Post-practicum reflection

After 7 teaching sessions, I have developed my own teaching style and have built a good relationship with the class. I am happy to see that everything was going well according to my lesson plan, although I still needed 5 extra minutes to finish up everything. Still, I feel like time management is the hardest when teaching a big class, especially when your class is involved with a lot of activities or discussions. Other than that, I think the whole class went pretty well and that the students enjoyed it.

Dianne’s feedback and advice really encouraged and motivated me to do better. One thing that dwells on my mind is when she said she likes my class design so much that she thinks I should develop my own curriculum on topics that are worth discussing. I am very happy to hear that, and I do think that my teaching is never only about English itself but also content-based or topic-based. Through discussing these intriguing topics and learning new knowledge, students will go home with not only their improved English ability but also, hopefully, some more wisdom. This practicum gave me a chance to really think about what kind of teaching suits me and what I should do in the near future. I will be listing down my step by step plan of my career in the following section, Future Goals.

I am glad to have finished my practicum, but at the same time not ready to say goodbye with the students yet. It is not exaggerating to say that this class is the best class you could ever ask for! Everyone was engaged and willing to present their ideas, and I was very touched when a small group of students came up to me and gave me souvenirs from Japan! The students and I made a promise that I will go visit them in Japan someday, and they will hit me up if they travel to Taiwan. Is has been a blessing to have followed Randall to come to teach this class. I will never forget those cute faces and friendly interactions that we have for a short two-week. 

And of course, I am very grateful for Randall! With his careful observations and detailed corrections and feedback, I have learned tons of important teaching techniques and discovered things that I need to work on more. Randall is always devoted to leading me to higher-quality teaching and I have indeed observed one of the best quality teachings from him. I cannot thank him enough for sparing his time from his busy schedule to meet me for feedbacks and class material corrections. Most importantly, I cannot thank him enough for being such a good sponsor teacher, guidance, and my friend!