I really love this quote. And I kept thinking about it this week, as I pondered some of the valuable experiences I've had, and situations I was lucky to observe.
I've been lucky enough this week to have been given the most incredible amount of valuable information, and I just don't know where to start in terms of organising and utilising it! It's all swirling about in my head.
I have never been to a workplace like the one I entered this week. The staff were amazing, and the culture they have created was one of belonging. It was welcoming, respectful, and the dialogue was open, and explicit. The Principal has created a system/team that fully encourages the sharing of knowledge, and further learning. It is expected that staff use an explicit learning approach, and that their teaching practices be assessed/provided with feedback to further develop their own learning journey's. There was a very clear,specific vision for the direction of the school, but also an understanding/offer of the support structures necessary to achieve the high expectations set on teachers.
I wanted to apply for a job on the spot.
My practicum classroom is quite unusual. One large room, 60 children, and three teachers, with one EA. It was an invaluable experience to see the creative planning of the room layout (there isn't enough room for each student to have their own desk/chair), and to watch the teacher's negotiate how best to achieve learning goals, and communicate effectively and cohesively with each other in front of the children. I can't wait to see it all in practice over time.
From the beginning, behaviour management was key. Rules were established from the very first mat session, and reinforced at assembly. Due to there being sixty children, and one classroom, noise has to be kept to a minimum, so there is much signing, and encouraging the children to sign, as opposed to calling out and talking. This was monitored very strictly with a 'traffic light' system. The management of such a large group is also maintained from the entry points to the classroom. Children are divided into several groups; one from the door they enter from in the morning (which also dictates where their bags are placed, and when they attend music/science), and three different groups (colours) for art lesson rotation. I did draw up a floor plan to add to my journal, but my scanner is not playing nice, so it will have to wait to be added.
The first day was also lots of fun! I checked off at least a hundred thousand stationary supplies (no, I'm not exaggerating...I don't want to see another HB writing pencil for the rest of the year), and got to watch behaviour management implementation from the get-go. I even tried out a couple of management techniques I learnt in the intensives (eye-contact, proximity, and gesture). I had to stifle a little giggle at how well proximity works on year one students (does it wear off, I wonder?). I also held a 'Simon Says' mini mat session whilst the teaching staff organised some tasks, and I got to observe a couple of informal reading assessments too.
The assessments really got me thinking about a few things. They were held in a class full of children, moving about and talking. It must be very difficult for teachers to have ideal conditions/time to carry out an assessment, and if the conditions were not ideal, then how representative is the assessment of a child's full abilities? How, as a teacher, will I get around this? And will the assessments I carry out tell me about a child's strengths too? Planning lessons to a child's strengths makes it easier to build scaffolding for learning new information. We know children hold multiple intelligences in varying strengths/combinations, and thus it feels important to me to have that kind of understanding of a child too. I wonder if that's something I will just build as I get to know the children better. I just wouldn't want to lose them/their motivation to learn before that happened.
Part of the assessment I observed also relied on a child's expressive language to explain what the book was about (i.e. to check reading comprehension). It made me think of a situation where a child may have dyspraxia, an expressive language difficulty, word finding difficulties and/or high anxiety levels. These issues may not necessarily impact on their reading comprehension, but would affect their ability to verbally express the meaning they've just gained from the text. Will they get a lower score than they actually deserve, and will this mean they might be placed in a group that doesn't challenge them adequately? I can see how this would be a a potentially significant issue for a teacher. I really need to make sure as a teacher, that a child is working in their own 'zone of proximal development'...but if the assessment I'm using has limitations, and there is limited time allocated for formal assessment (ie. no repeated tests), then what other options will I have to get a representative sample?
On another note, I saw two children in the room who cried today, from what looked like really high levels of anxiety. One apparently cries whenever it's writing time; he looked defeated before he'd even begun on the writing task. He's only in Year One. It was really difficult for me to see this, and it got me thinking about the podcast from Lorraine that I listened to before intensives started...about the high levels of adrenalin affecting learning, and our ability to retain information long time. Teacher's are not trained Mental Health Workers, or Psychologists...and the wait lists for these services in an education setting (especially after Kindy & Pre-Primary) are very long; that's if a child is eligible in the first place.
So what would I do?
I found myself wanting to know why he was so upset...was it a matter of some postural/sensory support? Motor memory/programming/planning? Strength? Lack of confidence? As a future teacher of over 20 children (who may not be in a school as supportive as the one I'm in)...will I have time/skills to assess a child like him, and link him in with other services if I needed to? Would a parent actually be willing to engage with other services, even if I could manage the first step? How would I bring it up? Will I learn what are the referral criteria/red flags for various services (Speech/OT/Psychology/DCP), and what the formal referral processes are? And whilst a child is on the wait list...what would I do in the meantime to best support him?
Well, I think that's enough writing, and questions! I have a pile of notes I wrote from the Staff P.D days about the specifics of a classroom set up, social skills programs, and explicit instruction, but I'd like to re-read and research some of them further before I reflect on them. Plus I need to catch up on some unit reading!
Where does the time go...?
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