Summary and Suggestion
Purpose of Practicum
Retrospectively, I was just a normal student who was always amazed and mesmerized whenever I saw posters of students who went abroad for their teaching internship. It was just a dream—now, I am one of the participants in this program. Isn’t God’s plan amazing?!
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Undergoing this practicum gave me a myriad of realizations about its purpose. One of its primary objectives is to help student teachers develop their pedagogical and technical skills in teaching. During my observation and assistantship in Kinderstation School, I noticed that as days passed, my teaching methods, my ability to handle diverse students, and my resilience improved significantly.
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Moreover, another key purpose of this practicum is to train student teachers to be flexible and adaptable amidst diversity and differences. This experience is truly unique—do you know why? Imagine being exposed to foreigners with different backgrounds and ways of learning—it’s just mind-blowing! But I managed to adapt and, subjectively speaking, aced the practicum in my own ways.
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Ultimately, the primary goal of this practicum is to produce globally competitive teachers who will lead future generations.
Procedures of Practicum
The practicum procedures began when our host university, Universitas Mercu Buana Yogyakarta, led by our esteemed coordinators, Mr. Daniel Ari Widhiatama and Miss Naela Faza Fariha, introduced us to the dignitaries of various levels at Kinderstation School. These included Maria Miwita Rosari, Vice Principal of Senior High School, and Felicia Intan Paramita, Curriculum Coordinator of Junior High School, among others.
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After that, we were deployed to the kindergarten level of Kinderstation School. During the first five days of the practicum, we primarily observed and assisted. In my case, I helped manage the pupils, particularly in controlling noise and minimizing distractions. I also assisted in washing their hands before meals and helped students struggling to keep up with the lessons.
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However, I was later got sick for two days and admitted to the hospital for five days, which prevented me from observing, assisting, or teaching at the primary level. The remaining three days were spent at the junior and senior high school levels, where I observed and assisted for the first two days.
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As I have mentioned in the Teaching Plan section of this blog, my cooperating teacher began her class with warm greetings, ensured the classroom was clean, checked on students' well-being, and then proceeded with the lesson. After the lesson, she informed the students about the next topic they would discuss in the following session.
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On the last day of the practicum, I finally had the opportunity to teach. It was my first and only time—an experience that wouldn’t have been so limited if not for my dengue fever.
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Overall, the practicum procedures were well-structured and followed a logical sequence, from introducing student teachers to the field of teaching—starting from kindergarten and progressing to senior high school—up to actual teaching.
Outcomes of Practicum
This practicum helped me in many ways. Primarily, it reassured me that I won’t be an unemployed degree-holder because I will apply in the Kinderstation School after graduating—just kidding! But why not? Haha! Jokes aside, this practicum significantly boosted my confidence in speaking English. While I can confidently say that I have strong writing skills, I often struggle with speaking. I tend to stutter, and sometimes, I just can’t express what I want to say, even when I have a lot of thoughts to share.
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Moreover, this practicum expanded my knowledge of pedagogies and improved my skills in creating instructional materials. One instructional material (IM) that truly caught my attention is the one you can see on the left. It is used by kindergarten teachers to help pupils independently mark their attendance. It was my first time seeing such an IM, and I was amazed by its effectiveness.
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Furthermore, this practicum broadened my connections with incredible people. These amazing individuals are not only genuine but also always ready to help—especially my buddies, who will soon become professionals themselves.
The Challenges of Practicum
Okay, hold up—I don’t want to talk about my dengue diaries again. I know you’ve guessed that I will, but no. It was heartbreaking, I know, because it stopped me from fully experiencing and completing my practicum. But c'mon, if you've reached this section of my blog, you've probably already read about my dengue story.
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Dengue aside, let's talk about the other challenges I faced during my practicum. On top of the list? The language barrier. Imagine this: the kindergarten kids you’re observing love you, and you love them, but when they talk to you, you can’t understand them. You can’t personally connect with them because the only languages they know in casual conversation are Bahasa Indonesia and Javanese. Saddening, right? The language barrier was one of my biggest struggles, especially in kindergarten. Some pupils could understand me, but most were still figuring out how to communicate in English.
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With junior and senior high school students, though, it was a different story. I could communicate with them using basic English, and they were obviously much better at it than the kindergarteners.
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Another challenge? The distance between my apartment and the cooperating school. It was a heckling one-hour-plus commute! So far! To make the most of the time in the car, I’d eat my breakfast, take naps, do things on my phone or laptop, or just scroll through social media and play mobile games.
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Then there was the difference between the lesson plan formats in the Philippines and Indonesia. Honestly, this was a mix of both a language barrier and a format difference. While I was trying to learn Indonesia’s lesson plan structure, I also had to figure out the content—because even if the lesson was for an English subject, the plan was written in Bahasa Indonesia. Still, I did my best, figured it out, and came up with a nice lesson plan.
Overall Impression
With the practicum itself, I can't express in words how thankful I am to have experienced this. From choosing Kinderstation School and experiencing the utmost care of its amazing and kind faculty to seeing the smiles and warm greetings of its students in the corridors—moments that are hard to forget—I can truly say that I am blessed beyond measure.
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Moreover, the structure of the practicum felt as if it was designed to guide us step by step, teaching the most basic aspects before progressing to the more strenuous parts. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the developers, planners, and everyone behind this program for making this successful practicum possible. Without your efforts, I would not have been exposed to such a transformative experience.
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Challenges in the field of teaching are inevitable, but with the support of those around me, coping becomes as easy as ABC. Overall, this practicum is something I will treasure and cherish, especially because it has taught me so much about my future profession.
Suggestions for Future Improvement
I don’t have many suggestions to offer. However, I can suggest something about the relationship between the specialization of student teachers and the level they are assigned to observe, assist, and teach. If a student teacher specializes in primary education, they should only be exposed to preschool or primary levels. Meanwhile, if student teachers focus on secondary education, they should limit their observation, assistantship, and teaching to junior and senior high school.
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Looking back, Mr. Patricius Alvio asked me if I wanted to observe all levels or only junior and senior high school, and I chose all levels. Yes, it was a fruitful experience—I learned and realized many things—but I wish I had chosen to focus on junior and senior high school since it is my specialization. Nonetheless, there’s no use crying over spilled milk, as I also gained valuable insights from the lower levels.
