Weekly observation reflections
Currently, I am spending time in a Two-Way Immersion Elementary School in my locality. Twice a week I observe the teacher, student-teacher and students in the classroom environment. During my observation time, I also have the opportunity to interact with the students at Recess. This experience is invaluable and purposeful to my current study of Education. Below you can read my weekly reflections that mirror my learning and holistic development as a future Elementary School Teacher.
Week One
I'm glad to say that my first week of observation was a truely enjoyable experience. At first, I was quiet nervous going into a new school setting. Usually, the classroom is an environemnt I feel very comfortable in. However, I knew going into a Two-Way Immersion school would be very different and a totally new experience.
Luckily my class are very welcoming and kind. The girls in the class especially are really interested by the fact that I'm from Ireland. We spent a lot of time discussing similarities and differences between Ireland and the States. They were fascinated by my accent and we were teaching other small words in each others home languages.
On Mondays, I have the opportunity to spend recess with them. This is a great chance to really get to know the students in my class. I 'm learning a lot about life in America for an eleven year old, there interests and thoughts etc. I 'm also really confident that the difference in culture will bring us closer. I am hoping that I will have the chance to perhaps teach the class a bit about the Irish culture and perhaps the Irish history in America.
Luckily my class are very welcoming and kind. The girls in the class especially are really interested by the fact that I'm from Ireland. We spent a lot of time discussing similarities and differences between Ireland and the States. They were fascinated by my accent and we were teaching other small words in each others home languages.
On Mondays, I have the opportunity to spend recess with them. This is a great chance to really get to know the students in my class. I 'm learning a lot about life in America for an eleven year old, there interests and thoughts etc. I 'm also really confident that the difference in culture will bring us closer. I am hoping that I will have the chance to perhaps teach the class a bit about the Irish culture and perhaps the Irish history in America.
Week Two
This week in Rosedale was another great experience. It feels really good to begin building relationships with some of the students. Their positivity and energy when I visit the classroom makes my observations extra enjoyable.
In today's observation in particular, I felt I had an Ah-ha moment. There was a sub teaching the class due to the homeroom teacher being at a conference. This afternoon hour is spent on Social Science and takes place in Spanish. Last week however many of the instructions were in both English and Spanish. Today was the different. The substitute spoke in Spanish for the full hour I was observing. No English was used throughout the lesson.
It occured to me, that the situation I was experiencing was perhaps much like that of ELL students. I have virtually no Spanish but can recognise various words here and there. I noticed how important the teachers actions were to me rather than her words. I depended on demonstrations, gestures and pictures to figure out the lesson. Eventually, I understood what the activity was; find information in the textbook and create a brief presentation to share information with the class. For a few minutes, I was delighted with myself. I had figured out instructions in Spanish!
Then, I realised the difficulty. I did not have enough Spanish to take part in the activity. I understood the activity. I would be able to complete the activity in English. But the language barrier would prevent me from taking part and suceeding in the lesson. This hour experience was a true eye opener to what ELL students are experiencing in our classrooms. As teachers we must understand the extra challenge our ELL students are facing. We must go beyond the regular to make pur lessons accessible to them and ensure they can succed in our classroom.
In today's observation in particular, I felt I had an Ah-ha moment. There was a sub teaching the class due to the homeroom teacher being at a conference. This afternoon hour is spent on Social Science and takes place in Spanish. Last week however many of the instructions were in both English and Spanish. Today was the different. The substitute spoke in Spanish for the full hour I was observing. No English was used throughout the lesson.
It occured to me, that the situation I was experiencing was perhaps much like that of ELL students. I have virtually no Spanish but can recognise various words here and there. I noticed how important the teachers actions were to me rather than her words. I depended on demonstrations, gestures and pictures to figure out the lesson. Eventually, I understood what the activity was; find information in the textbook and create a brief presentation to share information with the class. For a few minutes, I was delighted with myself. I had figured out instructions in Spanish!
Then, I realised the difficulty. I did not have enough Spanish to take part in the activity. I understood the activity. I would be able to complete the activity in English. But the language barrier would prevent me from taking part and suceeding in the lesson. This hour experience was a true eye opener to what ELL students are experiencing in our classrooms. As teachers we must understand the extra challenge our ELL students are facing. We must go beyond the regular to make pur lessons accessible to them and ensure they can succed in our classroom.
Week Three
Being in the Two-Way Immersion classroom is becoming a more natural feeling as time goes on. Although it takes a lot of concentration, I am being to understand what is going in most of the Spanish lessons. I move around the class through out my observation and sit beside different children. When I'm confused I can ask them for clarification. This helps me but it also helps the children process what they are suppose to be doing and the purpose behind the task. Sometimes, with weaker students, they can't explain in English what the task is. For me, this emphasizes the importance of checking for understanding through out the lesson as often students work away without really knowing the purpose of their work.
As I previously mentioned in other entries, my classroom is a very busy place. Various CAVE volunteers come and go through-out the day. The teacher however has noticed the extra interest the students express towards me. I have briefly noticed this; every time I arrive I'm greeted with a chorus calling my name and running for hugs. Between the two of us we have come to the conclusion that it is due to the fact that I'm from another country. The students constantly ask about Ireland; similarities and differences, slang etc. They have a natural curiosity. The teacher suggested that we turn this curiosity into a learning experience. Starting after Spring Break, I will be taking small groups of students and facilitating their shared reading. During this time, I will use the book to connect similarities and differences between Ireland and America.
I've taken home the school book to study and I'm super excited to share Ireland with my students. I don't have much experience with American history so lots of planning and research will have to be done but I'm accepting the challenge and looking forward to this opportunity!
As I previously mentioned in other entries, my classroom is a very busy place. Various CAVE volunteers come and go through-out the day. The teacher however has noticed the extra interest the students express towards me. I have briefly noticed this; every time I arrive I'm greeted with a chorus calling my name and running for hugs. Between the two of us we have come to the conclusion that it is due to the fact that I'm from another country. The students constantly ask about Ireland; similarities and differences, slang etc. They have a natural curiosity. The teacher suggested that we turn this curiosity into a learning experience. Starting after Spring Break, I will be taking small groups of students and facilitating their shared reading. During this time, I will use the book to connect similarities and differences between Ireland and America.
I've taken home the school book to study and I'm super excited to share Ireland with my students. I don't have much experience with American history so lots of planning and research will have to be done but I'm accepting the challenge and looking forward to this opportunity!
Week Four
I feel truly blessed with my current placement. My co-operating teacher and the student teacher are providing me with such insightful experiences and are really supporting me in this journey. Yesterday was my first opportunity to work a small of students on specific content set out by the co-operating teacher.
The class were beginning to study the voting rights of African-Americans. I was assigned to work with a group of five students who normally struggle with reading and need extra support. As this lesson was a introduction to the topic and the book, I wanted it to be engaging and interesting. I did not want to discourage the students by beginning with an overwhelming amount of reading. Instead, we studied the pictures and made predictions. We read some captions of the pictures as a group. I was very cautious not to put any student on the stop. When I posed a question to the students, I gave them the opportunity to discuss the answer with their partner first. This way when I called on them individually, they would experience less pressure.
At the beginning of the small group lesson, the students were quiet and reluctant to speak. I'm aware that this could be due to the fact that I'm a new teacher in the classroom. I was delighted to see however that by the end of the lesson all students were participating in the group dicussions and offering their opinions. It was a great challenge and learning experience to prepare this mini-lesson for a group of students whose abilities I wasn't too familiar with. It pushed me to adapt my plans on the spot and meet the needs of the students.
The teacher has asked me to prepare a lesson on Ireland to present to the whole class on Wednesday! I'm really excited to share my culture with the class and hopefully teach them something new!
The class were beginning to study the voting rights of African-Americans. I was assigned to work with a group of five students who normally struggle with reading and need extra support. As this lesson was a introduction to the topic and the book, I wanted it to be engaging and interesting. I did not want to discourage the students by beginning with an overwhelming amount of reading. Instead, we studied the pictures and made predictions. We read some captions of the pictures as a group. I was very cautious not to put any student on the stop. When I posed a question to the students, I gave them the opportunity to discuss the answer with their partner first. This way when I called on them individually, they would experience less pressure.
At the beginning of the small group lesson, the students were quiet and reluctant to speak. I'm aware that this could be due to the fact that I'm a new teacher in the classroom. I was delighted to see however that by the end of the lesson all students were participating in the group dicussions and offering their opinions. It was a great challenge and learning experience to prepare this mini-lesson for a group of students whose abilities I wasn't too familiar with. It pushed me to adapt my plans on the spot and meet the needs of the students.
The teacher has asked me to prepare a lesson on Ireland to present to the whole class on Wednesday! I'm really excited to share my culture with the class and hopefully teach them something new!