Teacher Professional Development Series

2019

TEACHER REFLECTIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Mateus Yumarnamto & Agustinus Ngadiman

Widya Mandala Catholic University Press, Surabaya

Teacher Professional Development Series

TEACHER
REFLECTIONS FOR
PROFESSIONAL
GROWTH
Mateus Yumarnamto
AgustinusNgadiman

Program Studi Pendidikan Profesi Guru (PPG)

Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan
UniversitasKatolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
*©The FKIP logo was designed by Anthony Wijaya
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 TEACHER REFLCTIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

PART A: THE PERSON

1. Who am I?
2. My Family
3. My Hometown

PART A: ABOUT BEING A TEACHER

1. Why do I Become an English Teacher?
2. A Success Story of my Teaching
3. A Sad Story of my Teaching
4. What makes me stay to be a teacher?

PART C: STUDENTS, COLLEAGUES, AND THE SCHOOL

1. My Dream School
2. My Students
3. My Colleagues
4. My Teaching Philosophy

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................ iv
PART A: THE PERSONAL ..................................................................................................... 0
1. Who am I? .................................................................................................................. 0
2. My Family ................................................................................................................... 1
3. My Hometown ........................................................................................................... 2
4. My Life History ........................................................................................................... 3
5. About Me – As a Person............................................................................................. 3
PART B: THE PROFESSIONAL .............................................................................................. 5
1. My Dream School ....................................................................................................... 5
2. Why do I Become an English Teacher? ...................................................................... 7
3. A Success Story of my Teaching ................................................................................. 7
4. A Sad Story of my Teaching ....................................................................................... 8
5. What makes you stay in the teaching profession? .................................................... 8
PART C: THE SOCIAL ........................................................................................................... 9
1. My Students ............................................................................................................... 9
2. My Colleagues ............................................................................................................ 9
4. My Teaching Philosophy .......................................................................................... 10
5. My Teaching Statement ........................................................................................... 12

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 PART A: THE PERSONAL
“Teaching is a complex, personal and social activity in that it involves the whole person
of the teacher”
(Cochran- Smith, 2005 as Cited from Farrell 2011).

Professional life cannot be separated from personal live. As a teacher, the personal
space often overlaps with the professional one – creating a third space to grow.

1. Who am I?

My Name: UBALDUS YASIR

Do you have a story related to the meaning of your name?

Actually my name has its own story. The first name is recommended from Catholic
Liturgy that is for Saint Ubaldus which is celebrated on 13 April. Meanwhile, the last
name “Yasir” is joined of my parents’ name.
What do you like about you, yourself? (personality/character, habits, talents, interest,
etc.)
For my personality, I am the one of very close person. I cannot express my feeling
directly. Besides, I also interested on logical analytical. For same cases I try to analyze
logically with my own thinking. It takes me more time to make a decision for same
cases. I am interested on handling the ceremonies. It is for MC or Moderators.

What DON’T you like about you, yourself? (personality/character, habits, talents,
interest, etc.)
Something that I cannot avoid is difficulty in managing time (indiscipline). It impacts on
reckless life style. Actually I hate it the most. I hope for the coming time I can solve it
well.

2. My Family

Family has a very important role in our development as a whole person. The roles of
our parents in caring and providing a safe place to grow shape our personality, our
perspectives, and our way of thinking.

Share your family background that you think may have shaped you and your identity as
a person and as a teacher. You can tell a childhood memory or describe an important
event in your life.
I really agree that the family background shapes someone characteristic. When I was
child I had a unforgettable experience. My childhood was mostly spent with my
grandfather. My parents stayed in the garden for farming. In a week they could visit me
in the village only one time if they have free time. With him I learn many thing else. My
grandfather taught me how to be good kids. It was how to pray, help adult people etc.

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It was very nice. It shaped me and grows up to be very nice person.

Nowadays, I build the little family with my beloved wife and two children girl and boy.
In my concept my children might also grow up to be very nice person.

3. My Hometown
“It takes the whole village to raise a child.” (Anonymous)

The old saying is very true. The place and the environment and the people around us
have also shaped us as persons and may have also shaped our way of thinking and our
perspectives in seeing the world.

Describe the place where you grew up here and how the place has a special meaning in
your life.
I grew up in very isolated village. My life is very natural. There is no seasoning in our
vegetable. Rice is corn. I don’t know what luxury life style is. In this environment I life
with very simple way. Fortunately, electricity was operated in 2008. Some people
bought Television, then my people and I can see through out from my place.

Describe the people around you when you were young. Who are the people? How did
the people have affected you?
My young age spent in finishing my high schools until in collage. In finishing this duty I
stayed in boarding house. It was done to control the students easily by the teachers.
My common sense, togetherness and careless were shaped start from there by my
friends and all beloved teachers.

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4. My Life History

With every milestone that I've come across, there's always been a little note at the
bottom that's said, 'Don't worry, there's another milestone coming up.' (Jack Garratt)

Taken from:https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/womenmen/bloc-1a.html?lang=en

Our life is a journey. On the journey, we come across with many different people and
events, and we experience successes and failures, highs and lows.

Draw your life line and indicate the milestones in the line.
It was started when I graduated from senior high school. At the time actually I wanted
to continue my education to be the priest. In contrary, my parents did not let me go.
The, I started with my new life concept and target. Fortunately , I can take it well.
There was no regret, I take this way with my willingness to build up my future and
parents. In finding school I faced a little chalange. It was in elementary school which is
not suit for English teaher by curriculum regulation, so that I search otherschool wich is
very hard for me.

5. About Me – As a Person

Read what you write and draw in this section and reflect upon your own life. Now write
about you as a person. What kind of person are you?

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 PART B: THE PROFESSIONAL

1. My Dream School

The DREAM SCHOOL is an ideal school that you want to work for and the place where
your students can be the best. Your task here is to visualize YOUR IDEAL SCHOOL or
your DREAM SCHOOL.

Follow the steps below to visualize your dream school.

1a. Describe the building and facilities of your DREAM SCHOOL. Imagine you work in
this school and every day you walk inside the building, preparing the lessons, teaching
the students, mingle with colleagues. What does the school have?

1b. What values enhanced in your dream school?

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1c. What relationship with the students do you want to build and enhance in your
dream school?

1d. How about the relationship with other teachers? And the principal and staff?

1e. How is character education implemented in the school?

1f. Read your DREAM SCHOOL again. Now, you are back to your REAL SCHOOL. What
changes you need to bring your REAL SCHOOL closer to your DREAM SCHOOL? What
can you do to make your DREAM SCHOOL come true?

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2. Why do I Become an English Teacher?

You are a teacher now. Why do you want to become a teacher?

3. A Success Story of my Teaching

You have been teaching for a while. For some of you, you may have been teaching for
years. From your experience of teaching, share one event or one story to show a
successful teaching. In the success story, you feel that your teaching is effective, you
use correct methods, and the students achieve the goals of the lesson. And more
importantly, the students seem happy with the way you teach.

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4. A Sad Story of my Teaching

You may have experienced the opposite of successful teaching. Here, you share the
story of failure in teaching. FAILURE means you are not satisfied with the way you teach
your students and the students failed to achieve the target of your lessons.

5. What makes you stay in the teaching profession?

With you understanding and your experience as teachers, you realize that you are not
always in the bright side of the mountain. There highs, but there also lows in your
career. Upon reflecting to your profession as a teacher, why do still want to become a
teacher?

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 PART C: THE SOCIAL

1. My Students

Do you know your students? Where do they come from? From which social class do
they come from? What kind of family do they have? What challenges do they face in
their daily life?

2. My Colleagues
Colleagues at your work place are given. You cannot choose. They were there already
when you came to the school. New colleagues came and go in the process and you
accept the process for granted. Describe and share how do you connect and work
together with your colleagues? With the principal? With other staff?

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4. My Teaching Philosophy

Now, read again everything you have written in the previous sections. Now, you will to
make your beliefs and your philosophy of teaching explicit.

In section, you require to conceptualize your beliefs about teaching, learning, and the
subject matter, English. In the upcoming sections, you need to associate your
profession with other things, which are easy to visualize in our mind’s eye.

4a. TEACHING METAPHOR. How do you liken your teaching? For example, “Teaching is
like cooking. A good chef can mix what is available in the refrigerator into delicious
dishes.”

Explain a little bit more about your teaching metaphor.

4B. STUDENT METAPHOR. How do you liken your students (student metaphor)? For
example, “Students are like a white paper where I, as a teacher can write whatever I
want on the blank sheets.”

Explain more about the metaphor.

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4C. CLASSROOM METAPHOR. How do you liken you classroom? For example, “My class
is like a playground. The students play and have fun all the times.”

Explain more about the class metaphor.

What do you believe about rewards and punishments? Are they important in your
teaching? How you give rewards and punishment to your students?

As an English teacher, what are your roles in the classroom? How do you usually act the
roles?

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As an English teacher, how much do speak English in the classroom? Why?

5. My Teaching Statement
Teaching statement is an essay about your teaching philosophy. In a typical five
paragraph essay, write your teaching statement.

First paragraph: Introduction and the thesis statement at the end of the introductory
paragraph.

Second paragraph: 1st Supporting statement: Describe your beliefs about teaching and
how do you usually act out the beliefs in the classroom. You can give example or
illustration from your experiences when teaching.

Third paragraph: 2nd supporting statement: Describe your beliefs about your students.
Who are they? What do they need? What kind of learners are they?

Fourth paragraph: 3rd supporting statement: Describe your beliefs about English. Is
English important for you and your students? Why do you need to teach English? Why
do the students need to learn English? Will they use English in the future?

Fifth paragraph: concluding remarks. You highlight your beliefs about teaching, about
your students, and about English.

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