Equity and Social Justice in CBS

The flags of the different nationalities that are represented in the class

CBS Primary as I've mentioned before is in a particularly unique situation compared to other schools in the region.  Half of the school is Muslim and they are one of the first schools in the region to have an Autism Spectrum Unit for students on the autism spectrum, one of the first to have an English as an Additional Language program (EAL), and one of the first to have a targeted literacy intervention program in this city.  Many immigrant students in the school are from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  It is also a DEIS school which is the equivalent of a Title I school in the US.  Many of the students are coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and the school is underfunded.  Ireland is still a very homogeneous nation which means that overall many Irish schools lack the resources to support all learners because there has been no need.

Maths posters in Arabic and English

My time at my school has gotten me to think about the ways in which I have been privileged enough to have access to the resources for me to learn best in school.  I think my time teaching abroad has challenged me and the ways that I think about teaching for social justice because I have never been in a school that has had students from such diverse backgrounds. In one class there could be one student who is born and raised in Ireland his whole life and next to him might be a boy who just started learning English this year in 6th class and it's the first time going to formal schooling.  Then there's also the interesting dynamic of it being a public Catholic school and having half of the school identify as Muslim.  It makes me wonder, how will I as a future educator be sure to include my students in all aspects of school, including the social environment of school.  

Sometimes I feel like the teachers at CBS are not being the best advocates for the students and it's made me think about how I as a teacher should be treating my students so that they are able to succeed in school.  It makes me think about how my perspective on teaching has been shaped because of my background as a child of immigrants whose first language was not English.  My practicum has made me more aware of how language can be so important in school.  For example,  many of the Muslim students shared a language, Pashtu, which they used to communicate with each other especially those who are still learning English. Towards the end of my placement, I noticed that students were being discouraged from speaking their native language during class time because it was seen as being "uninclusive" of students who don't speak the language. I can see why someone might say that, but I think to stifle one's language is to stifle one's identity because language is so tied with culture and identity. 

There is so much diversity within the school that I wish that the teachers engaged with when planning lessons. There have been incidents where students have made comments that stemmed from a lack of understanding of students from different backgrounds. This has made me even more convinced of my responsibility to get to know the students and build a community in which students feel cared for.  Although my international practicum has not been what I expected, it has reaffirmed my beliefs in teaching for social justice and the need for it.

Mischief Managed

I have been hopping around to different classrooms for the past three weeks that I have been at CBS, so I've observed a variety of classroom management styles and strategies used. Most of the classrooms I've been in are the 5th and 6th classes which are the equivalent of 6th and 7th grade.

In regards to classroom size, most classrooms are between 15-25 students with the older classes having more students per class.  The rules and expectations are different for each class, but most include a rule about respecting the teacher, students, and classroom, raising your hands to speak, and following directions.  I haven't seen any classrooms that classroom rules that the students made and then signed like a contract, even with the older classes.  I also don't see any teachers refer back to the rules during class, so I'm not sure how effective they are.  

I've noticed a school-wide expectation is that before entering a classroom or even just to pass through the classroom because many rooms are connected to each other, students are expected to knock on the door and ask.  One classroom I observed used Class Dojo to earn participation points which then allowed the students to have one homework pass when they reach 30 points.  This particular teacher also had a point system for tidying up tables at the end of the day.  The first table to tidy up their tables and put up their chairs at dismissal gets a point and after a certain number of points, the whole table gets a treat.

In terms of discipline, I mentioned in a previous blog post that this school seems to implement more traditional ways of discipline.  For example, in one classroom if the students misbehave, they have to copy lines , stand at the wall, or get extra homework.  I have seen teachers yell at students from across the room if they are not doing their work quietly and quickly.  Sometimes students are sent out of the room or down to the principal's office.

Overall, I think classroom management at this placement is something that needs improvement.  Right now, students are just expected to sit, listen, and obey, and I don't think this is really an effective way of teaching because there are no conversations.  Even though I have been here for three weeks now, I haven't seen any SEL teaching or lessons other than some anti-bullying posters that are hung in some classrooms.  I've found it difficult not to want to step in when I see the teachers doing something that seems to be shaming the students and not really solving the problem.  They seem to be scaring the students into doing what they should be doing rather than trying to meet them in their needs.  Again, I'm not speaking for all the teachers, but for many of the classrooms that I've observed.

Boston to Limerick: Teaching From Across the Sea

I've been at my placement now for three weeks and I have already noticed many similarities and differences within the school from my pre-practicum experience at BC and my own experience as a student in elementary school.

Similarities:
Small group work/ Co-teaching- The school is starting to use more small group work and co-teaching in their lessons.  This method of teaching is relatively new to the school, but it offers more flexibility for students to get the individualized instruction according to their ability level.  

Assessment- Students are given assessments at the beginning of the year to test their knowledge of literacy, maths, and other subjects.  This assessment then determines their group for instruction during those subjects.  Students go to different classrooms during those blocks according to their ability level group and assessed continually during the block by each teacher.

Differences:
Discipline- Last week, I was talking to one of students during group work and they had mentioned that some of his peers needed to do "lines."  When I asked him about what they were, he said that they are when the teacher has the student copy the same line over and over again on the board as punishment.  I thought this was really old-fashioned and I had never heard of a teacher in the US doing the same type of punishment on students today, but when I told another teacher about it, she said that it's more common for teachers to be stricter during the beginning of the school year so that they don't have to continue disciplining students all throughout the rest of the year.

Subjects- Although most of the subjects are the same like literacy, maths, etc.  There are two subjects that I are unique to schools in Ireland, most of which are also Catholic: Irish and Religion.  I thought it was interesting considering this is the equivalent of a public school that the students would have Catholic religion classes because in the US, there is a more distinct separation between church and state.  It would be expected if one were to attend a privately funded school, but most schools in Ireland are religiously affiliated, even if they are public.  Irish is a mandatory subject in Ireland, although I've found that most people forget their Irish after secondary school because no one uses Irish in daily living.  

A Typical Day at Scoil Iosogain CBS Primary

My placement is at Scoil Iosogain Christian Brothers School Primary (CBS Primary) in Limerick City, Ireland. It is an all-boys Catholic school that serves students from second to sixth class (the equivalent of 2-6th grade) and has about 240 students.  Most schools in Ireland are Catholic school, especially in this particular region of country.  This school stands out compared to other schools in the area because many students in the school come from disadvantaged communities and are new immigrants, some attending formal full-time school for the first time. Most schools in Ireland have a very homogeneous population of students, white Irish and Catholic, but many of the students in this school come from Afghanistan, speak Pashtu at home, and are Muslim.  This sudden increase of immigrants in the school has only happened in the last 10 years, which means the school has had to adapt quickly to the sudden influx of immigrants.

8:00 am- Arrival
I take the bus for half and hour from University of Limerick to CBS Primary. I go to my placement on Mondays and Wednesdays.  After I arrive, I go to the staff room to drop off my lunch, have a cuppa tea, and talk with the other teachers while we wait for the morning bell to ring.

9:00 am- Maths
Class starts and students stream into the classroom after playing outside in the school yard.  The students line up behind their teachers as each teacher brings their respective class up to their room. The day starts for me in sixth class where I help the students with their maths.  There are three teachers who work with the sixth class maths subject and are in three separate classroom.  The students are placed with a certain teacher according to ability level.  The teacher usually presents a large group lesson and then assigns independent work for the duration of the class.  Sometimes the teacher adds in a little Gailge, Gaelic, lesson at the end or before starting maths.

11:00 am- Break
Tea Break!  The students bring up crates with snacks and the teachers go down to the staff room.  I was surprised the first time I saw all the teachers in the staff room while the students were in the classroom by themselves, but it seems to work fine for them.

11:30 am-Literacy
I move to one of the fifth class teacher's class for their literacy block.  I've noticed that the deputy principal, the equivalent of a vice principal in the US, is very involved with teaching the students.  I'm not sure if this is particular to this school because of its unique circumstance within the context of Ireland, but the deputy principal helps teach many of the students throughout the day and acts like a paraprofessional.  Literacy is usually done in stations so I supervise one of the stations, usually handwriting.  The students have to copy letters, words, and sentences into their copy books to practice writing legibly.  I haven't seen this done as much in the US, but I think that it is a useful skill to practice especially since I've noticed many students in the US have very poor handwriting.

12:30 pm-Lunch/Recess
The students start eating some of their lunch in the classroom before heading outside for recess and I head back down to the staff room.  The teachers alternate recess duty from day to day.

1:30 pm
I have been with different teachers every afternoon, sometimes I'm in one of younger classes like second or third class and sometimes I'm working with some individual students who need extra help in literacy.  Most recently I was with the English as an Additional Language class (EAL) during a Language Experience session where the students play games to practice using their English vocabulary that they have learned during the week. 

2:30 pm- Dismissal
The teachers bring the students outside to the school yard and the children are dismissed for the day to their parents or they go to an after school program at the school.  Many of the teachers leave school along with the students which I thought was interesting because teachers in the US usually stay at least one or two hours after school to finish work and preparing for the next day.

Staying Sharp for the Summer

For my last day at my practicum in Japan, I wanted to leave my students thinking about the importance of keeping their minds sharp when they are on break from school. The objectives of my lesson were for students to demonstrate understanding of what a sharp mind means by orally providing examples about how they use their working memory, particularly in the context of what they will do this summer.

I began my lesson with asking students, “What will you do this summer? What are your plans?” As expected, the students mentioned their vacation and camp plans. However, I wanted my students to ponder how they could continue learning sharpening their minds. I then asked, “What does the word ‘sharp’ mean?” The students said things like “a pointy edge” or “when people look nice.” I told the students that you are sharp when your minds are mentally alert and can understand things quickly. It is crucial that students stay sharp over the summer break so that they continue improving their skills and bring new knowledge for the new school year.

People’s brains need to practice and review what they have previously learned in order to remember things over a long period of time. The brain has a short-term memory, a working-memory, and a long-term memory. I told students that a lot of information we learn gets stored temporarily in our working memory, which means that we have to work hard to remember it and make it into a long-term memory.

Students turned and talked with each other about ways to stay sharp over the summer. They discussed how they can keep their reading and writing sharp this summer by reading and going to the library, as well as writing stories about their adventures. Students also talked about doing fun science experiments or art projects. Teachers and students have to remember that learning never stops, and can be found in many contexts.

Teaching Methods Collaboration After-School

Nishimachi International School is not only extremely dedicated to teaching its students, but also teaching its teachers. Every Wednesday, faculty participates in school-wide presentations on diverse teaching methods that they have experimented with in their classrooms. I luckily prac on Wednesdays, so I have been able to observe how teachers from different grade levels and subjects areas can introduce teaching strategies that are universal to education. Teachers usually collaborate in pairs or a team to experiment with strategies in their classroom, and then work together to share their findings via presenting student work and using google slides for showcasing data. At Nishimachi, teachers share their knowledge with each other and thus foster a community of educators who are passionate about trying new things and taking risks.

One presentation I found really enjoyable was on the learning process of typing on a computer. A 5th grade teacher spoke about the new program called TypingClub, which is a website that allows students to practice their typing speed and accuracy skills for free online. Teachers can make class accounts for students and immediately see their progress. The 5th grade teacher uses TypingClub in her class, and pointed out that her students like to compete with each other, as well as herself – making learning all the more fun. Interestingly, the program does not differentiate its typing levels by grade-level, so students can learn at their own paces.

Another presentation I enjoyed was how teachers at Nishimachi implemented creative workshops in their classrooms. The presenters gave us visitors individual ipads to watch a video about the structure of the workshop. The video emphasized  the importance of students learning to be curious. That is, students need to develop metacognition skills on not only developing curiosity about a particular research topic, but also learning the steps involved for creating a research project of their choice. Students first must think of a researchable question, then conduct research, create a presentation, and share their research with their classmates. I was even able to see how my SP conducted her creative workshop with the 2nd graders - I viewed the students’ presentations that ranged from samurai and Japanese trains all the way to presentations on architecture, soccer, and horses. While some students made google slides presentations, others made poster boards and games. Overall, students were extremely excited to be “research experts.” The creativity workshop is important because it proves that students can learn, and are willing to learn even more, when they have some choice in the content. I really valued being able to see the workshop firsthand and learn through the faculty presentations.

In some ways, the weekly teacher faculty presentations are creativity workshops in their own right. Teachers get to decide what aspect of student learning they want to research about, and then become experts in technology programs and other student learning strategies (readers’ workshop for instance). It is so crucial for teachers to learn what each other is doing in the classroom, so more schools should host such teacher presentations.  

Teaching Personal Narratives & Descriptive Lang with Cultural Diversity

I was able to teach my 2^nd grade students about personal narratives while also connecting with their cultural backgrounds. I showed the students a slide show of pictures from my trip at Mt. Takao – a famous mountain in the Tokyo region – as I read my personal narrative about my climb up the mountain. I wanted my personal narrative to focus on a small moment I have had here in Japan so that my students could connect with my experience. About half of the students in the class are Japanese students, while the remaining are half Japanese/ White, half Japanese/ half African, and White. The topic of Mt. Takao connected with the students’ cultural backgrounds because students could see pictures of the mountain’s beautiful landscape and religious shrines that are part of Japan’s narrative. Japanese students were able to see their own cultural practices, while the international students were able to learn about them. 

As I showed students the slideshow of pictures, I read them my personal narrative. One of my objectives for the lesson was for students to demonstrate understanding that a personal narrative is an entertaining experience that happened in the past, consisting of different events. Students were able to directly visualize the events in my narrative – the start of my climb, the shrines, the statues, and finally the view at the top. Another objective of my lesson was for students to identify “showing” vs. “telling” language in my narrative. I wrote sentences such as “the sun’s rays made the trail even glow,” and “My legs were suddenly able to switch from walking to running!” Students were able to recognize that in the former sentence, instead of simply writing “the weather was nice,” I showed that the weather was nice by describing what the sun made the mountain look like. In the latter sentence, identified that I was showing my new energy for climbing the mountain, without just saying “I had more energy.”

One of my favorite examples of showing language was that “Statues of different deities stared directly at me.” When I read students this, I showed them a picture of the statues. Some students smiled because they recognized the cultural significance of the statues, while some asked questions regarding what a deity is. I asked students, “Can statues really stare at you?” I told students that I wrote the statues stared at me in order to show how I believed that they were somehow telling me to persevere up the mountain. Students were able to grasp that descriptive language is about showing one’s feelings and even breaking away from reality. After the lesson, students started writing their own personal narratives with descriptive language. I was pleased that one student wrote that he “felt like a fish” and “was in a blue world.” I could tell that the student was describing how he felt in water with making comparisons and describing the scene outside just telling his reader that he was in water. The students overall achieved the objectives of my lesson and were excited to write their own personal narratives. I’m excited to see what they’ll have accomplished at my next visit!  

Classroom Management

I’ve found the management of my classrooms at North Melbourne Primary to be very similar to the management of the classrooms I’ve been in in the US. My prep and year 1 classrooms each have about 20-25 students and one head teacher. In my early weeks, I noticed that not many of the teachers have consistent assistant teachers in the classroom, which is something I was used to seeing at my old elementary school in NY. Despite there only being one teacher, both classrooms function very well and utilize their set guidelines and expectations on a daily basis.

These sets of guidelines and expectations are depicted in posters and signs around the classroom, some of which the teachers have established themselves and some of which the students and teachers created together. This took place in my year 1 classroom, such that the students and teacher came up with a list of expectations for behaviors and actions that should and shouldn’t be displayed in the classroom. I’ve noticed this in classrooms back home, and I really like the concept because it shows the student’s that their opinions and feelings are valued, and overall creates an atmosphere that encourages collaboration. My Year 1 SP will often refer to this co-created list of expected behaviors when a student or the class is out of hand in order to manage the classroom behavior. In addition to these sets of guidelines, both teachers use a warning/disciplinary system by giving different warnings to specific student’s inappropriate behavior before actually punishing them. I’ve noticed that they typically start off with a verbal warning, proceed to writing a name on the board, markings next to their name (such as an ‘x’) for more moments of disruptive behavior, and finally a punishment, which usually involves missing playtime. Yet after the student(s) has/have been reprimanded, my SPs always talk to them just to explain why their behavior bothered the teacher, and ask them how they can improve their behavior in the future.

After reflecting on classroom management, I recognized the importance of communication between the students and teachers when managing the classroom. When it comes to establishing classroom rules and expectations, communication is key. I’ve seen both my SPs at North Melbourne actively communicate goals, expectations, feelings, and rules to their students and though the kids may not cooperate right away, they learn and know a little better the next time.

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity at a Japanese International School

This semester in Japan, I am teaching at the Nishimachi International School located in Motoazubu,
Minoto, Tokyo. The Nishimachi International School is quite unique in Japan, as students and teachers
alike come from diverse backgrounds. 50% of the students hold Japanese citizenship, as well as 50% hold
dual or multiple citizenships. 45% of the students even hold U.S. citizenship (Nishimachi’s website:
https://www.nishimachi.ac.jp/page.cfm?p=507). It is well known that Japan is 98% ethnically Japanese, so
it is very special and encouraging to see Japanese and international students learning together. The school
is quite welcoming and students have freedom to collaborate with their peers during classwork. Unlike the
majority of Japanese students in the nation, Nishimachi students do not have to wear school uniforms.
Students’ freedom to have a choice in what they wear is just one example of how Nishimachi is unique in
terms of celebrating students’ diversity, differences, identities, ethnicities, and languages.

At Nishimachi, classes are taught in English. I teach in both a second grade and first grade class.
Particularly in my second-grade class, I have noticed that the native Japanese speakers switch between
English and Japanese with each other. Usually the native speakers will speak Japanese if they are excited
about something or if they need to ask one of their classmates a question. It is amazing how quickly the
students can switch between the two languages. Surely some of the main reasons are that some students
are biracial and speak both Japanese and English at their home. Also, English is a means of teaching
instructional content. In other words, English is the means by which students learn math, social studies,
science, and of course reading and writing. Students are learning and using English to learn about issue in
their world and as a tool for expressing themselves. Recently, students wrote poems based on a drawing
of a boy outside. I was overjoyed by how well the students developed their writing with descriptive
language, similes, and metaphors. In a nation where English is “learned” mostly through rote
memorization and grammar, it is spectacular that students at Nishimachi can learn English in creative and
expressive ways.

Nishimachi teaches students according to linguistic diversity by teaching Japanese to all students. In each grade, students attend a different Japanese class according to their ability level. For the most part, native speakers are in one class and students new to the language are in different classes. I think that it is great that international students learn Japanese at such an early age; they can use Japanese to meaningfully communicate with fellow Japanese students, as well as Japanese people in their communities. Learning Japanese surely offers more opportunities for children to become more linguistically responsive to their Japanese classmates. All students at Nishimachi are learning an additional language in one way or another, and, as a teacher, I have to consider the needs of both native Japanese speakers and native English speakers. I have to make sure that the content is accessible, yet also challenging.