TEACHING PRACTICUM OF AN ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN VIETNAM: FROM EXPECTATIONS TO REALITY

Teaching practicum is very essential in the process of learning how to teach, so it should be paid great attention by not only teacher education program designers but also implementators. The paper reports a study on the efficiency of teaching practicum which has been conducted at Public University (pseudonym) in Vietnam. The research employed qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were used as the instrument for the data collection. Findings reveal that the implementation of the teaching practicum did not provide student teachers with sufficient chances to develop their teaching skill efficiently. Inappropriate method of implementing the teaching practicum, loose cooperation between the university and high schools, and insufficient support are major issues that caused the teaching practicum to be ineffective. Peer mentoring and a more suitable method of implementing the internship are recommended solutions to improve the effectiveness of the teaching practicum in the English Teacher Education Program at Public University in particular and other English teacher education programs in Vietnam in general.Keywords: Educational program, peer mentoring, teacher education, teaching practicum, teaching skills, VietnamCite as: Vo, T.K.A., Pang, V., & Kean Wah, L. (2018). Teaching practicum of an English teacher education program in Vietnam: From expectations to reality. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 3(2), 32-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol3iss2pp32-4

The Change in ELT Pre-service Teachers’ Cognition During Teaching Practicum

The aim of this study was to examine the change of ELT pre-service teachers’ cognition during teaching practicum uncovering their beliefs regarding language teaching, being a teacher and dynamics of practicum. To adopt a comprehensive perspective on how the participants’ cognition evolved as a result of practicum, qualitative research design with open-ended surveys before and after the practicum process was conducted with ELT pre-service teachers. The findings were evaluated and discussed in terms of a certain framework with change categories of Cabaroglu and Roberts (2000). The results indicated that the practicum is apt to change the pre-service teachers’ beliefs through awareness, elaboration, addition, re-ordering and reversal as a result of practicum. As the results suggest the practicum provides a real-life context for the pre-service teachers, they could adopt their grounded beliefs, which were acquired as language learners, and transform them into language teachers’ beliefs. As the participants stated the mentor, supervisor and classroom dynamics enabled such transformation, mostly in positive route. However, there are some stable beliefs that did not change during the practicum. The participants kept some functioning beliefs for their teaching practice. The results implied the complexities of the practicum process on the pre-service teachers’ cognition

Development Of Digital Engineering Practicum Modules For Electrical Engineering Students PGRI Banyuwangi University

One component that cannot be separated in the learning process is teaching materials which can be in the form of modules. The availability of teaching materials can be one of the supports for the successful implementation of the learning process. Teaching materials contain an arrangement of a set of materials to create an environment/atmosphere that allows students to learn. Thus, one of the objectives of providing teaching materials is to facilitate the student learning process. The relationship between lecturers, students, and learning materials. Thus, one of the objectives of providing teaching materials is to facilitate the student learning process. The relationship between lecturers, students, and teaching materials is dynamic and complex. Module is a type of teaching material that is designed to be studied independently by students and is designed systematically and attractively to facilitate the learning process. Based on initial observations made in the field, especially in the practicum learning activities of the electrical engineering study program at PGRI Banyuwangi University, there is a lack of practicum modules so that practicum activities are less measurable in learning outcomes. This needs to be developed with practicum modules especially in digital engineering courses in order to facilitate digital engineering practicum activities for electrical engineering students at PGRI Banyuwangi University. In this study using the R & D research method, from the results of research with a student population of 15 from the Electrical Engineering Study Program at PGRI Banyuwangi University, the average learning result was 87.5, and the validation results were 89% in the very valid category, and the student response results showed 88% in the very category Goo

Learning to Teach in Indonesian High School Settings: A Case Study of Two EFL Female Pre-service Teachers

The teaching practicum has long been recognized as an important component of pre-service teacher education (Santoro, 1997) if not the most important one (Farrell, 2007). It is also the “capstone experience” in most teacher education programs (Gaudelli & Ousley, 2009, p. 931). The importance of the teaching practicum for student teachers in the process of becoming teachers is also widely recognized (Beck & Kosnik, 2002). One reason for that is that it provides opportunities for pre-service teachers to apply knowledge of teaching and learning which they gain during their university coursework (Beeth & Adadan, 2006). Due to the importance of teaching practicum in the process of becoming teachers, this field has been extensively studied for the last four to five decades, if not longer (Caires & Almeida, 2005). Abundant research has highlighted the impact of the teaching practicum on the professional development of pre-service teachers (Caires et al., 2012; Canh, 2014; Choy, Wong, Goh, & Low, 2014; Kabilan, 2013; Kayi-Aydar, 2015; Kuswandono, 2013; Leijen & Kullasepp, 2013; Moussay et al., 2011; Schoeman & Mabunda, 2012; Vetter et al., 2013). While the teaching practicum for language teachers especially in TESOL(Teaching English to Speakers of other languages) has been scrutinized widely, ESL (English as a second language) and EFL (English as a foreign language) practicums remain unexplored (Canh, 2014). My research, then, extends the little research on teaching practicum in EFL settings. Purposes of the Study The purpose of my study is to explore the experiences of two female EFL preservice teachers in an Indonesian university teacher education program in learning to teach in high school settings.Using a qualitative case study design, I aim to answer the following research questions: 1. What are the goals of the pre-service teachers’ student teaching? 2. What instructional tools do they utilize in their teaching? 3. What tensions do they encounter in the process of learning to teach in high school settings

Pre-service EFL Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment During Their Teaching Practicum

Teacher education programs across the globe include a practicum as a required part of their curriculum. The practicum is also viewed as a gateway between theoretical and practical aspects of teaching, enabling prospective teachers to acquire the specific skills and approaches they will need in the classroom. Teaching practicum also provides pre-service EFL teachers with the opportunity to put their assessment knowledge into practice. During the teaching practicum, pre-service EFL teachers may encounter extraordinary changes. This study reports on their conceptions of assessment during the teaching practicum. Some contextual factors shaping their conceptions are also observed. By utilizing a mixed-method study, this study adopted a model of participant selection. In this case, the quantitative method is carried out before the qualitative method. The quantitative data was used to identify participants for the qualitative portion of this mixed-methods study. The results showed that the participants agreed that the main objective of an assessment is to enhance the process of teaching and learning and to validate the students’ and schools’ accountability. Some factors, such as school assessment culture, national assessment policy, and classroom reality, are revealed as contextual factors influencing their conceptions of assessment during their teaching practicum. The findings imply that governments, policymakers, and curriculum developers must collaborate with educators to achieve common goals. The national and school assessment policy must be created in a manner that avoids conflict between pre-service EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices. Keywords: conceptions of assessment; teaching practicum, pre-service EFL teacher

Addressing the wicked problem of feedback during the teaching practicum

COVID-19 affected the teaching practicum placement of approximately 650 fourth year BEd Foundation Phase student teachers at University N in April and July 2020. The teaching practicum is seen as a purposeful, organised, supervised, mentored and assessed educational activity required for the completion of a teacher education programme. During the teaching practicum, the provision of feedback from teacher educators as well as mentor teachers forms an integral part of the learning process and enriches student teachers’ learning experiences. However, student dissatisfaction with feedback during the teaching practicum presents a “wicked” problem that requires a strategic partnership approach between the university and partnership schools as well as between the triad partners of teacher educator, mentor teacher and student teacher. The purpose of this exploratory case study is to provide an overview of student teachers’ perspectives on the innovative use of a social annotation platform to ensure greater collaboration on the “wicked” problem of feedback by all partners during the “learning from practice” component of the teaching practicum. The results indicated that student teachers, teacher educators as well as mentor teachers were actively engaged “on the same page” with constructive dialogic feedback that assisted student teachers to make crucial adjustments to the core practice of explaining/modelling content

A complex act—Teacher educators share their perspectives of practicum assessment

Practicum visiting and the assessment of students’ practicum form a significant component of the teacher educator role. Teacher educators are tasked with making judgements regarding the quality of students’ teaching practice, as well as their attributes, dispositions, skills and knowledge, and ultimately their readiness to enter the teaching profession. This paper reports the findings of a doctoral study that examined the assessment of practicum in early childhood initial teacher education and, in particular, the way in which practicum assessment was enacted and experienced by early childhood student teachers, associate teachers, and teacher educators within institutional contexts. The study provides insights into how teacher educators define their role, what they look for and hope for in the assessment process, as well as the challenges faced in making authentic, appropriate and informed assessment decisions. The critical importance of professional judgment within the context of a relational pedagogy is highlighted in response to the complex variables involved in practicum assessment. Implications for future directions in policy and practice related to practicum assessment are proposed

The Development Of A Simple Harmonics Module In The Video Based Laboratory (VBL)

ABSTRACKA simple harmonic motion practicum module in video based laboratory (VBL) spring helps teaching and learning process in the classroom. The work procedure in the practicum module uses technology video to help for observation and analyze the physics concepts of simple harmonic motion in spring. By using video analysis tracker software, it can help teaching and learning process in the classroom such as practical activities. The purpose of this research is to produce practicum module based on video based laboratory (VBL). This research uses research and development method (R&D) and research uses the ADDIE.The results of the assessment by experts, namely the media experts are97.58%, material experts 95.58%, and linguists 95.58%. Appraisal by experts earns a percentage of 96.19%. The result of the assessment by experts obtaineda percentage of 96.19% and the results of the questionnaire given to student inthe module trials gained a percentage of 81.07%. The results of this research can be concluded that the video based laboratory (VBL) is practicum module is declared worthy of use in the process of practicum activities, has an agreeable response and has a positive effect on student practicum activities.Based on some of the above, this practical module has suggestions for users, namely, every computer used has installed tracker, the software trackerworks well and prepares tools for calibration. Keywords: Video Based Laboratory (VBL, and simple harmonic motion in spring, ADDIE

Linking Classroom to Real-World Practices: Problem-Based Learning in Microteaching for EFL Teaching Practicum Preparation

Although Problem-Based Learning has been frequently explored in higher education, little is known about how it is implemented in English teaching practicum preparation context. To fill this practical gap, this article discusses the implementation of Problem-Based Learning in a microteaching class to prepare EFL pre-service teachers for teaching practicum in schools with various conditions. This article elaborates how students critically identified and found solution to the authentic problems posed at the beginning of every practicum cycle. This problem-solving process not only developed pre-service teachers’ critical thinking but also raised their awareness of the importance of being an adaptive teacher

Effects of Socialization During the Elementary Student Teaching Practicum on Pre-Service Teachers\u27 Application of Theories and Practices Learned in the Professional Teacher Education Program

Socialization is the process of gathering knowledge and constructing it in a social context. This gathering of knowledge is often acquired formally through an educational process or informally by interaction with other people (Capel, 2007). A physical education teacher goes through a socialization process where beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and teaching philosophies are influenced. The purpose of this study was to examine how pre-service teachers application of theory and practice learned during the professional teacher education program (PETE) was influenced by aspects of socialization while immersed in the student teaching practicum. Data were collected using a variety of qualitative techniques and analyzed using standard interpretive methods. Results revealed three major themes, 1) experiences in the recruitment phase and professional phase of the socialization process may have a profound influence, whether negative or positive, on how new practice and theory learned during the PETE program is applied during the student teaching practicum, 2) the transfer of theory learned during the PETE program to a realistic, practical educational setting may be greatly influenced by the environmental aspects and cooperating teacher at the student teaching placement and 3) the exiting theories of socialization may have a relationship with the theory of the conceptual change process. Implications for physical education suggest PETE programs need to address student misconceptions in order to assure transfer of quality physical education theories and practices to the student teaching practicum.\u2