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First Teaching Experience at Sahwa Elementary


The time has finally arrived! After almost two weeks of observing most of the classes, it's finally showtime!

We were assigned to start our lesson with the fourth graders first. Since our school wanted us to teach all of the classes, we were given three times with each of the classes throughout the school except for the kindergarten. The best part of all is that we get to do pair teaching with each other. So, we decided to take turns in teaching the classes and come up with the power point presentation and worksheet according to levels. I was in charge of preparing the materials for Grade 1,2 and 3 while my partner developed materials for Grade 4,5 and 6. We took about 2 weeks to complete all of the materials and got them checked by our mentor (she wanted to add in Hangul translation to make it easier for the pupils to understand). 

Our first lesson was about introducing the general view of Malaysia and its states. So, we started with a simple jigsaw puzzle of Malaysia map and then simple presentation of Malaysia - the climate, the flag, the national flower, the races, religious and languages. And then, we ended up with individual worksheet on identifying the Malaysia states. It was not until the 5th class that we finally found the perfect pace for the lesson 😓😓 The earlier lessons were very much like an experiment phase. 

Honestly, I had a blast teaching them. It wasn't easy but it wasn't that difficult either. The kids were very excited to learn and were very curious about Malaysia. Some classes were a bit passive and slow compared to the others, but again, nothing unusual with that. They're pupils after all. My first class was the 4-1. I'm no expert but I did throw in some Korean words and lots of hand gestures to help them understand me. We taught them a few Malay words such as "angkat/jatuh tangan", "terima kasih", "selamat pagi" apart from the introduction to 'tepuk senyap' and 'give them a round of applause' (how can I leave this signature of mine behind😊😊).

in some of the classes, the teachers were being very helpful as they tried to translate our instructions to the kids. I am not saying that they weren't helping but I believe they've their own reasons; such as giving us the complete autonomy for the lessons or even language barrier. You never know, right! They're plenty of ways to oversee any situations. That's basic math👍👍👍👍👍
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Location: 7 Bangye-ro 80beon-gil, Palyong-dong, Uichang-gu, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea

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