You Are Now Entering the Teaching Practice Period of Your Training Programme. It Will Not

INTRODUCTION

You are now entering the Teaching Practice period of your training programme. It will not be an easy exercise for you and in fact you will have to work harder than ever before. You should take it with pride and modesty, because it is the threshold of the profession towards which you have been preparing. Some authorities refer to this time as when “the student is about to quality as a teacher:. It is therefore a time of great challenge for you as well as an exiting experience.

It is important that you realize that the entire KTTC is interested in your success out there. KTTC lecturers will assess your teaching and advise you on how to improve your performance.

The Principal, the staff and the students of the school in which you will do your teachingpractice are interested in your success because the school’s over-all success depends upon everyone’s collective contribution, including yourself. More than anyone else the students are hoping that you will be a competent teacher. They will always find ways of testing you academically and socially and most important they expect you to pass those tests successfully. It is important to note that they are not (usually) wrong.

Teaching Practice will thus be a very practical period in your preparation for the teaching career. Unlike most of the other courses you have taken in KTTC, it is primarily a period of experience. You will learn by doing. You will do the real job that qualified teachers do. If indeed you have the determination to do constructive, effective and intelligent work, then you will not only enjoy the teaching practice exercise but also succeed in it.

Work diligently and systematically on all of the following tasks:-

Scheming
Lesson planning
Preparing Lesson notes
Preparing teaching/ learning resources

Note:

Knowledge and practice together with your personality constitute what is examinable in Teaching Practice.

TEACHING PRACTICE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the Teaching practice exercise,

The student teacher should be able to:-

Display the appropriate behaviour of a teacher.
Plan appropriately for teaching and learning activities in class as well as outside class.
State relevant objectives for school activities.
Organize and carry out school activities properly.
Bring about learning in students.
Promote good social relationships in class as well as outside class.
Evaluatestudents progress as well as other outcomes of school activities.
Develop desirable knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Evaluate own progress.

3.TEACHING PRAC TICE GENERAL POLICY

Student –teachers are regarded as being temporarily attached to the staff of their host school and under the general control of its Head.

During the first two days of the practice period, student teachers must prepare two copies of their teaching timetable showing all details such as time, class, room etc. The timetable (two copies) should be sent to the college together with the “Term Dates” forms which should contain such information as:-

Dates of holidays
Dates of examinations
Special days teaching will not take place.

NOTE:If there is any change in the information shown on the original timetable,or term dates, the Teaching Practice Co-rdinator should be notified immediately.

If it is necessary to be absent or leave the school during school hours, student teachers must be given permission in writing by the school’s Head and notify the Teaching Practice Co-ordinator as soon as possible.Teaching Practice students are therefore advised to refrain from taking leave.

A student –teacher is expected to observe the best professional ethics. This implies co-operating at all times, conforming as far as possible with the demands of school routine, refraining from voicing criticism of colleagues or of the school or organization and administration. On no account should student teacher discuss another teacher with students.

The Head of the school, co-operating teacher or any other member of staff may observe some or all lessons the student- teacher teaches.

The Head of the school is requested to make a report on each student-teacher towards the end of Teaching Practice.

Boarding / Accommodation

The responsibility for meeting any boarding/ accommodation payment is entirely on the student teacher.

Medical Problems

Incase of illness, student-teachers are advised to attend the nearest GovernmentHospital or Dispensary for the cheapest medical treatment and will be responsible for meeting and payments made.

Teaching Practice Requirements for students

Student teachers are provided with the following:

2 Lesson plan booklets
100 sheets of schemes of work forms
3 Timetable forms
2 Manila papers
Daily Dairy forms
Record of work forms
2 carbon papers

The TP-institution is, however, requested to provide the student-teacher with most of the materials and equipment needed for teaching purposes.

Requests for teaching material and equipment from the Teaching Practice institutions should be within reasonable bounds.

Responsibility for the return of items borrowed from a TP-institution rests entirely on the student. The cost of any losses, breakages or damage of equipment must be met by student – teacher responsible. To this end, Heads of institutions will be given clearance forms which must be completed before a student-teacher leaves the TP-institutions. No student will be cleared by the Teaching Practice Coordinator until the clearance certificate, duly completed by the Head of TP-institution, is received by the teaching practice coordinator. It is advisable to bring a copy of teaching practice clearance certificate by hand to the Teaching Practice coordinator.

Teaching Practice Requirements for internal assessors

Just like the students, internal assessors will be provided with the necessary assessment requirements such as:

Assessment booklet
Assessment guidelines
2 carbon papers
The Tp manual (which can be accessed from the kttc web)
Assessment allowance

PLANNING FOR LESSONS

Full preparation will include making lesson notes, lesson plans, appropriate teaching aids and trying out experiments before the lesson. The lesson plan should be in the KTTC Format.

After a lesson has been taught the student-teacher should comment on it. This will assist in more efficient planning and presentation of subsequent lessons.

These may include:-

a)Comment on the adequacy of lesson preparation, the suitability of aids and time allowed for each phase of the lesson.

b)Comments on the effectiveness of class activities as the extent and qualify of student participation, interest, understanding and co-operation.

c)A statement on analysis of student difficulties or errors and how they will be followed up.

d)A general comment on the extent to which the aim(s) of the lesson were achieved and suggesting for similar lessons in future.

4.WHAT THE STUDENT –TEACHER MUST KNOW.

a)You must know a great deal about the school where you are Practising.

Avoid having misconceptions about your TP Institution; by finding out the different customs and habits unique to that school environment and to which you should adjust yourself to, if you don’t fit in well, you will not perform well in the teaching profession.

b)You must know the syllabus

This should be done before T.P. commences.

i)Find out the general objectives of the course.

ii)complete the schemes of work for the term with the assistance of your cooperating teacher,using the right syllabus.

c)You must know the room you can use for teaching

i)which room are you allowed to use for theory lesson or practical lessons?

ii)Which rooms are you allowed to use for lab lessons?

iii)What is the equipment available in these rooms? Is borrowing and transferring of equipment permitted? Is there room for experimentation/ Media display and use?

iv)Is there a special demonstration table?

v)Are you aware of all other available demonstration equipment?

vi)Is there chalk-board, coloured chalk, ruler, protractor, etc?

d)You must know which teaching aids you are allowed to use

Make a tour of the school rooms and stores and try to determine what materials you can use for your lessons during the term.

0Some materials need booking in advance
Others may need repair
Most media require pre-view before use.

e)You must know the methods your students are used to

You and your cooperating teacher will probably agree (ought to agree) on the methods to use. The most important thing is that you MUST beclear about your starting point.

Also note the following;

What version of syllabus is used? Trade, Craft Technician, 8-4-4, etc.

Is there a Reference Library?

Is the homework checked orally in class, or by the teacher at home?

What grading scale are the students accustomed to ?

If you use “group work” techniques, have you checked about the groups the class may be accustomed to?

Discourage the usually notorious habit of chorus-questioning and chorus answers.

Is there a permanent sitting plan? If there is none make one.

Do you keep record about important remarks on students and everything pertaining to your teaching which you need to remember? This includes the advice fromcooperating teacher and supervisors.

Have you got copies of the textbooks the students use?

Are there any good reference books in your subject in the school? Borrow them and read them as soon as possible.

NOTE: In case you are not sure of anything consult your cooperating teacher.

THE ROLE OF THE CO-OPERATING TEACHER

The co-operating teacher is normally the teacher who has been responsible for the class (es) the student-teacher is assigned to teach. Close cooperation between the co-operating teacher and the student –teacher will provide the student-teacher with a worthwhile experience.

The co-operating teacher plays the role of a guide and counselor throughout the Teaching Practice period and is expected to help the student –teacher whenever in difficulties.

The student teacher will have to obtain among other things syllabi, classes to teach, information on nature of students, physical facilities etc. from the co-operating teacher.

The co-operating teacher is expected to from time to time, with or without notice, pop into a class and supervise a lesson being taught by the student –teacher and give the necessary feedback at the end of the lesson.

THE LOG BOOK

During your teaching practice you will be required to maintain a Teaching Practice LOG BOOK. This log book is the first thing the supervisor/assessor comes across, and so its organization should be impressive. As far as the log book is concerned you are required to note the following:

a)Contents of the Log Book

The log book contains the following items, arranged in the order they are listed.

Supervisors assessment record affixed on the inner front cover

Table of content: use all you ingenuity to have the content headings, such as, school organization, the daily diary, schemes of work, record of work, etc clearly indicated on the content page.

Brief account of the TP-institution, and it’s organization structure.

Daily Diary Forms

syllabi for all subjects being taught.

Schemes of work for all subjects and classes being taught, these should be well-labeled

Record of work covered –an account of what has been taught

Other records such as tests, table of specification, marking schemes, mark sheets, registers etc.

Supervisors’ assessment report

Miscellaneous: such as TP guidelines, staff meeting minutes, Letters of responsibilities etc.

Time table affixed on the inner cover of the Log Book.

b)School History and Organization

This is the information you have gathered about the institution and its organizational structure.This should include among other things when the school was founded, number of teachers, number of students, subjects taught, facilities, the organization chart etc. it should be brief and completed early enough during the TP-term. Ensure this information is typed.

c)Daily Diary

This is a record of what you are doing at a particular time of the day. Since it is an account of what you do on daily basis during working hours, ensure you have an up to date diary for each day. It is important to indicate the time corresponding to each period number depending on when the school begins and ends each day. Also clearly indicate the activities undertaken, the venue and the subjects.

For example,

NAME OF TEACHER------DATE------

PERIOD NO / TIME / ACTIVITY/VENUE
1 / 8.00 – 9.00 am / Teaching a TD Lesson to Dip, Class in the TD room
2 / 9.00-10.00 am / In the library preparing lesson notes for certificate EP lesson
3 / 10.00-1030 am / Taking tea in the staff room
4 / 10.30 – 11.30 am / Preparing a chart for certificate E.P lesson in the working room
5 / 11.30 – 12.30 pm / In room 3 teaching Entrepreneurship to Certificate class
6 / 12.30-2.00 pm / Taking lunch in the staff room
7 / 2.00- 3.00 pm / In the working room up dating the log book and revising the schemes
8 / 3.00-4.00pm / In the working room up dating the log book and revising the schemes
9 / 4.00-5.00 / Marking students TD assignment
10 / 5.00-6.00 / Left for home

d)Schemes of work

Must be completed, and “Remarked”

e)Progress Records

Should be inform of class lists which should indicate the continuous assessment you have conducted in the form of tests, marked class work, etc. Each set of entries should show “date” and maximum score expected and name of the exam given.

f)Lesson Plans

Do not file your Lesson Plans. Leave them intact in the lesson plan booklet.

NOTE:

When a supervisor/assessor comes, pull out the original copy of the lesson plan for that particular lesson and give the Lesson Plan Booklet, along with the Log Book to the assessor. BEFORE the Lesson starts. Use the original copy of your Lesson Plan during the lesson, but give it to the assessor to bring back to college after the lesson. Ensure that your previous lesson plans are up-to-date at every stage, including the space where you give remark.

HIGHLIGHTS OF KEY AREAS:

a)Teaching/ Visual Aids

A high level of performance is expected in this area. To achieve this, a high degree of imagination, creativity, innovation and hard work is needed.

The chalkboard work especially in Technical drawing, should be carefully planned. Correct use of drawing instruments, and good free hand sketching is expected.

A variety of teaching aids is expected, including models, and where possible the actual items should be used.

b)Dressing and Behaviour

The student teacher should at all times be clean, well and appropriately dressed, and of course be a model of good behaviour.

c)Teaching Competence

Student teachers are expected to demonstrate a good understanding of the basic fundamental techniques in handling their subjects, including basic tool handling and work habits. Avoid “Jua Kali” approach to these basic practices.

d)Supervision / Assessment

I)Schemes of Work and Lesson Plan

These will be assessed continuously throughout the TP-term. The first three weeks of the TP-term will mainly be used for helping student-teacher in preparation of the schemes of work and lesson planning.

II)Lessons

Supervision / assessment of lessons could start anytime, as soon as you begin teaching.

NOTE:

If the student-teacher has NO LESSON PLAN, NO SCHEME OF WORK or is absent without permission then a zero is automatically awarded. Thismeans an E Grade for that lesson. If this happens more thanonce, the student-teacher will be recommended for a REFERRAL grade at the end of teaching practice.

A student-teacher absent without permission will be reported to the Teaching Practice Co-ordinator.

e)Log Book

These will be assessed continuously together with the lesson throughout the teaching practice period.

f) Courtesy to the Supervisor/ Assessor

Give a hearty welcome to all assessors or supervisors who visit your school. You know the school or class better, therefore, show them where to go and where to sit.

g) Academic Policy on Teaching Practice

The college academic policy states the following concerning Teaching Practice.

i)Passing of Teaching Practice is compulsory for a student to graduate.

ii)A student who obtains a D-grade( 30 – 49%) in Teaching Practice will be referredafter one full academic year. Referral could be due to professional misconduct. (as stipulated in the T.S.C Code of regulation 1986)poor performance during TP

iii)A student who is awarded an E grade (0 – 29%) as the final TP grade will never be allowed to graduate.

iv)A student who fails to avail a lesson plan or scheme of work during assessment earns a Zero mark for that lesson.

v)A student – teacher who forms the habit of reporting late will be given written warnings to the maximum of two as shown below.

a)First waning by TPC.

b)2nd warning by Principal which puts the candidate on probation.

c)Further repeat of the offence will lead to the withdrawal of the student from TP.

g)A student teacher who is absent from Teaching Practice Institution or from a lesson without a valid reason will be given one written warning by the Teaching Practice Co-ordinator. A repetition of the offence will lead to the withdrawal of the student- teacher from Teaching Practice by the Principal.

REMEMBER

To keep the TP office well informed, in writing of all important issues you encounter during your TP, including any problems that crop up. Any communication to the college must be through the Head of the TP institution to the Principal (KTTC) ATTENTION TEACHING PRACTICE CO-ORDINATOR.

We wish you all the best in your Teaching Practice.

TEACHING PRACTICE CO-ORDINATOR