Week #2
My 2nd week was even more exciting since me and my field partners got involved in a Physical Education activity that was set up by the students themselves. Mr. F has a points system where students could earn the right to choose any game they want for PhysEd and for this case the girls in the classroom won. The girls’ team chose the game called “Sticks and stones” and two of them explained it to the whole class, going through all the rules and its objectives. It involved a lot of running back and forth across the gym but we did not even hesitate to join after being asked to participate despite our unfit attire. The game was boys vs girls but since the girls were outnumbered by the boys Mr. F, myself, and my other field partners joined the girls to even it out. At the end I was sweating like crazy and the boys teams were winning but I did enjoy spending time with the students despite the defeat. The students definitely enjoyed the game as well since everyone was participating and interacting with one another.
During French period I met another student, he talked to me about how he visited his home country recently and how much he enjoyed it. He also shared about his fluency in Farsi which is the national language in Iran. I also talked to another teacher during recess and she shared about her experiences as a teacher overseas, she taught in UAE for 6 years and 2 years in China. The school where I am doing my field work has a friendly environment that makes it easy for myself and other visitors approach both the students and staff. It is a tight knit community and I could really see this based on the interaction between the teachers in the staff room and the students between their teachers. This relationship between the teachers and the students creates the link that makes up such a positive environment and community.
Week #3
On my third week I can say that I am finally comfortable being around the classroom, interacting with Mr. F and his students feel more natural now as I have got to know them better after just a short amount of time. Mr F. promotes knowledge in his classroom throughout the day and this is evident since he always encourages his students by asking them questions like “What are three things you learned today?” after the end of each lesson and day. Mr. F also has a project for his students called “Genius Hour”, this project would then be open for any types of educational topics for his students. On day 5 they would work on their chosen project for a set period of time and once the due date comes they would present their projects mostly by using Microsoft Powerpoint in front of the whole class. I find this useful since students get the chance to share about what interests them in a knowledgeable way where other students learn as well including the teacher. After their presentations they also ask their classmates if they have any additional questions which is pretty neat since it also builds up their confidence and social skills.
One of the students in the classroom have some kind of learning disability where Mr. F has to accommodate him in a way where he still learns at his own pace. Mr. F also stressed to us Field students (in private) about how important it is to make the whole classroom understand that not all children are the same when it comes to learning. This should be done at the beginning of each year according to him which makes sense, he does not single anyone out by doing this since he shows the whole class videos that explains this case. This would then avoid future complications about other students questioning equality.
Mr. F relies on growth mindset over fixed mindset, he really believes that it is all a process and he also shows his students videos about it which would then explain that not everything is set. Mr. F also mentioned that there are teachers in the schools that is more “traditional” or “old school” when it comes to teaching and also some that are into interactive learning rather than worksheets and notes all day. Finally, Mr. F builds up his professional knowledge by attending seminars, watching videos online that promotes learning in different ways, referring to textbooks for resources, and through diverse experiences with teaching.
Week #5
This week I moved between two classrooms (Grade6) that were beside each other, both classes worked on building their own extension cords for their Practical Applied Arts (PAA). It was a lengthy project that took the whole afternoon but in the other classroom I also noticed diversity; students speaking Mandarin, French, and Ukrainian to each other. Mr. F also mentioned that Hawrylak has some really powerful families in it who come from great wealth, so sometimes it is quite awkward if you fail their children on an exam since they question just about everything, but with enough explanation of how their kids failed Mr. F said that parents usually listen. The children in school come from many social classes as well. I even heard that this school is where “the rich kids” go, Mr. F also mentioned that 50% off the school population are now made up of immigrants from around the world.
I asked Mr. F if they are LGBT friendly in their school and he said that it is quite a sensitive subject since the parents of the students are concerned about how they approach this subject to their children. There is however some posters that hang around the school that promotes acceptance towards the LGBT community. There are some gender neutral bathrooms as well in the school for students or anyone that do not feel comfortable going in either the male of female bathrooms.
All students in the school receive the same opportunities as the rest and this is enforced since the school community does not tolerate racism, hate, exclusion, and prejudice; I noticed this myself so it truly is a great place to be in. I have now come to realize that maybe I want to teach middle years now as well since I really get along with this age group.
Week #6
The structure of what is being taught in Mr. F’s classroom is quite coherent. There are days set up where different subjects are scheduled, it is not uniform but it is consistent. I like how it is organized and flexible since it leaves some wiggle room for unexpected events such as pep rallies, assemblies, drills, and other events. The main subjects would be Math, Science, and ELA.
Students learn together by interacting with the teacher and each other; and as mentioned earlier on not all students learn at the same pace so there are some accommodations for children that have special needs. Throughout the weeks I have noticed that the students in Mr. F’s class are always driven and enthusiastic about what they are learning especially for Science and PAA for when they had to build their own extension cords. They also quite enjoy their PhysEd time since they get to be more active physically and interactive with one another.
The students see the meaning and the relevance of their learning throughout the class and especially at the end of each classes since Mr. F always asks them to share about three (three students share one) important things that they learned for the day. An activity called ‘Genius Hour’ also gives the students the chance to share about their learning to the rest of the class; sometimes students are assigned topics and sometimes they get to choose their own. I really like this idea and concept since it gives the students the opportunity to teach and learn at the same time in front of the class. This also trains them to become more confident with presentations for their future.
The students also have an activity called ‘Lit Circles’ every once in awhile to help them with literacy skills. It is a time for students to work on their readings, grammar, and vocabulary through worksheets and packages however they do have the option to work with others and ask the teacher for help. They could also use their technology to help them with their work which most students use for that very purpose.
Week #7
Technology is noticeably used by Mr. F’s students on a daily basis to help them with their learning. This week the students presented in an activity called ‘Genius Hour’ where they get to pick their own topics to share about in front of the class and for this project technology was used. Their Science project also involved tech since it was also slides and presentations. Students also used their phones, tablets, laptops, and computers to help them with their assignments in French.
According to Mr. F he does encourage the integration of tech in schools since it is more efficient and convenient. It is also important however to pay attention with how the students use their technology since some do not use it to be productive. I did notice this because other kids do get side tracked from other distractions online.
I have talked to a few students about how they use tech in their studies and they mentioned that it does help them do their assignments and projects quicker because of all the resources they could access; other students were honest enough to admit that it also serves as a distraction but could be prevented only if they focus.
Lastly, Mr. F mentioned that tech helps him keep everything organized especially for his resources. He keeps most of his files, plans, etc in google drive which in a way makes sense because using paper these days is such a hassle. He also mentioned that if students do abuse their tech use it could be taken away which is a fair disciplinary action in my opinion.