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SUMMARY
AND SUGGESTIONS
1. Purpose of practicum
The SEA Teacher Program is an educational internship and project designed to provide teaching experiences for college students in high schools in other countries. However, my major is not education but international studies, so my personal goal is to broaden my perspective and learn about cultural differences from Japan by interacting with people in the Philippines and students from other countries through this program and teaching a class. In fact, this is the first time that I leave my home country and live with people from other countries, so I found it difficult to live in the Philippines at first.
But I feel that I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience, and I have fully enjoyed living in the Philippines, so I think I can fairly achieve my goals of this program.
2. Procedures of practicum
The procedures of this program were systematic and had a little leeway, so it was relatively easy to get used to the life and I enjoyed it.
In week 1, we had orientation programs and a visit to the office regarding this program, but we didn't have classes and we had a day off, so I was able to get used to the life in the Philippines in that week.
After week 2, we had classroom observations and teaching, we had more time to observe the class that my cooperating teacher was doing, and prepare for a class than I thought, so I can prepare for a class well, like making a lesson plan and powerpoint and a draft.
As for the weekends, our IAO staff usually took us to the place that is one of the famous places in the Philippines, like Tagaytay, and supermarket and shopping mall, like Walter Mart in SanJose. Since I was basically preparing for and teaching classes on weekdays, it was a nice distraction and also a great way to see the Philippines.
Of course, I was busy in preparing and teaching classes, but I had some rest days and traveled around the Philippines with participants from other countries, so it was a great experience for me.
3. Outcomes of practicum
I've gained a lot of experience and knowledge through this program. Before going to the Philippines, I thought I would like to communicate with people from abroad in English, such as those who go to the USHS and CLSU, and SEAteacher participants from Indonesia and Thailand, because it was the first time that I went abroad. In this internship, I was able to communicate with people more than usual in my home country. In addition, I was able to learn about the cultural differences between the Philippines and Japan and also learn the differences from Thailand and Indonesia through living with other participants. What's more, I cannot learn these things that I experienced in the Philippines, so I felt happy to have participled in this program.
4. The challenges of practicum
What I found difficult about this internship was, after all, teaching high school students in English. I also found it difficult to teach a class, because education was not my major and I was not used to teaching in the classroom. In this way, teaching a class is hard for me at first, but thanks to the cooperation of my cooperating teacher, Ma'am Karen, I've been able to get used to teaching in the classroom and give a class confidently.
5. Overall impression
During my stay in the Philippines, not only did I gain valuable experience and knowledge through this program, but I also had the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture. As I wrote before, this program was the first time that I went abroad, so I was nervous a little about taking part in this program. However, the people who I met in the Philippines are kind to me, so I was relieved during my stay.
As for my personal goals, interacting with people living in the Philippines and other SEA-teacher participants allowed me to learn more about their customs, traditions, and way of life.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this program and for the lasting memories it has given me.
6. Suggestions for future improvement
To improve this program in the future, I would like to make the following suggestions:
I think it would be better to increase the visibility of this program by making a more extensive announcement. In fact, I didn't know about this program until one of my friends recommended it to me. In addition, almost all of my friends didn't know about this program. Through this program, I've learned a lot about cultural and social differences, and it's valuable for college students to experience the educational situation overseas and the differences between foreign countries and Japan through this program, so I think you should publicize it more than ever.