EDU3234

I had great time in Dr. Jaya's EDU3234 classes and tutorials this semester. All the information Dr. Jaya has given me about our practicum as well as other topics are really informative and helped me a to prepare for my practicum next year. The film-viewing session during tutorials are also enjoyable as all the films shown to us were very inspiring. I would like to thank Dr. Jaya, Miss Amelia, Miss Alicia & Mr. Vahid for their astonishing efforts. Thank you very much guys! :)

Teaching Practice

Our teaching practice is coming in just a few months. I'm having mixed feelings about it at the moment. Sometimes I feel excited and sometimes I feel anxious. I don't think I'm fully prepared mentally but emotionally I think I am. Today I have a micro-teaching session in Cik Syarifah's class. I taught the students (my classmates) the topic of Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns. My micro-teaching went well with the help of the teaching aids as well as my classmates' cooperation. Cik Syarifah commented about my teaching style. She asked my to be more assertive as I was smiling a lot. Apart from that, she also said that the set induction I did was not suitable for my lesson. After doing my micro teaching today, I realize that I need to work on my assertiveness as well as be prepared before entering the class. I hope that I would be able to apply all the suggestions that Cik Syarigah have given me today in my future lessons so that my lessons would be effective and enjoyable to the students.

Gothic Novels

The topic I have chosen for my project paper is The Elements of Gothic in the Novels Written During the Victoria Era. In this paper, I will focus on the novels entitled Wuthering Heights and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The reason I picked this topic is because I love reading gothic novels. In fact, it is not too difficult to identify the elements of gothic in the novels of Victorian Era. I'm still studying the two novels and hopefully I can complete my project paper soon. :)

Position Paper

I have decided to take on the Merry Maid story for my position paper. The topic sentence I have thought of using for my position paper is 'beggars can't be choosers'. During our previous lesson, Dr. Jaya wanted us to present the topic sentence for our position paper. When he listened to mine, he liked it and told me that it's a good topic. I have no idea yet on how I would relate the topic sentence to my position paper but I think I won't have problem to finish it. Hopefully everything will goes well. :)

Precious

Today we had to watch a film entitled Precious starring Monique, Mariah Carey and Gibourey Sidibe. Precious centers on the plight of young Precious Jones (Gabourney Sidibe), an overweight and impoverished black teenager. Precious is pregnant with her second child (by her own father), and she's forced to live in constant fear of and service to her monstrous mother, Mary (Mo'nique). The film sees new potential opportunities appear for Precious but it doesn't shy away from the immense obstacles that tower above her. Some critics have complained that Precious is too tough to watch. I don't see that. The film shows scenes of brutal domestic violence and heartbreaking discussions, but it also has a heart. The film's texture is rich, due mainly to the superb supporting cast. Mo'nique is chilling as Mary especially in her final scene. Paula Patton is inspiring as a teacher who strives to do what is right for Precious. Most surprisingly of all, Mariah Carey is pitch-perfect as a social worker who wants to help, but can't quite connect.

It's a tear dropping, heart-breaking film with an interesting storyline, very well developed plot and extraordinary performances. Overall, this is the sort of film we need to see more of in the future. Excellent acting, script and direction make this a great textbook example for how small films should be made. Let's hope this film spurs on other such projects that can both inspire and entertain. :)

Lean on Me

We had to watch this film during our tutorial. Lean on Me is an astoundingly inspirational film based on the life and accomplishments of Principal Joe Clark, an unyielding and determined educator who refused to accept the state's conclusion that his high school students were academic failures and decided to change the perception using unorthodox methods of teaching and stern discipline. His work gained national recognition in the 1980's and even received public mention by then President Ronald Reagan. "Crazy Joe" became a household name and set a valuable example to numerous inner city school systems. This film has a profoundly realistic and an unforgettable performance by one of the great actors of our time, Morgan Freeman, playing the role of Joe Clark. The film has numerous memorable quotes and keeps the audience thoroughly entertained. It is a remarkable film worth seeing by both adults and children.10/10.

Chalk

In this week's tutorial, we had to watch a documentary film entitled Chalk. This is a very touching and funny documentary set in a Houston high school. The acting was fantastic. I loved Mr. Stroope (Chris Mass). In fact, I loved all of the featured "teachers" in the film. The characters' development was also great and I ended up liking all of the teachers, regardless of their faults. The production values were very impressive as well and I believe that all of the kids in the film were actual kids from the high school and if so they did a great job. What I enjoyed the most is the total absence of "this is good and this is wrong" that some movies are fulled in. In Chalk, you can easily understand that are more than a simply reason to a teacher act in such ways. :)