Teaching in another grade level (4/5 and 5/6) was a great experience. I thought the student behavior and attention level would be quite different from my own class, so I made sure to be observing for this. For example, some students at this age level had a harder time keeping a focus throughout the entire lesson. So, I tried to keep a global scan throughout my read-aloud and question periods by speaking from different locations in the class and making sure to stop to regain focus when necessary. Also, this is why I tried to break up the story and ask questions and offer comments through the read-aloud to keep students engaged. An indirect strategy like proximity would also work well as a gentle reminder for these students. I increased my wait-time as much as possible for this class to accommodate for the different thinking time and attention levels. It was really important for me to close this lesson by sharing connections students made and reviewing the importance of connection making. It is always really interesting to see the difference in quality/quantity of work in the different grade levels and within the same grade level as well.

Something else I noticed was the difference in participation in terms of gender. In my grade seven practicum class, there is usually more participation from the girls compared to the boys. However, in the younger grade levels, I observed the opposite – more participation from the boys than the girls. I thought this could have something do with the age difference. Particularly, in the upper grades, the students begin to care more about what their peers think of them. Therefore, they monitor what they have to say in class a little more than the younger students. And for boys at the upper age, there sometimes is that belief that they need to be “cool” or “tough” now, even “rebellious” in a sense. This may reflect onto their participation level, serving to pretty much decrease it in order to grow and maintain that “cool,” “aloof” image. For example, something I have recently noticed in my class is when we have class discussions, some of the boys begin to put on their sweatshirts’ hoods. I think this may have something to do with that image as well – in a sense closing themselves off from what is happening in the class. In the coming weeks, I would like to look into research on this topic – specifically, how gender affects participation at this age and how a teacher can help improve this situation.

Like I said earlier, it really is an extremely valuable experience going into all the different grade levels to teach. Firstly, I get a sneak peak at the content, curriculum, and learning that occurs at each level. As a result, I am able to make observations and comparisons like what I described above. This is so great for my development as a teacher as it allows me to develop versatility and appreciation for the range in learning. Apart from this – but just as important – I get to connect with so many people. This includes both students and other teachers. I get to see how students at different age and grade levels think, learn, the work they produce. I get to connect with different teachers and really everyone has so much to offer from their experiences as teachers – so much that will benefit my development once again. I look forward to rotating through the different classes in the upcoming weeks!