Vietnam
SEA-Teacher Batch 10
Purposes of practice
The purpose of the SEA-Teacher program is for the betterment of the student-teacher participants and their country's education in general. The opportunity for the delegates to absorb the best teaching practices in the region through cultural exchange and academic mentorship is a step toward improving the future of education in their own country. Additionally, through this program, collaboration between Southeast Asian countries is strengthened. This program is truly a privilege and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those pre-service teachers seeking to hone their skills.
Procedures of practice
To achieve the goal of the program– pre-service teachers' professional development and better quality of education for Southeast Asian member countries, a set program is followed to ensure maximum participation for all the delegates. First, an orientation for the receiving school in which the participant will teach is done. This is to ensure that the delegates are well-informed about the school system, environment, culture, and hierarchy. This also includes a school tour so the teachers are familiar with the place. Next, there were scheduled class observations to get the hang of what the students were like and how the lessons were executed by the regular teachers. This is followed by the lesson plan-making and checking. Finally, each delegate is assigned to teach classes. A supervisor is present while the participant is teaching, he/she will be the one to evaluate the delegate's skills based on a rubric.
Outcomes of practice
As a participant in the program, I've benefited a lot just from being surrounded by fellow participants and fellow Vietnamese education students like me. Apart from making connections, we shared what worked best for us and what was not the most effective practice, as well as tips on how to become a better teacher. This environment encouraged and uplifted everyone, which naturally increased our hunger for knowledge and improvement. After every class, I learned of my weaknesses and strengths through the helpful advice and evaluation of my supervisor and the Vietnamese buddy who was with me, observing the class. Since we are more trained to teach ESL in the Philippines, the challenge of being in an EFL environment has stretched me to greater heights by making me more flexible and adaptable to different types of students. This also forced me to take a different approach to teaching and changed my perspective on what a usual lesson should look like. I believe this was only possible because of this program. I think the outcomes one can get from this program is essential to becoming a 21st century educator.
The challenges of practice
One area that truly tested my skills was the time constraint that was set for the class. Considering that most of the student's English levels were limited, I had to take more time to explain concepts. Apart from this, I was also careful not to overwhelm the students so much with the complexities of the lesson. This challenge meant that I had to transform my usual teaching ways into something more manageable and approachable for the students. This includes trying to be more animated when explaining (gestures/demonstration through actions go a long way) and being more example-centric in my lesson. Scaffolding was what I found to be the most effective in teaching EFL learners. Another challenge was, of course, the language barrier. I found that a little effort to learn some local pop culture is the best way to get their interest and attention in order to get past that language barrier. The students enjoy when they see that their teacher makes an effort to connect with them. These challenges were what I felt improved my teaching.
Overall impression
This experience of joining the SEA program was truly a memorable life event. I applied for the program expecting that I would gain more knowledge and skills, but I got more than what I had asked for. I met some of the kindest and warmest people and developed a friendship with them. I also learned from the most talented teachers. I added more strategies and techniques to my teaching repertoire. The only thing I would change was the duration of the program; if I could, I would extend the 21 days to one more week so I could learn more and get more knowledge. My receiving university, Dong Thap University was very generous and kind for assigning us the greatest buddies of all time. Each one of them helped us get situated with the city, the school, and the country. Our experience would not be as great if not for our dedicated and kind buddies. Everyone that we encountered were helpful and kind and guided us every step of the way which it made the daunting tasks less overwhelming.
Suggestions for future improvement
There are no major suggestions for me except to give the assigned topic and the Cambridge student book to the delegates much in advance. This will allow the delegates more time to make the lesson plan and instructional materials. Additionally, in my case, my pre-departure orientation was done only by my university; I think it would be better if the receiving university would be able to give this orientation. I also hope a more clear schedule will be explained to the delegates and what is expected of them.