Journal 1

In this semester, I chose a preparatory school to practice teaching in. This was my
second experience to practice teaching in the preparatory school, so I was very excited
and curious because my previous experience was very good. I started my first day by
introducing myself to the school principal and other staff. In addition, I explained the
duties that I should carry on and the amount of the lessons I need to teach to my MST.
However, based on my topic of action research, I selected grade six students to teach
during this teaching practice. Moreover, my first impression on the students was good
because when I observed my MST lesson, students were participating quietly and
politely.

Furthermore, the first duty I carried on during the first week was monitoring students
during the assembly and the lessons. Actually, I could not teach the students at the
first week because I needed some time to sit with my MST and discuss about the
lesson plans, the focus of my teaching (vocabulary) and the section that I am going to
teach. Additionally, I had to observe my MST's strategies and techniques so I can
follow them during my teaching. Also, I needed to observe the students to know more
about their learning styles, abilities and interests.

The most important thing I have learned during my first week in teaching practice was
to keep the students busy during the lessons. According to what I observed from my
MST's lessons, she was keeping the students busy as much as she can. For example,
when the students were finishing their activities earlier, she was implementing some
learning games to manage them. She was preparing some questions related to their
lessons using Kahoot and Alef websites, which allowed her to engage and manage
them effectively. Therefore, in my future teaching, I will follow her stagey by
preparing extra activities for those who used to finish before the time to keep them
busy.