Education Core Studies is an online class I took part in as a part of my first semester classes. Part of ECS was a field placement project within the community. I was placed in a K-6 elementary school and was assigned to a grade six classroom. We were instructed to conduct notes over an 8 week period in regards to certain assigned topics. This was my experience!
Week One: Students and Learning Environment
-my main focus this week was the students themselves. In the classroom I was in there was 30 students, 15 girls and 15 boys. There was also three teachers, one who taught in the morning and one in the afternoon as well as a special education assistant teacher who was in and out of the classroom as per needed.
Majority of the students were extremely interested in having someone new in their classroom. Many were quick to engage in conversation by asking a question or telling a joke. Anyone who did not do so I was sure to make a greeting or start a conversation with to ensure we had a chance to meet. Compared to my elementary school experience one word came immediately to mind, freedom. All students had access to their lockers for food/ drink whenever they felt needed, various means of technology available in assisting with school work, freedom to work in groups or alone as per one’s needs, adaptive furniture available for use to students when they felt they needed it and there was a general feeling of freedom in this classroom. This was very unalike to the classroom I attended at that age. There were many rules such as no food or drink, no technology for learning, specific rules regarding what you wrote with and how you wrote, and many rules restricting children from learning in a way that works best for them. The difference made my passion for teaching and learning even stronger by showing how a culture with freedom can be such an important part of student success. Alike my elementary school years however, the students tend to migrate to their own groups of friends. While participating in recess you are quick to see who is friends with who and what they are like as peers in the school.
Week Two: School and Community
The elementary school I was placed in was considered a rural school. Majority of students attending were from farm homes. After discussion with the teacher she explained many of the students attending had their parents, grand parents and great grand parents attend the same school as well. The school had a strong sense of community in regards to the participation of family in things such as fundraising, events and sports. The school community relies heavily on many people such as teachers, administrative staff, special needs educators, janitorial staff and families. This school seems to work collectively as a team to ensure the best for the attending students. The teacher does a great job of incorporating school with the outside community as well. For example, she has the class participating in a “Classroom Champions” program where the students get to communicate with a Canadian Olympic athlete about important life lessons. She also has the class registered in a “Youth Biz Program” where the students propose business plans to a local employment company and see if they can win the prize with their work. Overall strong connection between school and community.
Week Three: Teachers and Knowledge
The teacher I was lucky enough to work with was also the principal of the school. She did an excellent job managing her large classroom size and was a pleasure to shadow. She had a sense in humour and showed strong role modelling skills with her easy going personality. She was very calm and organized which is important in providing a sense of relaxedness for the students in the classroom. She was quick to share personal experiences that effected our weekly topic or in general, speaking about students or challenges within the school. In a professional manner she did a good job of explaining the realities of being a teacher and being responsible for students. Her workload is obviously large due to the number of students but she seemed well managed with systems of organization. She utilized different methods of turning in work as well as how work was completed (some done on paper and some on the computer). She also used the students as a team to work together. Some students were able to work in groups with similar knowledge levels and some more advanced students were assigned to help other struggling students. This was a very smart approach for the teacher and students. The teacher admirably worked hard every minute of her day to accommodate everyone’s needs in the room including ours.
Week 4& 5: Inclusive Education-Diversity& Difference
Week 6: Curriculum& Instruction
Week 7: The Role of Technology
Week 8: Final Reflection-End of field placement