SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS
Purposes of Practicum
After the practicum, I can assure that the student-teacher exchange program attains the objectives of this project most especially in having a broader regional and world view and developing the teaching skills and pedagogy of student teachers like me. It provided me new experiences about different cultures that can be found especially in Indonesia. This practicum gives me some realizations and helps me to be open in diversity and stop stereotyping other culture.
Procedures of the Practicum
The structure of the practicum is well planned. It has a schedule that can cater the needs of a student teacher to learn in just a month. Our receiving university has four phases in conducting the exchange program: orientation, observation, teaching practice and reflection writing. These four phases has an allotment of a week each.
Outcomes of the Practicum
After the practicum, I can noticed the impacts of this exchange program in my teaching skills and as well as to my personality. I gain a broader regional and world view and helped me to develop my communication skills. Also, it provided me opportunities where I gain confidence and become independent and adaptive in times of difficult situations. I learn how to appreciate others’ culture and starts to understand things how it should be interpreted.
Challenges of the Practicum
For me, the main challenge of this practicum is on how we will communicate. Many Indonesians do not know how to speak in English and the challenge is how will I converse or communicate with them. I understand them because I have known that English Language is still considered as foreign language in their country. Through the help of our student buddies, they can translate to us what they want to say and as well translate ours for the Indonesians and it is the same case when we are in the classroom settings. But if our student buddies are not present, we are just obliged to use hand signals and body language to convey what we want to.
Suggestion for future improvement
It will be better if there is an exact schedule/day of different agendas from the start until the end of the exchange program. The student teacher must have a copy of that schedule in order to be prepared every once in a while.
A longer duration than a month for the student teacher to have more time in achieving the goals and purposes of the program.