Klang Study Trip
Picture taken after implementation of three lessons. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
What is it About?
From 31 March - 3 April 2019, I went on a study trip to Klang, Malaysia to teach a group of refugees at El Shaddai Learning Centre (ELRC). My group and I planned and implemented lessons. We conducted three lessons within one day.
What Did We Do?
The three lessons that we implemented were English, Numeracy and Art. For English, we introduced to the children about the different feelings (i.e happy, sad, angry, etc.). We taught children simple addition from numbers 0-20 through a simple game. For the Art lesson, the children were required to do an artwork based on what they can do, which was followed up by a short show-and-tell session.
After lunch, we talked to a group of older students where they shared their experience coming to Malaysia as well as their life there. They also shared their dreams with us and what they hope in the future.
Here, I am introducing children to the different feelings. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons
We are facilitating the children during numeracy. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
Skills I Have Developed:
Teamwork:
-
My group and I have to work together in planning the lessons as well as coming up with the materials needed. We also discussed the distribution of workload.
Communication:
-
We only had one meeting prior to the trip. Hence, my group and I had to communicate through Skype in order to get our ideas across. During the trip, we also had communicated with the children there. Despite having some language barrier, we managed to get our message across.
Challenges I Faced:
A challenge was preparing the resources for the children. I did not have resources such as cardboard or plastic cups. Hence, I was in charge of preparing the worksheets and finding songs that we had used during the lessons.
I am reading a book about feelings to the children.
Here we are introducing the children to the Art lesson. Faces of children are blurred due to privacy reasons.
What Did I Learn?:
By the end of the trip, I realise how fortunate we are to receive a quality education in Singapore. Children at ELRC only learned through books and repetition. Meanwhile, children here in Singapore learn through a plethora of resources including hands-on exploration and play. During the sharing session, it got me reflecting on how lucky we are to stay in Singapore, where it is safe and secure and not worrying about fleeing the country.