How is our two week practicum over with already?! Week Two was just as hectic as the first, except it included the dreaded “formal observation”. I started off the week by getting a sneak peak of the school we will be at for our long practicum, as our school was closed for an additional two days for the Remembrance Day holiday. I am particularly lucky in that I get to spend my practicums in both a public and private school, which i’m hoping will give some diversity in my experience and an understanding of the two systems. Of course, as we are in now in teacher mode, Remembrance Day meant while the school was closed, there was still lesson planning and work to be done. While I had been lucky enough to lead many blocks, formal observation time had arrived…
I presumed that I would be extremely nervous having someone observe me in the classroom. But in fact, I kind of forgot my faculty advisor was even there! Although that might have had something to do with getting to do a fun, hands on lesson. I was teaching an Inquiry block, and the focus was on the Digestive System. What better way to learn about the workings of the Digestive System than to become it?
We started off with accessing our prior knowledge with a class brainstorm and drawing what we already knew, before watching a BrainPop video. I then divided the class into groups that would function together as different parts of the Digestive System, providing them with props so they could properly do their ‘job’… yes, there was a final ‘outcome’ to his activity! It was a bit risky for an observation as I was concerned classroom management could be difficult, but I was curious to see how a lesson like this would turn out. There were laughs, screams, and some looks of disgust, but overall the students made some great connections (why vomit looks the way it does; what happens if you don’t drink enough water), and they were able to develop their understanding of form and function.
Moving into the ‘Small Intestine’
Acting out the role of the ‘Rectum’
The next morning when I arrived, the students were excitedly reciting the events of the day to a student who was off – a great sign that they had really internalized what they had learned. We were able to follow up the next day drawing what we know now, practicing our language skills by note-taking from a website on the Digestive System, before finishing with a fun game of Kahoot – which the students loved!
Lesson of the day: What’s the best way to help students learn? Gross them out!
I finished my week by reading aloud a Scottish fairytale in one of the kindergarten classes. I had never been in a kindergarten class before but heard they were “reading around the world”, so thought I would offer my services (*accent). I brought along some artifacts: a picture of me when I was their age ‘cutting peat’ with my Grandpa on the moors of the Scottish isles, and a scarf with my family tartan, which worked out perfectly as they were looking at patterns in math. They seemed to enjoy it and I had a blast! What a great way to finish off the week…
I can’t believe our practicum is almost at an end! Part of me wishes I could stay at this school and continue to develop the meaningful relationships I have made with the students, my SA, and the rest of the staff, but I know that I will get an equally great experience when I move on. One of the students asked me if I would be returning, and if I could be their Grade 6 teacher next year…how about you go ask your principal?
