About Me

I am Shunsuke Jin, born and raised in Japan. I am currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at the University of Tsukuba, majoring in International Studies, especially focusing on International Economics. I participated in the Sea-Teacher program during my second year of university. This is the first time for me to go abroad and participate in an educational internship. I’d be happy if you guys feel the excellence of this program and the wonderful month I experienced through this blog. Let’s start the awesome journey.

About Central Luzon State University

The Central Luzon State University (CLSU) is located in the Science City of Muñoz. CLSU is one of the more renowned and prestigious higher education institution in the Philippines. CLSU stands out as the comprehensive state university, Especially, is renowned for its breakthrough Agriculture, Aquatic and Resources Research. There are various faculties, ranging from Agriculture, social science, business, education to Fisheries and beyond

The large campus, resembling a town, provides students with an excellent learning environment and a comfortable second home. There is the CLSU-Assistance Committed to Solution (CLSU-ACT'S). This Platform facilitates the receiving, processing, documenting, and addressing of the academic concerns of students so that no students will be left behind. In addition, various facilities and great environment are provided, such as Dormitory, Hostels, Library and Recreational Facilities.

Image Gallery

~CLSU Campus~

About

University science high school

University Science High School (USHS) is a science high school where I was assigned for the Sea-Teacher program. USHS is located within the campus of Central Luzon State University (CLSU). Students from 7th grade to 12th grade attend USHS. The curriculum includes courses that cover the basic concepts of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, English, Filipino, social studies, and the arts. In addition to the core courses, students at USHS also have the opportunity to take a variety of elective courses that allow them to explore their interests and develop their skills. These elective courses may include environmental science, robotics, and agricultural science.

Pedagogical Contents

On the day I first arrived USHS, I got the opportunity to observe the class conducted by my cooperating teacher. He conducted a review of vowels through a game-like activity. Students rotated a box with the music, and when the music stopped, the student holding the box would choose a paper inside and answer the vowel written on it. Additionally, another student would create words containing that vowel. I was impressed to see all the students filled with smiles. Although the enjoyable class must have passed quickly for the students, they likely gained a lot of knowledge in that time. That was a lesson that combined fun and efficiency.

There are other impressive points.

• English Only Policy(EOP): Students strive to use only English during English classes according the rule. Since I grew up in Japan, I was amazed to see all the 9th-grade students were learning English without relying on their native language as an intermediary.
  
• Student-centered class: Compared to English classes in Japan, I felt that teacher spent less time talking and allocated more time to pair・group activities for the students. I think that is also important point for making learning English enjoyable.
  

Teaching Plan

Teaching practice

Then, I will talk about the first day when I actually conducted the class. As I mentioned earlier, it was my first time teaching, so I entered the classroom with a lot of nervousness and a little excitement on the first day. However, my anxiety quickly disappeared once the class began. It was because the students were cooperative and actively engaged in the lesson. Throughout the training, the students listened attentively to my instructions and responded to my questions. Thanks to the students, I was able to make this training fruitful and enjoyable.

~The flow of classes is as follow~

1. greeting & attendance
2. Review: I gave students some quizzes and questions to help them recall the content from the previous class.
3. Main Lesson: I taught the features of vowels and diphthongs, especially focusing on how to pronounce them. during this time, the students actively practiced pronunciation by speaking out loud, and they asked questions when they didn't understand something.
4. Activities: I prepare some activities so that students can enjoy memorizing vowels. Such as GESTURE GAME (one student would express the word containing the vowel by using only gesture, and other students guessed the word) and BROKEN TELEPHONE (students passed along sentences containing the learned vowels in a line and see if the message could be correctly transmitted to the end)
5. sometimes I gave the assignment

~The difficulty of management~

Thorough this practicum, I became aware of the challenges of management. Since I spent a lot of time to prepare, I didn’t have trouble for time management and organizing activities. but I felt it is difficult to focus on each students individually and manage the class environment. one day, I was entrusted to facilitate the exam class where students memorize and perform a poem as a test. However, I focused on evaluating the performers, I struggled to pay attention to other students. As a result, some students didn’t pay attention to performers and started chatting. through this experience, I deeply felt the challenges of classroom management.

In the actual classroom practicum, I gained a lot of experience and learning, but what made me happiest was the students' reactions. when students would take the time to say, "The class was interesting," or "It was easy to understand," after the lesson had ended. I feel the greatest sense of achievement that I’ve never felt.