CHAPTER 8: Duties and Responsibilities of the Student Teachers

(Lessons 1,2,3,4 & 5)

OPR EXERCISES

Lesson 1: COMMITTING TO TEACHING

Guided Practice

A. Interview a teacher. Ask the following questions:

1. What do you expect from a student teacher?

Before the observation class begins, the cooperating teacher oriented the
Student Teachers first, and told us what she expected. Mrs. Merlinda Goyenechea
was looking forward to the submission of the index card at every end of the class
where the observation of the student teachers was written. Student teachers
shouldn’t be late in entering the zoom class and submitting attendance on the group
chat. During the orientation, she told the student teachers to be able to attend the
class session 10 minutes early to practice discipline in time as a future educator.
Moreover, we are expected to wear our uniform during class sessions to show
professionalism and become a respectable person who will face the students.

“Be responsible”, this is one of the lines that the Ma’am Goyenechea expected
from the student teachers. We must be responsible because it will reflect on the
students as well. If we are a responsible and reliable teacher, students will tend to
attend the class on time and be responsible in submitting their activity tasks and
projects because that’s what they can see in their teacher. Therefore, student
teachers are expected to become role models.

2. What should a student teacher do to be able to grow professionally?

In order for the Practice Teachers to be able to grow professionally, they should
be obliged to study continuously. It is not just only applicable for the renowned
 educators who are already taking up masters’ and doctors’ degree but, also for
Student Teachers. She believed that by learning and studying we will grow into a
fine professional educator.

According to Ma’am Goyenechea, teachers should never stop learning and that’s
how we can become professional in the teaching field. Moreover, a student teacher
should be responsible. Teaching is not just all about getting paid for your profession
because it is a vocation. And by acknowledging that through teaching you wanted
the students to learn and apply it in their life, that’s when you’ll realize that you need
to study continuously to become an effective teacher. So as early as now, student
teachers must be able to value and appreciate the essence of teaching. Therefore,
they will become really interested to learn continuously and can help them to grow
professionally.

Processing

Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:

1. How important is a student internship in preparing you to become a

professional teacher?

Through student internship, Practice Teachers are able to utilize what they learn
for the success of their future profession--which is teaching. It is like a steppingstone
to learn the DO’s and the DON'Ts of teaching. Just like other professions, the
training for Student Teachers will enable them to see what is really happening in the
real school set-up. During the internship, Student Teachers are able to observe the
student’s behavior, their preferred learning style, and how the cooperating teacher
was able to handle the whole class and their concerns. Through that, student
teachers will be able to adapt to the school’s environment.
 To become a professional in the teaching field, a student teacher must be able to
learn continuously. Part of that is having a training and internship which can improve
and develop their understanding about teaching as well as their performance tasks.
As for me, student internship helps us to understand how lesson plans are made,
how we are able to address the concerns of the students especially when they are
facing difficulties. Through student internships, we grow professionally as we learn a
lot from cooperating teachers. As a result, student teachers will be capable of
performing professionally when the time comes that it will become their turn to lead a
class.

2. What will make this internship experience truly beneficial to you?

Teaching is not just a profession but a vocation. Without the eagerness and
passion for teaching, we will not be capable of becoming a professional and effective
teacher, thus, it will reflect on the performance of the students.

This student internship experience served as a reminder for the things that I
should do when I start to teach in the future. Through my internship, I was reminded
that students have different learning styles. There’s an uncertainty that everyone will
learn even how great you are at teaching. Therefore, it is important to become
observant as it will help you analyze each student. That’s the reason why this
student internship fuels my burning heart with passion even more. I became excited
to have my own advisory class because I know that through this internship, I will be
capable of handling one.

Reflection

Write your reflection by completing the following statements:

I realized that in student internship, you need to observe carefully the attitude of the
students, their preferred learning style, and their concerns because this will serve as a
preliminary step before we even begin teaching. By assessing the students as well as
the cooperating teacher, it can give us an idea on what we are going to do when it
becomes our time to teach. That’s why I believe it is essential to have a student
internship because through that, student teachers will be able to evaluate and learn
from observing and helping the cooperating teacher. It will also enable us to experience
having an encounter with the students which I find exciting and nerve wracking at the
same time. It is exciting because while observing, I was able to see how a classroom
works. I was able to see how the cooperating teacher discussed in the class which I
appreciated a lot. On the other hand, I find student internships nerve wracking because
while observing, I was thinking of too many what-ifs. What if the students think that I’m
not respectable? What if they only see me as a student and not as a future educator? I
overthink a lot but because of this internship, I have come to understand that I shouldn’t
be nervous because it is just the beginning of what is really going to happen in the real
set-up when I become a teacher. That’s why from now on, I am determined to
discover and observe the cooperating teacher and the students further. By that, I will be
able to find a better idea on how I will handle my own class.
---

LESSON 2: KNOWING STAKEHOLDERS

Guided Practice

Preliminary Activity: Answer the following:

1. Who are the people in the school community you need to closely work
with?

As a future teacher I personally prefer to be closely engage with the school

principal, the school support staff members, the parents/families, and the community
 leaders. First, is the school principal because he/she can help in the school
community by checking the well-being and status of the teachers and students.
Then, we have the school support staff members such as the guidance counselors,
school resource officers, nurses, social workers who play critical roles in helping the
students in acquiring the resources they need to achieve. These non-teaching staff
benefitted the teacher and helped them with supporting the needs of the students.
Next, are the parents and the families of the students who also participate in the
success of the students. By that, the teacher's tasks and responsibilities will be
reduced if the parents will help them with the students' concerns, especially if they
will make an effort in attending meetings or seminars that concerns their children
and their well-being. Then, we have the students whom I need to closely work with
and lastly, the community leaders. These people are the ones who are interested in
helping the school community to develop and grow, the ones whom we need to
engage with.

2. Why is it important to know the students?

Students are clearly the most essential stakeholders; academic staff quality and
study programs are the most important aspects in guaranteeing the quality of
education. Apart from getting to know the individuals that work in the school, getting
to know the students is critical. The learner is at the heart of the educational
process. As a result, getting to know them and forming a relationship with them is
vital since students learn best when they feel at ease with their teachers.

Processing

Examine your answers. Answer the following questions:

1. How can you establish a good working relationship with the people in the
community?
 In the teaching field, building a good relationship with the students and the
people in the community is important. As a future educator, I believe that if you have
a good relationship with the students, the parents, and those who have a vital role in
sustaining the school community, they will serve as your support system in
sustaining the community. People in the community will help us in reaching our
goals. For instance, in TLE month, I wanted to propose having a seminar on basic
life skills which can help the students in some ways. So, if I already have built a
good relationship with the people in the community, they would surely help me with
my plans for the students and would get support and motivation from them. In order
to do that, first I have to be a joiner and a connector, meaning to say I should be
able to participate and join to help connect with the people in the community. Then, I
must build community around classrooms and the curriculum. For example, building
community activities such as having mentoring programs for the students and
organizing class meetings to check the well-being of the students and other
concerns in the classroom. And the most important, you have to always put yourself
in another person’s shoes. In the teaching field, whether you will talk with the
parents, the school principal, or other personnel in the school community; it is
important that you understand their point of view or respect them. This will help us,
teachers, to build a good working relationship with the people in our community.

2. How can you know your students best?

I believe that teachers can see if the students are at their best based on the
assignments or output that they submit. I’m a student as well, so before I became a
teacher, I would know that quality is important in submitting written works and
outputs. In addition, being on time whether it is school attendance or handing in
written works will show that your students are giving their best. This is due to the
effort that they give in your class. Mediocrity will never do good. Students are
capable of doing something better. This is one of the things that I wanted to promote
 when I started with my teaching profession because I know that this will help the
students to become motivated and productive.

Reflection

Write your reflection by completing the following statements:

I realized that in order for a teacher to achieve success in developing the students,
they need other stakeholders. They may be capable of contributing to the success of
the students, however, other people in the community have a vital role too. That’s why I
believe it is essential to build a good working relationship whether it’s with the
students, the teachers, the principals, the parents, or other school community
personnel. So, from now on, I am determined to appreciate these stakeholders
because I know that in building and sustaining a school community, I can’t do it alone. I
need the support of other personnel as well. And together, we can change lives and
make the world a better place.
---

Lesson 3: PREPARING TO TEACH

Guided Practice

Consider your own practice. Assess the things that you have done or will still do to
make you ready for teaching.

1. What things have you done to make yourself ready for teaching?

Since high school, I have always wanted to become a teacher. That’s why I took
up education specialized in Technology and Livelihood Education. As preparation for
teaching TLE, we tackled basic sewing, cooking and we even built a miniature house
with house lay-out during my second-year college. I also have experienced demo-
teaching and lesson plan making. We also had a subject about the teaching
profession wherein the code of ethics for the teachers was discussed. In addition,
we also learn about different teaching methodologies which help us in understanding
the students and their learning capabilities. During my third year in the college of
education, we have tried creating our own test questionnaires while following the
objectives and the smart process. And now that I’m in my fourth year, the student
internship became the biggest and the most important preparation when we began
practice teaching. Here, I understand the importance of observing a class. I was able
to see how the classroom environment where the cooperating teacher and the
students are. Through that, I was able to take notes and reminded on what I’m going
to do when the time comes that it was I who will be an adviser and a teacher
someday. I also prepared a lot of motivation for the students and created
presentations and lesson plans to practice my demonstration teaching and develop
my creativity. By doing these things, I know that I will have a good beginning in
teaching the students. It may not be as perfect as a professional master teachers
can do, but I know that I will be able to share my knowledge with the students
because of the preparation and observations I have already done.

2. What things are you currently doing to make yourself ready for teaching?

To make myself ready for teaching, I’m currently attending webinars that relate to
the teaching field. There are webinars that talks about the different methodologies
that you can use to students and how I’ll be able to execute it. There are also
webinars that discuss assessing the students. Moreover, I’ve attended webinars that
are connected with my major just like the webinars about baking or even about
family management. Aside from that, class observations also helped me in making
myself ready for teaching. I was able to observe grade 7 and grade 10 students and
the cooperating teacher assigned to me. Through our cooperating teacher, we are
asked to create a presentation for the class as well as a lesson plan that will also
serve as practice before we begin teaching in a real classroom set-up.

3. What are some of the things that you still need to do to make yourself
ready for teaching?
 Since we are still under pandemic, classes are done online that’s why I grabbed
the opportunity to enroll in Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA) which gives me a National Certificate on Dressmaking. I always wanted to
have my NCs because it can help me to improve my skills especially in specific
fields of TLE. By developing my skills, I will be able to demonstrate to my future
students how things work especially in TLE because we all know that it is a skill-
based subject. Then, I was also aiming to have a demo-teaching again now that I’m
in my fourth year. In observation of classes, we are only tasked to create lesson plan
and presentations. So, this time, I wanted to try demo-teaching if given a chance
because this can serve as practice and preparation before my actual teaching
profession begins.

Processing

Examine the information that you have gathered. Answer the following questions:

1. What can you say about the preparations that you have done so far to
make yourself ready to teach?

Throughout my fourth year, I’ve already experienced attending webinars that are
connected with teaching. I have tried creating lesson plans for grade 7 and grade 10
students which made me improve ever since I started dreaming of becoming a
teacher. Thinking about my journey, I can say that I’m doing my best to be an
efficient Student Teacher. I understand that if I become a mediocre teacher, my
future students will be affected. If I perform poorly, they will suffer the consequences.
That’s why I found my preparations very important to become an effective and
reliable teacher. However, even though I know that I’ve attended webinars, class
observations, and studied general education, professional education, and
specialized subjects, I’m still aware that it is not enough in the teaching field.
 Teaching is a continuous process. We can’t say that we’ve mastered teaching
already because learning should be continuous for the teachers. In order to instill
knowledge to students, we also need to develop our skills, abilities, and of course
our credibility as a teacher.

2. In preparing to teach, what has been your greatest challenge and

achievement so far?

During my preparation, the greatest challenge I had experienced so far in attending

class observation was the problem with poor connection. Since we are now handling
online classes, it is hard to understand what the students are saying sometimes,
especially during recitations because there are some who have poor connection. Aside
from that, there are also students who are consistently off-camera, so you aren’t really
sure if they are listening, or they are sleeping next to their phones. However, we can’t
really ask them to turn on their camera all the time because of the unstable connection.
That’s why these challenges really affected the practice teacher since we aren’t able to
experience a physical classroom set-up observation. Being a student that have to multi-
task—an academic scholar, TESDA Trainee and Home-service Tutor made me extra-
challenged to practice time management. There are times that I took synchronous
classes on malls, fast-food chains, in the training center and aside from that in a
transportation vehicle just to survive this semester. In class observation, I can say that
having technology is also a great factor wherein you can observe better if you can see
the students clearly, phone is not enough.

When it comes to my achievements, with the help of God, I am able to be a National

Certificate holder of three qualifications which are Cookery, Bread and pastry as well as
Dressmaking. We also have executed a detailed lesson plan and presentation
discussion for the students we are observing. Second, I was able to show my
professionalism through wearing my uniform neatly which made me look like a teacher
already. Lastly, my most favorite achievement is being called a “Teacher” or “Ma’am”
before my name. This made me motivated to prepare even more as I will soon have my
own class advisory.

Reflection

Write your reflection by completing the following statements:

I realized that in preparing to teach, a student teacher has to learn a lot of things. Just
like what I’ve said, teaching is a continuous process of learning. So, in order to be
prepared all the time in teaching students, we should become updated and open to new
experiences. Moreover, I believe it is essential to have a lot of experiences and
practices since it will help with our professional development throughout our journey.
So, from now on, I am determined to try my best to attend all the webinars and
programs that can help me in improving and developing my knowledge and skills
because if I settle for less, my students will be at disadvantage, and I don’t want that to
happen.
Lesson 4: PLANNING AND ORGANIZING

Guided Practice
Look at the tasks below. Identify the specific details that will help you accomplish each
task. Write your answers below.

Tasks Specific Details Required to Accomplish the Task

● Learning Outcomes - this is where you put an objective

which is divided into three: cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor objective.
1. Writing the lesson ● Learning Plan - where the preparatory activities are written
plan as well as the presentation of the lesson, where the
content outline is.
● Application- where activities and/or output for the student
was done to check if they learn from the lesson.
● Generalization- the overall understanding of the students
towards the lesson.
● Evaluation- to check what the students have learned so
 far.

● Begin with objectives

2. Choosing teaching ● Align teaching strategies to the objectives
strategies ● Align assessment strategy to the objectives
● Make modifications to the teaching strategies and
assessments to get to know the students and their
strengths

● Get a good understanding of what a great classroom

management plan example is.
● While planning and researching, take a lot of notes
3. Planning for ● Think about your own teaching philosophy
classroom ● Consider and incorporate the policies and procedures of
the school
management
● Make adjustments when needed
● Establish all the classroom rules and enforce
consequences when needed
● Share the rules, consequences, rewards, procedures, and
expectations to the students and the parents

Learner profiles may include information such as:

● Skills, strengths, and interests

4. Determining the ● Aspirations and passions
profile of students ● Likes and dislikes
● Life experiences
● How the student likes to learn
● Struggles or potential barriers to learning
● Anything else the student or teacher deems important

 Written exit tickets- where the takeaways can be shared

5. Documenting by a student.
students’ progress  Portfolios – where the files/binders of the student’s
individual work are recorded to evaluate the student
progress effectively.
 Rubrics- this will help me to evaluate assignments or
output of students in a content area.
 Progress reports- having a weekly progress report helps
parents not be surprised by the actual report cards of their
 child. This will also help in evaluating the area in need of
improvement for the students.

Processing

Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:

1. Which among the tasks will be the easiest for you to accomplish? Why?

Though I already tried creating a lesson plan, I think the easiest to accomplish is
determining the profile of students. This is because when you become a teacher,
you turn into an observant person. When the students aren’t able to submit
performance tasks or they are not attending the class at all, teachers tend to get
concerned and curious. So, making a student profile or at least a list of students who
have problems and concerns will make it easier for a teacher to determine the
students who needs attention. By that, teachers will be able to address their
problems and help the students in need.

2. Which task will be the hardest to accomplish? Why?

Making of lesson plan can be hard, but for me, the hardest task to accomplish is
choosing teaching strategy for a class. Based on my observations with grade 7 and
grade 10 students, they have different learning styles. Some learned when there are
PowerPoint Presentations, some learn when there was a prepared e-handouts,
some preferred watching videos, etc. So basically, it really depends on the students
on how they are able to acquire knowledge and understanding. That’s the reason
why it may be hard not just for me but also for all the teachers to think of a solution
on how he/she will handle a diverse classroom. Teachers may use presentations to
discuss their lesson, but some may not understand it well because they prefer soft
copy of the lesson, and some may prefer to watch video presentations because
 that’s how they learn. By that, it would become hard for me to focus on choosing my
teaching strategy because of the students who have different learning styles.

Reflection

Write your reflection by completing the following statements:

I realized that in planning and organizing the tasks of a teacher, I need to become
creative and flexible because there are different circumstances that I could encounter
when I started to teach students. That’s why I believe it is essential to know the details
required to accomplish my tasks in writing a lesson plan, choosing teaching strategies,
planning for classroom management, determining the profile of my students, and
documenting their progress. By planning and organizing these tasks, it will be easy for
me to handle my class efficiently and become an effective teacher in the making. So,
from now on, I am determined to gain more knowledge and understanding as early as
now, so when I begin teaching, I will have enough mastery when it comes to handling
my tasks.

Lesson 5: REFLECTING ON TEACHING

Guided Practice

Videotape or write your experience in a journal. Review the video or read what you have
written. Answer the following questions.

1. What are the highlights of your lesson?

Saying that I’m exhausted is an understatement. I always wanted to become a

teacher since I was high school, but because of the pandemic, life becomes harder for
me to handle. Having online classes and online class observation is a little bit harder
than what I’ve expected. There were times that I wasn’t able to understand what the
students are saying because of poor connection. There was also a time where classes
are suspended because of the pandemic. And personally, there were times that I felt
really tired of doing all my assignments simultaneously, written papers and attend the
face-to-face trainings in TESDA. These are just some of the challenges I encountered
along my journey as a student teacher and a working student. However, all these
challenges that I’ve experienced are nothing compared to the fulfillment in my journey.
Because of my love for what I am doing and the profession itself, I was able to
appreciate my goals in life. Making lesson plans can be hard because you have to think
of the learning objectives that you wanted to imply to the students; but it was fulfilling at
the same time to know that you are able to teach students or share your knowledge. In
addition, assisting the cooperating teacher excites me as well to have my own advisory
class because I feel so motivated to help them and become a part of their life. From
what I’ve seen during our class observation, our cooperating teacher is very hands-on
especially in addressing the concerns and the problems of the students. Because of
that, it inspires me to do something better, to improve, to develop and to achieve my full
potential as a future educator. It may be exhausting, but you know that it is worth it.
Just knowing that students will benefit if you become a great and reliable teacher, it
gives me motivation to continue and improve as day goes by.

3. What are the areas can you improve on?

If there is one thing that I wanted to improve in myself that is my self-confidence.

Throughout my journey, I’ve noticed that I tend to get anxious and think too much
whenever I discuss and present in class. I sometimes stutter or get mental block
which affected my performance big time. So as a future educator, I have to stop
overthinking and improve my self-confidence because it will reflect on the way I
present in class. And if my students will see that I’m not confident enough, they
might not take me seriously, which I find depressing if I will think about it. As
someone who is so passionate in teaching, I wanted to appear as professional as
possible. I need to work harder in building my self-confidence so when the right time
comes, I’m prepared.

4. If given a chance to repeat your lesson, how are you going to improve it?
 If I will be given a chance to repeat my lesson, I think I need to work on the
content even more. This is because lesson plan should be detailed and I know that if
I’m not able to give the right message and learnings from the lesson, the students
will be affected. In addition, I also think that it is important to reassess my strategies.
In this part, I wanted to ask myself what I can improve or what can make me more
efficient. By that, I would know that I’m capable of creating an effective lesson.

Processing

Examine the data you have gathered. Answer the following questions:

1. Upon reflecting on your practice, what significant insights did you get from
the experience?

During our class observation, I’ve noticed that it is effective to show authority to
students. It doesn’t mean that you have to create an image known as authoritarian
teacher; just the thought of showing authority in terms of being strict to those who
are late in class and in submission of written works are enough for the students to
know that you as a teacher is serious, so they have to know that learning is a
serious matter as well. Next thing that I’ve noticed is when we wear proper complete
uniform during class observation. Aside from authority, students tend to respect us,
the student teachers because of our appearance. Showing that you are respectable
and professional by dressing properly intimidate the students resulting to respect
their teacher and the student teachers. Lastly and most importantly, a teacher must
be able to address the concerns of the students. Teachers must be able to give
them consideration especially if they have a valid reason. As someone who will
become a teacher, it is important to understand your students. Just like what our
cooperating teacher said, teaching is not just a profession but a vocation. We, as
teachers shouldn’t only focus on the thought that teaching is just our work, but we
need to check closely the well-being of the students and that includes addressing
their concerns and talking to them if they are facing a problem.
2. What did you discover about yourself after reflecting on your own practice?

I thought my passion for teaching was too much but right now, I can say that it
grows even more. Through practice teaching, I become extremely excited to have
my own class advisory. I discovered that even if how busy I am and how stressed I
am in work and activity tasks in school, I still find time to improve my lesson plan and
presentations because I always think of the students. I also develop a lot of patience
in the making during my class observation.

Reflection

Write your reflection by completing the following statements:

I realized that teachers indeed play a vital role in education. Through teachers,
students are able to acquire knowledge and develop their skills. Hence, it depends on
how a teacher will be able to perform in the classroom. That’s why I believe it is
essential that as a teacher, I need to find means and ways to improve teaching
because students will benefit from it. If I don’t take my lesson plan seriously, then the
students might get the wrong information that they can bring until they grow old; of
course, I will be forever guilty if that happens that’s why from now on, I am determined
to always reflect before I do something. In addition, I will take everything seriously
because I, as a teacher has duties and responsibilities teach students who will also
become future professionals. And, my goal as a teacher is to change lives and make
the world a better place to live in.