Finally, it is all coming to an end..

After receiving feedback on my first draft, I have to make some amendments in term of the sentence structures and the choice of words as they are confusing. According to Cik Pah, some of my arguments are not clear and I need to support it with more textual evidences. I am happy that she is so critical in her analysis of my research paper as I do not expect her to really read it on word to word basis due to her busy schedule. It takes me 3 days to revise and prepare for my final copy of research paper. I have added some extra points as well as the appropriate textual evidences. Hopefully, Cik Pah will be able to see some improvements in it. Overall, I would say that my supervisor is helpful in guiding me through the research paper writing. Now all I have to do is to cross my finger and hope to get good marks.

Classical music in classroom...

We were introduced by Dr Edwin on various types classical music. One of it was Mozart and Beethoven. In my opinion, I think it is useful to use classic music in the literature classroom because it helps to create a relaxing atmosphere for the students as there are a lot of thinking process involved during the literature lesson but one has to be careful not to overdo it as it will make their students feels sleepy. According to Dr Edwin, we should incorporate it while we are teaching poetry as both the song and the poem might share a similar rhyme and mood. However, I felt that it is difficult to be carried out as one needs to be experienced and have total control of the class. Some students may not like it as they think it is an old fashion music and for those who are easily distracted, playing the music might obstruct their reading of the poems. It might be more useful for students who are particularly interested in literature as they are able to see the connection.

The Emperor's Club

After watching this movie, it reminds me of the other film which was recommended by Dr.Jayakaran in our writing course last semester,“The Dead Poet Society.” However, this movie has a “lighter” feel and is not that depressing. I enjoys the unexpected twist at the end which help to underline the message that a single mistake can have life-long consequences. Besides, I also like the message of the film which says your mistake/failure doesn't define your life if you don't let it. It is important for us as further teachers as we are bound to face a lot of challenges when we are out to teach in schools. So we are to be persevere in what we believe in and keep on trying until we achieve what we one. Giving up halfway is an act of a coward.

Outline for research paper.

Hardly have the time to rest, I have to begin writing for my research paper. All of us are given a supervisor who will grade our paper. My supervisor is Cik Pah, I do not know whether I should be happy or sad because according to the senior, Cik Pah is rather strict in her assessment so it will be kinda difficult for me to get an A for this paper. However, on a more positive side, I will be able to improve my language acquisition as well as my writing style under her guidance. During my first meeting with her, she gives me a rough guideline on what she wants to see in the research paper, yet she says it is all depends on us. We can do on any texts we want and in any way we want. I appreciate that she gives us the freedom to decide but the instruction seems kinda vague and I have a tough time deciding what to do. I consult some of friends to get some ideas on what to do. During my second meeting with her, I show her some of the texts which I am interest to do, she prefers that I do on The Landlady and The Hitchhiker as the other texts such as Paul's Case and Barn Burning are too common for her. So, in order to please her, I follow her wish..hehe..Instead of doing on theme, she encourages me to look at the language aspects. It takes me 2 days to think and I finally decide to look at the author's usage of subtle network of hints and clues to portray the theme of the short stories. In a way, I am killing two birds in one stone. Hopefully she will approve it!

watching the freedom writer.

We were asked to watch a movie entitled “Freedom Writers’. In my opinion, this movie is very inspirational especially for us who are going be teachers in future. Although some of my friends said that it has been shown on Astro before, this is my first time watching it. In this movie, we can see the teacher's effort in trying all sorts of methods to help her students in their studies as well in their issues about life. Although initially she is not able to connect with her multiracial students and faces lot of challenges in her class, she does not give up but she continues to work harder to make connection with her students as well to encourage unity among the students themselves without considering the skin colour. Such depictions further encourage me to be persevered in working toward achieving my goals. Besides, I think it is important for a teacher to understand his or her students so that he or she will know what the students need as well as the teaching methods which will work best for them in their learning. Thus, one of the effective ways in learning about your students will be asking them to write journals. By exercising such method as part of the language activities, it will enable students to express their feelings freely as well to share with others their point of views on certain issues. I remembered doing it myself when I was in secondary school and I believe it helps to motivate students in doing what is right for them. The teacher's comments serve as the guidance for students to excel.

i'm over with the position paper

Finally, I have completed the position paper. I have made some changes to it based on the comments given by Sheila. During the peer review session, she is in charge to assess my paper. She comments that my points are not well explored and the points are basically about the same thing. I have a mix feeling upon hearing her comments. Somewhere between disappointment and relief because it is just a draft and I still have time to make amendments on it. However, I think I owe her big time for her honest comments because it serves as a wake up call to me that my paper is not good enough to get an A. Hence with all the changes done, I am confident that now my final position paper is good. As for the presentation of position paper, I remember that Mr. Omid has asked us to prepare at least 15 slides, so i try to put in as much information as possible into my powerpoint slides. However, during my presentation, I realize that my slides are too long and some of my friends seem bored listening to me. In a way, it is bad experience for me..Haih..i don't think my presentation marks is going to be good this time..

My metaphor

The metaphor that I choose to describe myself as a teacher is of an
artist's kit. I envision a briefcase-type of thing fills with paints,
markers, glue, clay, pieces of this and that, and brushes and cutting
blades etc. In this metaphor, the student's are the artist, the
teacher is the kit, bringing all of the necessary supplies and tools
along in order to create an opportunity where the artist can "make"
their art, the classroom is of course the studio, the curriculum
is/are the materials within the kit, the administrator is a provider
of materials to fill the kit, and the parent is a supporter of the
artist. It seems to me that within the framework of this metaphor, the
classroom effectively becomes a huge artists' lab, where the teachers'
purposes should be to provide a variety of materials and opportunities
for the students' to play with them and in doing so, assign to them
meaning and function. Each student should be given freedom to learn in
the way they are comfortable with, thus as a teacher, I will try to
provide knowledge that will cater students' various needs so that they
can decide for themselves which one they prefer in order not to
restrict their creativity and their abilities.