PROBLEMS AND ISSUES IN FIELD

STUDY

Joey R. Miñano

Teaching PracticePractice teaching or student

teaching is a requirement in the education curriculum, where students are required to carry out this assignment at the end of the course work.

This is to give the student teachers a real classroom experience in teaching so that they can develop the required skills for their classroom teaching later after graduation.

It is often heard that the practice teaching has now just been a ritual and there are complaints from the concerning head teachers and cooperating teachers that the student teachers come to school just for formality and they do not take this practice very seriously.

The teachers teaching in the campuses also say that the practice teaching has not been very useful for the student teachers as it is not being carried out as it should be.

If this is true, this will have a very adverse affect not only in school teaching system but also have a negative impact in the life of the student teachers as it is mentioned by (Svincicki, 1996).

“If doctors makeworst patients,teachers make theworst students”

Problems and IssuesRelated to Teaching Practice

(Field Study)

Field Study 1The Learners and the

Learning Environment

LearnersIndividual differences play an

important role in the learners’ ability to learn:

They learn in different ways (diversity)Some are very active and restlessSome are timid and shyMajority of the learners do not want to practice the skills in the campusCarelessness and irregularity on the part of the learners

Learning EnvironmentLearning environment also plays a

vital role in the teaching-learning process in which the administration, the cooperating teachers and the interns themselves should address.

Large classes in the campus do not allow room for mobilitySome classrooms are not conducive to the teaching-learning processSchools were not very much co-operative to the student teachers

To facilitate learning is the guiding principle of a modern teacher

The cooperating teacher and student teachers are not very active in doing things, rather they felt comfortable to the usual lecture methodStudent teachers do not know how to prepare lesson plans

Field Study 2Facilitating Learning

Student teachers do not take teaching practice seriously and they took it as a formalityThey had weak language proficiency (English teachers)Cooperating teachers/Supervisors do not supervise properly; they just sit in the class and disappear after few minutes without giving any comments or feedback

Campus teaching is more theoretical in nature and not practicalStudent teachers are not creativeThe campus teacher training is not student centeredThe ideas they learn in the training classrooms are not suitable in the real classroom settingsStudent teachers lack the skills in classroom management

The schools use the student teachers as the extra teachers and ask them to teach or look after any class which is vacant or have no teachers

With the onset of technological advancement, how effective is the curriculum to the learners of today?

No orientation given to student teachers in terms of how the curriculum should be implementedThe content of the curriculum is not well understood by the student teachers

Field Study 3The Curriculum

Some of the contents of the PELC are not suitable anymore to the needs of the learnersGrade one teachers have difficulty in adjusting to the new curriculum, the K to 12Kindergarten curriculum is also not ready and not fully implemented.

Instructional materials are instruments that aid the teaching-learning process.

Instructional teaching materials are inadequateVisual aids used by teachers/student teachers are poorly done

Field Study 4Instructional Materials

Development

Teachers/student teachers are not creative enough in the development/preparation of learning materialsVisual aids are not colorful/ interesting to the pupils and are monotonous, therefore they are not interested in the lesson or are not motivated enoughClassroom structuring is also not artistic enough to motivate pupils

Assessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning process so the learners should be assessed to determine whether the learners have gained from each of the lesson presented.

Other forms of assessment are not utilized, only the paper and pencil test, assessment is not varied

Field Study 5Evaluating Learners

Results of the assessment are not fed back to the learnersNegative feedbacks are not accompanied with good feedbacksAssessments are used as a punishment or are used as disciplinary measureResults of learning assessment are not communicated regularly to the parentsSome student teachers are not evaluated about their performance

This is anchored on the characteristics of a teacher as a professional, his/her personal values and philosophy, attitude and beliefs about the teaching profession.

Student teachers are not dedicated enough in their chosen profession

Field Study 6The Teaching Profession and

Relevant Laws for Teachers and Learners

Student teachers look at the teaching profession as a source of income, and not as a noble professionStudent teachers become negative role models for learners

THANK YOU