The least lucrative profession can be said to be teaching, yet some students of Obafemi Awolowo University and Adeyemi College of Education had their teaching practice at Ife . Afolabi Oni a 400 level student of Education English got the reaction of some student teacher.
‘Teaching practice is a time you go and exhibit what you have been taught. It is a practice and you must be good ambassadors of the University. You must be humble enough to learn from the permanent teachers and always be diligent and hardworking,’ those were the words of the formal Acting Head of department, Special Education and Curriculum Development (SEC), Dr Mrs Yemisi Ajibade during one of he SEC 300 (Language Teaching Methods) lectures.
Teaching practice is a 6- unit course in Obafemi Awolowo University and is observed at the end of 200level and 300level. Each section of the exercise has 3 units each. It is a time of facing the challenges and the reality of the teaching profession. The exercise is usual for a minimum of 6 weeks and has commenced since on the 15th of February 2010 . The students are expected to be 21st century teachers and accustomed to the classroom. Supervisors of various degree of expertise will be at hand to grade the students’ teacher as the exercise progresses. Lesson plan (statement of objectives, orderliness, logicality, Language of presentation), teaching aid, presentation, classroom management, and teacher’s personality are evaluated. Lateness or absenteeism from place of practice without prior notification of the Teaching Practice Committee attracts a capital punishment of repeating the course which is equivalent to an extra year.
Several big-wigs have said that Nigerian undergraduates are not employable, but this cannot be said of Education students of OAU. Despite the fact that the Educational sector is given the least preference by the Federal Government, these students’ teachers and their supervisions still work their fingers to the bone to ensure that the standard of Education in Nigeria gets better. While students in Engineering are whining that the stipends allocated to them during Industrial Training is not sufficient; students teachers and their supervisions earn nothing are stipends for transportation during the practice. The student’s teachers teach with all their might as some of their supervisors part with a few Naira notes to serve as extrinsic motivation to the student’s teachers despite the fact that fact that the fuel their cars with no remunerations. Some supervisors travel as far as Ilesa, Oshogbo , Moro and more distant places to supervise students.
A lecturer who will not want his name to be mentioned said, ‘I traveled to Ipetu-modu to go and supervise some students to the detriment of my fuel, I earn the same amount with lecturers in other faculties that do not have any supervision to make outside the school premises.’
The Financial Secretary of National University Education Students Association (NUESA), Kuye Olusegun, 300level Education Economics shared his experience with Campuslife, ‘Teaching Practice has been a dream come true for me. My happiest moments were those times I spent in the classrooms with the students in SS 3 teaching them Mathematics after school hours from 4-6pm . More so, my school, Adventist Secondary school provided conducive environment for all the student’s teachers. This exercise made me fall in love with teaching Mathematics but I believe that student’s teachers should be motivated as we spend a lot on transportation and instructional materials.’
For Adebanwo Abiodun a 400level student of Education Economics said, ‘TP has been an ordeal, but it prepares the potential teachers for the future challenges in the profession. The students in my school will only keep mute when my supervisor is around; apart from that you need to wipe them before they can be quite for a second. It has not been easy.’ He concluded.
For students in Adeyemi College of Education their exercise ended on the 19th of March and Campus life spoke with Adegoke Abiodun a 300 level student of Biology Education said the exercise was fantastic and interactive. ‘We had football match against OAU and Debate; it is interesting for teachers to debate before their students. It was fun. The system is not encouraging us and we had to encourage ourselves by exchanging gifts among ourselves.
Majekodunmi Abiola Chemistry department, Adeyemi College of Educetion , Ondo State said, ‘TP was very interesting for me and I got to have a feel of people especially secondary school students in the ways they viewed life and I was able to just blend with them. Student teachers and school students should be more patient, disciplined in tackling life issues.’
Ngozi Eunice a Part 4 student of Education Political Science posted to Adventist Secondary School, said, ‘Teaching Practice has been interesting, thanks to Adventist Secondary School. TP has been fun in all aspects; sports, academics, spirituality, etc. I learnt a lot about the Bible, the joy in sharing (giving gifts) the students have been fun, a bit challenging, which helped me to prepare properly before going to class. The school teachers have been accommodating and encouraging. It was a little bit boring because there wasn’t really much to teach the students since they were already preparing for tests and exams. The school principal has always been concerned about our welfare and students from Adeyemi College also made TP more interesting. In the long run, this has been the best TP I have ever had.’
Famutimi Temitayo Education/Economics 400L made his view know to Campuslife that 'The teaching practice exercise has from time memorial been a platform where teachers in training get the practical experience of the pedagogical world in a normal classroom setting. Really, it has been fun all this while, the permanent teachers, the students as well as my colleagues really made the exercise worth the while. My recommendation is that the Federal Government should encourage students/education students by giving those allowances during the exercise that as it is given to their counterparts in the faculties of Engineering and Environmental Sciences.'
Igbokwe Emmanuel Osinachi, Physical Health Education Department Part 3 said that, 'Teaching Practice is an excellent experience. It affords one the opportunity of experiencing and trying out those things learnt in class. More so, personally it gave me the chance to relate with the younger generation and impart into their lives beyond academics. The work experience also gives one a taste of the work life after school.'
Afolabi Oni
08036126690
oniafolabidteacher@gmail.com
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