Journal Entry that focused on Alternative Curriculum

On 12^th April, 2019, I went to teach KCS the Year 7I students at JSS TUC 1. It was an amazing day where I met students with different learning abilities. Some are slow learners, some they smart but also there were two children who have physical disabilities. One of them has a very low vision and the other is mute.

I was lucky because before I teach this class, I did a co-plan with their KCS teacher and during the co-plan, she told me about her students, she explained everything about them and that is why I felt so grateful in which that I had no problem because I also prepared an inclusive lesson plan (See the lesson plan I prepared) so that everything was provided in order to meet every students’ individual needs. Not only that, but also with the help of an interpreter, everything is flew well in which that children with disabilities can fully access the learning process.

I came early to arrange the setting so that these two kids should be at the front so that they can fully learnt from me. I also asked the interpreter to stand beside me so that everything I said can be easily transmitted to them through the sigh language so that these kids will not miss things from me, the teacher.                                                   

In the learning process, I grouped students into five groups to do a discussion. In a groups, I mixed the disability ones with the normal ones so that they can be involved and have fun with the normal ones. This strategy was very good for them in which that they helped each other. Also the normal ones helped the disability one in many cases. Here in this case, students developed a good relationship and understand each other and that is a good way to empower the student learning.

During this teaching experience there were many things I did for these two kids. For the low vision one, I explain all the pictures I provided and also faced the class to dictate what I was writing on the black board. Every text I wrote on anything was big printed so that she can see them. In this case, the low vision student can still follow the learning process and also she can take notes while I am explaining the notes or the pictures. In addition, I always gave oral instructions for every activity. For the mute one, I always used non-verbal communication with him by nodding, pointing and using pictures. I did not force the child to speak but I always let him talk to me using nodding and pointing. Many things that helped him were comes from the interpreter where he always used a sign language and explained things vice versa to me and to the kids. The interpreter always talked to me when they have something really need. This time the interpreter is the messenger between these two kids and me and that was a good way of learning for them from the teacher.