Student Teaching
Positive Insights and Experience
Student teaching is an instructional college-based supervised tutoring experience that later leads to a graduate in teacher education and certification. Positive experiences I have encountered include engaging students in the class discussions such that some of them responded well to the lessons taught by asking and answering questions. Additionally, getting positive feedback from the head of the department and other members of the teaching staff throughout my teaching practice helped me improve on various aspects such as enhancing my communication skills (Izadinia et al., 2015). Moreover, being able to encourage learners to work hard in their academics and instilling social skills that would enable them to grow into responsible professionals (Izadinia et al., 2015).
Challenges Faced in Student Teaching
Newly introduced to the school, I found it challenging to adapt to school programs. Knowing all the students by name was difficult considering their large population. Since the school had introduced digital learning methods, the machines would fail and others we too complicated for me to use thus reducing my productivity at the institution (Bovil et al., 2016). In other instances, I did not know how to deal with parents that were uncomfortable with different school rules or how their children were handled by the management.
Solution to Challenges
Having a contingency plan when the lesson plan failed or changes in the timetable enabled continued teaching with minimal interruptions. Giving rules and regulations to be followed in class and seeking help from the mentor teacher helped me to handle the different characters of students in the school. Creating a calm interactive environment also assisted me to handle parents’ complaints and helping them understand that the rules established are designed to assist their children to achieve the best in life (Lo et al., 2017).
References
Izadinia, M. (2015). A closer look at the role of mentor teachers in shaping preservice teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 1-10.
Bovill, C., Cook-Sather, A., Felten, P., Millard, L., & Moore-Cherry, N. (2016). Addressing potential challenges in co-creating learning and teaching: overcoming resistance, navigating institutional norms and ensuring inclusivity in student–staff partnerships. Higher Education, 71(2), 195-208.
Lo, C. K., & Hew, K. F. (2017). A critical review of flipped classroom challenges in K-12 education: Possible solutions and recommendations for future research. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 12(1), 4.