I have been involved in many discussions about place based learning and the importance of field trips to a students learning process. Being given the opportunity to put theory into practice, learning in the classroom and exploring those concepts in reality. Field trips are a wonderful way to wrap up a unit, or a chance to experience education in a different setting. What I have experienced in Germany is that this is taken seriously. The students who I worked with are taken out multiple times per week for different activities and excursion. In two weeks, I accompanied my group to the gymnasium twice, the swimming pool twice, a forest and a bee farm and next weeks activity will be horseback riding. Most of these excursions are close by and are reached on foot, or public transit is taken.

The difference between my experience in German schools and Canadian schools is the amount of pedagogy accompanying these excursions. Canada provides teachers with learning targets for kindergarten students, whereas, to my knowledge, Germany does not. The field trips are random, and do not coincide with a pedagogical topic. But this does not mean that learning does not occur. Children between the ages of 3 and 6 pick up much of what they are told, they are able to recall and discuss something they experienced from a previous outing and make connections to current events or discussions. I believe the purpose of these frequent outings is not only to educate students, but to give them the opportunities to immerse themselves in their communities. Learning skills that will help them in real life and not just during their extended education. For example, starting at age 3, students learn how to take public transit, are provided with swimming lessons from a certified swimming instructor, given guided tours of a variety of knowledgable people. All the while they are encouraged to ask questions and explore interests. The downfall for me, is that these topics are not followed up in any way at school. They are experienced but not discussed. This does not take away from the value of the experience, however, I would argue that it ignores wonderful opportunities to teach in an in-depth way. If it is permitted to take students out of a school setting multiple times a week, I think that the things these students are learning should be reinforced and explored further. In Canada, field trips are carefully planned out, how will we get there, how many parent volunteers do we need, what do students need to bring, what will the cost be, etc. Since field trips are less frequent, they often relate to subjects that have been discussed in depth in the classroom.

I really see the value in both approaches, exploring the community on a frequent basis while relating the excursions to curricular content and units. I would really like to try to implement a more place based approach to my teaching. I believe that allowing students to make connections through experience will enrich their learning and hopefully enhance their interests.

I was bitten by the travel bug early on in my life. I love to explore new cultures, customs, people and places. At the beginning of this school year, I was given the opportunity to participate in a self-placed community field experience (CFE). I thought long and hard about where I wanted to go, and what sort of education I wanted to experience. I finally settled on traveling to Hamburg, Germany to work in a kindergarten for two weeks. Germany’s educational system is quite different from the one I have experienced in Canada. Kindergarten in Germany appealed to me mainly because of their philosophies; children learn through exploration, play and personal experience. This idea matches very well with my inquiry topic, so I thought I would love to experience how it is done first hand.

I am now working in an english kindergarten where students are immersed in the english language beginning at age three and a  half until they attend first grade at age six. The focus here is pushed towards socialization, problem solving, place based learning and of course, language immersion. The days consist of lots of play, students might choose to play alone on activities geared towards critical thinking and problem solving, or with others, working on socialization and managing confrontations that might arise. From what I have observed this far, the students are all very well adjusted to working with others. A few things that are emphasized are: being good community members, being polite and well mannered, turn taking, and other behavioural topics. When I arrived, each of the students introduced themselves to me as an adult might, looking me in the eyes and saying “Hello, my name is ____”.

The day begins with everyone eating breakfast together, followed by a morning meeting, where we go over colours, days of the week, weather and anything the students would like to share. Students then go off and play either outside on a nice day, or inside. Throughout the day, students are brought in to do some pedagogical work (more the 5-6 year old students). Working on math, social responsibilities and problem solving. There is a strong Montessori approach to education here, lots of hands on learning and problem solving. Students will then eat lunch together, followed by more play time. Most days, there is some sort of special activity, twice a week, someone comes in and does music with them, once a week, they go to the local swimming pool and take swimming lessons, and then other activities are planned. This past week, we took all 25 students on the bus and the train to a forest to experience and learn about nature. We then went to a local outdoor market and ordered lunch before once again, taking the bus and train back to school. On Mondays, students are taken to a local gymnasium for physical activity. As far as I can tell, children do not attend traditional schools until grade one; kindergartens remind me of what North American’s would consider day care.

The students have been learning about countries around the world, and I am looking forward to teaming up with another teacher at the school who is from the USA to teach them about North America, I will discuss Canada and she will talk about the United States. They have just finished learning about India and are also going to be looking at China. Not only are these students learning a second language, they are interested and excited to learn about the world. They are given a concept of other cultures and ways of thinking, which I think will aid them in their curiosities for learning in the future.

I have really enjoyed my first week in a German kindergarten, I am noticing lots of differences in the practices and approaches to education.

The past ten weeks have been a time of intensive growth for me. One of the main things that I have learned is the importance of quality practice. I feel so fortunate to have had the support of my SA’s and FA, who worked patently and critically with me. I came to notice, that the best way for me to improve was to focus on one aspect of teaching at a time. It is important to me to be able to do my job well, and have time to reflect on my practice. I went in t the classroom focusing on my classroom management techniques. I wanted to be sure that I understood the best way to connect with each student on an educational and personal level before I felt I would be able to assess them. I wanted to be comfortable in front of them and feel confident that I could provide them with the instruction they needed. Something that surprised me was getting my head around actually “teaching”. By this I mean, I was often so focused on my instructions, remembering what I was trying to do, that I didn’t realize that I was not paying attention to the class. After a particular observation my SA asked “where were you looking?”, I realized, I was staring right over the heads of my students, focusing on what I was trying to say rather than what they were learning and understanding. This was a key aspect for me to be able to focus on classroom management, knowing what the students are needing at any given moment, scanning the students, looking for understanding.

Once I felt more comfortable with this, about mid-point through the practicum, I shifted my focus towards assessment. I had a solid understanding of my students and their individual needs and abilities. I must admit, putting assessment into practice was a struggle for me. I was reminded that I needed to keep a clear lesson objective in order to determine if students were meeting the goal of a lesson or unit. Once I worked on clarifying my objectives, I attempted a variety of assessment practices. Including checklists, anecdotal notes, pre-determined learning standards (rubrics set out by British Columbia) and one on one assessments. As the weeks went on, and after numerous discussions with my advisors, I was starting to feel more confident about assessment. It is still an area I need to explore, but I was able to collect enough information to write report cards for each student. Assessment is such an important part of teaching, it still seems daunting to me. I am more confident that I am headed in the proper direction, and knowing that it is something that I must focus on will only help me in the future.

Making connections with students was so important to me. I wanted everyone in the classroom to feel comfortable, because when a student feels comfortable they are more open to taking risks; risks that often lead to higher learning. I noticed that many of my students are very hands on learners. This was wonderful for me, because the focus of my inquiry is about making learning meaningful though creative, hands on learning. I feel that this worked, the units that leant themselves well to hands on learning were the ones that students became excited about. “Ms. Oreziak, are we doing science today?” were words I loved hearing. Parents coming to me, telling me that their children were coming home excited about what they had learned that day made my heart soar. Teaching is such an emotional activity, putting so much into each plan and hearing that it was impactful was the best.

I learned a lot about my practice over the past 10 weeks, I wish the best to my students who are moving on to grades 1 and 2 next year. I couldn’t have made up a better class if I tried.

Today I had the opportunity to take part in a practice TOC day. Normally, I am in an early primary classroom, I got the call and was told I would be spending my Monday with a group of middle years students in Vancouver. Initially I was nervous, not having worked with this age group before, I wasn’t sure how things would go. I walked into the classroom and read over my the day plan that my peer had set out for me. As the morning bell rang, I began to meet a few of the students, many of them asking where their regular TC was and saying “I didn’t know student teachers could have TOC’s!”, well, apparently we can. Throughout the day, the thing that struck me the most was the level of independence that middle years students have. I was able to give directions and outline the expectations and off to work they went. As I circulated, asking if anyone needed any help or had questions, I felt somewhat out of place, I needed to let these students get their work done, not bother them. This was a huge change from my normal routine, in which I can hardly get to the students who have questions, comments, booboos, and who I need to give constant reminders. So, I sat down and observed the class. It felt… strange, like I was in another dimension. The students who I worked with were lovely, and bright. I came into a classroom that used a Smart Board for everything, I had never used one before. But the students graciously helped me out, they knew all about it.

I learned a lot about my teaching today. I learned how to deal with an easy going group of 12 and 13 year olds, I learned that I need to learn attention grabbers other than clapping and flipping the lights off and saying “hands on top, everybody stop”. I need to broaden my teaching abilities. I am a TC who works with early primary aged students, and this may not be where I end up. I need to remember that, one day I may work with middle years students, and to do this I need a few more tools in my toolbox. I also need to learn to let students be independent when and if they are able. Teaching students who can work independently can call for initial
scaffolding, and then allowing for work time, whereas teaching early primary students need the scaffolding done before each and every lesson. Again, it was the independent learning that struck me the most. When I enter into a middle years class as a TOC, that is what I need to expect.

Reflecting on my practice is important, and this opportunity has opened up an new door for me. Most of the aspects between middle years and early primary are different, so it was difficult for me to directly compare todays experience to my everyday practice. The classroom management, the work time, the lesson delivery is all very different. So I look at today as an opportunity to add some more tools into my toolbox, rather than rearrange the tools I already have.  The challenges in these grade groups are very different, but at the end of the day, I felt as though I saw progress in the students’ learning. A goal that has emerged for me, is to continue to broaden my knowledge base, not only for the age that I am teaching, but for all ages that I will undoubtedly come across in the near future. Looking at things from multiple angles and questioning how it might work for older students will help me walk through the door that was opened for me today.

A struggle that all teachers will deal with in their classrooms is how to effectively manage a classroom. Providing a positive environment for students can be a difficult task (one that I am sure gets easier with experience), and this task can be made even more challenging when there are noncompliance issues. Noncompliant students will challenge a teachers skills and patience, as a teacher candidate, this is something that I have personally struggled with. How do I promote my teacher presence with all students and limit the boundary pushing they will inevitably attempt. What I have learned is that it is so important to be consistent with all students, let them know the expectations and implement rules by rewarding good behaviour and providing options when students push back.

After engaging in many discussion with peers and colleagues, I have noticed that there is an overwhelming consensus regarding students with noncompliance issues. The first step is to keep calm, if students recognize that you are stressed or frustrated, they will play on that and not let up. The second step is to reiterate the expectations to the student, whether it be a small task, an assignment, or behavioural expectation, some students need clarification or multiple reminders. The third thing to do is provide options or consequence, for example, if a student is expected to sit still and either cannot or will not, give them the option to sit still or come sit by teacher, the consequence would if, if you choose to do neither of these things, I will come and sit with you and give gentle reminders to reduce the wiggling. Another example could be during work time, if a student does not want to work on a particular task during work time, give them the option to do it now, or do it during centres or free time. The most important thing is to follow through with expectations, if the student decides to sit at their desk or distract others, make sure they finish their work during free time. The last point (and this is a big one), is to be consistent! If a teacher gives in once, just once, the student will remember that forever and the pushback will likely intensify. This is one that I have a hard time with as a new teacher, I need to remember that I am in charge, play time is optional, work time is not. There should never be a power struggle between teacher and student, by engaging a student in a struggle, it lets them think that they have some power and will not want to let it go. Stay calm, make expectations clear, provide options (not questions), and follow through.

Learning to create a positive classroom environment for all students and reduce noncompliance can be a daunting and difficult task for new teachers. It is important to provide structure immediately and let students know and include them in making expectations, this allows them to take responsibility of their behaviour and know what is or is not acceptable and why.

As teachers, it is crucial that we take into consideration the interests and lives of our students when planning a new lesson. This week was extra special for our students because Thursday night was “stuffy sleepover night”! Each student brought a stuffed animal from home, and throughout the day the students were able to engage their learning and were encouraged to teach their stuffed friends. During their writing exercises, the students wrote about what they thought might happen at the overnight sleepover. For silent reading, the students read stories (or had their stuffies read to them). When discussing what the students thought their friends might get up to that evening, one student suggested that they should know the school and classroom rules so that they don’t get into any trouble. So, that afternoon, the students sat at the carpet and brainstormed some good rules to set for the sleepover and write them down for each of their stuffed animals.

Each student was engaged in the lessons, and they were excited for the next day, to see what (if anything) had happened the previous night. Before leaving for the day, the students tucked in their friends and said goodnight. The next morning, before entering the classroom, the students would write predictions about what they thought had gone on the previous night, they then would walk into class and see if their furry pals were where they had been left.

This lesson brought in such a personal element and gave the students something to write about, to read to/with, to make predictions about. The students were excited about the day and it showed in their work. They had more to write about in their journals, they wanted to read for longer, they wanted to provide opinions and thoughts throughout the day. This activity goes to show that students are eager to participate when learning is personal and fun.

As a teacher candidate, this was a very fun day for me to observe, the students were engaged, and excited. I was skeptical about classroom management, especially for my lesson right after lunch. But as suggested by my school advisor, I used a wireless microphone in order to get and hold student attention. I was amazed at how well everyone was listening and doing their tasks even with the exciting new additions sitting on their desks. Understanding how to incorporate exciting elements into student learning can be challenging, especially when we want our students to participate and contribute to an effective learning environment. I am looking forward to hearing what the stuffed animals got into, although, I might have a pretty good idea.

As teachers, the language we use with our students can be very impactful in their education. Using words with negative connotations can have an impact that students take to heart. What about when we use words that are perhaps, overly positive? Might the use of these words set an expectation to students? When we use words to commend good work, I think it is important to promote the effort – “well done!” “good work” “you are getting much better at…!”. These are things that will motivate our students to achieve, it will not cause them to doubt and it will not cause them to plateau or create anxieties of unrealistic expectations. When we see improvement in our students efforts, we must commend their work, it is important that we do. But is it not just as important that we promote growth as well?

This is something I struggle with, I naturally use positive words such as “perfect!” or “amazing!”, and I am conscious of this. One might not think it is a big deal, after all, it is our job to promote achievements. But does language like “perfect” promote a standard or expectation? The expectation is a students’ best, not perfection. Does being overly positive in our language increase anxieties? Do students think we expect amazing work each time? That is an unfair standard. I am working on giving appropriate feedback, providing scaffolding where needed. For students to work towards a standard of perfection is unfair. Even though we may not intend to imply literal perfection, and instead offer praise for a job well done, we must tread lightly when it comes to the language we use in the classroom.