Summary and Suggestions
My practicum served as a golden opportunity for me to put my academic knowledge into practice, obtain hands-on experience, and lay the foundation for my future in teaching, all while enhancing my cultural and personal growth.
All in all, my practicum experience exceeded my needs as an aspiring Educator and for that, I am grateful.
Procedures of practicum
Even before coming to Vietnam, we have already been well briefed of the established goals and objectives for our practicum.
We met our Supervisor from Future School, Miss Cao Nguyen, who was very helpful to us with the planning of our lessons since Day 1. She also taught us how to set up our platform for communication as well as on how to safely get to our practicum location. Her very warm and kind approach is something that I will never forget about her and for that, I am eternally grateful.
To our Cooperating Teacher at Future School, Miss Ana, whom with best luck we had the chance of knowing, her hands-on supervision and wise advice played a big part in ensuring the success of our teaching demonstration.
The performance evaluation and feedback I got from my Supervisor and Cooperating Teacher greatly contributed to my continuous improvement, ultimately enriching my educational journey. It was truly an exhilarating experience!
Outcomes of practicum
I can say that I am pleased and satisfied with the results of my practicum experience. Throughout the journey, I encountered a series of challenges, but I still pulled through with flying colors.
I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to every individual who has been a source of support and guidance from the very start. This priceless opportunity not only allowed me to fully immerse myself in a foreign culture but also enabled me to still pursue my passion for teaching.
The challenges of practicum
The biggest obstacle that I had to overcome during my practicum would be the language gap. There were moments when the language barrier would hinder the communication such as when giving instructions during the class, however, I was able to address the problem through a different approach by using simpler words and using visual representation during instruction.
Overall, this whole ordeal is definitely one for the books of my life!
Greeting this year, it did not ever cross my mind that I would be going international along with my course mates and close friends. It’s like a box in my bucket list got ticked without me realizing that it was there on the list in the first place!
Lastly, before immersing yourself in a new country, I would suggest that you equip yourself with some basic knowledge about that country’s history and customs to pay respect to their culture and to avoid any conflict regarding cultural differences. I also strongly urge you to take the initiative to learn basic word translations such as numbers, direction, and some real-life phrases which you would likely encounter going there.
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And... that's a wrap!
May this blog inspire you to also take a big leap because I promise you, it will be worth it.
