Journal No.

: 1/2

Practicum Week : First

Date of Event : 11th – 14th June 2019

Journal Title : First Week of Practicum at SK Wira Jaya

1. Issue/Event

My practicum-mates and I were trying to fit in the school’s community. We joined the
celebration of Gawai, Raya and Teacher’s Day at the school so that we could mix and interact
with teachers and pupils of the school. So far, everything went smoothly although I feel a little
bit awkward with the school’s culture because it is completely different than the previous
school that I went to during my previous practicum. For example, the assembly is conducted
on every Wednesday as opposed to the common practice of having an assembly on Mondays.
We are also placed in a separate room than the teachers thus making interaction with them to
be quite limited.

2. Problem Analysis

Adjusting to school’s culture could be difficult for teacher trainees. According to Farrell
and Thomas (2002 in (Azlina Abdul Aziz, Ros Amisha Shabudin , Sharnti Kulasingam , Ho, &
Ong, 2004), the shift from the comfort of the teacher training institutions to the primary school
classroom can sometimes send waves of reality shock where ideas formed are replaced by
the reality of school life. I must admit that it is not easy for me to adjust to this school’s culture
at first and one of this occurrence is because I might get too used to the culture of higher
education institution in our campus. Other than that, every school has its own unique culture
that I should identify and adapt so that I can maximise my teaching experience as a trainee
teacher in this school.

3. Follow-up Action(s)

According to Lambourne (2017), there are several tips that can be done by teacher
trainees in order to adjust to school’s new culture such as:

i. be acquainted with your mentor teachers.

ii. collaborate with fellow teacher trainees at the school.

iii. try to directly involve yourself in as many school events as possible.

iv. observe school’s culture and try to put more effort in adapting to it.

I decided to follow these tips throughout my practicum to better adapt myself in this
school despite the difficulties I faced during my first week here.

4. Duration of Follow-up Action(s)

Week 2 – Week 12
 Checked by: Checked by:

Signature : Signature :
Name : Mdm. Kuyah @ Senim anak Name : Mdm. Juria Laing
Nyoep Date :
Date :

Reference(s)
Azlina Abdul Aziz, Ros Amisha Shabudin , Sharnti Kulasingam , Ho, L., & Ong, S. (2004).
Trainee Teachers' Perception of the School Practicum . National Seminar on English
Language Teaching . Putrajaya: ResearchGate.
Lambourne, H. (14 September , 2017). Tips for Trainee Teachers . Retrieved from
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service:
https://www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/tips-trainee-teachers-helen-lambourne