"I am confidently teaching with the Heart"

   I am really elated this year because finally after almost four years of hard works and study at my university I will be having my practicum in other local schools which will let me experience and at the same time learn in a real classroom setting. I just thought that I will be showcasing my pedagogical skills and all the learning I've got from my university in my fellow Filipino youth but    SEAMEO through SEA- TEACHER Project provided me a great opportunity to have teaching experiences in one of the Southeast Asian countries which happened to be in Thailand.

​

   The purposes of this practicum are to develop our teaching skills and pedagogy, encourage the student teachers to practice  our English skills, allow us to gain a broader regional and world view and finally expose us to diverse teaching and learning situations and opportunities and the value of flexibility.

​

​

​

​

   In the course of my practicum, I can say that I really developed my teaching skills and pedagogy since every time  I teach to Thai students, I really need to think and innovate some teaching strategies so that my students will not get bored. When I ask them regarding their thoughts about mathematics, most of them responded negatively. "I really don't like Math", "Mathematics is really difficult". These are just some of the phrases that the students are saying about Math. Hence I really need to think some ways so that they will not just learn the concepts behind Mathematics but most importantly shift their bad perspectives in math into a perspective where positivity and joyful attitude towards mathematics can be seen.

​

​

​

   I really did attained this purpose of practicum since from time to time, I need to speak in English so that they can understand what I'm trying to impart specially during discussion however I also have learned how important communicative English is, sometime you have to ignore the technicality of the English language because other students will never understand you. I can say that one of the challenges of this practicum is the language barrier however because of  communicative English I've come to addressed and conquered  it well.

​

​

​

   In this practicum, I had realize how important adaptation is. You really need to adapt and adjust to the level of the students so that you'll come to understand what they need and what they want. Students are really diverse and because of this practicum I've come to experience not just Filipino and local student diversity but regional and world diversity. I've come to know what Thai students behave and learn like and I also learned from them, I developed my teaching skills and pedagogical skills and I've come to adjust myself to students of the world and I successfully handled foreign students and I think I am ready to handle other foreign students.

​

​

​

​

    Through the course of my practicum, I have learned  to recognize that all students are bright and unique in their own way. They may differ in reading level, retention level, personality, cultural background and so on but all of them wants to learn and all of the must be embraced and respected. Thus it is really important to adjust teaching and apply differentiated instruction where in teacher should provide all students within their diverse classroom community of learners a range of varied avenues for understanding new information. Furthermore, I really realize the value of flexibility because students do not learn in the same way hence I should be flexible enough in creating and adjusting my teaching just for every student learn.

​