Week 4 - Reflection as a Teacher

So this week we are asked to reflect on our teaching. . . or teaching in general.
What I can say for this experience is that it has shown me a lot about the behind the scenes of the profession that I was not aware of. What I mean by this is because I am often with the resource teachers, I observe / get to teach those that need that differentiated instruction. Since I have only had experience in a whole-class setting - this opportunity has come as an enlightenment and a challenge. I have to come up with ways to teach multiplication so that all eight children that are pulled from their normal maths class can comprehend. And each of those students are at different levels, as well! It is a challenge that I had not faced and it has taught me that I must be aware of all of my students needs and try to come up with preferable teaching methods for all.

Also, in one of my whole-class experiences, I am allowed to teach whatever material that I wish. This has helped me grow in my planning strategies and abilities as a teacher. I have come to make my lesson plans from scratch and gather the materials on my own. Since I am not following a textbook and I do not have as much guidance - it can be overwhelming to choose a topic that is educational and engaging all at once. I want my lessons to be worthwhile and to excite my students - which has made me think deeper into what I feel comfortable/excited about teaching. Lately, I have been leaning toward Language Arts topics (rhyming and poetry), but this week I am taking a leap of faith and teaching my Irish students about the good 'ol United States of America and some of the more important aspects that lie within the topic. I am enjoying the research and search for materials because I am excited for these students to learn about a foreign country - the place where I live!

So, overall, this experience is teaching me a lot about teaching. It's also teaching me about myself - what I feel most confident in sharing my knowledge about and how I am going to do it.

Mrs. Glossner's Class!

Your pen pal letters are on their way and should get to you by the end of this week or the beginning of next! Each of you have your own pen pal that you can write to - the class size is exactly the same! Some things that you may notice when you read your letter is that some of the words that my Irish students use are a little bit different. Some wrote to you about going to a disco - which is the same as a dance. Many students use the words "lovely" and "grand" to describe something as awesome or terrific!
Your pen pals also saw the video that we made for them, and boy were they excited to see your faces! Perhaps my Irish students will make a video for you to see when I visit in January!!

Finally, you may notice that a lot of the students' names are a bit different than those in America. It is interesting to see how these students reacted to your names - I'd be curious to find out what you think of theirs! =)

Here are some photos that I took at one of the most beautiful places in Ireland - The Cliffs of Moher!

Kissing the Blarney Stone - said to give you the gift of gab!

checking the views

The Cliffs of Moher

favorite day in Ireland!

Really, really pretty!

So, hopefully I can set up a Skype session soon! I miss you all at Centre Hall (hey! that rhymes) and I will see you soon!

Week 3 - Accommodations for Individual Learners

A little late is better than never =)
So, practically my whole situation over here is linked with accommodations for individual learners or providing remedial help.

Students from each class are pulled from their classes if help is needed in maths and language or reading. There are many resource teachers for the children to work with and these teachers provide more of a one -on - one classroom experience. The classes that I have been working with are 6-8 students, depending on the day. We work at a slower pace than their regular class, and offer more reinforcement with their basic math facts. With fourth class (4th grade), we are reviewing multiplication and going over each of their tables until they feel confident to perform without their books (which have all of their tables written out). I am trying to reinforce the special cases (x0, x1, x10) - but it is taking some time.

I have also observed an OT that was called in to help the resource teachers come up with a plan for one of the students in the school who needs to work on his motor skills and putting his body into use properly.

There are also SNAs in almost every classroom (special needs assisstants). They sit with certain students throughout the day and provide guidance and directions more directly personalized to the students needs. For example, one student that needs the extra assisstance from the SNA is a boy who seems to have some behavioral troubles. I cannot be very specific because I am not in one classroom all day - but as I learn more - I will share!

These are the accommodations that I have been able to observe!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am teaching my second class about the importance of being thankful and coming together during the time of Thanksgiving - no matter what country you are from! =)

Week 2 Comparisons

Since my video is not uploading, I am going to compare and contrast the differences between the Ireland school system and the American school system (according to my experiences) through writing. This is n ot exciting, I know, as seeing my face, but  the blog site won't let me upload that long of a video...

So it has been three weeks in the school at this point. Though, when I did my comparison blog, it was at the end of last week.
There are a lot of differences that immediately come to mind, but first I will address the similarities...

{Similarities}
The classroom setup is pretty similar to American classroom setups. There are desks and the walls are covered in word walls. There are also Smartboards and whiteboards in most classrooms, too. The students have bins to keep their own personal items, much like in the American schools where there is a bin for each table to keep crayons, pencils, glue sticks, etc. There are also computers in the classrooms in Ireland, though not as many.

For math and language arts, students are pulled from classes if they need remedial help. There are resource teachers that have their own individual rooms to work with these students.

The day is broken up into similar subjects; math, language arts, geography or history, etc. But these students also take a language (Gaelic) - which I was really surprised to see how young these students start to use this language in classrooms. My friend Courtney, who works with junior infants (4-5 years olds) says that the students are already practicing their Gaelic with simple commands and directions.

Onto some immediate differences :

I do not see a nurse in the school building. Holy Family has a junior infant school that is held within a different building (I'm unsure). The cafeteria and gym/auditorium are different buildings as well, all on one fenced in campus.

The library here is composed of six bookshelves at the end of a hallway with a plethora of books, though not many that fall under the American Accelerated Reader Program (which is what the school is trying to improve upon). I am currently trying to categorize the entire library into genres and levels of readers (which I am finding VERY difficult)

A difference that has posed a problem for me, personally, is that there is no carpet in any of the classrooms. The teachers do not typically do Read-Alouds...which is something very prominent in American schools. In my own "student" experience - I was read books/novels until 5th grade and possibly beyond. I think it is a great way to let students practice their auditory skills and explore different genres of books that they would not typically read. the carpet is also a pivotal part in the classroom because it allows for some kind of change-up in seating throughout the day. The kids in Ireland have to sit in the chairs from the start of the day, until the end. I would get fidgety if it were me in those seats!

Another difference is that the kids are allotted textbooks and notebooks for each of their subjects. It is their responsibility to take care of their books and write their homework or classwork in the proper "copies" book. This responsibility runs all the way down until junior infants! Amazing!

I have also found that hugs and high-fives are not used regularly in the classroom. I am all about positive reinforcement, and find nothing better than to get a high-five in acknowledgement of my work...so I expected the same of the teachers/students here - which is not the case.

There are probably tons more comparisons that I could make - but I must be honest, there is a lot that I am still trying to let sink in - even on week three.

Extra Learning Support Room

Meet Coco!

Not much new to post just yet, but I figured you'd like to see a picture of the cute dog that I am living with! Her name is Coco!

First Day!

So, I just got out of school!
The teachers and students are all wonderful! It may take me some time to get to know everyones' name, though!
I am going to be working with about six different groups of students, some in a whole-class setting and others in smaller groups that are pulled.
In one of my classes, I am sort of in charge of planning what the students should learn, which is awesome and nerve-wracking!
Tomorrow I will be working in the library, and I will need to post pictures so that you can see some of the differences. Other than the library, a lot of the school is set up the same way! There is a computer lab and large classrooms and a cafeteria (which I have yet to see).

Hope all is well in Centre Hall!
Miss everyone so so much!

- Caitlin