Name                            : Putu Eka Setia Dewi

Major                            : Physics Education Departement

University                    : Ganesha University of Education

Receiving University : Prince of Songkla University

Blog                                : https://ekasetiadewi.home.blog/

Name of School          : PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School

Om Swastyastu, Hello everyone!!! Sawatdee  Kha!!!!

Ngurah Rai Airport : Prepare to go to Thailand

           Sawatdee Kha was the greeting I first heard when I arrived at Surat Thani airport, Thailand. Yes! The greeting was said by P’Nair the one of the staff from Prince of Songkla University. She picked up us in the Surat Thani Airport. P’Nair said greetings sweetly and politely while cupping her hands in front of her chest. The first impression given is so friendly that make my tired feeling from a long journey lost. Well, for went to the “The land of White Elephant”, I have to take quite a long journey. I spent about 20 hours to arrive at Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. Tired, but I’m excited and can’t wait to spend one month in Thailand.

         Can join the teaching practice program (PPL-LN) is a fortune for me. So I must say Thanks to God, to my parents, and my beloved university UNDIKSHA for this opportunity, I was able to realize my dream come true. Usually, I only see this country in Thai drama or TV, but now I felt the atmosphere in this country for 1 month. Many benefits I got when I did teaching practice in Thailand. I can develop my teaching skills, can knowing Thai culture, learning the Thai language, tasted the Thai’s Food, get new friends, and seeing the beautiful place in Thailand. Therefore, I can’t wait to share my experience for a one month in Thailand. I teach in PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School, Thailand. The following are the results of my report, happy reading!

PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School

1. General Information

1. 1  School Profile

       PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School or PSU Wit School is an elite school in Surat Thani. This school was established on December, 27^th 2012 under the administration of Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani Campus. The main purpose of the school is to provide the best quality of education for students by learning through innovation and creating a positive learning environment. To get that goal, PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School has a philosophy “Our Soul is for the Benefit of Mankind”. The philosophy was created to create graduates with a good attitude, able to compete in university and workplace. Besides that, PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School has the identity “Virtue and Wisdom” and created a vision to create a positive workplace culture and develop to be the high education. PSU Wittayanusorn has core values called “Family”. There is the meaning of family such as; F is for the facility, A is for Active, M is for Marshalship, I for inspiration, L is for Leadership, and Y is for Youth. Those are some of the basics used to be a good quality school. I teach in a new building at PSU Wittayanusorn because PSU Wittayanusorn moves from the old building to the new building. The located of new building near the administration office of Prince Songkla University.

       1.2 Academic Facilities:

        The new building has a different style with the old building. The building very colourful and has a labyrinth style concept. The area of the new building of PSU Wittayanusorn School has three floors. This school has 30 classrooms. In the first floor there is a teacher’s room, laboratories, music room, administration room, school health unit and canteen, in the second and third floor there is a classroom, laboratories, meeting room and teacher room. Each of the classrooms there is completed by the chair, table, green board, chalk, computer, and AC. In PSU Wittayanusorn also supported by some sports facilities such as swimming pool, basketball court, and football court. Other than, this school has a field for the flag ceremony and parking area. This school is far away from the highway, so the students can do the learning process without interference because of this school very comfortable and quiet.

      1.3 Teaching System:

      PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School has two levels of education. There is Junior High School and Senior High School. Usually, both of levels of education called as Matthayom. PSU Suratthani School has 6 matthayom. Matthayom 1-3 is for Junior High School students and matthayom 4-6 is for Senior High School students. The students must arrive at school before 07.45 am to do the flag ceremony. The learning process starts from 08.30 to 04.10 pm. The students study from Monday to Friday. For the physics course began to be studied in matthayom 4-6 or only for Senior High School

      2. Pedagogical Contents

      2.1 Teaching Method:

      For the teaching method, my mentor used the active learning method. He explained the material for students first and then told the students to do the exercises. For me, I used the Direct instruction for learning model and use the active learning method, this method more focused on students centre. Usually, when I teach the students, I explained the material and sometimes I ask some question for students, and told them to go to the front and do the question on the board. For check the level of student understanding, I give them exercises.

      2.2 Source of Learning

      For the source of learning, there are two books for teaching physics. The first book is called the student’s book, it contains the material and as the guiding book for students learning. The second book is a workbook, it contains about exercise that students need to answer after teacher explain the materials. Both of book use the Thai language, so for another source, sometimes I used the English books with relevant material.

     2.3 Authentic Assessment :

     In authentic assessment, the teacher evaluates the students by checking student notes after learning finished, sometimes the teacher giving a test to the students to check the level of students understanding. There are also giving the midterm test when the middle semesters, and final test conducted at the end of the semester. In daily learning, when the students can answer a question from the teacher, the teacher will give additional points for students. The additional points will be helping the students for improving grade if they got fail in midterm or final exam.

      3. Teaching Plan

3.1Curriculum

      For the curriculum, PSU Wittayanusorn Suratthani School used the curriculum has been designed and adjusted to Thailand’s school system rule. When making my lesson plan, I coordinate with my mentor for the material, exercises, and teaching steps.

       3.2 Lesson plan

        Before teaching the students, in Thailand, the teacher also prepared a lesson plan as a reference. The lesson plan in Thailand and lesson plan in Indonesia has some differences. The lesson plans in Thailand more than simpler between lesson plans in Indonesia. In Thailand, I can use 1 lesson plan for 1-week teaching in the classroom. The lesson plan only contains about name unit, indicators, purpose, materials, source, method, and teaching steps. For the teaching steps, also giving an opening lesson, giving a reinforcement, giving a question, and then giving the closing, there is similar like the teacher used in Indonesia. For making my lesson plan my mentor told me to make it according to my version, but the material must similar from student books.

       3.3 Others

       Lesson Plans and Teaching Schedule :

       https://ekasetiadewi.home.blog/2019/09/18/teaching-schedule-and-lesson-plan/

4. Teaching Practice

4.1 Teaching procedures in the classroom

       In PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School, I teach on Monday until Friday in matthayom 5/1 until matthayom 5/5. I teach for 2 weeks. One week doing the co-teaching with my mentor and one week doing the independent teaching. Before doing the teaching my mentor has given me a topic. For the co-teaching, he has given me a topic about light and flat mirror. For the independent teaching, he has given me a topic about Reflecting light on the concave and convex mirror. For teaching the students, in PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School the teaching procedure is similar to teaching procedure in Indonesia. There are three core parts in teaching procedures, such as opening, core activity, and closure. I use this procedure to teach. The following procedures as follows:

1. Opening

      In the opening part, I came to the classroom, and the student stands up to give a greeting. For the examples when I teach the students at morning, the students give greeting “Good morning Teacher”. After greeting, I did the present list to know who is absent from the meeting. After that, I give some question for students about materials will be teaching.

2. Core activity

     In this part, for the co-teaching, I explained the material with my mentor. For the example: for the first meeting the students get 100 minutes, I divided this time with my mentor. I teach 50 minutes with the English language, and my mentor teaching for 50 minutes with the Thai language. When the second meeting the students get 50 minutes for study, usually for the co-teaching I and teacher Max used this time to control the students do their exercise. Meanwhile, for the independent teaching, the first meeting (100 minutes) I explained the material for students and the students are listening and make a note. Sometimes for explained the material I use the power point. When I explained the material, students can ask if they do not understand. For helping the students became to understand, I give they are example related to the material. After that, in the second meeting (50 minutes) to check students understanding, I give them exercises. Students who finish of doing the exercises can do his/her answer on the board and explain to their friends. So, I give them an additional point.

3. Closure

    For closing, I conclude the material before ended the material and always asked the students “Did you understand? Any question?” if the students said “No, Teacher”, I checked the students note before leaving the classroom. Sometimes I give them homework. For ended the class, students saying thank you for the teacher, and I leave the classroom.

     4.2 Time management and Activities for Each Meeting

    In PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School for the physics lesson, students will get 2 meetings for a week. Both meetings have a different time to teach. For one meeting they have 100 minutes for studied physics, and the other meeting they have 50 minutes for study, so for a week, they have 150 minutes for studied. This is the description of 2 meetings are follows: a) on the first meeting the students have 100 minutes to study, I give them an explanation about the material, give them example about material until there are understand, sometimes I give them exercises to know their understanding of the material. b)on the second meeting the students have 50 minutes to study, I give the students worksheet and after they finish do this, I told them who can work the question on the board, and give them a point. For the steps of teaching practice, this is similar to teaching steps my mentor. So I follow this for teaching to the classroom.

    4.3 Problem Solving

    When I teach at PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School, I met some problems. Some of the students annoyed. In PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School students can bring the phone to the classroom. Sometimes they are play phone when the teacher explained the material. To fix this problem, I always tell the students annoying to be attentive and tell the students to put their phone when I start the class. If they do not do my instruction, I will note their name and decrease their point. Other problem, in school students, can bring a blanket, pillow for sleep. Sometimes if they don’t like the material, they will sleep in class. For fix this problem I give their funny story when their sleepy or when explained the material I give their visualization like teach with powerpoint or video. The visualization benefits for teaching there, because some of the students can’t understand the English language.

     4.4 Others

Teaching Practice at Matthayom 5/2

Teaching Practice at Matthayom

5. Summary and Suggestions

5.1 Purpose of the Teaching practice

       Purpose of the teaching practice is to provide opportunities for the teacher to gain teaching experience in another country, give the future teacher the real situation. By joining this program, the teacher can learn about a culture, social habit, education system in the host country, to be good and professional. The other purpose of teaching practices as follows:

1. Applying the teaching skill to teach students in real situations of the school abroad.
2. Develop their learning competencies in a physics course.
3. Get some experience to teach in school abroad, like the student’s habit and environment conditions of the school abroad
4. Understand the academic and non-academic process in school abroad, like their curriculum and their extracurricular
5. Also, this program can give the certificate that is useful for finding work.
6. This program useful for stronger cooperative among ASEAN countries
7. Outcomes of the Practice

5.2 Outcomes of Teaching Practice as follows:

1. Having some knowledge about culture, social habit, the language in another country
2. Having an international teaching experience, that experience can useful for competing to be a professional teacher.
3. Having more teaching skill to compete in industrial 4.0
4. Can help developed implement the vision of the university to become a superior university in ASEAN.

5.3 Challenges of the Practice

       The first time I teach the students in Thailand, many challenges that I got. In Thailand, only a few people can speak English. Moreover, my mentor can’t speak English well. That is challenges for me because when I should coordinate about lesson plans or material, sometimes my mentor can’t understand. For helping the communication I used the translation from my phone. Also, I learn some Thai language for communicating. Besides that, the guided book used the Thai language. So I must translate that to make a similar material with the student book. And then, only a few students can speak English. But I still tried to provide the best for them, for example, I teach them by using media, so they’re able to understand the material.

       5.4 Overall Impression

     Overall, my impression while teaching abroad, I think it was a very interesting experience. I can get a lot of knowledge about other cultures, being able to work in teams. Besides that, people in Thailand very friendly, kind, polite, and respectful of others. This experience gave me many benefits things, to achieve the dream comes true we must try harder.

      5.5 Suggestion for future improvement

      My suggestion for the next friends will join this programs, I hope you can prepare yourself early. The important thing you must learn is the English language, or you can learn the Thai language too. Prepare yourself for the different culture, different food tasted, and social habit. And also prepare your healthy because you must walk 40 minutes to go to school with hot weather. Besides of that, you must be able to work in a team, because this is very benefits for you.

      I think that’s all about my report about teaching practice in PSU Wittayanusorn Surat Thani School, Thailand. I hope this report can give some information for the readers and can give the motivation to join this program. If you won’t change your life, you should out of the box. Don’t only stay in a comfortable zone. Thank you everyone, Khob Kun Kha, Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Om

The last day in PSU Witthayanusorn Surat Thani School