Primary Classroom Observation

The observation of teaching at a local primary school provided me with an opportunity to watch how teachers interact with their students. I could see that teaching methods are becoming more diverse nowadays and multimedia is integrated into classrooms. Some teachers still put emphasis on rote learning by asking students to repeat words and sentences over and over again, while others adopted more dynamic approaches such as teaching through role play and group discussion. Teaching mathematics with art was another creative method to engage students in learning. For instance, in one mathematics class, the teacher asked students to draw a birthday cake so that they could better understand calculations with fractions. Similarly, music was used in
Language classes including Chinese and English as an effective way to kindle pupils’ interests. Teachers with a sense of humour were greatly appreciated by the students, who were more likely to focus on their lessons. Encouragement also played a significant role in teaching. Giving more time for the students to answer a question, providing hints as needed and asking the whole class to give applauses after a correct or partly correct answer were effective in getting more students involved in classes. My participation in classes was rated highly by the teachers there and I was invited to teach English and mathematics lessons in the middle of October. This would certainly be a valuable experience for me and I have been planning my lessons with the intention of making learning enjoyable for the pupils there.

I believe that primary education is a crucially important foundation of a child’s development. My aim is not only to make learning engaging to primary school students, but also to motivate them to learn actively and build self-worth during their childhood. This stage is also vital in the development of moral well-being. As far as I am concerned, helping children to understand and cultivate values, to build positive relationships with others and to build inner strength in face of difficulties are equally important in primary education. I would find it immensely rewarding to foster students’ positive attitudes towards life and encourage them to explore the world, which would be beneficial for the rest of their lives.

With these goals in my mind, I am applying for the Bachelor of Teaching (primary). I believe that this 3-year programme would expand my knowledge of teaching and provide me with practical experience in primary education. I am confident that I would be capable of academic study and of becoming a qualified teacher in the near future.