Dublin International Practicum

This semester I was very lucky to student teach while I was abroad in Dublin, Ireland. I was able to observe and become a part of a third grade class at St. Andrew’s College, a catholic, private, and preparatory school. The male teacher I observing has been a teacher for over twenty years and displays a great joy for teaching that makes it easy to understand why his students are so eager to learn and love being a part of the classroom environment he has created. My CT was playful and joking with his class but also developed respect from his students that allowed him to still be an authority figure in their eyes. It is easy to see that my CT knows his students really well and about each of their individual needs as learners. For example, we would have conversations about which student would require the most extra attention from me and which were capable of focusing on their own. Other things I noticed about my CT and his classroom was the similar use of technology to enhance learning that I observed in my first practicum experience last year. The classroom was equipped with iPads for all students, a smart board for presentations, and an ELMO projector. My CT utilized this technology in many ways to enhance learning and present material in new and interesting ways for his students. He definitely recognized the benefits of using technology and thus was adept at using it in exciting ways. For these reasons, it was easy to recognize similarities between Irish and American schools and teachers. I am not sure what I was expecting but do not think I was expecting to find the two school systems to be similar in so many ways.  

My time teaching abroad also exposed me to some of the differences between the American school system and those of other countries. The first main difference I noticed was my CT’s reliance on lectures instead of group work or individual quiet working time. In most of his lessons, my CT stood at the front of the classroom and spoke with the help of a powerpoint or other presentation on the smartboard to help guide the class. My CT facilitated engagement in the lessons by calling on students and structuring it as a back and forth. However, I was interested because I never saw the class broken up into groups to discuss an assignment or work together to solve a problem. I also did not see individual work very much unless it was an exam. This teaching style was very different from what I saw during my first practicum but seemed to fit my CT’s personality as well as the nature of the classroom that he had created. Another difference I observed was this school’s emphasis on cultural studies. The students learned two languages, either Spanish or French as well as learning the Irish language. It was very interesting to observe an Irish language lesson because it is such an interesting language. It is law in Ireland for the language to be taught in schools in order to preserve the language that had been dying out with the prevalence of the use of the English language in the county.

All in all, with the similarities and differences I observed between American and Irish school systems, I cannot decide which I find to be the most effective. I think for the most part it depends on the teacher’s abilities and personality to determine which teaching style would be most effective. Depending on which learning style a teacher is most comfortable with will help determine if they are effective in their classroom. I learned a lot during my time in Ireland and from watching my CT and I am excited to bring this information back with me and apply it to my future practicums at BC.

End of the Year Thoughts

This semester has presented me with a great opportunity to view the education system through the eyes of another country, and has left a lasting impression on me.  I loved the time that I was able to spend in my CT's classroom, and learned/reinforced teaching strategies that I have been learning at my time at Boston College.
My cooperating teacher provided me with good insight on how to maintain a controlled classroom.  She likes to keep a quieter classroom, and achieves this by constantly having the kids doing an assignment or worksheet.  When they first walk into the classroom, a Do Now is already up on the smartboard, so they put away their things quickly and begin working on it.  When they're done, they either help those that aren't done around them or read quietly in their seats.  Next, during lessons, my CT is either teaching the lesson, or they are quietly working in their workbooks.  This is a technique I hope to use in my classroom, have the kids always focused on something so they don't think to act out.  My CT is firm but kind, a quality that is vital to any successful teacher.
I also recognize the great opportunity that I was given to be able to work at St. Andrew's College.  This private school provides their students with a top quality education and hires incredibly capable teachers.  I am very lucky I was able to shadow Ms. Powderly for a semester and see how she incorporated technology into her classroom.  I have yet to be in a classroom where a smartboard is available for daily use for every teacher.  Technology is an important part of the future of teaching, and my CT showed me several programs that can be used to help teach a lesson.
Also, being in an Irish classroom itself was so incredible.  Something unique to all Irish classrooms is that in elementary school across the country, every classroom teacher has to be able to teach Gaelic to its students as a way to preserve Irish traditions.  At the end of Irish students' secondary school, there is a test to ensure that the student has retained enough knowledge of the Gaelic language to ensure that this Irish custom endures.  The pride that Irish people have for their traditions of the past is touching.
I loved my time teaching abroad, and I feel lucky that I was provided with this unique opportunity.

A Day in the Life

The school that I volunteered at this semester was called St. Andrew's College, and it was a well funded school in a fairly affluent area.  I went to the school on Wednesdays until lunch, and the day to day schedule was always the same.
The school started around 8:45 every day, but my teacher was always there well before that time finishing setting up for her lessons.  Often one or many of her students would be in her classroom in the morning instead of waiting outside for line up.  On my last day in class, my teacher was helping one of her students sew a stocking that was to be a gift for her family.  My CT was always available and welcoming to her students at any time of the school day, even before and after class.
On Wednesday, the day always starts with the students writing down their homework in their assignment books that is shown on the smartboard.  While they are writing down their assignments, Ms. Powderly walks around the classroom and signs off verifying that they did their homework from the night before.  Once the students have written down their assignments, they work on their do now assignment.  While they're working on their do now, if any of them have questions, they raise their hands and I help them with any questions they may have.
After their morning assignment, the class moves on to a math lesson.  Over the semester they largely focused on understanding the basic concepts of fractions.  Fractions are a difficult concept to understand, so my CT had blocks to make the abstract concept more tangible.  The kids often manipulated the blocks to get a better understanding of the fractions, so a lot of the math lessons included using these blocks to solve the problems.  My CT also takes advantage of her smartboard during lessons.  She will write word problems on the smartboard, and she calls up a volunteer to solve the problem in front of the class.
After math, the students are split up and go to their specific, individualized classes.  Because this is an international class, during this next period, the children are split up into their respective language classes.  The Irish students stay with my CT to learn Gaelic, the American students go to their American studies class, and the Spanish and Polish students go to their classes.  I typically went to the American studies class.  During this class an American teacher taught the students about different American holidays.
During the last period before lunch they had English.  During this class, my CT would read a passage of a short story out loud. After, the students would ask questions about anything they were confused about, or any terms that were unfamiliar.  Next, the students would silently read the passage to themselves, and then would answer the multiple choice questions.
Some challenges that my CT faced while teaching was how dynamic the school was.  Because the school is well financed, there are many different types of classes that are offered to the students.  All of the students play a different instrument, and many of them take different language classes throughout the day.  Because of this, the students are constantly leaving and coming back to the classroom.  It is difficult for my CT to keep track of where everyone is because of the dynamic nature of the school.

"Twas A Night Before Christmas" Lesson and Challenges of Teaching at Colegio Menor

On my last day, I taught a lesson pertaining to the story “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.  My students have been learning about writing descriptively.  Thus, I had the students identify what actually occurred in the story.  They realized that there is not much action in the story; rather the majority of the story is description.  The students then pointed out interesting descriptions from the story.  Finally, they drew a picture of a family holiday tradition, wrote 5 descriptive words related to that tradition, and used those words in a paragraph about the tradition.

In general, I was very happy with how my lesson was executed.  My teacher was surprised that this was my first lesson that was not a full-class Read-Aloud.  Several students told me that they enjoyed the story I picked.  Upon reviewing the students’ notebooks, they all did a really good job using more complex descriptive words in their paragraphs.  I was pleased that, although “Twas the Night Before Christmas” can be a challenging story in terms of language, the students demonstrated that they understood by correctly answering my questions and participating in the discussion.

I believe that the majority of the challenges that my teacher and I face in the classroom are similar to those in a fourth grade classroom in the United States.  As in all classrooms, students have many different learning levels and needs that correspond to these levels.  Therefore, instruction needs to be differentiated.  Furthermore, especially for elementary school, it is important to find ways to maintain the interest and attention of the students (because their attention span is often shorter). 

There are some unique challenges due to teaching in a bilingual school.  First, the teacher must ensure that the students are speaking the language they are supposed to be speaking.  Also, it is often important to recognize cultural differences that could be a factor in comprehension.  For example, many of the English books that my school uses do not always contain the customs that the Ecuadorian students are used to or can connect with.  Unfortunately, this also can occur with testing because my school uses Scholastic tests.  Thus, there are many different considerations that a teacher must have.

I am very glad I got the opportunity to teach at Colegio Menor.  I was lucky enough to work with two great classes and an amazing teacher.  I believe I learned a lot about the different challenges and advantages of bilingual schools and the educational system in Ecuador.  I hope to use this knowledge in my later practicums.

Final thoughts on American Overseas School of Rome

Teaching abroad will definitely impact my feeling of responsibility to promote equity and social justice. I saw so many differences in my students, regarding home language or other needs. There were Italian students who did not do as well as they could because of the language, as well as Italians on the other hand who were in the top of the class regardless of their first language. There was one girl, born in America who only knew and spoke English, who was barely able to read at a kindergarten reading level in fourth grade. Also, one Israeli student was still on his very first x2 fact times tables while the rest of the class was at x7 all the way past x12. The one thing that every student had in common was their good behavior in school. Honestly, there were so few incidences of students acting up, and none very serious, it was very refreshing! There was such a varying degree of ability and required accommodations in my classroom and it was a great experience to learn about equity in the classroom.

Every math period a specialist would come in and either take certain students to her room if the lesson was difficult, or take them to a back table to provide extra support. During some science and writing periods another specialist would come in to aid a specific student who had a serious learning disability (but was also one of the sweetest kids in the class). Overall though, the students were expected to perform to the same standards regardless of home language or years in an American school. 

It was hard to see some students struggle because they did not speak English as well as they knew Italian, especially in writing and grammar. There is a line between proper equity and unfair equity. All students shouldn't receive the same services and be held to the same standards in everything if they are very different learners. My CT definitely promoted proper equity. With certain students who had a much harder time in math (regardless of language or official diagnosis), she would modify their homework and tests to give them a chance to demonstrate the knowledge they had. Though all students had the same writing assignments, they too were modified for certain students and graded on slightly different scales. 

It was hardest when dealing with Italian students who had clear signs of some learning problem. Unfortunately, the culture in Italy is to ignore any signs that your child might have a problem and never let it become official that your child has a "learning disability" or "special needs". I would hear all the teachers comparing issues with this in their classrooms- trying to convince a parent to let the school test their child, trying to give as many accommodations as possible without having an official IEP or other document, and more. It definitely made me think about social justice in the classroom and the misunderstandings about learning disabilities. It was so sad to be at a school with so many services and the ability to really help so many students, but unable to do as much as they could for students who weren't tested and diagnosed because of the law. I will always remember this class and the variety of students I encountered here. Being in such a diverse and multi-lingual classroom I thought a lot about equity and social justice, and I am so glad that I had this class and opportunity to study abroad to think about these issues.