Simulated Teaching (Part 1)

I always wonder why lectures always stress the importance of set induction. Then it’s my turn to become a teacher. During simulated teaching, I have the opportunity to conduct my own lesson. During this time, now I know why set induction is important in teaching. Set induction is like an eye opener for students to understand the content of the lesson. It is to open their schemata. In order to do this, as teachers, we must carefully plan how to create a good set induction. For this class, I had chosen to use questions to start my class. These questions are related to the play that I am going to teach for that day. It is important to get the whole class participation so that they will want to keep on learning. So, I had asked the whole class questions. And they had response. Here, I would like to say thank you to my classmates because they had been supportive during my simulated teaching session.

From hero to zero.

From hero to zero, that is the only term that I can come up when I come to think of Oedipus. The reason is that he had signs that not to know of his history. Tiresias had warned him that not to know of his history. But due to his ignorance, he had found out the truth. The literary element in the story is different from the other drama that I had learnt before. Maybe it is because this was among the earliest drama in the world. Greek tragedy. But, in a way, this drama can be considered interesting. The idea that Sophocles uses for this drama is very appealing. The idea of the sighted is blind in knowledge and the blind is full of knowledge really makes me think. It makes me think that have I have the knowledge more than the blind or the blind can ‘see’ better than me. This issues makes readers think and also makes the story more interesting. At the end of the story, Oedipus had blind himself and was exile. His wishes came true! From a King to a peasant, from a hero to zero.

1 act play for 15 minutes...

My first experience writing a play is not a pleasant one. The reason is that I struggle to come out with an idea to write the play. But, fortunately, I have a partner who I can brainstorm for ideas. Although we had combined our idea into a play, it is still hard for me to come out with the play. Our first draft that we had submitted to Dr. Edwin was a disaster! The comment that we got back was somehow heartbreaking and demoralizing. However, we had come up with a slightly different idea to the play. This time, we had a better understanding of how to write a play and it was slightly easier. We have the power to create the character, to come up with the plot and also the theme of the story. At the end of the day, writing a play is fun, but is not for the faint hearted!

Elizabeth, the virgin Queen of England.

A few weeks ago, Dr Edwin had asked us to watch a movie called Elizabeth, The Golden Age. It was quite interesting because I finally see how a Queen of Victorian age rules. Furthermore, I also could see how the society at that period of time. The term of ‘Virgin’ is because Queen Elizabeth remain unmarried until to her death. One of her move of becoming a Queen is that she supported the upbringing of protestant church in England. Now it is known as the church of England. Her charisma as a ruler in a country had made me to admire her. The war she faught with Spain was one of her major accomplishment. This shows how woman could also lead a country. Not any woman, a single and ‘virgin’. She had leaded her country for so many years until she had died. During her time, the emergence of literature shows that she was a clever Queen who accepts changes. Shakespeare, is one of the famous name that we still admire!

Tiresias, The Blind Prophet!

There are many version of Tiresias if we google it on the internet. However, one of the most interesting versions of Tiresias that I had encounter is that Tiresias had the pleasure of being man and also woman. The story begins as Tiresias was walking in the woods. As he was walking, he saw two giant serpents were mating. He struck it with his staff. And he was transform into a woman. A few years later, he encounters the same incident in the woods. He or it was she at that time did the same thing as before, she struck her staff and she becomes a man one again. He becomes a prophet for Zeus also. It was an incident where Zeus of Hera was arguing about their sex. However, Tiresias sides Zeus and made Hera angry, and blinded him. Zeus had made him his prophet after that incident. Tiresias is an important character in Oedipus Rex is because that he represent knowledge although he is blind. He is also the one who told Oedipus that he was his father’s murderer.