10. Reflections on Practice Teaching : 2009-10

Practice Teaching as per the BEd. syllabus  of the University of Kerala is based on the following assumption :

 In teaching, the kind of knowledge required can neither be taught nor learned from the book; it only exists in practice.

Not surprisingly, this year too,  the teacher educators who observed the classes had to give plenty of directions on how to teach. Of course, they too could learn a lot by  listening to the comments offered by the trainees after they had completed fifty percent of the days stipulated for Practice Teaching . Given below are the comments of the trainees followed by the comments and tips offered by the teacher educators.

Trainee Comments After Practice Teaching

• Some of the Supervising teachers had insisted that the trainees need to be punctual!
• The crowd of trainees from other Teacher Training Colleges is a big problem. It is very difficult to get extra hours to complete the portions especially when the trainee misses classes owing to strikes or  programmes in the school.
• Indiscipline of students in some schools did create a problem and a few Supervising Teachers did provide assistance in managing students.
• Though all the trainees were supposed to teach at the secondary level, many were assigned to teach Upper Primary classes and in some cases Lower Primary classes.
• Some trainees did admit that they learned quite a lot of things by observing the classes of their peers.

Teacher Educator Comments/ Tips  After Observing Classes of Trainees

• Some trainees  did show a tendency to teach using the mother tongue even in English medium classes.
• Many trainees were not using relevant and appropriate teaching aids.
• There were many instances in which the trainee failed to ask questions which prompts the pupils in the class to think.
• There was one unique case in which  a trainee of Sanskrit language attempted to teach a particular yoga posture using a picture… something which could have been easily demonstrated.
• It is a pity to complain that the pupils are not attentive. You ought to realize that the only thing the school going child loves to do,  is to play. So to get the pupil to be attentive, you should plan properly. Be sure that you keep changing the stimulus every five minutes. For example, change in tone, using  a song, using  a teaching aid, engaging  pupils in pair/ group work, demonstrating etc.
• During  extra teaching periods allotted to you, do attempt to test the effectiveness of new strategies other than the ones based on Constructivism which you regularly follow.