Classroom Management

          The management of the classrooms within my placement has functioned similarly in terms of the size; all of the classes are comprised of 23-26 students within the fifth grade level. This quantity of students leads to the utilization of group collaborations and cooperation within academic lessons. The physical size of the classrooms have also been uniform throughout the fifth year school classes, all of the classrooms being located on the same floor of the school layout. The size of the classrooms is comparable to public schools within America as well; in my past practicum experiences the class size of a public elementary school was on average 23 students.

            With regards to the rules enacted within the classroom I was not present within the classrooms to observe the commencement of the school year when considering the implementation of classroom routines. At the current time period of the academic year I have not observed a plethora of established classroom routines/rules. As mentioned in a pervious blog reflection, the more informal relationship between student and teacher is prevalent within the classroom. The behaviors of the students are not chaotic, but there is a lack of structured classroom rules within the academic setting. There are no visual representations of “class rules” or the rules of the school that I have noticed in previous classrooms in America. For the age level of fifth grade I would have assumed there to be a list of class rules that the students would have comprised together at the beginning of the academic year. The expectations within the classroom are clear with regards to behavioral and academic, even with the lack of explicit classroom rules.

            Levels of discipline within the classrooms were lower than I had expected compared to past experiences. I have only observed discipline in terms of the teacher explicitly telling students to stop talking or the stay on task. This approach to discipline has not been the most effective in terms of my observations, due to the educator frequently taking time away from delivering the content to address the misbehaviors. Through her actions of addressing the students in questions, more often than not the behaviors of the other students within the class become disruptive as well, causing a chain reaction within the classroom. There is also no outlet for students to access when their behaviors increasingly become more disruptive throughout the academic day. 

A Lesson in the Corazza School-Challenges/Delivery/Differences from Past Teaching Placements

            The most recent lesson I observed within my placement classroom was a science-based lesson, specifically focusing on the bones and skeletal makeup of the human body. From my observations the teacher did not have any formal lesson plan or guideline prepared for this particular lesson. There was an informal structural guideline for the lesson with regards to the specified topics the teacher aimed to instruct on. The delivery was effective, but disorganized in a sense with regards to the classroom management. There was a high volume of student involvement throughout the entirety of the lesson, numerous students were eager to participate in the content being discussed. The teacher encouraged engagement by having a skeleton model that the students could utilize as visual and tactile aid in the content delivery. The students were eager to show their knowledge through the exhibition of the skeleton model.

            One particular challenge the teacher faced within the lesson I observed was with the behavior of the students. Due to the high level of engagement with the integration of the skeleton model, the students had a high energy level that translated into disruptive behaviors. While one student would engage with the model and the content there were small group discussions taking place contributing to the disruptive behaviors. An additional challenge faced by the educator was the high caliber of vocabulary being utilized within the lesson. There was a lack of introduction with regards to the unfamiliar, difficult vocabulary that is associated with the anatomy of the human body.  The students as a result would comprehend general ideas, but had difficulties with the specificities taught due to lack of foundation of anatomical vocabulary.

            Compared with my own experiences with teaching in America there were notable differences in the execution of the lesson I observed. There are more explicit standards that are targeted within the lessons I have executed/observed within my placements in America. An additional difference is the emphasis on language objectives within all content area lessons in America, compared to the lack of language addressed in the science lesson I observed. There was also a lack of a variety of components to the lesson I observed in Italy, when considering the content of anatomy there could have been diversified approaches to the content. But, throughout the lesson it was solely composed of student contribution and the teacher lecturing the material.  

Similarities and Differences: Spain and American Schools

           Through my experience teaching in Spain I have seen many similarities and many differences between the schools, the class, the students, and the teachers.  The first similarity I’ve seen has to do with the kids.  The kids that I am working with are overall very similar to the kids I’ve taught back in the U.S.  They are interested in who I am, like Harry Potter and “Star Wars,” like to play sports, and are silly with each other.  This past Thursday, I was talking about Walt Disney and had a collage on the screen of some of the many Disney movies.  The kids got really excited talking about what ones they have seen, which ones are their favorite, etc.  Overall, they are happy and it is evident that they enjoy learning new things.  Despite the many cultural differences between the American students I have been with and these students, fundamentally they are very similar.  A fifth grader is a fifth grader whether in Spain or in the United States.

            In addition, the overall school layout is very similar to the United States.  Escolopios School is ages 3 through 18 (grade 12), but is broken into smaller schools.  There is a preschool for ages 3 and 4, then primary school for ages 5-12, and then secondary school for the rest.  Each class that I work with has roughly 25 students, which is the same as the classes that I’ve been in back in the U.S.  When I arrive, I check into the main office, much like I do in the U.S.  Walking through the hall to get to the classroom, I am surrounded by children’s artwork.  In one section, the walls are decorated with an SEL activity that students did.  They had to illustrate a cut-out of themselves and write the things that they value about themselves.  For example, “Me gusta jugar con mi hermano” (I like to play with my brother) or “Yo soy amable” (I am nice) or “Siempre estoy feliz” (I am always happy).  The students sit in desks that are grouped together in clusters, much like the classrooms are set up in the United States.  Bells signal the start and end of classes, and the kids quickly transition from one class to the next.  In the U.S., kids aren’t necessarily switching classes in elementary school, but still have that aspect of transition. 

            However, there are some noticeable cultural differences between the American and Spanish classrooms.  First, everything is less formal and more relaxed.  This applies for teacher-student interactions as well as child expectations.  The students call my SP “teacher.”  For example, when my SP greets the class, they reply with “Good morning, teacher.”  They also refer to me by my first name.  This region in Spain does not run on a strict time clock at all, and that is seen in how the class is run.  This morning, my SP came in to class after the second bell rang (I’m there for her first class of the day on Tuesdays).  I was just about to go ask a teacher in the next room when she came in.  This happens more often than in the American classroom, but really took me for a twist on my first day at the school.  The person who walked me up to the classroom to show me where it was was unconcerned about leaving me with a room full of fifth graders.  Granted, my SP has never come in more than two minutes after the bell rings, but it shows that the school overall has a more laid back attitude about time.  For students, they are expected to do their work and pay attention.

            Another difference is the structure of the lessons.  At BC, we focus a lot on student engagement, rather than lecturing.  In Spain, it is evident that the lessons are much more lecture-based with some worksheet practice.  Although my SP has been enthusiastic about letting me do more interactive activities with the students, the students often need a lot of help understanding what they are supposed to do.  For example, when working with vocabulary for “professions” last Thursday, I had the students do the 4 corners activity.  I asked them “Who would you like to interview?” and gave them options.  Each option had an assigned corner of the classroom, and students had to move to the corner that corresponded with their response.  The kids were very confused about the idea of moving from their desks in the middle of the lesson, and took a lot of coaching (in English and Spanish) until they understood the activity.  This, combined with the work that I see on the board, shows that they don’t do those types of activities often.        

 

 

 

How is the culture of the country are you teaching in reflected in the school? (class subjects, design, schedules, assessment)

            The most obvious reflection of the Italian culture is the “laid back” nature within the school setting. Class design reflects the more relaxed nature of not only the educational setting, but the prevalent culture within Italy. There is an emphasis on discussion within the classroom, taking the time to hear the ideas and thoughts of each individual student, even if the original timetable is deviated from. There is no clearly defined daily academic schedule for the students; the lessons are introduced at the commencement of each lesson. Compared to my past practicum placements where the academic schedule were verbally and visually displayed on a weekly and daily basis, explicitly stated to the learners. The emphasis of food and music within the Italian culture is also reflected within the school setting. During my initial lesson I introduced not only myself, but Boston College as well, and generalized topics regarding United States, but the students were more notably intrigued by the subtopics of food and music. When given the opportunity to ask questions to most frequent questions asked were those such as, “What is your favorite food?” or “What music do you listen to most?” When depicting the city of Boston, before delving into the history or highlights of the city, the students initially asked about the most famous food that can be found within the city. The genuine curiosity revolving around those specified topics were easily observed from not only the students, but also the teachers alike. The prevalence of food within the culture of Italy is a facet of the country that is easily identified based on the importance placed on not only the time spent at a meal, but the quality of the food being served. Whether the meal be lunch or dinner the social aspects of the time, along with the gastronomy are held in high regard for all ages.

            Exposing the students to North American culture has intermingled with the Italian culture reflected within the classroom, from academics to food to activities the students are eager to hear and immerse them in the information they are being exposed too. The students easily identify the differences, but they are more interested in making connections with the overlapping similarities between the varying cultures. The teachers I work with are also intrigued by the culture created when studying abroad of traveling to various countries and experiencing an influx of culture through the high volume of travel. The students and teachers not only want to hear about North American culture, but the culture of the countries that I have visited throughout my time abroad thus far.