First experience teaching ELP students.

Last Thursday, I had a class with ELP students. It was my first time. Again, it was great after two years absent of any teaching experiences. I could not deny, it was a nervous experience but Robb Scott reassured me, " it was a good nervous."

Robb emailed me earlier so that I could focus on reading skills but thinking about the limitation of time, I changed my thoughts. Rather teaching on reading skills, I focused on understanding writers' perspectives and readers' perspectives while reading. I believe it worked well, I got the whole class sign up for further/additional reading skills in helping them writing/choosing a good book for their reading projects. I am going to help them during my interaction hours at Hale Library. Every pair will have 30 minutes. In addition, during the week, if they need my help, they just can shoot me email.

During my lesson, it was joyful and overwhelming experiences looking at their happy faces when they were able to see perspectives/understanding what perspectives really mean. I helped them by giving them an image of a woman that can be looked/interpreted either a young woman/old woman according to how they see it. This understanding through pictures then I transferred into my explanation on how my perspectives upon war changes after I read the book entitled, " The Diary of Anne Frank". I hate war, I hate to hate others according to their skin colors and I hate to have sentiments on others where rational is absent.

I also explained to them what 'irony' meant.
I am looking forward to meet them on Monday.

Ohh, and again, Robb Scott inspires me when he quoted a French writer by saying,'' It is not the text that matter, but how you use the text to suit your students' level."

Meeting with Robb Scott

We had our first meeting on Wednesday. Me and Robb Scott, Finally :)
It was great though. At first I could not recognize him as I never met him
before. I did some investigation on ELP,KSU website but his picture there was
with beard. He is clean shaved now. When I arrived, he was there typing his assignments on his PhD courses. Definitely, he was earlier than me.

The meeting was great. A very brief introduction but we reached for a
conclusion. His willingness to help me is purely great and transcending his image as
ELP teacher and experiences of living abroad in El Salvador, China and Japan for some years. Unconsciously he repeated that this is going to be new experiences for him.
This is just great!!.

I learn something about Dewey from Robb Scott. He said on his understanding about Dewey:

"Teacher and teaching must compensate each other. It is about noticing and providing students understanding and develop trust, so that this will help them to move, teacher must sensitive enough to notice"

This is something that Robb Scott and me worked on regarding to schedule for my practicum.(refer to image)

The brief and meaningful meeting was between 9:30-10:30. 44 hours more to go :)

Meeting with Dr.Herrera

Today meeting was great. It was simple,brief but yet so trans formative. I feel like I have gotten back the sense of empowerment that long absent in me. I was so Malaysian.

No wonder she does not reply my question, clearly Dr. Herrera wants me to have my own direction on where I am heading for the next twenty years in this teaching field. A truly Jedi! Thanks. It is not her expectation. It is within me that I need to look for.

My aha moment when Dr.Herrera mentioned about 'trans formative'. She emphasized on this concept. I looked for the definition from Wikipedia, the trans formative learning.

Thousand of thanks to CG Publishing for releasing video discussion on trans formative learning

Actually, it was Anna that initiated the meeting on Artifacts. I was there basically just for the purpose of gathering information and perhaps adding points of views that will be beneficial for my practicum. In my understanding artifacts go hand in hand, a proof and reflection of my platform. As simple as ABC!