Bits and pieces

First Chinese Lesson with 2E1

Just finished two periods of lesson with my 2E1, I went through the vocabulary of Lesson Two, 19 of them but I managed to cover only 13. Mdm Guan talked to me afterwards and we discussed my strengths and weaknesses.

Strength#1: loudness of voice (interestingly this is easier done in 2E1 than in 3E1, experience helps I guess) and clarity of words.

Strength#2: teacher-student interaction. I threw some interesting questions and tried to elicit the answers to be filled in the blanks instead of feeding them the answers (this worked in the first few attempts but Mdm Guan warned me that it does not always happen. It would be more efficient to just give them the answer and keep them within the syllabus/curriculum, which is rather disappointing because the few bright and able students with higher academic calibre have to compromise)

Weaknesses: loads of them

weakness #1: pace was too slow that I didn't manage to cover the content that should be easily done within the given period of time

weakness #2: there was no focus(in fact, I tried to give equal focus to all words while trying to retain students’ attention in an interesting manner but at the end I lost both ) as I went through the words almost indiscriminately, not differentiating between the difficult/frequently used words and those plain ones that are easily understandable. The result? Time wasted unnecessarily. Mdm Guan suggested that I can make my own judgement and highlight a few keywords according to the lesson, and allocate the time wisely.

weakness#3: Failed to put myself in the shoes of the students, caused by the lack of a general awareness of the students' capabilities in the language. Apparently I have placed too high an expectation on them when I asked them to write "小猫"“小狗”. They simply could not. In order to gain a better understanding of their abilities, I asked Mdm Guan if she could allow me to mark some of their works, especially compositions, which would serve as the most useful sources of information.

Relief for Class 5N2

As Mr Liu had to bring another class out for some external activities, I was supposed to supervise his 5N2 class for an hour. The experience has confirmed my initial impression of Normal Academic class: that they are good-natured students, willing to work hard, lacking just that bit motivation. I could see two types of students there: the hardworking but not-so-intelligent ones, who diligently do their work and are willing to follow instructions, the intelligent and smart ones who either lack motivation to put in their hundred percent or the concentration in the mind, discipline in actions and consistency in habits that are necessary for academic excellence.

In both cases, the students are more easily distracted. (when there was a loud sound,or someone happened to walk past, almost half of the heads turned to the distraction, during a test)They need highly engaging teachers that can motivate them and bring out their fullest and best, more than any other students.

So while they were completing their papers, I made an important decision and took myself a little closer towards that direction. I decided to tell them my story: how seven years ago I was rejected an admission by Bartley, relegated to another not-as-good neighbourhood school, strived for the best all the way to a reputable Junior College, standing in where I stood, feeling proud about myself and believing that hard work is the key to success.

They listened.

All eyes on me, serious looks on their faces. I had taken note of their names and class committee positions they are holding beforehand. I called their names aloud and raised the complimentary qualities they had: leadership qualities, passion for CCA, diligence and even courtesy.

Knowing that my little speech has uplifted their spirit in some ways, I moved on to wish them all the best for their upcoming “O” Levels. Mission accomplished, and I felt tremendously satisfied.

I have made a difference today.