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2nd practicum experience – 2nd school visit

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Oct 13th 2016 –

Today marked the second practicum visit. This will be the last visit before teacher candidates are to go off and explore education from a first person perspective (in two weeks ~)! I felt spoiled from my last school visit to be in such an environment where theories I was learning about were being taught in the student’s classroom. Nonetheless, I am eager to see what a new system looks like and am excited to be a part of someone else’s learning environment. I was welcomed with a great smile followed by some prep before going to class. I got a nice tour of the school and was given a guide booklet describing school protocols that was amazingly organized. As a certified safety inspector, I am very happy to see schools providing such crucial knowledge (especially about safety) so efficiently and in a punctual manner.

This morning could have not started better. It started with French! Yes, French has grammar. Yes, French may have many tenses. Yes, French may have funny sounding phonemes, but by golly good gosh it’s one of Canada’s official languages. It also provides a beautiful opportunity to practice something completely foreign using language. Additionally, it allows for conversation that people of all ages absolutely love. The beauty of the challenge is trying to add that key vocabulary (to add value and relevancy). If one were to study linguistics, that one could see that there is a relationship between languages old and new. Mrs. B modeled a great example using relations today with an activity she asked her class to do.

Mrs. B took the attendance in French and asked the class how they were doing today. She spoke quickly of the weather in-between names and key objects in the room (such as desks). She started with her activity lesson and had my full attention as I was about to learn something new. Mrs. B told the students that they already knew 20% of the French language. The students laughed and doubted it, but she was ready to prove herself. Using words the students already know (in English), she began to name off a few French words and asked what they meant in English. Easy word and common words were used and the class got 80% of the words right without scaffolding. There were some words that caused confusion like “sentiments” (say that in French, not in English)! This conversation led to the awareness of the term “faux-amis”, words that seem similar but are not in meaning. I found this approach to language a very efficient one judging by the student’s reactions and enthusiasm.

French was over before I knew it and I was off to the next block. Explorations were next and I was excited to see what this school did for their student’s interest.  I had the opportunity to explore a tech ed room, home ec room (which I didn’t have the fortunate opportunity to wrap the string around the spool), arts room (in which the teacher was absolutely amazing in her classroom management skills and interaction with students), and finally the music/drama room. I wanted to continue exploring, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to play journey on guitar with 31 other people in the room singing. I politely approached the teacher and asked if I could join in on the session. He had a huge smile on his face and handed me a few sheets of paper and a pick.

I was amazed at the patience and understanding this teacher demonstrated. Mr. Music (as I would like to call him) was always on his feet moving around trying to help students all the while playing was going on from all directions. The students gave him a lot of respect when they saw him standing at the front of the class with his arms in the air and quieted down quite quickly. The class, Mr. Music and I couldn’t help but laugh when there were two students with their guitars up in the air, shaking them trying to get their picks out. His instructions were very clear and very visual. Cues such as (for swing stroke) “up-up-down-up-down” helped students stay on rhythm. For additional support, he had charts, drawings, scales, and notes on the board regarding the pieces of a guitar as well as the string letters. It was amazing to see that each student already knew how to play each chord of the songs. It was certainly awesome to rock out to such an experience.

The art teacher had a different approach. She had a lot of enthusiasm not only for the subject, but for what the students had to say. It was amazing to see how naturally animated she was with her interactions. While the students were busy working, she admitted that her art program would change to her student’s needs. As a teacher, she did not have an issue with that as it only enriched her knowledge in the subject. The student’s bring all their unique ideas to the table. There are times where she tossed entire lesson or unit plans and decided to run with the students’ interest and values. This reminded me of a time I suggested a software game design program to my Information Technology teacher. I was determined to make video games, but didn’t have enough autonomy to go at it alone. I won over the teacher quite quickly as the following week he told me he would implement this idea instead of his original in the New Year (which was coming up quick).

I found it admirable of the teacher to do such a thing. It is certainly not easy as it takes time, but it does take the right time and right person to spark an interest. The art teacher is always inspired by new projects or ideas her students come up with. My previous IT teacher was only going to spend five minutes on software a student showed him and ended up programming 3 quick games. This makes learning/education real, adds value and allows students and people alike to develop their drive to learn. Knowledge is truly something that raises awareness in an individual. It allows them to see more dimensions of a topic or subject. Developing that awareness to a point where acquiring knowledge becomes an intrinsic motivation is priceless. What better way to do it than starting somewhere good?

I didn’t hear much of “why are we doing this today”, but did see a few students off task. I’m not sure if this is bad as they were still working on something. One student was doing Math while another was reading. Can I get mad at a student for that? I think that question can only be answered with “depends” as all other complicated things can be answered. Just as I’m always looking to challenge myself in physical literacy, I’m looking to challenge myself to see if I can get students to challenge themselves. I believe by incorporating their interest can be that marble stone that can start a beautiful carving.

1st practicum experience – 1st school visit

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OCT 6th 2016 –

I had the opportunity today to visit a middle school. I feel very blessed being given such an opportunity to see a great school. We have been talking about the new curriculum at my university since I’ve heard about it. I want to see it in action as I am a kinesthetic learner so I need to see or do to acquire knowledge. Luckily for me, I was in the best place most likely possible to see it in person. I had the opportunity to meet a few potential SA’s and they are all wonderful people. As soon as me and my cohort colleagues stepped into the building, we we’re greeted with a great big welcome and smiles all around. I knew I was in a good place!

 

I started my day with Ms. C who could scaffold like it was no one’s business. She allowed me to introduce myself which I thought was very nice on her part. I said a few words about how I ended up where I was and offered any assistance. I made it a point that if anyone needed French help or had questions in the realm of Physical Education to ask me. I got a few questions on sports instantly and kids we’re asking me to go to the washroom in French. I know that keeping a straight face comes with the job, but I couldn’t help but laugh!

 

After introductions were settled, Ms. C went into her agenda. She started the day asking how everyone was doing and if they could say something quickly after they heard their name for attendance. I caught a few names and was able to use them throughout the day. I made it a point to exercise my memory and improve my strategies for remembering names. The first thing on the agenda was Math. I think I went red in the face when I knew I was going to be asked math questions. I figured it would be best to stop taking my own notes about her class management skills and get up and watch the lesson. I could also help Ms. C have a few of her students quiet down in the back by simply being in proximity.

 

I was put on the spot when I was asked to do a Mad Minute with the students. I couldn’t say no as I’m sure the students would get a kick to see how slow an adult’s math could be.  Needless to say, I got my butt kicked (but in my defense Ms. C and I were talking about the new curriculum)! After the Mad Minute was over, algebra started. The students were grouped in groups of four and five while some students worked in pairs and sat on a ledge on the side of the room. It was interesting to see Ms. C set-up as I saw it as different and unfortunately I did not get a chance to ask her about it. It didn’t take long for questions to start rolling in and for a bit of anxiety to kick in. Although I was worried of being asked a question I didn’t know, I had strategies in place by either incorporating other students or checking examples to guide me.

 

Needless to say the morning was busy and amazing. It felt very natural and humbling to be of service. I felt very blessed. The self-regulation ability of these students was definitely something to note. I saw a few students walk out of class and was dumbfounded for a moment. I noticed while walking around the school there were plenty of places to study and students were definitely using the amenities. The teachers allowed students to find their space, but would make it very clear when they needed to be back and to notify them of where they were. I thought this was cool as I was never allowed to move around with such freedom. It was even more remarkable to see students not take advantage of it (from what I saw)!

 

Seeing the new curriculum in action was extremely interesting as it surpassed the walls of the classroom. It seemed as if the whole school dedicated every detail to create a space for students to enrich their learning. Art space was available during lunch as well as tech (if a teacher was available). The students had access to the gym as well as had space behind the gym where pool tables, Ping-Pong tables and all sorts of other games were available. I had the opportunity to work with Ms. M and Mr. M as well and their approaches to SRL was an experience. Ms. M’s classroom setting was a different dynamic completely with a nice reading corner while Mr. M knew how to assign roles and set up quickly for Physical Education and maximize time.

 

I felt old stepping into what almost seemed like a foreign education program compared to my past education. Students had work-shop like activities set up in the afternoon around the school regarding their interest, be it brain-games, knitting, tech, art or almost literally anything. I was in awe all day and had to use every muscle in my jaw to keep it from dropping too often. This place was definitely promoting a community and it really felt like students were getting the education they wanted while the staff was more than happy to deliver it. I should also note a lot of classrooms have open door policy and all invited me to take a look at any time. It was very nice to be offered opportunities from every angle!

 

I look forward to tackling any fears or anxiety I have about teaching a subject I’m not completely familiar with. Using some of my strategies that I used today definitely helped keep my composure. This definitely will be a refining process as every new situation can present an opportunity to adapt. I also look forward to exploring this new curriculum as I was completely sold by it today. I hope to engage with the students more in the future and hopefully be involved in more teaching opportunities. I hope to also recognize different patterns and methods in which a lesson is delivered. I also look forward to learning new strategies to quieting down students. I’ve definitely noted Ms. C’s method in which she thanks students for settling down (individually calling their name). I thought it was very cool of her to do it in such a manner.

 

The teachers seemed to be involved in every aspect of forming a SRL environment. It required and challenged them to be creative with their methods. Watching them do it seemed so natural. This would definitely be a challenge to me to move away from traditional teaching methods I’m familiar with and come in with a very open mind to a new method. I believe the biggest challenge I will face will be keeping the students engaged while doing meaningful activities. I heard two comments during the day saying “I don’t know why we’re doing this”. I’m thinking to myself either the objective wasn’t made clear or perhaps it isn’t modified to their liking. I find these difficulties to be only challenges in further bettering my practices as a teacher.