During my time is SK P, school experience, I have been given chances to enter

three classrooms which are standard one, standard five and standard six. I have gain
good experience through that moment. My first class that I entered was standard five. At
that time, other teachers were busy preparing for Hari Anugerah Cemerlang.
Walking into that classroom on the first day, I did not know what to expect and I
felt a bit nervous. It was the first class for standard five so I thought that many of the kids
were going to be very nice and nerdy. To my surprise, this was not happened. My first
assumption was totally wrong. They made lots of noise until I could hear them from the
stairs. When I entered the classroom, all of the children were speaking to each other
before they stood up and giving salam. Moment after that, they started making noise
again. Then, I asked them to be silent and start introducing themselves one by one.
Actually, I would like to do some active games with them but I did not think that was a
good idea. So, I thought of Silent Games which were Simon Says and A,E,I,O,U,
Freeze!. It was because, in those two games, only actions were required. They seemed
happy and I felt relieve inside as they made less noise compared to before.
My second class that I have entered was standard one. At that time, I only
entered the class as an observer. Generally, standard one pupils will respect their
teachers more. They will follow teachers instructions obediently. So, the same thing
happened in that classroom. They listened and obey Teacher As command. After she
stopped her lesson, she asked her students to copy some exercises on the blackboard
in their books. At that time, pupils were making noise. She gone mad and told them that
she will have their recess time if they did not finish the exercises. I think that this usually
works really well because the kids do not want to miss recess time. But, I do not really
agree with the technique she used as I believe that there must be reasons why the
pupils acted like that. Sometimes, they do that because they want to seek for attention or
bored. In my opinion more activities should be done such as play grammar games,
quizzes or settle the exercises together with them in class.
My third class that I have observed was standard 6. I entered that class almost
three times and my friends and I have very good time there. That class was the last
class for standard six. Their teacher, Teacher B is very nice and friendly. He also did
teach us about the real world of teaching. His topic on that day was tenses. He started
his lessons with a question as to catch pupils attention. After that, he asked students to

role play the action written on the black board. Then, he distributed question papers and
did the first exercises together with them. If his students did not understand a word, he
did not tell them straight away the meaning of the word but relate the word to something
they know and make pupils guess the word. For the next exercises, they needed to
finish them on their own. He told us that sometimes pupils need individual learning
process so he could acknowledge which pupils need more attention during class. I agree
with his statement. Besides that I also think that he should hold a small group discussion
because pupils can actively involved in the learning process. For instance, divide the
class into small groups to discuss questions. Give them about 10 to 15 minutes to finish
the exercises and then present their answer to class.
Other than classroom techniques, teachers should be aware of the importance of
communication skills. As for me, it is not just important to give a quality lecture but the
most important is how we present the lesson. During Teacher As lesson, she gave
unclear instructions to the pupils and she did not repeat them. When she was walking
around the class, some pupils still asked her what they need to do and in which books
they need to copy the exercises. Looking at this situation, I am aware that it is important
for a teacher to give clear instructions to the pupils. There was a bit different in Teacher
Bs class. He gave clear instructions with simple language and right intonation. But, a
few students still could get him and at last he told them by using mother tongue. In my
opinion, he can write the instructions on the white board. This can save his time and
avoid confusion among the pupils. In addition, a teacher should maintain the tone,
volume and rhythm of their voice during a lecture.
Effective body language also one of communication skills a teacher should have.
Teacher A did not really use body language while she was teaching. She just wrote on
the black board and the pupils needed to give full attention to her. No interruptions were
allowed until she finished her writing. Some pupils started to disturb their friends and
made little noise. It was different from Teacher B, whereby I think that he has applied
good body language. He will listen to pupils opinions or ideas. They seemed that they
have a good relationship with teacher B. Because of that, they gave full cooperation to
him.
Other than that, he also has a good sense of humor. Unfortunately, his pupils
take it for granted. Sometimes, they dare to speak rudely like using what ever sir and

sir, you are too slow. He did not mad but told us that was the usual way his pupils use
to interact with him. This time I do not really agree with his action. He should tell them
how to speak with the teacher and that was not a proper way to speak like that to him.
However, I like his style as a good sense of humor keep the students active and
interested in learning process. This can make them realize that learning also can be
enjoyable and fun. In addition, teachers also can create enthusiasm and interest in
pupils minds as to remove any fear that they may have towards a subject.
Physical layout of a classroom also can influence classroom environment. Based
on my observation, the arrangement of the tables in classrooms was not very suitable.
They seated in orderly rows. Each row would have seven pupils. Eventhough teachers
will have a clear view of the students, this arrangement is suitable for lecturing like
explaining a grammar, presenting power point or watching video but this not suitable for
class activities. The location of teachers desk also not suitable as it was near the white
board. In my opinion, the table should be arranged in circle. So, it would be easier for the
teachers to see pupils progress. Eventhough they are arranged in circle, teachers still
can maintain eye contact with them. I also believe that would be a good potential for
pupils to share feelings or information through talking. Other than that, the table also
could be arranged in separate groups which consist of five to six members. Besides that,
teachers could mix the students from different intelligence and ability in a group. It will
promote great chance for pupils to improve their interpersonal relationships, cooperation
and mutual trust.
Other than table arrangement, bulletin boards in the classrooms that I had
observed also not very attractive. Pupils rarely go to have a look at it. It should not
happen as it is designed for them. As a teacher, we could suggest to the pupils that they
can decorate the bulletin boards. If possible, teachers also could take part in doing that
such as do colourful and creative decorations with the pupils during the first week of
school, and then display the work on your walls. Do not make the work look too
academic. Teachers can use comic strips or cartoon that related to the subject. So, it can
raise their interest to see and read the bulletin boards.
In addition, in Year 6 Usaha, they did not have suitable place other than the
tables to put their belongings such as text books, begs and so on. So, their tables look
messy and disorganized. Sometimes, they let the books on the tables covered their sight

to the teacher. The books usually fall down when they were trying to move them.
Automatically it can distract their attention to the lessons. In order to reduce this
problem, the school authority can provide them with lockers and keys so that they can
put their belongings there. Besides that, they will be more responsible towards their stuff.
Other than that, it will reduce the burden of carrying heavy bags to school everyday.
In conclusion, this was a very valuable experience for me. Now, I become more
interested in teaching after having such experience. I noticed that it is hard to be a good
teacher but as long as I have the passions to teach, God surely will bless me.
(1530 words)
By: Desmond Teo Yee Cheng