with my Colleagues in the profession

with my Colleagues in the profession
after our pinning ceremony

About Me

My photo
EDUCATION: Any act or experience that has a formative effect on mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, Education is the process by which society deliberately transmit its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.

Monday, January 10, 2011

TEACHING EXPERIENCES

             When teachers discuss ways in which their college experience could have better prepared them for the reality of the classroom, they almost always mention increasing the amount of field experiences in the classroom. While it is hardly possible for students to be exposed to the full range of situations that they might be placed into in their first teaching job, this is one area where "more is better".
Teaching is a very complex activity. It involves planning for learning, organizing materials, prioritizing ideas, interacting with students, learning to "monitor and adjust", "differentiate instruction" for students of various abilities, and learning how to accomplish goals that sometimes seem to be mutually exclusive, all while keeping "control" of a class and meeting the expectations of parents, administrators, and peers. Real-world practice in ANY of these skills is beneficial to future teachers. TA and tutoring experience, work with scouts and youth groups, class presentations that include responsibility for assessing the learning of the audience, and a variety of related experiences are all helpful. Work in schools, especially work that involves more than observation, is particularly beneficial: experienced teachers make it look much easier than it is, and future observations are much more worthwhile after a student has had some experience. Science students were often "good at science", and were often in "honors" courses, so it's especially valuable for them to work with classes or students who struggle with science. While it is important for future teachers to be enthusiastic about their subject, they will be expected to work with all kinds of students, so it's important that they find out whether they genuinely like working with students.
            Teaching experience should be "early and often". Through these experiences, future teachers learn about themselves, and whether teaching is something that they can and should do. Since communication with an audience is a big part of the jobs of many professional scientists, those who decide that K-12 teaching is not for them will still benefit from the insights they gain through school experiences.

THE BENEFITS OF TEACHING AS A PROFESSION AND A VOCATION

           Teaching is a noble and a prophetic job. There can be no better and greater joy or happiness for a devoted and dedicated teacher than to see his students learning more and more and improving their living standard. A good teacher derives inner happiness and immense satisfaction from his sincere and selfless service. He considers his job a great source of service to mankind. The radical improvement he brings in his students is his immediate source of pleasure and great satisfaction.
A good teacher always looks forward to improving his knowledge. The more he learns, the more he comes to know how much he does not know. His thirst for knowledge is unending and insatiable. His constant urge for learning more and more always keeps him happy and cheerful. The downpour of knowledge gladdens his heart and thrills his soul.
        Teachers enjoy good number of holidays or vacations to be benefited from them to gain more and more to enhance their knowledge and skills. They can also give a proper time for their family and meet their needs properly.
       A good teacher is a also a good and effective reformer. He uses his teaching as effective tool to help society avoid and stay away from destructive habits and satanic temptations. He motivates and inspires his students to be stronger to combat satanic and evil forces. He urges them to be useful and productive member of society and a good citizen of their respective countries.
Teaching has a lot of benefits. The most important benefit is job satisfaction. If a teacher finds appreciative, discerning and hard working students, he feels his labour is amply and effectively rewarded. This is what every good teacher craves for. But in order to reap all these benefits of this great profession, a teacher is supposed to be sincere, selfless, dedicated, hard working and dutiful.

A profession is a job which needs specialized training, and teaching is certainly that. A vocation is more all-encompassing; it is a calling, a way of life, and teaching is especially that. You are involved with your students not just during working hours but they become a part of your life for the ten months they are in your classroom. There are always a special few will remain in your memory and your heart for the rest of your life.
The salary is good. In the province of Ontario, where I taught, your pay rate increased as you gained years of experience. It also increased as you passed more courses, either professional courses or university credits. I often found that trying to juggle working, raising my own children, doing Homework for university, and trying to keep my house from looking like a disaster area, resulted in not being able to give my best to any of these tasks. I would strongly urge anyone thinking of entering the profession to get as much education as possible before you actually start teaching.
The holidays are good. There are about 180 actual teaching days each year. Single teachers find summer holidays are often useful for taking courses without distraction. Mothers of young children may opt to spend that time with their family for a few years. The choice is yours. For those with school-aged children, it is helpful to have weekends and holidays off with the family.
However, it must be remembered that teachers do a lot of work outside of school hours. Every evening, there is marking to be done. The children soon learn whether or not you check their work carefully. If you don't do so consistently, there will be a quick drop in the quality of assignments they hand in. Also, there are lessons and seat work activities to be prepared for the next day. I often spent two hours or more at the dining room table each evening. The advantage here, I guess, is that if you don't have an active social life, you won't miss it.
If it's near report card time, you might also be writing comments for one group each evening. I found that trying to do more than several at once, when I was tired to begin with, resulted in some that sounded as if they were composed in Loopy land, and I'd end up doing them over later.
Another advantage of being a teacher is that the job is so engrossing, you have to forget your personal problems while you're interacting with the children. That job eased me through a divorce, the deaths of both my parents, a second marriage and the adjustments thereof, menopause, and hundreds of other little ups and downs that we all face as we proceed through life.
For 5 1/2 hours a day, you are completely with the children, in the classroom. Human minds are not equipped to focus with two topics at the same time. The mornings and evenings may be hellish, but when that school bell rings, you're a teacher, composed and in command of the class. It's expected of you, and somehow, you always manage to measure up.
In later years, when one of your students becomes a doctor, a scientist, a leader in industry or distinguishes himself in some other way, you can smile with pride and say, "I taught him in Grade Three".
Is there any other profession or vocation which offers the potential for such satisfaction, or personal fulfillment?

TEACHING IS A VOCATION- A CALLING

Teaching is more than a noble profession. It is a vocation, a calling.. The teacher is the most important person in any civilization, as on him depends the molding of the nation. There are not many born teachers, but there are those who love teaching, and there are those who enter it as an occupation. The chief qualification for a teacher is his or her love for children; from there can follow the training by good teachers and professors of techniques and principles. Good teacher-pupil relationship is very important.
A teacher must know that he or she is teaching, not only a subject, but a child. A teacher must know each child in his or her charge – especially in his early years – his temperament, his academic capability, his health, his bent, his home background and anything that may be hindering him from doing his best. This will equip teachers and help them to educate. Each child must taste success at the beginning by beginning with the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, the known to the unknown and to develop at its own rate. This will give him confidence. A good teacher, by his/her methods will be able to motivate the pupil, awaken his interest, and arouse his curiosity. Teachers can make learning pleasant. They must exhibit energy, enthusiasm and cheerfulness, and never cease to learn themselves. A teacher who ceases to learn becomes irrelevant.
Here I wish to make a comment on the role of the Head teacher or Principal. He must at all times give valuable support to his teachers. He, himself, must be a good teacher and his relationship with his teachers and parents must be good at all times. He must be able to command respect and, with his influence, get his staff to work as a team and, together, rally the support of parents. A vibrant Parent-Teacher Association is a necessity as it will help in the child’s interest, and also in the education of the parent.
If an individual is well educated; if he is given the right information; if he is trained according to his bent; if he has a right sense of values, if he has learnt to think positively, to make good judgments, and if he is able to realize his uniqueness in the mosaic which is indivisible humanity – he will be well on his way to make this world a better place for himself and others.

TEACHING IS A MISSION,NOT A TASK

We judge a nation’s greatness not just through its history, tradition, and culture, but by what priorities its society chooses. Education should be one of the most important tasks for any nation, but when mediocrity rules our schools it threatens everyone’s future.
It is excellence in teaching and learning that we should be concerned with, and in this there is a clear distinction between a “teacher”, an “educator” and a “learner.”
A teacher is one who holds a profession by which he should impart knowledge or skill to his students. Many, however, come to class and deliver their overused notes without observing students’ needs, comprehension and understanding. For them, a classroom is a space they have to be at in a particular time. Unfortunately, China’s lecture halls are full of them.
Several years ago, an elderly professor suggested, “a teacher should just choose the five top students and work with them because the others are no good anyway.” This kind of advice is a symptom of a wider educational illness.
Such teachers let most of the students, especially the weak, fade away and fail. Their lectures are just another chore. In the end, they evaluate their students’ performance and knowledge by their ability to memorize text, not by comprehending and understanding it. These teachers make students good copiers, not original thinkers.
With this kind of teaching, how can we expect students to develop skills at critical thinking? Will they know how to find alternatives and make real choices? Will they be able to communicate with others correctly? Can they make a tangible contribution to society and elevate the nation to new heights?
An educator, on the other hand, provides an overall intellectual, moral, and social instruction to his students. He is a wise and learned person, respected for his knowledge, judgment and wisdom. He cares about all his students, whatever their abilities, and provides an understanding of the future they will be facing. It is a mission rather than a profession.
This educator sees teaching as a responsibility, not just another job. Through his or her students become not only good learners, but also people who can actively contribute to society.
Universities are meant to educate for life and for a profession. The mission of an educator is to carry out an exchange, a process of requirements, responsibilities, and obligations that leads to wider knowledge, and thus to better performance and higher results by all students, weak or strong.
A good educator should lead the way for his students, never giving up his responsibilities and obligations even at the cost of criticism and popularity pressure. He should constantly ask whether they are ready to carry society’s hopes.
Chinese students are bright young people. They are constantly under the pressure of their studies. Their many assignments are a heavy burden added to other matters they must face.
Nonetheless most of them know that reused notes and textbooks alone do not replace information and exchange of ideas. They should be open-minded and participate in any intellectual activity. But bad teachers promote an absence of such, and as a result many students purposefully deceive themselves, and most of all – the society which they hope to be part of. Today our school system has too many second-rate teachers and too few educators. Under such circumstances, many students do not understand that responsibilities are important for their future as people and employees. Thus, there is a contradiction between their race for university qualifications and their future performance as supposedly qualified graduates. It is a liability for China’s harmonious society, for future excellence and for ultimate national advancement. Students are the next generation of Chinese leadership, but their training lies in the hands of many second-rate teachers and only a few educators.

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative Learning is a relationship among learners that requires positive interdependence (a sense of sink or swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to contribute and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution), face-to-face promotive interaction, and processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better).
The concept of collaborative learning, the grouping and pairing of learners for the purpose of achieving a learning goal, has been widely researched and advocated - the term "collaborative learning" refers to an instruction method in which learners at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal. The learners are responsible for one another's learning as well as their own. Thus, the success of one learner helps other students to be successful. Proponents of collaborative learning claim that the active exchange of ideas within small groups not only increases interest among the participants but also promotes critical thinking.There is persuasive evidence that cooperative teams achieve at higher levels of thought and retain information longer than learners who work quietly as individuals. The shared learning gives leanres an opportunity to engage in discussion, take responsibility for their own learning, and
thus becom



Collaborative Learning


Collaborative learning is a broad term encompassing several educational approaches involving joint intellectual effort by students and/or teachers. It involves all the methodologies and environments where students perform a common task, and each student relies on and is accountable to each other. This type of learning is especially ideal to instil teamwork and unity. It requires students to work together in search for understanding, meaning, or solutions. Activities may include writing, group projects, and similar activities.
Collaborative learning
Collaborative learning
Collaborative learning takes on various forms including collaborative networked learning (CNL), computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), and learning management systems (LMS), among other things. CNL is intended for the self-directed adult-learner. CSCL is a new educational paradigm used by researchers and practitioners in varied fields such as cognitive sciences, sociology, and computer engineering. Collaborative learning can be associated with LMS where a collection of tools are used by students to assist or be assisted by others. In addition, collaborative learning development is another form of collaborative learning where developers work as a network or team. This is specifically relevant to e-learning, or the sharing and building of knowledge. To sum up, collaborative learning is an effective method that is applicable in online education to teach students the importance of collaboration and teamwork.



e critical thinkers.

Top 10 Tips for Classroom Discipline and Management

     Classroom discipline and management causes the most fear and consternation in new teachers. However, classroom management is a skill that is not only learned but practiced daily. Here are ten tips that can lead to successful classroom management and discipline. These tips can help you cut down on discipline problems and leave you with fewer interruptions and disruptions.

1. It's Easier to Get Easier

Many teachers make the mistake of starting the school year with a poor discipline plan. Students quickly assess the situation in each class and realize what they will be allowed to get away with. Once you set a precedent of allowing a lot of disruptions, it can be very hard to start better classroom management and discipline techniques. However, it is never tough to get easier as the year goes on. While you don't have to follow the adage, "Never smile until Christmas," it does have its merits.

2. Fairness is Key

Students have a distinct sense of what is and what is not fair. You must act fairly for all students if you expect to be respected. If you do not treat all students equitably, you will be labelled as unfair students will not be keen to follow your rules. Make sure that if your best student does something wrong, they too get punished for it.

3. Deal with Disruptions with as Little Interruption as Possible

When you have classroom disruptions, it is imperative that you deal with them immediately and with as little interruption of your class momentum as possible. If students are talking amongst themselves and you are having a classroom discussion, ask one of them a question to try to get them back on track. If you have to stop the flow of your lesson to deal with disruptions, then you are robbing students who want to learn of their precious in-class time.

4. Avoid Confrontations in Front of Students

Whenever there is a confrontation in class there is a winner and a loser. Obviously as the teacher, you need to keep order and discipline in your class. However, it is much better to deal with discipline issues privately than cause a student to 'lose face' in front of their friends. It is not a good idea to make an example out of a disciplinary issue. Even though other students might get the point, you might have lost any chance of actually teaching that student anything in your class.

5. Stop Disruptions with a Little Humor

Sometimes all it takes is for everyone to have a good laugh to get things back on track in a classroom. Many times, however, teachers confuse good humor with sarcasm. While humor can quickly diffuse a situation, sarcasm may harm your relationship with the students involved. Use your best judgment but realize that what some people think as funny others find to be offensive.

6. Keep High Expectations in Your Class

Expect that your students will behave, not that they will disrupt. Reinforce this with the way you speak to your students. When you begin the day, tell your students your expectations. For example, you might say, "During this whole group session, I expect you to raise your hands and be recognized before you start speaking. I also expect you to respect each others opinions and listen to what each person has to say."

7. Overplan

Free time is something teachers should avoid. By allowing students time just to talk each day, you are setting a precedent about how you view academics and your subject. To avoid this, overplan. When you have too much to cover, you'll never run out of lessons and you will avoid free time. You can also fill up any left over time with mini-lessons.

8. Be Consistent

One of the worst things you can do as a teacher is to not enforce your rules consistently. If one day you ignore misbehaviors and the next day you jump on someone for the smallest infraction, your students will quickly lose respect for you. Your students have the right to expect you to basically be the same everyday. Moodiness is not allowed. Once your lose your student's respect, you also lose their attention and their desire to please you.

9. Make Rules Understandable

You need to be selective in your class rules (no one can follow 180 rules consistently). You also need to make them clear. Students should understand what is and what is not acceptable. Further, you should make sure that the consequences for breaking your rules are also clear and known beforehand.

10. Start Fresh Everyday

Everyday tip does not mean that you discount all previous infractions, i.e. if they have three tardies then today means four. However, it does mean that you should start teaching your class each day with the expectation that students will . Don't assume that because Julie has disrupted your class everyday for a week, she will disrupt it today. By doing this, you will not be treating Julie any differently and thereby setting her up to disrupt again (like a self-fulfilling prophecy). Read a personal example of this with my best teaching experience.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Classroom management is a term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students. The term also implies the prevention of disruptive behavior. It is possibly the most difficult aspect of teaching for many teachers; indeed experiencing problems in this area causes some to leave teaching altogether. In 1981 the US National Educational Association reported that 36% of teachers said they would probably not go into teaching if they had to decide again. A major reason was "negative student attitudes and discipline".(Wolfgang and Glickman)
According to Moskowitz & Hayman (1976), once a teacher loses control of their classroom, it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to regain that control (Moskowitz & Hayman, 1976, p. 283)). Also, research from Berliner (1988) and Brophy & Good (1986) shows that the time that teacher has to take to correct misbehavior caused by poor classroom management skills results in a lower rate of academic engagement in the classroom (Berliner, 1988, p. 310; Brophy & Good, 1986, p. 335). From the student’s perspective, effective classroom management involves clear communication of behavioral and academic expectations, as well as a cooperative learning environment (Allen 1986).
Classroom management is closely linked to issues of motivation, discipline and respect. Methodologies remain a matter of passionate debate amongst teachers; approaches vary depending on the beliefs a teacher holds regarding educational psychology. A large part of traditional classroom management involves behavior modification, although many teachers see using behavioral approaches alone as overly simplistic. Many teachers establish rules and procedures at the beginning of the school year. According to Gootman (2008), rules give students concrete direction to ensure that our expectation becomes a reality (Gootman, Marilyn E., 2008, p.36). They also try to be consistent in enforcing these rules and procedures. Many would also argue for positive consequences when rules are followed, and negative consequences when rules are broken. There are newer perspectives on classroom management that attempt to be holistic. One example is affirmation teaching, which attempts to guide students toward success by helping them see how their effort pays off in the classroom. It relies upon creating an environment where students are successful as a result of their own efforts (Pintrich and De Groot 1990).

Classroom Management as Time Management

In their introductory text on teaching, Kauchak and Eggen (2008) explain classroom management in terms of time management. The goal of classroom management, to Kauchak and Eggen, is to not only maintain order but to optimize student learning. They divide class time into four overlapping categories, namely allocated time, instructional time, engaged time, and academic learning time.
Allocated time
Allocated time is the total time allotted for teaching, learning, and routine classroom procedures like attendance and announcements. Allocated time is also what appears on a student's schedule, for example "Introductory Algebra: 9:50-10:30 a.m." or "Fine Arts 1:15-2:00 p.m."
Instructional time
Instructional time is what remains after routine classroom procedures are completed. That is to say, instructional time is the time wherein teaching and learning actually takes place. Teachers may spend two or three minutes taking attendance, for example, before their instruction begins.
Engaged time
Engaged time is also called time on task. During engaged time, students participating actively in learning activities—asking and responding to questions, completing worksheets and exercises, preparing skits and presentations, etc.
Academic learning time
Academic learning time occurs when students 1) participate actively and 2) are successful in learning activities. Effective classroom management maximizes academic learning time.

Common Mistakes in Classroom Behavior Management

In an effort to maintain order in the classroom, sometimes teachers can actually make the problems worse. Therefore, it is important to consider some of the basic mistakes commonly made when implementing classroom behavior management strategies. For example, a common mistake made by teachers is to define the problem behavior by how it looks without considering its function[4]. Interventions are more likely to be effective when they are individualized to address the specific function of the problem behavior. Two students with similar looking misbehavior may require entirely different intervention strategies if the behaviors are serving different functions.
Another common mistake is for the teacher to become increasingly frustrated and negative when an approach is not working . The teacher may raise his or her voice or increase adverse consequences in an effort to make the approach work. This type of interaction may impair the teacher-student relationship. Instead of allowing this to happen, it is often better to simply try a new approach.
Inconsistency in expectations and consequences is an additional mistake that can lead to dysfunction in the classroom.
Teachers must be consistent in their expectations and consequences to help ensure that students understand that rules will be enforced. To avoid this, teachers should communicate expectations to students clearly and be sufficiently committed to the classroom management procedures to enforce them consistently.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

WHY BECOME A TEACHER

The Many Reasons to Become a Teacher

Every potential career path has it perks, and if you're in the process of weighing options for your future, here is a list of reasons why pursuing a teaching career in Georgia should be at the top of your list:


  • You Can Move Around. Why choose a profession that ties you down to one location when you can choose one that guarantees you can move around? Once you’re certified to teach in the state of Georgia, you'll be able to choose from a number of options, including all of the public schools in Georgia. And with 2,100 public schools in 180 school systems throughout Georgia, you’ll have a lot of options should life changes (following a spouse to a new job, for instance) necessitate the need for a move.
  •  
  • You Can Move Up. Teaching isn't just a job; it's a profession. As a teacher, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for advancement. Teachers can become department heads, administrators, and principals. And you can always go back to school and earn additional degrees, such as a master’s degree and a doctorate. In short, when you become a teacher, you will always have new heights to scale, if you so choose.

  • You Can Live Your Own Life. While it certainly doesn’t diminish the work required of them, teachers do have some scheduling perks that no one would want to turn down. First and foremost, there are no two words that have quite the same blissful ring as these: summer vacation. What’s more, teachers who are or eventually become parents are able to enjoy the same schedule as their children. The bottom line is that when you’re a teacher, your job can work well with your personal life.

  • You Can Challenge Yourself. Imagine yourself going to work each day to a classroom full of young people looking to be stimulated and ready to learn – how’s that for an exciting challenge? And in today’s world, teaching is much more than just standing in front of a chalkboard; there’s data to crunch and technology to learn, master and incorporate. There’s also the opportunity to become an expert in your subject matter and pass that knowledge along to your students. In other words, teaching is always interesting, always challenging and never just another day in the rat race.

  • You Can Give Back to the Community. Of all of the careers to choose from, teaching is one of the most rewarding because it’s inherently of service to the community. Teachers constantly give back to the world around them by preparing young people to make the most of themselves. Teachers provide a hands-on service for the betterment of the community. If you’re looking for a career path that makes a difference, look no further than teaching.

  • You Can Find Your Fit. As a teacher, where exactly do you see yourself working? In the inner city? Perhaps in a more ethnically diverse area? Or maybe in a rural environment? Teachers have a lot of choice when it comes to the types of schools in which they teach and the types of students they teach there. Of the 2,100 public schools in the state of Georgia, no two schools are alike, which means that you will surely be able to find the school that is just right for you.

  • You Can Have Your Choice. Teaching doesn’t mean giving up a particular interest or a well-loved field of study. When you become a teacher, you can also choose the area in which you want to specialize. Love a subject? Teach it. Not only will you keep your love for your favorite subject matter alive, but you’ll also see that love renewed each day when you impart your knowledge of it to a new generation. You can also choose which grade level or student population to teach. So whether you love English, history, or math, and whether you want to teach high school, grade school or special needs students, the choice is yours.

  • You Can Change Someone's Life. If you take a moment to think about it, you can probably remember at least one teacher in your many years of education who made a lasting impression on you. Now imagine yourself making that same kind of lasting impression on someone else. It may sound like a cliché, but as a teacher you will have the opportunity to legitimately make a difference in, at the very least, one person’s life. A positive influence in the classroom can be just as important as one in the home. In the end, few things are as rewarding as helping young people to succeed and reach the height of their potential.

Education Information for New and Future Teachers



I have chosen education as a career because I believe that education is perhaps the most important function performed in our culture, or for that matter, any culture. I believe that teachers individually and collectively can not only change the world, but improve it, and in the process find personal and professional renewal. I want to be part of this noble profession, and someday to be counted among those in whom future preservice teachers found inspiration.

IS TEACHING A PROFESSION?

For the last 50 years educators have devoted a great deal of energy to the debate over whether teaching can be considered a profession. Unfortunately, this turns out to have been the wrong question, and so led us to the wrong sort of answers. For example, there was a very heated debate in the 1960s and 1970s over whether teachers could organize strikes and still claim that they were members of a professional association, rather than a union. This controversy only makes sense, however, if one accepts that professions are fundamentally different from other types of occupations, and by the mid-1970s, social scientists were beginning to realize that this was not the case. They argued that the professions had changed so much over the past 100 years that there is now little left to distinguish professionals from other workers.
If the experts are right and there really is no such thing as a profession any more, then continuing to argue over whether education is a profession is not only wasted effort, it is dangerously misleading. As M. S. Larson pointed out in her seminal study, The Rise of Professionalism: A Sociological Analysis,

the conditions of professional work have changed so that the predominant pattern is no longer that of the free practitioner in a market of services, but that of the salaried specialist in a large organization. In this age of corporate capitalism, the model of profession nevertheless retains its vigor; it is still something to be defended or something to be obtained by occupations in a different historical context, in radically different work settings, and in radically altered forms of practice. The persistence of profession as a category of social practice suggests that the model constituted by the first movements of professionalism has become an ideology -- not only an image which consciously inspires collective or individual efforts, but a mystification which unconsciously obscures real social structures and relations.1
In other words, by pretending that a model from 100 years ago still applies today, we are blinding ourselves to how things really are.
In this paper, then, I will draw on recent insights from sociology to argue that teachers have been using--and, in many cases, continue to use--an outdated and untenable model of the professions, and that these misconceptions have led to our pursuing the wrong goals. By redefining the issue as one of maintaining and extending teacher autonomy, rather than the spurious question of whether teaching is a profession, I hope to refocus our attention on the real issues facing teaching today.
When most people talk about the professions, they are unknowingly using the ideas of two early sociological theories: trait models and structural-functionalism. Since the public continues to use these ideas long after sociologists have abandoned them, it is important that we take a moment to examine what these two theories say, and why they are wrong.
The sociological investigation of the professions began in the 1930s with attempts to identify the defining characteristics or traits that distinguished the professions from other occupations. While the precise content of these models varied from one writer to the next (since, to get published, each investigator tried to say something new), the most commonly cited traits were:

(1) skill based on abstract knowledge
(2) provision for training and education, usually associated with a university
(3) certification based on competency testing
(4) formal organization
(5) adherence to a code of conduct
(6) altruistic service.2
A substantial body of research quickly developed in which investigators undertook case studies of various occupations to determine the degree to which each exhibited these traits and, consequently, whether they could be considered as 'true' professions.
Popular as trait models were, however, they had no theoretical basis. Most authors simply took the established professions of medicine and law as their starting point and assumed that the unique characteristics of these two occupations accounted for their professional status. But this is an example of circular reasoning: What makes medicine a profession? These six traits. What makes these six traits the defining characteristics of a profession? They are found in medicine, and medicine is a profession. But how do you know medicine is a profession? Well, it has these six traits! And around and around you go! Actually, there is no reason to assume that medicine and law are typical professions. They may be the exceptions rather than the rule; that is, they may be considered professions in spite of having these six characteristics, rather than because of them.3
Even if one ignores the tautology, there is nothing in the model which explains why these traits are important. Why focus on these particular traits rather than some others? Indeed, many authors seem to have decided which traits were important on the basis of whether they would strengthen their case for (or against) a particular occupation's claim to professional status: Educators stressed those elements that worked best for teaching, lawyers only those that worked for law. There was little attempt to establish the causal relationships between various elements of the model, so it was never clear which traits gave rise to the others, or whether all the elements arose independently from some unexplained outside force.4
Furthermore, the traits themselves were never clearly defined, because one was never told precisely how much training was required, how esoteric the theoretical knowledge needed, how restrictive the certification obtained, and so on, before an occupation could be considered a true profession. Even if one were to take the average length of training in medicine or law (which itself can vary considerably between jurisdictions and among specializations) as the standard, is this an absolute or a relative standard?5 Does the increasing length of training in an occupation like teaching indicate its growing equality with medicine and law, or merely credential inflation? (For that matter, can the number of years of formal training be equated with the quality of training?) Given the model's inability to precisely define relevant traits, their interaction, or their origins, trait models have been completely discredited.
Nevertheless, trait models continue to be an important aspect of professional ideology. When professionals lobby the government for special privileges, they do so on the grounds that their profession is different from other occupations. Since trait models have traditionally been the basis upon which professionals have distinguished themselves from other workers, they are naturally reluctant to abandon the model, since that might imply surrendering their superior status as well. Consequently, most professionals have simply ignored the advances in sociology which have discredited this model. They continue to measure their occupation against the characteristics identified by various trait models in an attempt to support their claim to professional status; or to lobby for particular reforms within their occupation to bring it closer to some supposed professional standard. To take just one recent example, the 1991 edition of the popular introductory textbook The Social Foundations of Education lists the eight distinguishing characteristics of a profession drawn from Myron Lieberman's 1956 Education As A Profession, as if there had been no advances in our understanding of professionalism in the intervening 35 years.6
While most introductory texts in education continue to define professionalism in terms of a simple trait model, they may also draw on the assumptions of structural-functional theory. The structural-functionalists built on trait models in the 1950s and 60s by providing the theoretical link between the various traits. They argued, for example, that the traits of "university training" and "certification based on competency testing" follow logically from the trait of "skill based on abstract knowledge". Somewhat more subtly, they went on to argue that the other traits--a code of ethics, a commitment to altruistic service, and a self-regulating professional association--are designed to restrain professionals from taking unfair advantage of their specialized knowledge. Doctors, for example, have the power of life and death over their clients; only a lawyer can judge if a contract is valid; and only another accountant can tell if your accountant is fiddling the books. An untrained or unscrupulous person in any of these positions could do great harm, so the professions evolved to protect the public by ensuring that anyone undertaking these crucial jobs is first certified as knowledgeable and trustworthy. Thus, it is the monopoly over a body of theoretical knowledge which is the most fundamental characteristic of professionalism because it creates the need for the other elements.
This theory has an interesting corollary: As other occupational groups develop their own specialized knowledge, they too will take on some of the characteristics of a profession. For example, a generation ago practically every male knew how to adjust the carburetor on his car, but with the invention of fuel injection and other sophisticated technologies, only a trained mechanic using specialized and expensive hi-tech equipment can accomplish the equivalent task today. As the job of garage mechanic starts to become more complex, one would expect to see the emergence of auto mechanic programs at post-secondary institutes of technology to provide the necessary training, special licensing to ensure all auto mechanics have that training, and so on. By the time we develop nuclear powered cars, a garage mechanic will have to become a veritable rocket scientist, and so the job of mechanic will become a full-fledged profession. Thus, according to this view, the professions are merely the purest expression of a general trend: all occupations will undergo eventual "professionalization" as their knowledge base increases.
The belief that almost any occupation could undergo professionalization had tremendous popular appeal in the 1960s because it reflected the generally-held values of progress, rationality, science, specialized expertise, and above all, the desire for money and status. Members of those occupations which stood next in line for professionalization, such as the "semi-professions" of teaching and social work, naturally embraced a theory which held out the promise of professional status, if not next year, then surely the year after. Even the tremendous expansion of university education in the 1960s, and the corresponding decline in opportunities for uneducated labour, lent credence to the idea that in the future, everyone would be a professional.7
Structural-functionalism dominated practically every aspect of public policy until the late 1970s, but this approach has been steadily losing ground ever since. One reason is that it became clear that the theory was better at describing then explaining. The structural-functionalists often confused describing how something works for explaining why it works, or how it got to be that way. Another problem was that the structural-functionalists started from the assumption that society was based on consensus; that is, that society meets most of the needs of most of the people most of the time. They therefore were not every good at explaining social conflict. Explaining all the flaws in structural-functionalism goes well beyond the scope of the current article, but suffice to say that its basic assumptions are now considered suspect. Many of the criticisms that apply to the general theory also apply to the structural-functionist's ideas about professionalism.
For example, the structural-functionalists believe that the professions emerged to protect society from monopolies of knowledge--but does this explanation actually explain anything? Societies, like people, need a great many things they will not get--like world peace--so there has to be more to the origins of the professions than simply saying that society needed them.8 Even if one were to accept the dubious notion that the need for a particular role is sufficient to give rise to it, is there any reason to assume that professionalism was the only possible response to this need, or even the best one? So why did society choose professionalism over some other solution, such as, greater bureaucratization?9
And who exactly is "society" anyway? It is important to remember that different groups within society hold different values and have different interests, and that the emergence or existence of professional occupations may not serve the interests of all of these factions equally. For example, one impact of the doctors's monopoly over the practice of medicine has been to deprive generations of women the right to have, or to be, a midwife. Was the decision to ban midwives really taken to protect "society", or to protect doctors from this potential competition?10 Similarly, to what extent does the lawyers' monopoly over the law serve the interests of lawyers, and of those groups powerful enough to influence legislation, rather than those less powerful groups whose views of justice may differ substantially ?11
Furthermore, even if we granted that the initial impulse towards professionalization was a functional response to a general societal need, does it therefore follow that the need has continued, that the professions continue to meet that need, and that professions which fail to meet that need are decertified and replaced?12
Whatever the theory's weaknesses in explaining the origins and workings of the professions, however, the most fundamental problem is that even its basic description of what constitutes a profession no longer matches reality. Bit by bit, social scientists came to realize that the professions were changing, and that there was a growing discrepancy between what the theory had predicted in the 1960s and what was actually happening in the 70s and 80's.
The structural-functionalists had placed great emphasis on the professions' monopoly over certain bodies of knowledge, but by the 1970s it became clear that most professions were rapidly losing this monopoly.13
First, as education levels rose among the general public, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals began to lose their status as the only educated, literate members of the community. Once patients had university degrees themselves, they were much less willing to defer to the doctor's judgement and started to insist on clearer explanations, and perhaps a second or third opinion. The same holds true for teachers, who are now faced with parents whose education is often considerably better than their own.
Second, computers have become increasingly sophisticated, so that by the mid-1980s they were handling much of the routine workload for lawyers and other professionals. Who needs to consult a doctor or lawyer when, by simply following the instructions on the screen, one can use a desk top computer to diagnosis one's symptoms or print out a contract? One still needs a doctor to perform the actual surgery, or a lawyer to persuade the jury, but these sorts of activities occupy only a fraction of the profession's actual work. Much of the rest has now been delegated to computers. The same holds true for teachers, who are not only faced with a flood of educational software, but also have to contend with educational video.14 Who needs reading specialists, for example, when parents can simply order "Hooked on Phonics" for their kids?
Third, new occupations have arisen--legal secretary, paramedic, dental technician, teacher aid--whose own training overlaps with, and cuts into, the professional's former knowledge monopoly. Who needs an expensive kindergarten teacher with a four year degree, when one can hire a much cheaper day care worker with a two year certificate?
As the professions lose their monopoly over particular bodies of knowledge, they also lose the rationale for their special status as professions. Thus, instead of the initially predicted trend towards universal professionalization, some structural-functionalists started talking about the inevitability of "deprofessionalization". Instead of offering teachers the hope of eventual professional status, they seemed to be saying that professional status was no longer relevant, since even doctors and lawyers no longer merited special consideration.
This sort of talk made structural-functionalists a lot less popular with professionals, but what the other sociologists had to say was even worse. They argued that knowledge workers (they do not even use the term "professions" any more) are now undergoing changes analogous to those which afflicted--and eventually eliminated--craft workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. To explain this, a brief digression is required to introduce one of the central concepts from labour theory, namely the idea of deskilling. Craig Littler provides a convenient summary:

The concept of deskilling refers to four processes: (i) the process whereby the shopfloor loses the right to design and plan; i.e., divorce of planning and doing; (ii) the fragmentation of work into meaningless segments; (iii) the redistribution of tasks amongst unskilled and semi-skilled labour, associated with labour cheapening; and (iv) the transformation of work organization from the craft system to modern, Taylorized15 forms of labour control.16
Think of a craft worker in 1800s. Typically, when someone came to him with a particular task, and the craft worker would make all the decisions about how to make the desired product. He had to design the product, draw up the blueprint, select the material out of which to make the part, set up the equipment, do the actual labour to operate the equipment, price the final product, and even clean up the shop after himself. The introduction of the factory system in the late 1800s changed all this. In a factory, the work is broken down into its separate steps. Take Adam Smith's famous example of pin making: one person draws the metal into long narrow strips, another cuts the metal into pin-length pieces, another makes the head of the pin, another attaches the head of the pin to the body, a fifth puts the pins into packages, and so on.
Dividing the work in this way has several advantages. First, each worker is specialized and so more efficient at that one job. Second, it is cheaper because one can hire less-skilled people to do the easy bits. With craft work, one has to have somebody who is good at all the steps, so to get somebody who is able to do the most difficult tasks--such as designing thepart and drawing up the blueprint--one has to pay well enough to attract good designers, even though they are spending most of their day doing the other less-skilled tasks, like operating the lathe or just sweeping up after themselves. By breaking the work down into its separate steps and having people specialize, one only need to hire one expensive designer to do all of the design work for the whole factory, and then hire less-skilled people to do the lathe work, and unskilled workers to do the sweeping up. Thus, deskilling is a way of lowering labour costs. Third, it gives management greater control over the final product, since it is easier to monitor one designer than a whole shop full of workers, each doing their own thing.
Of course the down side of deskilling is that one ends up with a lot of people stuck in unskilled jobs. Instead of a 100 craft workers, one ends up with one skilled worker and 99 unskilled labourers. Taken to its logical extreme, deskilling leads to the modern assembly line where one person designs the plant and the rest have totally mindless and alienating jobs consisting of turning a screw one half turn to the left, twice a minute, for eight hours a day.17
While we are all familiar with how the Industrial Revolution changed the nature of work for these industrial workers, it is only recently that sociologists recognized that the same thing may be happening to knowledge workers (that is, professionals and other white collar workers) today. Professionals, like craft workers, used to own their own tools and work independently in their own private practice, but this is rapidly changing. Today, most professionals work within large government or corporate bureaucracies. Doctors increasingly work for hospitals or large clinics, because to do modern medicine one needs a lot of expensive technology no one doctor could afford on her own. Lawyers increasingly work for multinational corporations or large national law firms, because small local partnerships cannot compete with the national advertising of franchises like 1-800-Net-A-Pro. Once absorbed into these larger organizations, they are necessarily subjected to increased supervision and loss of autonomy, because they have to work to the organization's schedule and standards rather than to their own. They may also find themselves subjected to increasing specialization to the point where they become essentially deskilled. As more and more professionals become salaried employees rather independent practitioners, they begin to face the same problems of unemployment, reduced or blocked mobility, isolation from policy making, and declining intrinsic rewards as any other factory worker. In other words, they undergo "proletarianization".18
So, while teachers have been busily arguing over whether they should be considered professionals, sociologists have written the professions off as, at best, a temporary historical anomaly. Professionalism is an anachronism, a form of production left over from the days of cottage industry, and like craft work, is about to disappear. Even if the proletarianization model turns out to be overly deterministic, and a few professions are somehow able to escape this fate, it is nevertheless clearly too late for teachers! Since one needs schools before one can have school teachers, teachers are stuck with their status as salaried employees working within large organizations. Teachers have always been and will always be subject to direction from their school board and the provincial bureaucracy. They are, to that degree at least, already proletarianized.19
Consequently, the whole question of whether teaching is a profession, or can become one, is a red herring. The real issue is the degree to which teachers can resist deskilling and maintain some measure of autonomy within the school bureaucracy.

THE OBFUSCATION OF REAL SOCIAL STRUCTURES AND TRENDS

In the last decade, there has been a subtle but continuous erosion of the teachers' autonomy. The renewed emphasis on accountability and the reintroduction of provincial testing are only the most obvious symptoms of a general trend towards greater top-down hierarchical direction within education. As Jenny Ozga observes:
Teaching is going through a period of crisis, from which it is likely to emerge as different in significant ways from teaching as it was characterized in the 1960s, the 'zenith' of teachers' professional autonomy. The nature of teaching is being fundamentally altered by a number of different policy initiatives, the cumulative effect of which is to greatly increase central government control over the teaching force.20
Ironically, these developments have been accompanied by a contradictory increase in the rhetoric of teacher 'professionalism' and teacher 'empowerment'. In spite of the trends that are undermining teacher autonomy, many educators continue to subscribe to a professional self-image that impairs their ability to analyze and respond to the situation in which they now find themselves. Because teacher preparatory programs, textbooks, and journals still attempt to interpret occupational trends in terms of a list of what are presumed to be professional characteristics, educators are often duped into accepting "reforms" which increase the appearance of professionalism while in reality eroding the few prerogatives Canadian teachers have traditionally enjoyed.
The most obvious example of this is the trend towards splitting the "union" and "professional" functions of various provincial teacher associations. The dichotomy between unionization and professionalization is premised entirely on the trait and structural-functional models of professionalism, and must therefore be rejected as misconceived. Nevertheless, many educators accept the suggestion that such government initiatives as the creation of British Columbia's College of Teachers in 1988 represent --- by direct analogy to the College of Physicians and Surgeons --- a step towards greater professional recognition. A more cynical interpretation, however, might be that the transfer of key professional functions from the British Teachers' Federation to this new body represents a not very subtle attempt at union busting.
Similarly, educators have long sought to lengthen teacher preparatory programs and to raise admission standards in an attempt to bring these requirements in line with those of the more prestigious professions. These goals were largely achieved in the 1980s, but it would be a mistake to interpret this as representing an improvement in teaching's professional standing. Instead, these reforms are more realistically attributed to the teacher surpluses of the period, and the associated credential inflation. The projected teacher shortages of the next decade are just as likely to reverse the trend, as happened once before in the 1960s.
Thus, where once the ideology of professionalism may have represented a successful strategy in the upward mobility of teaching and teachers, it has now become a liability. It is no longer in the best interests of educators to allow the false issue of professional status to continue to distract teachers and the public from the real and dangerous trends that confront us.
Sociologists began challenging the core elements of the professional model nearly 20 years ago, but it is only very recently that these ideas have been introduced to the parallel discussions in education. Alexander Lockhart's School Teaching in Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991), for example, was the first general text to address these issues as they apply to teaching in this country. Like Ozga, Lockhart concludes that:

It is apparent that the occupation of school-teaching is undergoing a crisis that threatens the integrity of one of the most all-encompassing public service institutions in the nation. If this crisis is to be effectively resolved, some greater awareness of the realities, as distinct from the ideologies and mythologies, of the occupation of schoolteaching is required of all concerned.21

WHAT IS AT STAKE

As Ozga and Lockhart indicate, the stakes are high. The obfuscation of real social structures and relations behind the rhetoric of professionalism leaves teachers open to further deskilling. That would be bad enough, since no teacher wants to see her job become as routine, mechanical, and unskilled as factory work, but there is much more at stake here then just the teacher's own working conditions. The more insidious threat is not what deskilling means for teachers, but what it implies for their students, and ultimately the public.
Keep in mind that management gains three advantages by deskilling workers: (1) each worker becomes more efficient at their one specialized task; (2) the whole process becomes cheaper as management concentrates expensive skills in the design department, while delegating the easier tasks to less skilled (and therefore less expensive) workers; and (3) management is able to assert greater control over the product through the concentration and centralization of decision making. The implications of this list, however, are quite different when applied to knowledge workers rather than industrial workers
In the Industrial Revolution, the deskilling of craft workers allowed management to increase profits by increasing efficiency and lowering production costs through (1) and (2) above. The deskilling of craft workers represented a hardship for the next generation of labourers who had to settle for low paying, boring, repetitive jobs, but the broader public benefited from more and cheaper consumer goods. Centralized control meant the mass production of identical items, but what was lost in terms of hand-crafted quality and originality was perhaps compensated by significantly greater abundance and availability.
Centralized control takes on entirely different connotations, however, when one shifts from discussing auto parts to the intangible products generated by knowledge workers. The issue is particularly stark for educators, because what teachers produce is student knowledge. In theory, the trend towards greater top-down hierarchical direction in education is premised on the need to cut costs and increase efficiency. When politicians demand greater accountability from the schools and introduce measures such as provincial examinations, they usually speak in terms of ensuring that the taxpayers are getting quality schooling for their money. In practice, the real impact of these measures has been to deskill teachers while concentrating control over the school system in the hands of a few key government officials. By telling teachers what and how to teach, the provincial Ministry also controls what andhow students will learn. The higher the degree of deskilling, the greater the likelihood that the entire system will slip from education to indoctrination.
Not that one need attribute sinister political motives to the government for this trend to be a cause for concern. Even if the government is uninterested in asserting direct political control over the curriculum,22 the centralization of curriculum functions necessarily implies a shift from a child-centred to a curriculum-centred system. When teachers are deskilled, they lose the autonomy necessary to respond to the unique needs of individual students. When standardized examinations are present, for example, teachers feel pressured to teach to the test, rather than respond to student interests. Social Studies teachers drop discussion of current affairs from their courses because they know that this material is too current to be included on an external examination. Mathematics and science teachers retreat into rote memorization of the basics, rather than encouraging critical thinking, because they know most standardized examinations are incapable of measuring such higher mental activity. When teachers are deskilled, both they and their students become demoralized because they are both subjected to the same mind-numbing work routines. Without the autonomy required for reflective practice, a deskilled teacher can neither find for themselves nor provide for their students the intellectual challenge which is the core of life-long learning. Consequently, deskilled, teachers may not even be able to train, let alone educate.
Is teaching a profession? By now I hope I have convinced you that this is a trick question, and that teachers must not allow themselves to get tricked again. There is no such thing as a profession. The only feature that ever really distinguished the professions from other occupations was the "professional" label itself. What we are is knowledge workers, and as such we have a responsibility to both ourselves and to the public to become reflective practitioners. As reflective practitioners we can reassert, first our ability, and then our right, to assume responsibility for the educational enterprise. We must stop worrying about unimportant issues of status and focus instead on the real and present danger of deskilling. We must awaken the public to the implications of continuing down the road we have been traveling this past decade. We must explain, clearly and forcefully, why the continued deskilling of teachers is not in the best public interest. Otherwise, if we allow the continued erosion of our autonomy, we place at risk not only our own self-fulfillment, but the education of our students, and therefore -- ultimately -- the very foundations of democratic society.

Friday, January 7, 2011

A Practice Teaching Portfolio

PRACTICE- TEACHING MANUAL

PHILOSOPHY

The designing of practice teaching manual of ZSCMST-College of Education is based on the belief that the practice teaching experience is a critical part of a practice teacher in the college of education.  It is believed that these practice teachers have demonstrated competence in the use of basic teaching strategies and have the potential to function as professionals. Practice teaching provides prospective teachers with the opportunity to implement all they have learned throughout their teacher education program. These practice teachers are supported by their College Dean, Program Advisers and their classroom Cooperating Teachers.  They are greatly influenced by the practices and personality of these people to whom they have been assigned. Therefore, it is important that they will be placed with competent cooperating teachers.
The competent cooperating teachers assess the needs and interest of practice teachers, prepares a conducive learning environment, and teaches such that students are engaged in learning activities and stimulate their thinking skill.  These are skills that the cooperating teachers help the student teachers to acquire.  This practice teaching manual outlines the process by which that mentoring can take place.

GOALS OF STUDENT TEACHING

1.      To provide opportunities for the Practice Teacher to observe the application of instructional and management techniques as modeled by a cooperating teacher.
2.      To assist the Practice Teacher in making the transition from the role of student to that of a professional educator by assuming all of the daily responsibilities of a classroom teacher.
3.      To assist the Practice Teacher in understanding the organizational structure and the respective roles of the administrative, faculty, and staff personnel of  secondary school.
4.      To provide the Practice Teacher with opportunities to participate in the application and evaluation of specific theories and techniques studied previously in campus-based professional education subjects under the supervision of a Cooperating Teacher who is knowledgeable and experienced in those particular theories and techniques.
5.      To provide observation, guidance and evaluation for Practice teacher from both the Cooperating Teacher and the College Dean.
6.      To provide Practice Teachers with the opportunity to demonstrate subject matter competence by planning and presenting lessons and assessing student learning using a variety of strategies and tools (including technology).
7.      To enable Practice Teachers to participate fully in the life of the school to which they have been assigned.
8.      To provide opportunities for the Practice Teacher to plan, organize, manage, and evaluate the complete daily schedule of a classroom for a specified period of at least sixteen (16) weeks of consecutive class days.
9.         To provide an opportunity for Practice Teachers to reflect upon their entire professional preparation including their daily practice teaching experiences by preparing a portfolio to demonstrate their achievement and the achievement of their students. 

Practice Teaching Placement and Procedures


Once a student enrolled in practice teaching, the Dean of the College of Education together with the two program advisers will seek a school placement for the prospective student teacher.  Student teaching sites are limited to:
1)      Public schools.
2)     With cooperating teachers who are familiar with and willing to support the ZSCMST College of Education programs.
The Program advisers with the supervision of the College Dean shall initiate all requests to secondary school districts for placement of Practice Teachers by sending a letter requesting placement to the selected public secondary school’s principal.

COOPERATING PRINCIPAL

As the educational leader of the school in which the Practice Teacher is placed, the principal’s role in the Program is essential to its success. He/she is expected to take a direct and active part in facilitating the practice teaching experience.
The expectations of the Cooperating Principal shall be as follow:
1.   Cooperate with the Dean and the program advisers of the ZSCMST, College of Education in securing the most appropriate appointment of a willing and competent Cooperating Teacher,
2.   Oversee the Practice Teacher’s orientation to the organizational structure, physical facilities and instructional equipment, and established procedures of the school,
3.   Arrange appropriate access to the school and classroom for the Dean and program advisers for observation,
4.   Provide support and advice to the Cooperating Teacher and the Practice Teacher in the solution of any unanticipated problems that may arise that are pertinent to the student teaching experience,
5.   Conduct one or more formal class observations of the Practice Teacher’s teaching as time allows, and provide feedback after that session.

COOPERATING TEACHER

The Cooperating Teacher shall supervise the routine daily activities of the Practice Teacher and provide the Practice Teacher with access to teaching resources.
The Cooperating Teacher shall be paid an honorarium according to the student teaching fee structure developed by the Dean and the program advisers and approved by the College President.
The minimum qualifications of the Cooperating Teacher shall be as follows:
1.   A record of at least three years of successful teaching,
2.  His/her field of specialization is the same of that practice teacher assigned,
3.   At least one year in the present teaching position and,
4.   Willingness to support the Practice Teacher’s efforts to apply the theories and instructional methods emphasized in the College’s professional education courses.
The expectations of the Cooperating Teacher shall be as follows:
A.   Conduct an orientation with the practice teacher including the following information:
            1. Secondary school policies, rules and regulations and procedures including routine and emergency,
            2.  Copy of daily schedule and an explanation of the school’s schedule/routine/calendar,
            4. Copy of the teacher’s handbook/manual, lesson plan format, curriculum guidelines and any other materials the practice teacher needs to lesson plan,
            5. Instructions about grading system and assessment (practice teachers should not be given the actual class record),
            6. A copy of the student’s handbook detailing the school’s disciplinary policy (please discuss your own disciplinary approach),
            7. Information about faculty meetings/in-services,
            8. Texts, seat plans, ID for practice teacher,
            9.  Accessibility of storage of materials, library use, computer use to the practice teacher,
            10. Schedule weekly consultations with the Practice Teacher to discuss instructional goals, plan for instruction and evaluation of students, refine classroom management skills, and evaluate instructional skill development.
11. Support the Practice Teacher’s efforts to implement specific theories, instructional models, and teaching techniques emphasized in the College’s professional education subjects,
12. Provide for the Practice Teacher’s participation in all professional activities in which she/he the Cooperating Teacher is engaged during the period of the practice teaching assignment,
13. Make the Practice Teacher, the College Dean and the program advisers aware of any problem(s) that may become apparent as soon as possible after their first appearance,
14. Provide ongoing feedback and complete a written evaluation on forms provided by the ZSCMST-College of Education and be collected from them by the program advisers of the programs after the Practice Teaching experience.

COLLEGE DEAN AND PROGRAM ADVISERS

The Dean and the Program advisers are the representatives who facilitate communication between the ZSCMST-College of Education and Secondary School principal in all matters relating to the Practice Teacher under his/her supervision.
The expectations of the College Dean and the Program advisers shall be as follows:
1.   Provide a general orientation to the practice teaching experience for the Practice Teachers.
2.      Clarify the goals and procedures of the practice teaching program to the Cooperating Teachers and Principals as necessary (they will be invited for a conference before the deployment of student teachers).
3.      Analyze and respond to the daily practice teaching logs to determine if problems are developing.
4.      Evaluate lesson plans weekly to assist the practice teachers in developing, planning and presentation skills.
5.      Regularly observe, at least four times, the Practice Teacher actively teaching to evaluate and encourage the development of the Practice Teacher’s professional skills.
6.      Maintain contact with the Cooperating Teacher to discuss specific strengths and weaknesses of the Practice Teacher and set goals for coaching.
7.      Confer with the Practice Teachers after the observation to help the practice teachers deal with specific issues and continue their progress.
8.   Assign grade for the practice teaching experience on the basis of personal observation of the Practice Teacher’s classroom instructional behavior upon the recommendation of the Cooperating Teacher and in consultation with the principal and/or other professional educational personnel as deemed appropriate by the College Dean.

PRACTICE TEACHER
The Practice Teacher is a senior enrolled in practice teaching as one of the subjects in the course Bachelor in Secondary Education. The student has demonstrated in classes and clinical field experiences the abilities and skills that suggest he/she will become a successful teacher.
Once the practice teaching period has begun, the Practice Teacher shall participate in all professional activities that are expected of the Cooperating Teacher, including (but not limited to) faculty meetings, special duty assignments, parent-teacher conferences, and  in-service workshops.
The Practice Teacher shall abide by all rules and regulations established by the Public Secondary School for its Practice Teachers, any specific requirements or assignments as may be made by the Cooperating Teacher, Cooperating Principal, College Dean and Program advisers, and the policies and procedures established for the practice teaching program of the College.
For the College, the Practice Teacher must
1)  Submit weekly journal reflections.
2)  Attend a weekly practice teaching conference.
3)  Develop a classroom management plan.
4)  Complete the portfolio and teacher work sample materials.
5)  Submit a copy of a weekly schedule with times you will teach.
6)  Provide a lesson plan prior to each lesson to be observed.
7)  Interview school nurse, counselor, school personnel and assistant principal in charge of discipline regarding special services and individual needs (journal entry).

For the Public Secondary School, the Practice Teacher must
1)  Schedule an orientation visit.  The orientation conference provides for the sharing of information and the start of a professional relationship with the cooperating teacher.  The following should be discussed at the orientation visit:
a.         Subjects (Topics and sub-topics to be taught).
b.           Texts/materials/school curriculum guidelines.
c.           General classroom management.
d.            Philosophies of teaching.
e.            Expectations for the role and responsibilities of the practice teacher (please consult this guide and discuss explicitly for shared understanding).
f.            Flexible proposed outline for practice teaching experience.
g.           Initial involvement activities for practice teacher/preparation prior to the start of practice teaching.
2)  Consult with the Cooperating Teacher and prepare teaching materials appropriate to every day’s activities.
3)  Effectively prepare and implement instructional activities on a daily basis.
4)  Participate fully in the life of the school as a professional including:

ATTENDANCE

Practice Teachers are expected to be punctual and have perfect attendance in practice teaching.
1.      Arrive at school not later than the time determined by the school policy manual. It is wise to arrive the same time as the Cooperating Teacher.
2.     The practice teacher should never miss school unless there are dire circumstances that prevent attendance.  In that event, the practice teacher needs to notify the Cooperating Teacher or the principal and or the College Dean or Program advisers.  Failure to notify all three persons in writing or verbal may result in the practice teacher being withdrawn from the practice teaching.
3.  Excessive absences may result in the practice teacher being withdrawn from the practice teaching experience (at least three (3 days in a week).

DRESS

Practice Teaching Uniform should always be worn.  No jeans, sweatpants, pajama apparel or other unsuitable (tight or revealing, etc.) clothes should be worn to school.
SCHEDULE OF HOLIDAYS
Practice Teachers are required to adhere to the schedule of the school where they are assigned. Student Teachers typically do not have the same holidays or breaks as the ZSCMST campus and may not leave their teaching assignment to participate in ZSCMST holidays. 

HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR PRACTICE TEACHING SCHEDULE

Practice Teachers begin their practice teaching assignment in the first semester and be continued in the second semester especially those who do not complete the required number of hours of teaching in the first semester. 

COMPENSATION 

The Practice Teacher shall receive no monetary compensation for work done in connection with the practice teaching experience during the period of the assignment.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHING

The Practice Teacher may be placed in charge of the assigned classroom on the recommendation of the Cooperating Teacher or Principal if the Cooperating Teacher is absent from school for less than two days during the period in which has assumed full classroom responsibility. If the Practice Teacher has not assumed full classroom responsibility a substitute teacher must be in the classroom.

ASSESSMENT OF THE PRACTICE TEACHING EXPERIENCE

The practice teacher will receive ongoing feedback and multiple evaluations as outlined below.
1.     Cooperating Teacher Evaluation - From the Cooperating Teacher the practice teacher will receive daily informal evaluations and a formal summative evaluation at the end of the student teaching experience.
2.     College Dean/Program Advisers` Evaluations - From the college dean/ program advisers, the practice teacher will receive formative evaluations and specific feedback after each observation. The college dean/ program advisers will also provide feedback and will complete a final evaluation at the end of the practice teaching experience.  The program advisers give the final grade for practice teaching.
3.     Additional feedback – The practice teacher should request that a school administrator (principal, department chair, other) observe one class toward the end of their full class and provide feedback, if possible.
4.     Self-assessment – The practice teacher will monitor his/her own growth through the required journal reflections and teacher work sample materials.

CONFERENCES AND EVALUATIONS

Conferences between the Cooperating Teacher and the Practice Teacher should be conducted in an atmosphere of mutual trust; they should be problem-centered rather than personality -centered and should be conducted in private.
The Cooperating Teacher, College Dean or other Evaluators, should be aware of the importance of human relations to the success of such meetings, and should strive to listen, be empathetic, and remain objective. Be sure to commend the Practice Teacher for all personal strengths. Provide necessary feedback to the Practice Teacher and serve as a resource person as well. React honestly, yet keep criticism constructive and positive; provide specific, direct information about how the practice teacher can improve his/her performance.
A.        Cooperating Teachers should hold formal conferences weekly at a regularly scheduled time and also the College Dean should provide formal feedback after an observation.  The observation guide form can be used as an objective guide to provide specific feedback about what you are or are not seeing the practice teacher do.  The observation form is tied to the final expectations of what the practice teacher is expected to know and be able to do at the conclusion of practice teaching.  (Triad conference may be applied by the practice teacher, cooperating teacher and the dean or program advisers).
B.          Build on the Practice Teacher’s strengths.
C.          Engage the Practice Teacher in self-evaluation and goal setting and encourage the Practice Teacher to reflect on his/her performance and how they can improve that performance – to reflect on the teaching/learning process and generate solutions for themselves (if they are unable to accurately assess what is occurring in the classroom do not hesitate to offer suggestions, techniques, models that they should try).
D.        Complete the evaluation form and review it with the Practice Teacher.
E.        At the end of the Practice Teaching, the Cooperating Teacher, the Program Advisers and the College Dean should complete a final evaluation form. The Cooperating Teacher may review it with the Practice Teacher if you wish or keep it confidential and hand it to College Dean or Program advisers.  The Program adviser should review his/her own evaluation with the Practice Teacher, keeping confidential the Cooperating Teacher’s final evaluation if he/she so desires.
The Practice Teacher needs to:
1.         Realize the importance of the coaching that the Cooperating Teacher is giving you, to assist you in your professional growth.
2.         Appreciate constructive criticism, don’t be defensive.
3.         Don’t take feedback personally. 
4.         Seek suggestions for improvement and use them to change your teaching practice.  
5.         Be kind and gracious. 
6.         Keep the meetings positive. 
7.         If you are unable to do this for any reason, consult your College Dean or Program Adviser immediately.

PRACTICE TEACHING GRADE

The following rubric will be used to determine the Practice Teacher’s final grade for the practice teaching experience.
1.0-1.9 Only those practice teachers whose performance is outstanding as evidenced by an exceptionally high level of competence in teaching and classroom management, resourcefulness, and rapport with the students will earn a grade of "1.0-1.9" for practice teaching. Depending on the results of the evaluation of the Cooperating teacher, the Dean and the Program advisers.
2.0-2.9 Practice teachers, who complete all of the teaching responsibilities described above for at least the sixteen-week period, effectively teaching the basic curriculum, will earn a grade of "2.0-2.9".  Depending on the results of the evaluation of the Cooperating teacher, the Dean and the Program advisers.
5.0       Practice teachers who encounter major problems and are unable to demonstrate competencies and as a result be withdrawn from the practice teaching experience.

PLACEMENT BY PRACTICE TEACHER

In the event that circumstances unforeseen cause a practice teacher to be unable to begin a practice teaching assignment after placement has been made, the Practice Teacher must inform the Dean of the College of Education or the Program adviser. The Dean or Program adviser will inform the Public Secondary School’s Principal. If the practice teacher wishes to continue at a later date, he/she must present to the Dean a written explanation and that the circumstances causing the prior cancellation are not likely to be repeated. 

REMOVAL FROM A PRACTICE TEACHING ASSIGNMENT

In the event that the Cooperating Teacher, the host principal and the Program adviser determine that a Practice Teacher’s performance is so unsatisfactory that continuing the practice teaching experience is not in the best interests of either the students in the class or the Practice Teacher, the Practice Teacher will be removed from the assignment. The Program Adviser will confer with the Dean of the College of Education to initiate action for termination of the practice teaching experience. As soon as such determination has been made, the Dean of the College of Education shall notify the Public Secondary School’s Principal and Cooperating Teacher in writing. The practice teacher shall receive a grade of “5.0” under these circumstances and he/she MAY not be allowed to re-enroll practice teaching in the following school year.  

INCOMPATIBLE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

If, in the judgment of the College Dean and the Program Advisers, the environment in which the Practice Teacher is working proves to constitute a significant hindrance to the Practice Teacher’s success, the practice teacher shall be transferred to other school. 

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Practice teacher may not withdraw from Practice Teaching without permission. If a Practice Teacher wants to withdraw from the practice teaching assignment for personal reasons, he/she has to write the Program Adviser. The Program adviser then will confer with the Dean. If it is decided that the practice teacher should be allowed to withdraw from practice teaching, the Practice Teacher and Cooperating Teacher including the Host Principal will be notified of the decision. This may prevent the practice teacher from completing certification requirements at ZSCMST-College of Education.

REPEATING PRACTICE TEACHING DUE TO EXTRANEOUS CONDITIONS

The practice teaching experience may be repeated in the rare event that extraneous conditions or events that could not be anticipated or prevented significantly hindered the practice teacher’s teaching. In consultation with the Dean of the College of Education the practice teacher may re-enroll for another practice teaching placement.  The Program adviser must make the determination that conditions or events that could not be anticipated or prevented did, in fact, hinder the practice teacher’s performance before the enrollment can be processed.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COOPERATING TEACHER AND THE PRACTICE TEACHER

The Cooperating Teacher should introduce the Practice Teacher to the class as a professional colleague and should incorporate the Practice Teacher as a fellow teacher in instructional activities from day one.  Teaching responsibilities should be increased incrementally in developmentally appropriate stages. Each Practice Teacher may move through the stages at different paces.  Initial teaching activities should be the activities that help the Practice Teacher gain confidence, get better acquainted with the students, and develop rapport. This should contribute to the development of classroom management and familiarity with classroom schedules and routines.  The Practice Teacher will take assume responsibility of the Cooperating Teacher’s classes.
Practice teacher will prepare lessons that engage the learner, and develop cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills as necessary to the subject area.
1.         Lessons will be structured using the type of lesson plan that the Cooperating Teacher or public secondary school requires.
2.         In the case that a specific type of lesson plan is not required, the Practice Teacher will use what is being taught by his/her professors in lesson planning.
3.         Practice Teachers will submit lesson plans to the Cooperating Teacher at least one week prior to teaching so that he/she can provide constructive feedback before implementation.
4.         Additionally, provide the College Dean or Program Adviser a lesson plans to follow/assess during visits.
5.         Practice Teachers should plan, implement, and evaluate lessons and activities.
6.         Practice Teachers should incorporate a variety of teaching and learning activities.
7.         Practice Teachers must reflect on their own practice to improve student achievement.

Week 1
INITIAL OBSERVATIONS
Observations in the classroom provide the opportunity for Practice Teacher to acquire insight for working with students. The first week in the classroom should include significant observation opportunities, paying particular attention to the following:
Students
1.   Attention spans.
2.   Temperaments and personalities.           Grouping
1.    Students who work together well and ones who don’t.
2.   Types of group arrangements.
Teacher - Students
1.   Nature of teacher-student relationships.
2.  How the teacher delegates responsibility.
Learning
1.   Learning rates.
2.   Interests, abilities, and skills.
3.   Preparation and experience.
4.   Circumstances that facilitate learning.
5.  Environment: bulletin boards, displays, general arrangement   Instructional Methodologies
1.   Planning used in the classroom.
2.   Variety of instruction strategies used.
3.   Use of questioning.
4.   Instructional media used.
5.   Instructional materials and resources used.
6.   Motivational techniques used.
3.   Discussion techniques.
4.   Integration of content areas
In addition to observation during Week One, the Practice Teacher should:
1)  Submit a weekly schedule of your Cooperating Teacher(s) to your Program Adviser.
2)  Study the seat plan to memorize the students’ names. Be with students before and after class to develop rapport. Take attendance daily.
3)  Between lessons, as time permits, briefly review class activities and procedures.
 4)  At the end of the day, clarify the day's activities and plan for the following day. 
5) Learn to use the computer in the classroom (if any) and any special software used by the teacher. Assist the cooperating teacher in doing his/her tasks.
6)  Work with individuals and small groups for enrichment, remediation, and on special projects or assignments.
7)  Grade papers using the Cooperating Teacher’s rubrics. Compare your grading with the Cooperating Teacher’s grading to develop analytical skills consistent with his/hers.

Weeks 2-4
1.     Assume responsibility for planning, preparation, organization, implementation, and assessment/evaluation of one class, one period, or one year level.
2.     Collaborative planning between the Cooperating Teacher and the Practice Teacher initially building to Practice Teacher responsibility for planning.
3.    The Cooperating Teacher coaches the Practice Teacher to improve professional skills.
Weeks 5-7
1.     Gradually assume responsibilities for additional classes. The Practice Teacher should be teaching no more than half of the day.
2.     The Practice Teacher is given the responsibility for planning, preparation, organization, implementation, and assessment/evaluation of the classes s/he is teaching.
3.     The Cooperating Teacher and Program adviser receive the lesson plans or unit one week in advance.
4.      The Cooperating Teacher and Program adviser review the lesson plans to give positive reinforcement and suggestions for improvement.
5.      Accomplishing the Practice Teaching Evaluation Form.
Weeks 8-12
1. Assume responsibility for planning, preparation, organization, implementation, and assessment/evaluation for teaching all classes.
2. Ask maybe another teacher to assess your teaching skills. This evaluation should be included in your teaching portfolio.
Weeks 13-15
1.   Gradually reduce the Practice Teachers’ teaching responsibilities for a smooth transition back to the Cooperating Teacher.
2.   Practice Teacher finishes grading all projects, papers, and tests.
Final Week
The final week of practice teaching is reserved for observation of additional observers/evaluators.  The Cooperating Teacher can assist in identifying and scheduling these visits. 
Other Assignments:  Practice Teachers may assist their cooperating teachers in any extra curricular activities held in the school campus. The practice teacher participates in all school functions, such as PTA meetings, staff meetings, homeroom activities, clubs, and in-service meetings.


Miscellaneous

A. Releasing of TOR (requirements)
1.         Education graduate has to take and passed in the Pre-Board Let Examination conducted by the College of Education.
2.         If failed in the Exam, certification from a Review Center will serve as a requirement for the release of TOR.

Practice Teacher Code of Ethics

I realize the importance of the responsibilities I am to assume as a practice teacher and the ever-present need for a high level of ethics to guide me in discharging these duties. I believe in conducting myself accordingly with special attention directed to the following relationships: 

The Students
1. To accept students for who they are: as individual human beings of worth, with purposes, interests, and needs.
2. To earn students' respect through genuine interest in them and their activities. 3. To refrain from disclosing information about students obtained during practice teaching.
4. To foster critical thinking among students by examining facts and opinions on issues without imposing personal opinions.
5. To utilize all available evaluative techniques in assessing student learning and to assist students in making judgments about their own development.
6. To establish only mature, professional relationships with students.

The Cooperating Teacher
1. To accept the cooperating teacher as a professional person giving of his/her time and energy to help a practice teacher. To respect the cooperating teacher’s program, goals, and practices, by striving to understand and support them.
2. To avoid emphasizing differences in philosophy and practices with the cooperating teacher.
3. To secure approval of the cooperating teacher in advance of implementing practice teacher’s plans and experimentation.
4. To initiate suggestions for self-improvement during evaluation sessions with the cooperating teacher.
5. To keep the cooperating teacher informed of any personal or professional concerns that might affect the students, faculty, and school.
6. To cooperate with the cooperating teacher on all activities arranged for my professional growth. 

The School and Community 

1. To study and support school policies.
2. To discuss school matters only with persons (principals and other school personnel) responsible for formulating and implementing school policies.
3. To avoid violation of community morals.
4. To refrain from unjustified or casual criticism of the school and community.
5. To follow school rules and expectations for professional conduct and dress.
6. To avoid use of alcohol and drugs prior to contact in a professional role with students, parents, or others.  

The Dean and Program Advisers 

1. To accept the Dean and Program advisers as a ZSCMST faculty concerned with assisting the student teacher to have a successful practice teaching experience.
2. To seek the Dean or Program adviser’s suggestions for improving learning situations for students and for implementing the practice teacher’s many activities in the school and community.
3. To arrange and confirm a schedule that plans for personal conferences with the Dean or Program advisers.
4. To call or write the Dean or Program advisers with respect to weekly schedule of practice teacher’s activities in school and community.
5. To consider all conferences with the Dean or Program adviser as professional and confidential.

The ZSCMST-College of Education and Liberal Arts

1. To recognize that the practice teacher represents the ZSCMST-College of Education and that his/her conduct reflects upon the reputation of the institution.
2. To refrain from criticism of my College, should I find situations in the school different from my expectations?

The Profession

1. To study toward understanding the role of a practice teacher within the school, the community, and the profession.
2. To exhibit confidence and pride in the profession.
3. To look upon the profession as the greatest service to humankind and the career as offering the opportunities and responsibilities of the profession.
4. To encourage students to consider seriously the opportunities and responsibilities of the profession.
5. To contribute whenever possible to student learning experiences in the school, to the school program, and faculty planning for school improvement.
6. To become an active member in chosen professional organizations.
7. To regularly read, study, and reflect upon the literature and research pertaining to education for maximum professional improvement

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE

            Zamboanga State College ofMarine Sciences and Technology, College of Education and Liberal Arts-Laboratory High School is near the Fort Pilar Shrine at Rio Hondo Zamboanga City. It can also be located just at the right side of the main gate of the College. The said Laboratory High School has a two story building with 17 classrooms, a library, one computer room, a science laboratory room, a practice house, an audio visual room, and a faculty room. The said high school offers from first year to fourth year level. The first year has five sections, the second year has five, the third year has four, and the fourth year has three. Each section or class has an approximately 40 to 50 students or more not exceeding 60.
            Some of the class rooms are still in that of the traditional while others are following the new trend of teaching, I mean, some teachers prefer to use whiteboard than the chalk board, and projector as well. The morning class starts at 7:30 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. and the afternoon class starts at 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm, each session is good for an hour in a day(depending on the subject).The said high school has its house rule and penalties depending on the violations.
Honestly, not all the teachers in this school are accommodating, not even the students. Some of the  teachers for once never treat student-teacher as what we are but treat us as ordinary students and the  students that will treat you as practice teacher are only those who are in the section where you are assigned to teach though not all but almost majority. The principal of the school is Professor Helen Mojica, also a strict but a compassionate one. But from my experiences, I never had so much expectations from the teachers and students to treat me the way I want them to do so but at least I was able to performed my duties and responsibilities that was charge to me.


A REFLECTIVE PAPER

In whatever form or type of teaching or learning most especially in the field of education, one thing that the administrators, personnel and/or the teachers of the school has to consider is the site or location of the said learning institution. They must think through the environment if the people in there are safe, more importantly if the place is favorable for teaching and learning.
With the case of the ZSCMST CELA Laboratory High School, since it is just adjacent the road where many forms of transference are passing by, classes are often times distressed. The students encounter difficulty in assimilating the information instilled by the teacher, and the teacher might as well speak so loud just to win the competition with the noise of the vehicles on the road. Despite of those factors that affect the teaching-leaning process, the students are still receptive to whatever task assigned to them, in the activities that the teacher gave them, and there is also a rivalry among the learners not with the noise outside but among themselves to excel in their class performance and standing.
If I will be given the opportunity to propose with regards to the location of said Laboratory High School, I would suggest to transferring it at the aquaculture campus.
           



SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN ON POSITION-TIME GRAPH  VERSUS THE FORMULAS FOR VELOCITY, DISTANCE, AND TIME OF A BODY IN MOTION.

I.                OBJECTIVES:
Given a one (1) hour session, at least 85% of the students should be able to:
a.)   Define position-time graph;
b.)   Plot the given tabulated data using the position-time graph;
c.)   Analyze and interpret graphical representation of motion;
d.)   Determine and solve the slope in the graph; and
e.)   Participate actively in the class discussion.

II.              SUBJECT MATTER:
A.     TOPIC:Position-time graph versus formulas for velocity, distance, and time of a body in motion.
B.     MATERIALS : meter stick, book (Physics), visual aids on position-time graph
C.     REFERNCE:  Santos, Gil Nonato C. and Alfonso C. Danac.L-Physics (Investigatory Physics); Rex Bookstore Inc., Manila Philippines,2006,pp. 50-51

III.            PROCEDURE:
A.    REVIEW
B.    TECHNIQUES/STRATEGIES:  
-Inquiry approach                        -demonstration method
-Discussion method                      -problem-solving
C.    LESSON PROPER:
1.     Given the data for motion of a car moving eastward:
a.      Draw a position-time graph or plot distance against time.
b.     Compute for the average speed and velocity of the car.
c.      Determine and solve for the slope.
d.     Interpret the motion of the car.

D.    GENERALIZATION:

Position-time graph is the graph that shows how position depends on the clock read or time. Simply distance against time. Position-time graph is very important tool in the analysis of the motion of a body, for it gives a complete picture of an object that is moving in a straight path. The data are plotted with the time as the independent variable and the position is the dependent variable. The slope represents the speed or velocity of a moving body and can be solved by locating the coordinates of points between the line graph at given time interval. In the given illustration and computed values, the car is moving in a straight path or direction towards east. The speed is constant at 15 m/s.

IV.            EVALUATION:
Directions: Given the data for motion of the airplane moving eastward direction:
a.      Draw a position-time graph.
b.     Compute for average speed and velocity of the airplane.
c.      Interpret the motion of the airplane.
POSITION(Km)
TIME(hr.)
POSITION(Km)
TIME(hr.)
0
0
60
4
15
1
75
5
30
2
90
6
45
3
105
7

V.              ASSIGNMENT:
Directions:
            Answer the following problems on a graphing paper. Show complete computations.
1. Both car A and car B leave the school when clock reads zero. Car A travels at a constant 75 km/h, while car B travels at 85 Km/h.
            a. draw a position-time graph showing the motion of both cars.
            b. how far are the two cars from school when the clock read 2.0h? Calculate the distances using the equation of motion and show them on your graph.
            c. both cars passed gas station 100 km from the school. When did each car pass that station? Calculate the times and show them on your graph.
2. Draw a position-time graph for two cars driving to the beach, 50 km from school. Car A leaves a store 10 km from school closer to the beach at noon, and drives at 40 km/h. Car B starts from school at 12:30 pm and drives at 100 km/h. When does each get to the beach?



SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN ON ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY

I.                OBJECTIVES:
Given a one (1) hour session, at least 85% of the students should be able to:
a.      Analyze and interpret the motion of falling objects;
b.     Solve problems on uniformly accelerated motion due to gravity;
c.      Participate actively in the class discussion and board work/activity.

II.              SUBJECT MATTER:
A.    TOPIC: Acceleration due to gravity
B.    MATERIALS: Book (Physics), calculator, visual aids
C.    REFERENCE: Santos, Gil Nonato C. and Alfonso C Danac.L-Physics (Investigatory Physics); Rex Bookstore Inc., Manila Philippines,2006,pp.85-88


III.            PROCEDURE:
A.    REVIEW
B.    STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES
-Demonstration          - lecture
-Discussion                 -problem-solving
C.    LESSON PROPER
      1. The teacher threw a ball upward, and he let the students observe.
2.     Assuming that the initial velocity is 2,000 cm/s and was able to catch it before it reached the ground on its return.
a.      What was the velocity after 1 second? after 2 seconds?
b.     What was its displacement in the first second?
c.      How long did it take the ball to reach its maximum height?
d.     How far was this maximum height from the starting point?
e.      What was its final velocity just before it reached its original position?
f.      How long will it take the ball to reach a point 1,000 cm above its original position on its way down?
g.     Base from the figure and computed values, how is the motion of the ball upward to its maximum height and the motion of the ball as it moves downward?



D.GENERALIZATION:
                       From the original position, the ball is thrown upward with certain velocity. The distance and time as the ball goes upward are increasing, the velocity is decreasing. True to the given example, the initial velocity is 2,000 cm, after 1 second the velocity is 1,020 cm/s. After 2 seconds, the velocity is decreased to 40 cm/s. Also, the distance of the ball from the original position is 1,510 cm after 1 second. After 2 seconds, the distance has become almost doubled (2,040 cm). An object thrown upward will reach a certain point or maximum height with negative value of acceleration due to gravity or simply a=g=-9.80 m/s2. When it reached the maximum it will momentarily stop and then start to move downward. At this point, v↑= 0, v↓= 0. Then the final velocity has the same magnitude as the initial velocity when the object returns to its starting point.

IV.            EVALUATION:

Directions: Solve the following. Show your complete computations.
1. If you throw a ball straight up, it leaves your hand with a positive velocity of say, +20 m/s and was able to catch if before it reached the ground on its return:
a. what was its velocity after 1 second? After 2 seconds? then compare.
b. what was its displacement in the first second, in the next second?
c. how long did it take to reach its maximum height?
d. how far was this maximum height?
e. how long will  it take the ball to reach a point 860 cm above your hand on its way down?

V.              ASSIGNMENT:

1. Read the topic on Projectile motion.
                
Reference: Any Physics Book






SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN ON PROJECTILE MOTION

I.                OBJECTIVES:
Given a one (1) hour session, at least 85% of the students should be able to:
a.      Describe projectile motion;
b.     Differentiate projectile motion from vertical andhorizontal motions;
c.      Solve problems on projectile motion; and
d.     Show appreciation through active participation in the class discussion.
II.SUBJECT MATTER:
A.    TOPIC:  Projectile Motion
B.    MATERIALS: Books (Physics), and visual aids.
C.    REFERENCE: Santos, Gil Nonato C. and Alfonso C. Danac.L-Physics (Investigatory Physics); Rex Bookstore Inc., Manila Philippines, 2006, pp.58-63.

III.PROCEDURES:
A.    STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES
-Demonstration              -lecture/discussion
-Problem-solving
B.    MOTIVATION:
Ask a student to roll a ball from the top of the table until it falls down to the floor. (Let other students observe.)
C.    LESSON PROPER

1. Let the students sketch the ball’s motion.
2. Describe the motion of the ball.
3. Why do you think the projectile path of the ball is parabolic?
4. Compare the motion of the ball from the horizontal and vertical motions.
5. Give the formulas for projectile motion and discuss each by solving the following examples.
            a. A little girl throws her jack-stone ball horizontally out of the window with a velocity of 30 m/s. If the window is 3m above the level, how far will the ball go before it hits the ground?
            b. A ball is thrown with an initial velocity of 4.47m/s at an angle of 66 above the horizontal. Find
            1. how long it takes the ball to land on the ground.
            2. how high the ball rises.
            3. the range.
            D. GENERALIZATION:
            Projectile motion is the combination of vertical and horizontal motions that are completely independent from each other. Projectile path is parabolic because of the pull of the gravity towards the object (projectile). As the object moves horizontally, the gravity pulls the object slowly downward until it falls to the ground. The two components of velocity are the Vy and Vx,with the Viy=0 as if the object is just dropped; Vix =Vicos =constant and Vy =Visin . The height is the vertical displacement and the range is the horizontal distance.

IV.EVALUATION:
Directions: Solve the following problems. Show your complete solutions.
1. A stone is thrown with an initial horizontal velocity of 10m/s from the top of the tower 200m high. Find the
a. distance after 2s.
b.time it hits the ground.

2. A player kicks the football from the ground level with a velocity of 27m/s at an angle of 30above the horizontal. Find the
            a. time the ball is in the air.
            b.range
            c.maximum height

V.ASSIGNMENT:
Directions: Solve the practice problems in your book on page 96.To be submitted
Reference: Santos, Gil Nonato C. and Alfonso C. Danac.L-Physics (Investigatory Physics); Rex Bookstore Inc., Manila Philippines, 2006.





A REFLECTIVE PAPER

Every teacher can always teach;inculcate information and knowledge to his students. But effective teaching comes only with proper planning. I mean, teacher should always be equipped with  their lesson plan, because those stuff serves as the teacher’s guide as to how he is going to execute his teaching most especially the concept intended for the meeting, and as to what strategy he is going to use to equally cater all the learners .
In my circumstance during my practice teaching at ZSCMST-CELA Laboratory High School, I was tasked to teach the fourth year class and was obliged to submit my lesson plan a day before teaching the subject matter. In my first day, I felt like I am hallucinated maybe because of the feeling of being nervous to be teaching the first section of the seniors, and the pressure that was loaded to me by my cooperating teacher, though she’s okay but I can’t deny the fact that I have to perform to the best way I can in all ways possible.
But the most vital role that I’ve ever experienced in my In-campus practice teaching was that, my critic teacher taught me a new way of writing a lesson plan which is very far from the format that I’ve learned from my Education subjects. Nevertheless, I was able to learn her way of doing so and I found it more effective than the typical and very traditional lesson plan most especially the detailed type.
Based from what I’ve learned, teachers have their own ways of teaching, planning their lessons. But despite of the differences, they have the same target and that is to meet with their objectives of their everyday lesson plan.

OBSERVATION AND EVALUATION FORM

A REFLECTIVE PAPER

The observation notebook is given by the student-teacher to his critic on or before he starts the teaching. This is where the critic teacher writes her comments and counsels to the practice teacher during or after the session and it is being returned back to the student-teacher which also contributes great help to determine his strengths and flaws in that day. Since the critic teacher has the observation notebook, it implies that she must be always in the classroom to observe, but there are times that my critic teacher failed to observe me but sometimes my observation notebook is returned to me with comments. The evaluation form on the other hand is given to the critic teacher only after the practice teaching indenture.
Observation and evaluation forms comfort both the student-teacher and the critic teacher. These serve as the mirror of the student-teacher as to how he does carry out in each session, as well as the bases of the critic teacher as to how she is going to rate or give ratings to the student-teacher’s enactment like professionals do. But from my experienced in my in-campus practice teaching, the comments and suggestions in the observation notebook did not jibe with the ratings in the evaluation form.
Nevertheless, the comments in my observation notebook and the marks that I have in my evaluation form don’t matter that much, because I know I did my part, in all ways I can.


SAMPLES OF LEARNERS’ WORK

A REFLECTIVE PAPER

In the teaching-learning process, learners’ work plays the most important role. This is on way of assessing the students’ performance for that certain subject matter. Either they have absorbed the information from the deliberations or need further discussion among the teacher and the learners,evaluate the students’ standing; the strengths and weaknesses in that certain topic. Teacher can also determine how the students are responsive to the task assigned to them.
Somehow, some factors are to be considered in terms of assessing the teacher and students’ performance. In my case, I often give an evaluation to my students’ just right after the discussion as part of my lesson plan to determine if they have absorbed the information or if they’ve jotted down some important information in their lecture notes. But, as part of the traditional ways of teaching, teachers give an evaluation either projects,activities, assignments, chapter test, long quiz, or unit test aside from the periodical examination in every quarter of the school year.
More prominently, the learners’ work is one way of determining if both the teacher and students were able to attain the objectives of the topic intended for that day. Recalling back my erudition in my education subjects way back from my first year to third year, I’ve learned that learners’ work serves as the echo of the teacher’s performance, since it gives a view as to how the teacher executed his/her teaching strategies,methods, techniques, and approaches during the process. It also gives a replication to the teacher if he/she is an effective one.

SAMPLES OF STUDENTS’ FEEDBACK

A REFLECTIVE PAPER

Run-through teaching is the most exciting part in the education curriculum yet the most crucial because student-teachers play a vital role like professional teachers do.
At first, you don’t know how to deal with the new crowd of people, you have to learn first how to be an upright friend to them, a mentor, a brother, then later on as teacher. It would be a prodigious honor if you treat your students like your family, because they can open up to you.
Students’ feedback could be either in the form of words or being shown emotionally. From my experiences in my in-campus practice teaching, I required my students to write what they feel about me, what are the traits that they like in me and the things that made them hate me. The purpose of that is to secretly evaluate my teaching performances as well as my relationship with the students.
I know deep inside me that I am a stringent teacher and yes I really am, but I don’t have any idea how I made my students to respect me as how they treat their professional teachers, shown me love and cares. And I am so grateful with the feed-backs that were expressed through letters, though there were suggestions but I know that those are constructive ones.
I also know that it is not only me who will treasure the rapports that we built but as well as they will also keep every good moment that we had until the end of time.

TITLE AND BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF PROFESSIONAL READING AND REFERENCES

How to Discipline Children and Help Them Develop Self-Control

The foundations for discipline are laid down in the early years. Flexibility is the key to discipline as children grow. Parents must be prepared to modify their discipline approach over time, using different strategies as their child develops greater independence and capacity for self-regulation and responsibility. During adolescence, the individuals become responsible for their own behavior. Establishing self-control is a process which develops slowly, and the ultimate goal of discipline is to help children build their own self-control, not to have them merely obey adult commands.
How do children raised by these types of parents grow up? Follow-up studies show that the moderate way, between extreme permissiveness and extreme strictness, is the most effective of the three styles. Children raised by authoritative/moderate parents tended to have a good self-concept and to be responsible, cooperative, self-reliant and intellectually curious. Children raised by authoritarian/strict parents tended to be timid and withdrawn, less intellectually curious and dependent on the voice of authority. Children raised by permissive parents tended to be immature, reluctant to accept responsibility or to show independence.
Following are some helpful discipline techniques:
·       Use language to help solve problems
·       Ignoring
·       Rewards
·       Natural consequences
·       No more no – keep it positive
·       Don't dictate: negotiate
·       Pick your battles
·       Prevention
·       Dealing with unacceptable behavior
·       What doesn't work
·       When to seek help


A REFLECTIVE PAPER

As everybody says that life of a teacher is never that easy, he should be a role model and a good example to everyone. As an individual engaged to this kind of profession, he must first possess all the traits that will make him to be a stronger and a better person. Most especially on dealing with students of different personalities.
All children misbehave at some time; it is part of finding out what appropriate behavior is and where the limits are. Children may throw tantrums, test the rules, start fights, refuse to cooperate with the teacher’s house rules and routines, use bad language—the list goes on. As the teacher teaches students appropriate behavior, what the expected rules and boundaries are all about, it's important to remember the goals of discipline. Discipline means helping a child develop self-control and a sense of limits, experience the consequences of his/her behavior, and learn from his/her mistakes. Discipline does not mean punishment or conflict between the teacher and students. All of them need the security of knowing the rules and boundaries of behavior; without them they feel at a loss, and later on they become abusive.
Positive reinforcement is the best technique for encouraging wanted behavior. Most students crave attention and acceptance from the teacher and will work to get it. Rewards are not bribes; they are ways to show to student that she is doing a good job.But in the end, the teacher must be clear, firm and specific about what you mean, be respectful. Don't resort to name-calling or yelling. And the consequence should follow the behavior immediately. The consequence should be fair in relation to the behavior.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE

Maria Clara L. Lobregat National High School, formerly known as Divisoria National High School produced its pioneering graduates in 1998. The said institution is located down the valley in Divisoria as it is point out in the school hymn, and is approximately 6 kilometers away from the city proper. MCLLNHS for short before only has more or less 10 classrooms but now it has buildings from A to J which implies to have ten (10) 2 story buildings with more or less 42 classrooms over all, and are occupied by approximately 2000 students. Each building has a comfort room. They also have a practice house for the TLE teachers teaching the subject, a computer room, a wide library, a science laboratory, and a clinic. The school has a covered court where teachers and students gather themselves every time there is a program or celebration.
Maria Clara L. Lobregat National High School was named after the late mayor of Zamboanga City, Mayor Maria Clara L. Lobregat School. Ever since the school was changed to the above-mentioned name, little by little, the school is thriving to known as one of the most National High School with wide campus. The school also participates to the different activities held in Zamboanga City and even sends representatives to attend in the regional and national meets.


A REFLECTIVE PAPER

Maria Clara L. Lobregat National High School has a very good site for the teaching–learning process compare to that in Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology College of Education and Liberal Arts-Laboratory High School. The place is at liberty from the noise and dangers brought by vehicles.
Each class room are also conducive for learning, the students are free to roam around in their wide classroom. But the only problem is the ventilation, the weather brings warm to students most especially in sunny days. Also, muddy road burdens the students in coming to school in rainy seasons. Anyway the school is just 13 years in existence and it doesn’t have the financial plan yet for the renovation of the road as well as in providing proper ventilation to each room.
The said school is thriving little by little to be recognized as one of the best school in town. The teachers and students are very accommodating, the teachers treat you as their colleague in the profession, and the students respect you as much as they respect their teachers. If given a chance to work there, I will take hold of the opportunity because it is an honor to be working with the teachers who were also my teachers during my high school years.


SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN ON THE DISCOVERY OF ELECTRICITY: FOREIGN AND FILIPINO SCIENTISTS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DISCOVERY OF ELECTRICITY.
I.                OBJECTIVES:
Given a one hour discussion, the students should be able to:
a.      define electricity;
b.     name some foreign and Filipino scientists in the discovery of electricity;
c.      discuss each of their contributions to the discovery of electricity; and
d.     participate actively in the class discussion.

II.              SUBJECT MATTER:
A.TOPIC: Discovery of Electricity: Foreign and Filipino scientists and their contributions to the discovery of electricity.
B. MATERIALS: Books (Physics), visual aids.
C. REFERENCE: Alastre-Dizon, Maville T.,et.al.Science and Technology for the future IV.DIWA LEARNING SYSTEM INC.,4th floor SEDCCO building Makati City Philippines,200,pp.106-113.

III.            PROCEDURES:
A. STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES:
                                         -Lecture/discussion   -cooperative learning
                                         -demonstration          
B. MOTIVATION:
Directions:
Let one student to switch on and off the light. Then ask the rest of the students to observe. Call another student to connect the plug of the stand fan in the outlet. Then let the students state their observations.
C. LESSON PROPER
1. Based from your observations the time your classmates switch on and off the light, and plug the connection of the stand fan in the outlet. Why do you think or what made these things function or work?
2. Since you’ve mentioned the word electricity, anyone from the class can define electricity?
3. With the use of electrical energy or electricity, it makes people’s lives more comfortable. There are also people behind the comfort ability of our lives today. These people are some of the foreign and Filipino scientists who contributed in the discovery of electricity. Name at least eight foreign and Filipino scientists and give their contributions.
            D. GENERALIZATION:
                        Electricity is perhaps one of the best/most versatile forms of energy. It is consists of the charges carried by the electrons and protons. Electrical activities take place anywhere; it helps people to live more comfortable, makes every activity be easier and faster. Behind the convenient lives that we have right now are the people who studied and contributed ideas in the discovery of electricity. They allowed us to understand more accurately the function of electrical energy in our daily lives activity. These people are only some of the many scientists, like William Gilbert, Otto Von Guericke and many more.
IV.            EVALUATION:
I. Direction: fill in the blanks with the right word to make the statement correct.
1.________ is a material that efficiently conducts electricity.
2. According to ____________, the force between two charged objects is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
3. The current flowing from one terminal of a battery to another through a conductor is caused by _____________.
4. _________ is an electric charge in motion.
5. The flow of current in a circuit is ________ proportional to voltage.

II. Direction: Enumerate the following.
1. At least three (3) foreign scientists and their contributions to the discovery of electricity.
2. At least three (3) Filipino scientists and their contributions to the discovery of electricity.

V.              ASSIGNMENT:
Direction: Read about the following topics.
1. Electrical circuits.
2. Basic parts of a circuit.

            Reference: Any Physics Book

SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN ON ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS

I.                OBJECTIVES:
                   Given a one (1) hour session, the students should be able to:
a.      distinguish conductors from insulators;
b.     give examples of conductors and insulators;
c.      explain why conductors offer low resistance;
d.     discuss the four factors affecting  the resistance of conductors; and
e.      value the importance of conductors and insulators in our daily life activities.

II.              SUBJECT MATTER:
A.TOPIC: Electric Conductors and Insulators.
B. REFERENCE: Alastre-Dizon, Maville T.,et.al.Science and Technology for the future IV.DIWA LEARNING SYSTEM INC.,4th floor SEDCCO building Makati City Philippines,200,pp. 145-148.
C.MATERIALS: Books (Physics), visual aids
     III.PROCEDURES:
          A. STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES:
                                   -Lecture/discussion               -cooperative learning
                                   -demonstration          
          B. MOTIVATION:
                        Directions: The teacher will post the visual aids with the different term and definition related to conductors and insulators. He will call some students to choose and pick a word from the chalkboard (left side) then match it with the key terms posted on the other side of the board. After the students were able to transfer/match all the words, the teacher will now come in and start with the discussion.
         C.LESSON PROPER
                        Guide Questions:
1. What is a conductor?
2.  List examples of a conductor and of an insulator.
3. What are the four factors that affect the resistance of conductors in a circuit or the four laws of resistance?
4. State the functions and importance of conductors and insulators.
            D.GENERALIZATION:
*Differentiate conductors from insulators.
·       Conductors are materials that offer low resistance to the flow of current, examples are metals, irons, and gold. While insulators are materials that offer high resistance to the flow of current, examples are glass, plastics, and rubber.
*What are the f our factors that affect the resistance of conductors?
The four factors that affect the resistance of conductors are the following
·       Length of a conductor
·       Thickness of a conductor
·       Nature of a conductor
·       Temperature of a conductor
IV.       EVALUATION:
I.                 ESSAY.
Directions: Discuss by giving examples to the following.
1. Conductors
2. Insulators

V. ASSIGNMENT:
I. PROBLEM SOLVING.
Directions: Solve the following by using the different equations associated to electricity. Show your complete computations.
1. Two objects are both negatively charged with 0.02C each and are 70 cm apart. What kind of force exists between them and how much?
2. A charge of 1.5 C present in an electric field produces a force of 6N. What is the intensity of the electric field?
3. What the potential difference in an electric circuit with a current of 30 amperes and a resistance of 8 Ω?
4. What is the electric field intensity of an electric field if the single point of charge is + 9C over a distance of 15 meters?
5. Copper has an electrical resistivity of 1.5 x 10 -8 Ω.m. How would be the resistance of a copper wire 10 mm long compare with another copper wire 15 mm long?
SEMI-DETAILED LESSON PLAN ON ELECTRICAL ENERGY: MEASURE OF ELECTRICAL CONSUMPTION, COMPUTATION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY, ELECTRICAL CONSERVATION AND SAFETY.

I.                OBJECTIVES:
Given a one (1) hour session, the students should be able to:
a.      explain how energy is transferred and use by electrical appliances;
b.     explain the concept of power;
c.      calculate the power rating of an appliance;
d.     relate power rating of appliances to voltage and current; and
e.      enumerate the ways of conserving electrical energy and its safety.


II.              SUBJECT MATTER:
        A. TOPIC: Electrical Energy; measure of electrical consumption,
                      Computation of electrical energy, electrical conservation and safety
   B. MATERIALS:
   C. REFERENCE: Alastre-Dizon, Maville T.,et.al.Science and Technology for the future IV.DIWA LEARNING SYSTEM INC.,4th floor SEDCCO building Makati City Philippines,2004,pp.159-172.

III.            PROCEDURES:
   A. REVIEW:
                  (The teacher will talk about current, voltage, and resistance.)
   B.STRATEGIES/ TECHNIQUES:
   C.LESSON PROPER:
                  GUIDE QUESTIONS:
      1. What is power?
2. How is power being computed?
      3. What is the importance of knowing the power rating of the appliances?
      4. What are the tips in conserving electrical energy in our daily live activities?
      5. What are some ways to ensure electrical safety?
      6. What is the significance or importance of knowing the tips in conserving electrical energy and electrical precautions? 

   D.GENERALIZATION:
1. What is power?
·       Power refers to the amount of work done or energy consumed per unit time (P=W/t).
2. How are voltage and current related to the power of an appliance?
·        Voltage and current are positively related to power. Appliance with high voltage across it. Or with high current through it, has high power or rate of converting electrical energy to other forms.

1.     How do we compute the power rating of an appliance?
·       P= VI
4. What are some tips of conserving energy?
·       One is to know first the disadvantages and advantages of the appliances before using it. We must also know how and when to use the appliances we have at home, etc.
5. What are some ways to en sure electrical safety?
·       Make sure that everything is in good condition
·       Do not overload extension cords
·       Never leave plugged-in appliances where they fall into water, etc.

IV.            EVALUATION:
I.                 MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Given the four choices a, b, c, and d, writes only the letter of the correct answer on your answer sheet.
1. The unit of power is
a. watt             b. Newton                   c. volts                        d. ampere
2. Which one does not belong in the group?
a. P=W/t                     b. P=qv/t                     c. P=IV                       d. P=VR


3. Which of the following statements below give tips on how to conserve energy?
            a. do not iron all the clothes at one time
            b. hang the clothes to dry on sunny days
            c. use natural light whenever possible
            d. avoid overloading your refrigerator

4. Which of the following ways below ensure electrical safety?
            a. nail  or staple cords  on the wall
            b. do not overload extension wires
            c. place cords under the carpets or rags
            d. plug appliances that are not in  use

5. In an electrical circuit, _________ is manifested by heating or warming the resistor or load.
            a. resistance                           c. power
            b. electric meter                                d. voltage

II.               ESSAY.
Direction: Briefly answer the following.
            *Why is it important to know the
1. ways of conserving electrical energy?
2. electrical safety?

V.              ASSIGNMENT:

Read about the following topics:
1. Energy generation, utilization, management, and conservation.
Reference: any Physics book






A REFLECTIVE PAPER

Teaching as a profession is never an easy starring role to every individual for it requires you to be a well-rounded person who possessed every quality that an effective one have.
As a practice teacher in this field, I cannot give the performance that professional educators do, but I can only give the assurance that I can give grounding in my students to the best way I can. In September 07, 2010, it was the time that we were deployed by our program advisers in some remote Barangay High School, and I am lucky enough to be assigned in the school just nearby my residence and it is also the institution where I completed my high school, and supplementary to my luck was that, I was assigned to a teacher as my detractor who used to be my teacher in my 3rd year and 4th year. After couple of days observing the sections that I am assigned to teach, my cooperating teacher ask me to submit to her a lesson plan a day before meeting my students. I was not pressured yet that time since I have already the idea and I have done those things when I was still doing my in-campus practice-teaching, but what I’ve anticipated was very far from the authenticity, and I was struck by her comments but I accepted it since she’s different from my in-campus critic and their ideas were never of the same line. I follow her ways doing the lesson plan; she taught me how to do it with in simple way yet of concrete thought. From that then, I submit my lesson plan to my critic and let her review for corrections before using it as my guide for the class discussion the following day. My lesson plan is only good for one hour meeting.
However, in my more than a month of teaching in Maria Clara L. Lobregat National High School, I taught my students the concepts on electricity. I chose the topic found in the previous pages because of so much affection and understanding that my students had assimilated from the perception;my students also learned the importance of electricity, how to measure electrical consumption, how to conserve, and how to value the safety upon using electricity in their per diem lives.


OBSERVATION AND EVALUATION FORM

A REFLECTIVE PAPER

       The observation notebook and the evaluation form in the out-campus practice teaching are just similar with that in the in-campus. The only difference is that it matters with regards to the comments and ratings of both critic teachers.The observation notebook is provided by the student-teacher and is given to the critic teacher for the daily comments and suggestions during and after the session. In my case in the out-campus practice teaching, I was assigned to teach Physics to three sectionsand Values Education in the advisory class, but my critic teacher and I agreed that she will only observe me in her advisory class and that is the IV-Zeus. In my first day of teaching, my critic wrote five comments in my observation notebook and four out of the five are undesirable comments and I find it constructive on my part, and as the days passed by the negative comments were turned into positive ones. My critic teacher observes me in five days, and after that, I feel like I am the subject teacher of the three sections.
       The evaluation form on the other hand was given to my critic teacher a day before I end my practice teaching indenture. And later I found out that the ratings given to me jibed with the comments in my observation notebook.


SAMPLES OF LEARNERS’ WORK

A REFLECTIVE PAPER

            It is very emotive if the results of the responsibilities assigned to the students provide you good results. Learner’s work could be their assignments, activities, projects, etc. It serves as a tool to evaluate students’ responsiveness and also a form of evaluating the teacher’s performance.
       In my practice-teaching case at Maria Clara L. Lobregat National High School, I often time gives my students a quiz after the discussions or the activities for me to conclude if they have assimilated the information , and assignments for the next topic in order for them to read in advance. So far, the results of their quizzes meet my objectives. The students also submit their assignments the following meeting. They work according to the instructions given to them.
       The work of my students mirrors my performance during my teaching. It somehow shows how I executed it, and how they understood the concept instilled to them. In contrast to my students at ZSCMST CELA laboratory High School, the students of MCLLNHS are responsible enough. Though sometimes there are some factors to be considered in requiring the students, most especially to submit an encoded assignments or activities. Nevertheless, they are still best for me most especially the IV-Zeus.

SAMPLES OF STUDENTS’ FEEDBACK

A REFLECTIVE PAPER

            In my very first day at Maria Clara L. Lobregat National High School as a student-teacher, I negatively thought that I wouldn’t be liked and loved by my students due to my firm and strict appearance.
       My first day of teaching in the abovementioned school was totally stressful, I didn’t have the idea as to how I starts the lecture and as to how to motivate the students to actively participate in the discussion, not because that I don’t have the knowledge about teaching strategies and techniques but it is because of the tension that was loaded in me. But as days passed by, I was able to execute my teaching to the best way I can. Later on, I didn’t think anymore that I had the first stressful day, but always positively think of motivated every day. You know that; the feeling of wanting to teach every day because of the positive responds of the students.
       A day before I end my practice teaching contract, which was in October 21, my advisory class surprised me with the farewell party they’d prepared for me. I never thought that they could render me that kind of a very touching and emotional tribute. They were able express what they feel through singing and dancing, and through the most inspiring messages to me. They also gave me stuff which I know it symbolizes their love to me. More importantly, it is the image of respond to my practice teaching performance. 



TITLE AND BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF PROFESSIONAL READING AND REFERENCES

Education as a Science
Thorndike, Edward L. (1874-1949)

In his Educational Psychology, Thorndike wrote: "We conquer the facts of nature when we observe and experiment upon them. When we measure them we have made them our servants" (1903, p. 164). Equally as important as empiricism to Thorndike's psychology was his emphasis on measurement and quantification; poorly prepared by the schools in mathematics and largely self-taught in statistics, Thorndike became the educational world's exponent of the use of science's universal language of description, numbers. His theme was, all that exists, exists in some amount and can be measured. He introduced the first university course in educational measurement in 1902, and two years later he wrote the first handbook for researchers in the use of social statistics, An Introduction to the Theory of Mental and Social Measurements.
1.     Educational and intellectual tests.
-The movement toward testing was the primary outcome of attempts to translate qualitative statements (Mary seems to be having trouble in reading) into quantitative and comparable terms (In grade 5.6, Mary tests at 4.4 in reading comprehension and 4.7 in vocabulary knowledge). Standardized achievement tests in school subjects were built on centuries of use of teacher-made tests.Standardized achievement tests in school subjects were built on centuries of use of teacher-made tests. What the twentieth century added was the standardization necessary for reliability and comparison of results from class to class. Professionally written and administered to thousands of pupils, using norms based on nationwide samples of students, achievement tests were created for every level of schooling, from primary through graduate school, including tests for out-of-school adults at various age levels.

2.     Studying human variation.
-The new instruments for measuring ability and achievement and especially the widespread use of these instruments inspired new knowledge of and intensified concern with individual differences.The practical consequence of the fact of individual differences is that every general law of teaching has to be applied with consideration of the particular person … example, the responses of children to any stimulus will not be invariable like the responses of atoms of hydrogen or of filings of iron, but will vary with their individual capacities, interests, and previous experience.

Source: http://www.education.com/reference/article/thorndike-edward-l-1874-1949/?page=3
A REFLECTIVE PAPER

            Aside from the kind of general intelligence measurements which concern educators most, Thorndike was interested in other types of aptitudes, believing that intelligence is not a unitary or general factor but is constituted of millions of discrete stimulus-response bonds; any intelligence test is simply a selective sample-taking of all the possible learned connections that might be present.
       Of these sources of variation, the most important in Thorndike's view was differing capacities–differences caused primarily by genetic inequalities. To the persisting debate about heredity and environment, Thorndike offered comparative studies of twins, siblings, and unrelated individuals, of family histories, and of school eliminations (dropouts). His findings convinced him that heredity is the primary determinant of intellectual difference and, because such other traits as personal morality, civic responsibility, industriousness, and mental health correlate positively with intelligence, that genetic endowment is the critical variable for welfare and social progress.
       As teachers dealing with different types of students, we must know how to set our measurements toward them as well as to know as to what level we should give to the students in terms of giving them considering their differences.
       It is to institutions called schools and universities that modern societies assign most of the formal stimulation of this power of human learning.