The type of SS teacher I hope to be
Warning: this is really a super informal post.. more like a diary.
anyway.. here goes..
I would like to share my experience during my contract teaching.
When I first took over three Sec 3 Normal (Academic) classes for SS, I foresaw a big obstacle before me – students’ disinterest in the subject. For the ‘worst’ class, I walked in and was treated as invisible. The students were busy playing games that test their physique and physics; for the ‘best’ class, students sitting at the front rows were interested, while those at the back were busy doing work from other subjects. Then I heard stories from my ‘middle’ class about the relief teacher who took them (for quite a few months) before I did. According to ‘sources’, this teacher loved to “shriek and scream” at them. She would carry “big bags” with her everywhere she go, and wear low cut blouses when “no one is interested at all”. She would bring in the lap-top, “tried in vain to connect it to the projector”, and then “ended up playing games herself on her laptop”.
Oh yes, and before I took over, a colleague had told me to be prepared that the students “have been conditioned that SS lesson = do nothing”.
Looks like the stories from my students may be, perhaps, exaggerated, but they do carry some truth in it.
And I did hear that relief teacher speak before; her voice indeed is rather high-pitched.
Before I met my classes, I had envisioned myself to be a thought-provoking teacher, just like how my NUS professors have been. After all, part of SS is about developing reflective citizens, isn’t it? While preparing for the lesson on conflicts in Sri Lanka, I had even wanted them to think about citizenship rights in Singapore, whether everyone is treated equal. But after the first few encounters, I knew I had to change my mindset.
So, every time I took these classes, I made sure I was in full armor. I knew I would need lots of patience, and lots of creative ideas to get them interested in the subject.
So in came the controversial political cartoons, and I even let them watch “Brotherhood” (self-censored, since it’s M18. I am still wondering if I had violated copy rights law by mass-screening it). It worked. They were finally paying attention; they finally looked forward to my lesson and my presence. It was a pity, however, that I didn’t have the time to engage them more in critical thinking and evaluation of the movie.
I still hold on to my faith of wanting to become a thought-provoking SS teacher. I want to make students be more sensitive and reflective towards things around them, especially those taken-for-granted. I want to be the Devil’s advocate.
However, before that, I would want to be the patient and caring teacher who works with students, who responds to their needs. I want to be humane. After all, SS is about people and society, right?
And students’ comments keep me going.
“Cher, you make me want to study SS.”
“Cher, I hope you can teach us next year.”
That’s the type of social studies teacher I want to be.
anyway.. here goes..
I would like to share my experience during my contract teaching.
When I first took over three Sec 3 Normal (Academic) classes for SS, I foresaw a big obstacle before me – students’ disinterest in the subject. For the ‘worst’ class, I walked in and was treated as invisible. The students were busy playing games that test their physique and physics; for the ‘best’ class, students sitting at the front rows were interested, while those at the back were busy doing work from other subjects. Then I heard stories from my ‘middle’ class about the relief teacher who took them (for quite a few months) before I did. According to ‘sources’, this teacher loved to “shriek and scream” at them. She would carry “big bags” with her everywhere she go, and wear low cut blouses when “no one is interested at all”. She would bring in the lap-top, “tried in vain to connect it to the projector”, and then “ended up playing games herself on her laptop”.
Oh yes, and before I took over, a colleague had told me to be prepared that the students “have been conditioned that SS lesson = do nothing”.
Looks like the stories from my students may be, perhaps, exaggerated, but they do carry some truth in it.
And I did hear that relief teacher speak before; her voice indeed is rather high-pitched.
Before I met my classes, I had envisioned myself to be a thought-provoking teacher, just like how my NUS professors have been. After all, part of SS is about developing reflective citizens, isn’t it? While preparing for the lesson on conflicts in Sri Lanka, I had even wanted them to think about citizenship rights in Singapore, whether everyone is treated equal. But after the first few encounters, I knew I had to change my mindset.
So, every time I took these classes, I made sure I was in full armor. I knew I would need lots of patience, and lots of creative ideas to get them interested in the subject.
So in came the controversial political cartoons, and I even let them watch “Brotherhood” (self-censored, since it’s M18. I am still wondering if I had violated copy rights law by mass-screening it). It worked. They were finally paying attention; they finally looked forward to my lesson and my presence. It was a pity, however, that I didn’t have the time to engage them more in critical thinking and evaluation of the movie.
I still hold on to my faith of wanting to become a thought-provoking SS teacher. I want to make students be more sensitive and reflective towards things around them, especially those taken-for-granted. I want to be the Devil’s advocate.
However, before that, I would want to be the patient and caring teacher who works with students, who responds to their needs. I want to be humane. After all, SS is about people and society, right?
And students’ comments keep me going.
“Cher, you make me want to study SS.”
“Cher, I hope you can teach us next year.”
That’s the type of social studies teacher I want to be.
I love stories like that. :)
I think it's best to be adaptable first. Then when the kids have warmed up to you, you can - for a lack of a better term - twist them round your finger.
Schools all over have a problem with SS. My ex-students are always whining about how it's so "boring" and "irrelevant" whenever I ask them about it. Because the stigma has been set, it's difficult to get them to change their mindset. I say do whatever you have to to get their attention first. Once their interest has been piqued, things should fall into place quite easily. ;)
Posted by
Ally |
April 15, 2007 at 11:42 PM
I want to be different and hope to make a difference in students' lives. I like the idea from Elizabeth and provoke the students to think.
I have been trained to think 1 is 1 and no critical thinking needed. I would like to change and I would like to instil good thinking skills by teaching and learning together with students.
Phey Phey
Posted by
SS in process |
April 22, 2007 at 7:37 PM
I haven't taught SS b4 actually but I can really see how it will benefit those who make it into JC later on (Not implying that the rest don't). If you guys haven't heard, in JC students spend the 1st yr working on Project Work. It involves working in a group, sourcing for reliable primary and secondary sources from various mediums to write their final report. I remember having quite a difficult time teaching them how to do that. I am glad that after NIE, if I were to head back to JC, I would be more equipped to teach them.
Also, the general paper is a nightmare for many, especially science students who are not well versed in writing. I think having a good social studies background will set them in good stead.
It is a "holistic" subject the way i see it, which also makes it challenging to teach. But just think of how much they will benefit later in their academic journey if we had made an impact.
I think its worth the effort =)
Mich
Posted by
Mich |
April 22, 2007 at 11:22 PM