Uncategorized – Exchange Student Experience

Name: Junelyn C. Gapuz
Home University: Saint Marys University
Receiving School: Bunga Bangsa Isalamic School
Blog Address: JI. IN. Pandjaitan no 51, Bunga Bangsa Islamic School, Samarinda City, East Borneo, Indonesia

Exchange Student Experience

I. School Profile
I was sent to Bunga Bangsa Islamic School for the 7th Batch of the SEA Teacher Project.

Bunga Bangsa Samarinda Islamic Junior High School is under the auspices of the Bunga Bangsa Foundation. The worsening condition of the social environment marked increasingly rampant drug abuse prompted the Bunga Bangsa Foundation to establish a junior high school unit in 2009 as a further education for the alumni of Bunga Bangsa Islamic Elementary School. Located on an area of 15 ha, Bunga Bangsa Islamic Junior High School carries the concept of green school. With a strategic position on JI. IN. Pandjaitan no 51, Bunga Bangsa Islamic School has easy to reach. The existence of Bunga Bangsa Islamic School is expected to play a role in educating future leaders.
*Vision
Educate students to be healthy and strong superior generation, have high faith, piety, a work ethic that is excellent, intelligent, skilled, international-minded and love the motherland.
*Mission
Organizing education in faith and piety based on Islamic religion.
Organizing quality education with a quality management approach.
Bunga Bangsa Islamic Junior High School uses the concept of full-day school with the basic concepts of Integrated- activity and Integrated-Curriculum. This means that all childrens programs and activities in school; ranging from learning, playing, eating, and worship packed in education system.

A. The purpose and target of SMP Islam Bunga Bangsa Education:
-able to be a congregation of prayer in congregation
-have good morality towards parents, teachers and friends
-tartil reads the Quran and memorizes 1 additional juz
-memorize and understand the 15 chosen hadiths
-spirited leadership
-able to produce 1 selling product
-discipline and responsibility
-completed KKM and got an average national exams score of 7.00
-able to make scientific writing
-able to speak English and or Arabic
-have a good social behavior
-healthy and fit
-skilled using information technology

B. Outlines of Education Programs at Bunga Bangsa Islamic School are as follows:
1. MATRICULATION
This program is intended to equalize the vision, attitudes and basic abilities of students so that they can participate in educational programs- teaching in Junior High School effectively and efficiently. The matriculation program will deliver to:
the formation of a school climate with an Islamic nuance
students who have high learning independence
students who have learning skills
students who have relatively the same academic abilities
students can understand math and science terms in English.

CURRICULA
This program is directed to meet the three standards set:
National Standards
Produce graduates with academic or non-academic achievements so that they can be accepted in favorite secondary schools in Samarinda and National.
Bunga Bangsa Foundation Standards
Produce graduates who are loyal and devoted to Allah SWT
International Standards
Produce graduates who have a certificate of eligibility to continue in international schools.
Self Development Activities
Mandatory Extracurricular Activities
This compulsory extracurricular is intended to make every student have competitiveness in his future which includes:
-scout
-journalism
-scientific paper
Optional Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular is an option intended to give students the freedom to choose activities that are appropriate to their talents and interests as a place of creativity which includes:
-soccer
-basketball
-putra swimming
-robotic
-photography
-music
-table tennis
-rebana putri
-archery
-red cross team
-badminton

Clubs
The club is a forum for developing talented students to achieve achievement. Therefore the participants are selected by the teacher in accordance with the talent or value needed. Clubs in Bunga Bangsa Islamic Junior High School include:
-mathematics
-physics
-biology
-social
-English
-literature
-Rebana Putra
-Dai
-Futsal
-Pusas

Life Skills
What is meant by life skills here is self -development activities as additional provisions to be able to compete in the era of globalization. Life skill activities include:
-leadership training
-entrepreneurship
-achievement motivation training
-Intra-school Student Organization (OSIS)

C. Value of Excellence
The implementation of the concepts of the integrated activity and integrated curriculum and the support of adequate supporting facilities and infrastructure will create an optimal educational process. The excellence value owned by Bunga Bangsa Islamic School is as follows:
students get a proportional Islamic education for life
students get personality education so they become Superior and steady individuals
students can channel and develop their talents and potential in themselves.
students get sufficient learning counseling through the guidance and counseling unit so that the development of learning and the personality of students is always monitored by the school
students get guidance and assistance in practical worship (prayer, eating, daily prayers, etc.)
Student health is maintained and guaranteed because routine health checks are carried out by professionals
students can learn comfortably because they are in a green environment and away from noise.

II. Pedagogical Contents
A. Learning Materials/ Sources of learning and technology
As what I have seen during my practice teaching, the learning materials they use is the students book and CDs. They use projector, laptop, speaker, and power point presentations in delivering the lessons.
There is also a free internet access in the school but it is not allowed to open social media apps like Instagram, Facebook and twitter.

In the picture you can see that the technology being used is the projector and laptop.

III. Observation on Teachers
A. Preparing lessons and materials
The teacher prepares the lesson before of the class. Each teacher brings their materials before they enter the room. They dont make lesson plan everyday because before the opening of the school year they already made a lesson plan for the whole year activities. They just need to follow the lesson assigned for each day according to the lesson plan they had made.
B. Teaching in Class
As what I observed, the teachers in Bunga Bangsa always starts the class with a short prayer and greetings.
They really get the attention of the students when they are discussing the lesson. They have the command to control students behavior in a very ethical way. I was amazed by the way they handle students in the class.
The objectives of the lesson for the class are being attained through the different activities given by the teachers. It is very easy to deliver the lesson because their students are very interactive, cooperative and interested in their lesson. By the teaching method they use in the class they get the students respect and attention.

Class 7 Bilal with Miss Febby

IV. Teaching Practice
Lesson plan
Since my receiving school doesnt have an everyday lesson plan so I decided to use the lesson plan format which I used in the Philippines.

The pictures show one example of my lesson plan for class 7 Bilal.
I remember my mentor, Miss Febby, told me that my lesson plan is always excellent and she always reminds that my assessment should finish before the end of class.

I am grateful and pleased that my mentor always found my lesson plans excellent and she never failed to remind me to do assessment before the class ends.

My Class Schedule

The one highlighted with a pink marker are my teaching schedule.

School Tour

Observation Week
The first class that I observed was the class of Miss Febby which is the year 9.
This time Miss Febby introduce me to her students. This class is preparing for their final examination in English. So Miss Febby told me that I will not teach in that class because they are already reviewing. So I just introduce myself and talked about some stuff about Phillipines.

This is the Physics class of year 8
Miss Mely teach Physics and what I noticed is that the medium of instruction is Bahasa so I was amazed that some of the technical words in English has a Bahasa word of it.

Teaching and Assisting Week

This was my first teaching lesson and my students were the class 8 Khalid and class 7 Bilal. So over all I had 10th teaching in class 7 and 8.
Before I start my lesson I introduce myself to my students and greeted them Good Afternoon , my dear students. My lesson is all about Prepositions” and be+going to (intentions and predictions)
I started my lesson with a short game called charades. At first, I was really determined to teach them with my own strategy and techniques and I see that they participated well but I had a hard time explaining to them the instructions and mechanics because I think they are not use to learn with games like that.

The pictures above were taken during the Leadership Training (OSIS).
OSIS means by which students in the High School can be most easily involved in leadership in the school. It is similar to a Student Representative Council/Supreme Student Government. It focuses its efforts largely on organizing and running activities to engage fellow students and to support local communities in need.

Final Evaluation

February 7,2019- My final evaluation teaching in Class 7.
My lesson for this day is all about the past tense: questions and negatives”
As usual I started my lesson with a greeting and saying Assalamulaikum. I discussed about the topic past tense: question and negatives first by showing them a short video song., I used laptop, projector, and speaker for may instructional materials. I prepared my visuals aids through power point presentations.
I included videos related to my topic. I really explained my topic to them. I remember what I told to them I dont just need to finish this lesson, I dont just need to end this topic but I want you to learn it and able to understand it, it is my purpose and goal. And I finished discussing it very well and I can see that they really understand by their activity.
And I was thankful also because I didnt encounter difficulties in my teaching.

My Learners Work

Class Picture with my Class 7 and 8

V. Summary and Suggestions
Purposes of Practicum
-To improve quality of education in Southeast Asia
-To enable the students to develop their teaching skills and pedagogy.
-To encourage the students to practice their English skills.
-To allow the students to gain a broader regional and world view.

Outcomes of the Practicum

This picture would sum up the outcomes of my practicum. It is the evaluation form. I was evaluated by my mentor Miss Rinda and my cooperating Teacher Miss Febby.

But in myself , In all the experiences I gained and the lessons I learned had boost my confidence to pursue my profession as a future teacher. This practicum enables me to showcase and enhance my skills. This program really help me as an individual to learn and teach outside my comfort zone. I experience lot of thing as a person, students, and student-teacher. In short I had mix emotions when I am far away home, it made me stronger and can stand independently.
This practicum let me to adopt and gain new culture.

Suggestions for improvement
What my mentor told to e that I should not teach fast in able to understand the topic by the students. I should teach gradually the topic.

VI. Reflection
Farewell Ceremony and Giving of Tokens and Certificates
This was the saddest part of my exchange student experience. Saying goodbye to the persons who has imparted you with life-learned lessons, gave you the most encouraging words is so hard. My last appearance in the school made me sad and of course made happy because of the messages I received from the teachers and to the principal. I am really thankful because the teachers never let me feel alone during my stay in Bunga Bangsa. I will never forget what they told to me that I am beautiful, kind and humble because of what I showed to them and because of my appearance. I am neat because of how I wear the hijab. And they are also thankful that I respected their re4ligion and their dress code. I am happy because I was given the chance to try to wear a hijab, try to experience fasting and make conversation with the teachers. What will I miss in Bunga Bangsa are the coolest group of male teachers, they are always try to talk to me even though they are not that confident to talk in English. I will miss also the females teachers that always guiding me everytime. I want to thank all the people behind this program for giving such a wonderful experience and opportunity.

Cross-Cultural Understanding
It is our last day Feb 9, our coordinator fetched us in the dorm and we went to You Space to have our Cross Cultural Understanding.
What is this cross cultural understanding?
In this activity we have the sharing of ideas, culture and we had the chance to asked questions with one another. We are together with the UWGM students in English Department.
We had so many questions to ask with each other but we dont have enough time. In this cross cultural understanding we were able to tell them the culture of the Philippines.

Additional Experiences
My Transformation

As you can see in the left photo I am now wearing hijab while in the right photo is my ordinary look.
I know you are wondering why I am wearing a hijab and covering my body even I am not muslim. I wear hijab because my receiving university is very strict with their dress code and wearing a hijab is one of their rules.

My Journey (Manila-Jakarta-Balikpapan-Samarinda)

The Beautiful Places in Samarinda City, Indonesia

Every weekends we have, we and with our buddies explore Samarinda City. So we went to the malls of Samarinda like Big mall. We wenr also to Citra Niaga to buy souveniers. To Mahakam River to take pictures. Mahakam Lampion Garden which has a good scenery and view. We went also to Islamic Center, Ladaya in Tenggarong, Pampang, Samarinda Airport, etc.