GEJ4034

Celebrating Educational Success: Making Meaningful Reflections of my Undergraduate Experience

Block Practice in Year 3

I have come to recognize the significance of oral communication skills in shaping my effectiveness as a teacher. In the classroom, I encountered various situations where effective oral communication played an important role in facilitating student learning and engagement. I discovered that when I conveyed the instructions and explanations clearly and precisely, it directly affected my students' understanding and their ability to follow instructions, especially in my junior primary classes. Lengthy and complex instructions would cause my students to lose focus and become disengaged. Hence, I made a conscious effort to simplify my language and break down complex instructions into smaller, more manageable steps. I used clear and concise language, avoiding unfamiliar terms that might confuse my students. Additionally, I employed visual aids such as pictures and videos to enhance understanding and reinforce key concepts. Furthermore, I realized the importance of using different techniques to deliver information in an engaging way that captured my students' attention. Incorporating intonation and appropriate pacing helped maintain their attention and interests. By focusing on enhancing my oral communication skills, I saw a significant improvement in student engagement. Students were more attentive, actively participated in class, and showed a deeper understanding of the content. This experience highlighted the crucial role of effective communication in creating a positive and productive learning environment. 

GEJ4034

Celebrating Educational Success: Making Meaningful Reflections of my Undergraduate Experience

As a result, this [China Education Expo 2022, CEE, to promote EDUHK] experience has shaped and adjusted my personal values, beliefs, and goals. Previously, my focus was solely on achieving good grades and entering a prestigious institution for further education. However, after this experience, I came to realize that excellent generic skills and a positive personal attitude are the foundation of success in any endeavor. The knowledge gained from books serves as a supplement to one's basic capabilities. Consequently, my current belief is centered around the development of practical abilities, emphasizing self-recognized accomplishments and success. I aspire to become a Chinese teacher who prioritizes students' spiritual and life skills development. These personal beliefs, values, goals, and the idea of professional growth are intertwined and pivotal in leading a meaningful life.

Moreover, in a lecture I attended on GEJ, I learned about the concept of deep learning through experiential learning, wherein individuals are exposed to new and novel environments. The CEE experience allowed me to appreciate the strengths of experiential learning, particularly in terms of constructing one's self-identity and self-image. As I successfully responded to others' inquiries and met their expectations, I observed personal progress, increased confidence, and a more outgoing nature. I now perceive myself as an intelligent and passionate individual capable of excelling in any endeavor. In the future, I aim to provide my students with direct experiential learning opportunities in my Chinese language classes, ensuring they have fruitful and rewarding experiences.

GEJ4020

Consolidating Undergraduate Learning through University ePortfolio

Internship Experience

In the past summer, I had an opportunity to being an intern in   Secondary School X. Specifically, I worked in the administrative office for a duration of two months. It was an incredible experience, and I feel fortunate to have Miss Y as my supervisor, who is the Executive Officer of the General School Office. What made Miss Y an excellent supervisor was her supportive nature. Whenever I made a mistake or overlooked certain documents, she would reassure me by saying, "It's no big deal, just rearrange it." Her words eased my anxiety and encouraged me to learn from my mistakes without feeling discouraged. This supportive attitude fostered the development of my problem-solving skills, teaching me to turn errors into opportunities for growth. (GILO 1 Problem Solving Skills)

In addition, Miss Y's guidance coincides with Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous quote, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." She consistently provides constructive feedback, identifying areas for improvement and offering valuable insight. For example, when faced with a large amount of student data, Miss Y suggested me to adopt reverse thinking by copying all the data first and then filtering them. This approach significantly improved my work efficiency and time management skills, and embodies the essence of Emerson's words. Miss Y's coaching has been invaluable to my career development, teaching me how to complete tasks more efficiently and developing a mindset of continuous improvement. Under her guidance, I have experienced personal and professional growth while embracing the spirit of innovation and making a lasting impact. (CILO 2 Critical Thinking)

"Positive attitudes produce positive results because attitudes are contagious" (Zig Ziglar, n.d.). This statement rings true in the context of the positive and nurturing environment created by Miss Y, which has had a profound impact on my personal

and professional growth. 

GEJ4020

Consolidating Undergraduate Learning through University ePortfolio

I want to become a professional kindergarten teacher

I studied Early Childhood Education Higher Diploma, so I worked as an intern in a kindergarten. The class that I taught was K3. I mainly assisted the class teacher in handling class affairs, managing the classroom and had some teaching. During my internship, I improved my abilities as a kindergarten teacher, including instructional design ability, taking care of individual differences in student abilities and classroom management ability.

Taking care of individual differences in student abilities

In the class, I noticed that there were several students with individual differences, including NCS, ADHD, ASD, etc., so I paid more attention to them. I remember one day morning, I noticed an NCS student who was playing with toys in his seat by himself, so I deliberately approached him, hoping to establish a better relationship with him. But when I asked him what he was playing, he just looked at me and didn't say anything. I didn't know how to react at that moment, because it was my first time to meet NCS students by one-to-one. I felt that he didn't understand what I was saying, so I thought about how to get him to learn more Chinese words. I remembered "learning through play" which realizing in class, can encourage children to learn, so I asked him in English, and he simply responded to me with "building logo." I concluded that he might not be able to communicate fluently in Chinese, so I hoped that he could learn more Chinese vocabulary by playing, so I picked up different logo of different colors and asked him one by one what color they were. In this experience, I think that although my approach can enable students with individual differences to get some knowledge, I know that it is not the most suitable method, because in a real classroom, I am not allowed to take care of individual differences students one-on-one for a long time. So, I asked the class teacher afterwards how she would deal with it on a daily basis. The class teacher responded that she could only explain one or two sentences to them. If they still did not understand, she could only continue the class because the class time was limited and could not hinder the learning progress of other students. I think about whether an inclusive campus is fair to students.