Repetition of Learned Materials (MA vs. Vienna)

     Teaching at a Viennese elementary school, I have noticed that one common method of teaching the English language there includes consistent and frequent repetition of learned materials. Reinforcement of newly developed English concepts, words, phrases, texts, etc. is crucial to students' sustainment of this new knowledge. Therefore, in Vienna, repetition occurs both within English lessons and at various points throughout the week. For example, one morning first grade students were learning how to talk about their favorite colors. The teacher introduced the phrase, “My favorite color is…” and proceeded to tell the class that her favorite color was purple as she pointed to a student’s purple shirt. Then, together the students practiced saying, “My favorite color is…” Each student was then asked to state the phrase with his or her own favorite color/s. Most students accurately exclaimed the sentence, while others required some assistance from surrounding peers. This type of teacher-supported and whole group repetition occurred frequently in the younger elementary classrooms. Since everyone was working together to complete the sentences, students felt comfortable speaking English. The repetition boosted their confidence. 
     In this Viennese elementary school, repetition of material also occurs at various times during the week. Teachers bring up words, sentences and topics from previous English lessons to refresh students’ memories. For example, after a lesson on the prepositions “in, on, under” and “behind” in a first grade classroom, the teacher asked questions and stated phrases such as, “Look! My pencil is under the chair” throughout the following weeks. This triggered students’ prior knowledge and allowed them to exercise their developing English skills.

     Repetition, although also a key component of teaching English Language Learners in Massachusetts, is incorporated differently into lessons. Although words and phrases are explicitly repeated in some lessons as they are in Vienna, repetition is incorporated in a more expansive manner. For example, in many Massachusetts schools I have noticed that teachers will work on the same book with students for weeks at a time. They begin by doing a quick read of the book and pointing out significant vocabulary words. Then throughout the following weeks they not only re-read the text, but they ask new questions related to the concepts and themes of the book, they develop new activities/games/projects that involve the book’s characters, they ask students to complete writing prompts and more. Throughout the re-readings and additional tasks, students trigger previously learned materials while developing new knowledge and skills. While vocabulary words and the text itself are frequently reiterated, the repetition itself is not as straightforward and explicit. Since English is not taught as a foreign language in the States and most classes have a combination of native English speakers and learners of English, there is not time to repeat every new word or phrase extensively. These things are incorporated into the daily lessons in a more elaborate way. Normally, however, teachers will provide additional guidance and support to English Language Learners who might need additional review of a word, topic etc. before moving on. It has been really interesting observing the differences between how teachers teach the English language in Vienna and in the States! 

Differences in English Vocabulary Instruction

Teaching at a Viennese School, I noticed various differences (and similarities) in how English vocabulary words are taught. Teachers in Vienna incorporated clear and explicit vocabulary instruction in their English lessons. Expanding students’ vocabulary knowledge, although time-consuming, is absolutely critical to their developing of English proficiency. Vocabulary knowledge allows students to feel comfortable both conversationally and academically in foreign languages. The more words students know, the stronger their language proficiency becomes. For these reasons, it is not surprising that teaching vocabulary words is prevalent in most English lessons at the Viennese elementary school. Teachers not only repeat newly and previously learned vocabulary words, but they ensure that everyone knows their meanings by asking students to state the German equivalents. For example, while reading a short English text about a family working on farm, the third grade teacher read the sentences out loud with her students. Then, they would stop and identify new words/expressions in the text, such as “check” and “What’s happening?” The teacher had the students repeat the words. Then, they reviewed the words’ meanings in German. Since the students had already developed literacy skills, this type of vocabulary instruction occurred frequently during third grade English lessons. When I arrived in Vienna, I was asked to teach students new words based on various lesson topics. One week while talking about beaches, I introduced the words sand, sun, waves and ocean. I created a beach vocabulary sheet with the new words written in large letters and accompanied by colored pictures to help students visualize the words’ meanings. We practiced the pronunciation of the words, discussed what some words looked or felt like, thought about the meaning of the word in German, and looked at the pictures together. Most of the students at this school in Vienna are at early stages of their English language proficiency, therefore, introducing, repeating and highlighting common English vocabulary words is important to their language development.

In Massachusetts this type of clear and explicit vocabulary instruction can also be observed. As stated before, extensive vocabulary knowledge is critical in developing students’ conversational and comprehension skills. In Massachusetts, however, I have noticed a variety of different ways that vocabulary is introduced or practiced. Teachers often show pictures that represent new words before introducing the words. This gives students a chance to think about what the image means to them. Then, when the English vocabulary is introduced they already have a visual of the word’s meaning. New vocabulary is almost always accompanied with photos, especially in the younger grades.  Although I included visuals in all of my lessons in Vienna, I did not observe the teachers doing the same. In Massachusetts teachers will also have students come up with their own definitions of new words. For example, in one lesson at a public school in Boston, my teacher introduced the word “hiking” to her English Language Learners. She wrote the word on the board for everyone to see, but rather than telling the students immediately what it meant, she showed them a video of someone hiking and asked the students to create their own definition. Although the students were too young to write themselves, they shared ideas about the act of hiking and the teacher helped them combine their ideas into one definition. She wrote this definition on the board and repeated it several times. This elaborate vocabulary instruction helped students recall the word later on because they remembered the video and their self-constructed definition. Group construction and analysis of English words and expressions is quite common in Massachusetts’s classrooms with English Language Learners. It is interesting to notice how frequently Austrian teachers will state an English word and then say the word in German. Since most students in Viennese classrooms are native German speakers, this method makes sense. However, in most American schools students have a wide range of native languages, the most common being Spanish. Because of this, the technique of stating English words and then the same word in students’ native language doesn’t quite work. Despite some differences in vocabulary instruction, it is clear that both American and Austrian educators recognize the value and importance of developing students’ English vocabulary knowledge.

Pen Pals and the Arts: Revealing Differences Between Irish and American Schools

I can’t believe that my time at Scoil Mhuire has come to an end! Reflecting upon my time abroad, some of my favorite memories are of working with the teachers and students at this school. Some the memories that stand out the most are from the pen pal project I started with students from my previous pre-practicum at Edison K-8 in Brighton. Students and teachers in both schools were enthusiastic about the idea so it turned out to be a lot of fun and a valuable learning experience for all. The class at Scoil Mhuire began by writing about their interests and asking questions of the American students, mainly about the weather as Boston was in the middle of the never-ending winter at the time. My CT and I co-taught a lesson on letter writing to help the students produce something they were proud to send. My CT then sent the letters in their decorated envelopes off to Boston and, after spring break, the girls were extremely excited to receive responses from the students at Edison. They shared their letters with one another and were pleased to find that many of them had similar interests and were learning about the same things in school.

These pen pal letters also brought to light how different the two schools are. The class I completed my pre-practicum in at Edison was incredibly diverse in terms of ability, race, gender, language, and SES. Edison is also a much larger school and has less of a community feel than Scoil Mhuire does. Additionally, Scoil Mhuire is religiously affiliated which shapes many of the activities throughout the school day. Finally, the funding for these schools is vastly different. Scoil Mhuire relies on student tuition and donations while Edison, as a public school, is state funded.

I think the difference that became the prominent to me through the pen pal project was the different situations the classes were in at the time. Both classes were extremely busy which made the pen pal project quite difficult and meant that I could only oversee one letter each way. Although they were both busy, the reasons why they were busy were very different. At Scoil Mhuire, students were absorbed with their JEP project (which I wrote about in my earlier post “The 11 Year Old Entrepreneurs of Scoil Mhuire”) and were working ardently to finish in time for their Showcase Day. In contrast, over in Boston, students and teachers were consumed with work preparing for and taking the new PARC test.

Contrasting these situations has allowed me to look at the American system of standardized testing with a more critical eye. In Ireland, students take one set of standardized tests in their final year of junior school: the Junior Certification examinations. These tests are used to assist in determining the level at which students should take their Leaving Certification examinations at the end of Secondary School. As they only have one exam to worry about, students and teachers at Scoil Mhuire, seemed to be more relaxed than those at Edison. This allows more flexibility in the curriculum and enables focus on many different subject areas.

One of the ways in which the lack of testing enables freedom at Scoil Mhuire is in terms of the Arts. The teachers and headmistress at Scoil Mhuire are extremely dedicated to music and drama and firmly believe that it is a crucial part of their students’ education. This means that the Arts have a much more prominent role at Scoil Mhuire than I have seen in any other school. Each morning, at assembly, students gather and sing their school song “A Mhuire Mhathair,” throughout the day students leave lessons to go to violin lessons, and in the afternoons the school is filled with the sounds of recorders as the headmistress travels from class to class giving lessons. While at Scoil Mhuire I also saw art field trips, sat in on drama lessons, and experienced the hype over the school musical, Practically Perfect Mary. Many students seem to thrive in these artistic settings and I think it is wonderful that they have the opportunity to be exposed to the arts in such an inclusive way.

Ultimately, my time at Scoil Mhuire has opened my eyes to the many possibilities in different systems of education and has motivated me to bring what I have learned here back to my future classrooms. I have loved being a member of the Scoil Mhuire community and feel so fortunate to have been able to observe and help with so many different activities. Thanks to how welcoming the teachers and students were, I was able to help with the school musical, chaperone a field trip to the zoo, teach a unit about Native Americans and set up a pen pal project. I’ve learned so much from all of these experiences and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with such wonderful teachers and students!

The Final Countdown

I finished my last session at my placement a few weeks ago, and I feel like overall this experience has given me an entirely different perspective compared to my other pre practicum placements. In my P1 at Baker Elementary, each week I was there our class had their Spanish class, but other than that, I have not really been exposed to foreign language class teachings. I have been a student in a foreign language class for many years, but observing these types of classes as a student teacher is completely different. As a student, you do not notice the complexities of teaching.  There are so many different strategies to teaching children a second language, which I have learned about in a number of classes I have had a BC; but, having the opportunity to see this first hand, and in another country where English in the foreign language to students, instead of Spanish or French, was an incredibly experience.

I feel as though I have learned many skills in my placement this semester, and in the beginning I was not extremely hopeful about my placement, since I was not exactly in a French school. Even though my experience was different, I still was able to observe students learning a new language and the challenges they faced during different phases of language development. I also learned a few things myself from the students. At first they had an incredibly hard time understanding me because they were not used to my American accent (in English and in French), but as the weeks went by and they would correct my French accent, I too began to improve in my second language. I hope that I will be able to bring what I have learned in Aix this semester back with me to Boston College and apply it to my last pre practicum and my full practicum next year. 

La Culture Française

Having this pre practicum experience has given me further insight into the French culture. I have noticed little things that I never really would have thought of before this. Specifically, at multiple times throughout the semester we did activities that dealt with the seasons or the months of the year where students needed to come up with holidays and different things to describe the seasons or months. When I think of Fall, I automatically think of Thanksgiving and Halloween, but in France, they do not celebrate either of those holidays making my suggestions for Fall limited because of my lack of knowledge about French holidays. They have a different day of independence, different holidays in general, and recently, I found out that they have a different Mother’s Day in France too (I figured that one out when I gave my host mom a present on America’s Mother’s Day, and she was very confused). 

Also, the program at which I am student teaching is run and owned by a woman who is from Britain, another culture with which I am not familiar. It is extremely interesting because the teachers at my placement teach British English therefore some spellings and sayings are different from what I am used to in the United States. Further, similar to the examples with French culture, my placement has drawn my attention to different holidays and celebrations the British have in comparison to the French and Americans. I love how I have been able to gain insights into both French and British cultures throughout my semester.

Considering all of this I have realized how important it is to consider culture and be sensitive to other cultures while teaching. I think I will be able to use this and apply it in my practicums to come as well as my own classroom. There are so many students in the United States that come from all over the world causing them to potentially have different holidays to associate with different seasons, or even have different weather associated with different seasons. Overall, I hope that being immersed in a different culture for a semester will help me in the years to come with my students and especially those who have different cultural backgrounds from my own.

A Day at St. Andrew's in Dublin

            Last week was my final visit at St. Andrew’s College in Dublin, and it was definitely hard saying goodbye to Ms. Cowman and the students. I really felt immersed in the ways of the classroom, and I gained valuable experience teaching whole-class lessons that I had not done in my previous pre-practicums. On my last day, I taught a lesson about the Ancient Greek Olympics, and planning and conducting that lesson pushed me to consider the diverse needs and learning styles of the students on a deeper level and to practice classroom management techniques I have observed and acquired to keep the students engaged and on task.

            I initially visited St. Andrew’s on Wednesday mornings, but I was also able to visit on a few Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. A typical day at St. Andrew’s lasts from 8:45am until 3:00pm and is essentially divided into three blocks—three subjects in the morning followed by a break, two subjects between the break and lunch, and two or three subjects after lunch. As I have mentioned before, Ms. Cowman pointed out that many teachers teach multiple subjects, and therefore the schedule is rather inflexible, which adds more pressure for them to get everything accomplished that they intended to that day within the allotted time. The main subjects are Irish, English, Maths, Science, SESE, and SPHE. SESE stands for Social, Environmental, and Scientific Education, and is similar to Social Studies, whereas SPHE stands for Social, Personal, and Health Education and is intended to give children a social-emotional education as well. A wide variety of specials are offered at St. Andrews. Ms. Cowman’s students have Physical Education and Art on Mondays, Library and Games on Tuesdays, Music and Choir on Wednesdays, Computers on Thursdays, and Drama and Bible on Fridays. The students also have the opportunity to take a language course before or after school as well as during two blocks of the week, choosing from Spanish, French, German, and Greek.

            On Wednesdays, I got to school at 8:30am to help Ms. Cowman prepare for the day. The students who play string instruments have Orchestra practice before school, and all of the students arrive in the classroom at 8:45am. The students immediately sit in their seats and copy down the homework and announcements displayed on the Smart Board into their diaries. They then complete the assigned page in their Mental Maths workbooks independently. This is a routine that Ms. Cowman established early in the year. The students then line up and go to the library for paired reading, where they read with their partner from a K1 classroom. When they return, the Irish students stay in the classroom for Irish and the American students go to another classroom for American Studies. I usually went to American Studies but I found it interesting to observe a few Irish lessons too. Next is English, which is the block when Ms. Cowman teaches Drama to second graders, so another teacher comes in to teach English and I often worked with the lower-level reading group in the library on comprehension. After English, the students have a 20-minute break and return for Maths. Maths often begins with the class reviewing the answers to the Mental Maths assignment from the beginning of the day, and Ms. Cowman calls on students to provide the answers. Then they do “Table Toppers,” which is when they partner up and take turns verbally solving mental math problems for multiplication, division, or a combination of math operations. Each student is timed and sets goals at the beginning of the week for how many problems they hope to answer correctly, keeping track of their goals and number of correct answers in their notebooks. Table Toppers is often followed by a math mini-lesson, and then the students line up for Music. The day at St. Andrew’s on Wednesdays ends at 1:00pm, which worked out perfectly because I had a 1:00 class at UCD. As I have said, St. Andrew’s is a very well funded school and therefore has many after-school programs available to the students. From Music, the students move on to whatever clubs they are involved in, whether it be a sport, debate club, languages, private lessons in a musical instrument, and so on.

            The past few visits were very enjoyable for me because I was able to witness and get involved in the variety of activities that were happening school-wide. On Friday mornings, each class prepares a skit to perform in front of the entire school. My class put together a hilarious play about telling lies, and it was so fun to be a part of helping them prepare for it. St. Andrew’s also had an Art Week, and I was able to help the students recreate Robert Indiana’s “Love” sculpture, replacing “love” with an endearing word of their choice. It was during these weeks that I really bonded with the students and took on an active role in the classroom. I am so fortunate to have worked with these students in such an encouraging school environment, and I will definitely incorporate my experiences at St. Andrew’s into my future practicums and eventually my own classroom!