into groups of 4. 2.     Give each group a piece of the reconstructed poem. 3.     Tell ss to reconstruct the lines the way they remember the poem. 4.     Remember to ask SS to close their textbooks. 5.     T checks for hand signals (Thumbs) to check if SS understand instructions. 6.     SS discuss in groups. 7.     Call individuals to read the poem. 8.     Teacher shows the correct version on LCD. 9.     SS stand and read poem aloud with feelings.	Handouts (1 per group)
3.    POEM REVISITED      (20 mins)	1.    SS recall poem by showing ppt of poem. 2.    T goes through poem line by line and prompts ss to answer. 3.    T calls individual SS to respond to questions. 4.    T calls SS to orally say what they have learned from the poem.	Ppt
4.    TRANSLATION ACTIVITY (30 mins)	1.     T asks SS to translate the poem in BM with the correct nuances onto a mah jong paper. 2.     SS do a gallery walk and use post-it notes to comment on peers’ work (2 stars and a Wish) 3.     T calls SS to read their version of the poem if time permits 4.     Poems will be printed and displayed on the English Board.	*Beyond the text activity mah jong papers marker pens post-it notes
5.    SUMMARY (5 mins)	1.    T calls SS to verbally say what they have learnt about the poem.

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To observe or not to observe...that is the question

I had the pleasure of observing a young teacher in a class recently. And he was good, very good. The literature lesson was creative and well-paced and I must admit I enjoyed the lesson very much. Two days ago however, I had to endure 80 minutes of torture watching a lesson that did not achieve its objectives! It made me wonder if this thing we call observation in schools is a fruitful or a futile exercise. Schools carry out observations as part of it maintenance culture but sadly data collected is not used to the maximum. What do schools do with under performing teachers for example? In all honesty we carry this out year in year out to show that the job has been done. Let the documentation show that we have carried out all the necessary.

Sadly, the maintenance culture is schools is so deeply entrenched that it will probably take a revolution of some sort to undo its negative impacts. We do something because everyone does it not because the feedback on our teachers' competence would help them become better teachers. We hardly do anything with the feedback afterwards. I thought we are in the business of shaping the minds to become future leaders? Hence it is only right that schools nurture a performance culture as opposed to a maintenance culture. I think we need to run schools like a business entity where high standards are nurtured and productivity monitored.

I guess it's because these young graduates are qualified teachers when they report to schools. They are the products of years of observations and training in IPGM or universities and so they are qualified to teach. But what about those who really can't teach or are continuously under performing after they have obtained their license? It is sad to see teachers who do the minimum. Some showed little respect for the observer by hardly preparing a solid lesson even when they knew they would be observed. One teacher had a single handout in his hand and moved about so much in the classroom with a dominating voice without once checking for students' understanding and carried on like that till the end. It reminds me of my History professor in university who went on and on in the lecture hall  as if we all understood his lecture on European history completely!

On many occasions during observation, I was tempted to take over the class and teach because it was just too painful to sit and watch the children who were craving for knowledge feeling and looking lost. But of course that would be unprofessional...sigh.

And so this cycle of apparent 'futility' repeats itself over and over. I just have one message to those who chose teaching as a profession- prepare your lessons well. You're only required to achieve your objectives for the lesson nothing more nothing less. Who are we kidding? You owe it to the children.

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Thank you! May Allah bless this small effort as a good deed. Ameen.

 



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English Board- a simple thing to do!

Our board in SASEM this week :) Simpe yet effective as it it strategically located. Thanks to Roshni , Fatina and the gang for doing this up :) *E for English needs to be capitalised though.

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