It is hard to believe that my Community Field Experience is coming to an end in another week. The past week was filled with great learning and excitement. I learned a lot to interact with younger students with learning disability. I was surprised to see the improvement in the cognitive development of the students when they underwent drilled practice. One of my significant learning this week was with regards to applying different reinforcement strategies to motivate students, such as lunch privileges, paper cash, stickers etc.

In this week I got an opportunity to help students on a one-on-one basis in the cognitive class room. I was able to tailor my lessons based on the learning needs of the students. The collaborative form of teaching-learning at EAS helps students meet their goals. The students are involved in setting the goal for the day and this helps them to become responsible for their learning. I am grateful to the supportive staff at EAS, who appreciates and encourages me to adapt to this different context.

I also got an opportunity to teach senior students about identifying goals and time management. I am still in the process of learning to teach topics on personal development, which is different from my usual academic subjects. This experience helped me gain some confidence, and I still have a long way to go.

On Tuesday students celebrated teacher-appreciation day by giving out cards and gifts to teachers. I was pleased to receive a card with the names of students and the principal. I was touched by this gesture. I also enjoyed the opportunity to accompany the students during PE, morning walk, and lunch hour. The informal interactions with students helped me know them better. I was very excited to see how teachers and students used creative ideas in preparation for the Mother’s day. They prepared plotted plants for their mothers (See pic below).

I am really thrilled to teach in EAS, and I am looking forward to the final week of CFE there.

Priskilla Oommen