14th March 2013

I have been really ill this week, and didn't go to practicum, so I thought it would be a good time to sit down, and think about how I'm traveling along in the course. I'm really hoping the illness is not a true indicator of how I'm going!

The juggle between life/school/uni can be a tough one. I'm finding the uni course work interesting; but just wish I had more time to read, and consider things in more depth. I want to move the information I'm trying to learn to long term memory, but having such limited time to really process anything, it's difficult for that to happen. Sometimes, I feel like I'm being assessed on things I've hardly learnt to do well yet, and this can be frustrating at times.

I think the most pertinent issue that has arisen for me right now, is a sense from my mentor/site supervisor that I am supposed to somehow remove the knowledge I learnt from my prior degree. And I don't want to. I actually wanted to add onto it; fill in the gaps I wasn't sure about, and expand upon things I'd already learnt. The knowledge I gained previously is valuable, and it makes sense. It also gives me a strong scaffold to hang new pieces of information onto...I consider it my saving grace at times! I interpret information through that filter...and I'm not too sure that I want to completely undo it. However, I am happy for it to be refocused, or adjusted wherever necessary!

After completing most of language assignment readings and research, I can see that so much of teaching/reading research uses the same terms and concepts as in areas of speech pathology. Working memory, visual/auditory memory, auditory representation, phonemes, phonological awareness, phonological representations, oral language, narrative structures, receptive and expressive language are all terms that each domain uses. And yet when I mention these terms within my meetings, I've been told that I have my speech hat on, and that I really need to take it off when I walk into the classroom! I now spend much of my time trying very hard not to sound like a speech pathologist, and not to ask any 'why' questions. And it's quite draining. It feels like there is a very distinct line for some teachers between the two domains, but I just don't see it like that. I see it as a shades of grey continuum. Why do I have to be one, or the other? Can't I be both? Why can't I use the knowledge I've already learnt within a classroom? In the same way teachers, speech pathologists, and psychologists all collaborate toward the same research outcomes (and often have similar roles in the process) surely the same could be seen of a classroom?At times, I've felt a little frustrated, and defeated. Especially when I was asked "You are a speech pathologist. Do you actually want to be a teacher?" As if it's one or the other. I had to really think about that one. Perhaps not. I love learning, and I want to be the best educator I can possibly be...whatever form that takes.

When I originally thought about this issue in terms of a child in the classroom, I believed it would be like asking a newly transferred child who successfully learnt at his old school how to calculate a maths problem in an alternative way to the method his new teacher is now demonstrating on the board. When he tries to explain how/why he has completed the problem in an alternative way, the teacher replies "Do you actually want to learn how to do this? Start again, and this time, ignore what you already know, and do it my way." Rather than expand his problem solving knowledge to incorporate a new strategy into his skills bank, the teacher shuts him down, and makes him feel defeated, and frustrated.

In saying all of the above, I really am loving being in the classroom. The children are just incredible, and watching them learn, and experience joy at an achievement moves me in a way I didn't actually think possible. Words can't really express how much I look forward to seeing them each week. They bring out such a fundamental joy in me;  I really look forward to teaching them. The dedication I feel towards those children led me to this:


"Be someone else. It takes great empathy to create a good experience. To create relevant experiences, you have to forget everything you know and design for others. Align with the expected patience, level of interest, and depth of knowledge of your users. Talk in the users’ language.” – Niko Nyman

Funnily enough, this quote isn't from education, it's from the field of User Experience Design. As different as that may seem from education, I can see so many similarities between these occupations, and I love how this quote loses none of it's relevance when placed in an entirely different context.

The children really inspire me to create the best learning experiences I can for them, and I think that's why I owe it to both myself and them to give this learning opportunity my all. I have to allow others the opportunity to teach me in their way too, albeit a child, or colleague. If I have to somehow adjust my 'speechie' filter to learn how to do it, then that's what I'm going to try really hard to do. Even if it doesn't fully make sense to me right now.

7th March 2013

This week, I found the class becoming busier, and busier. As more and more concentrated planning for the class got underway, the teachers became busier and busier, with less space in the classroom timetable to practice reader's theatre, and watch a handwriting lesson. Thus, I found it was difficult to achieve the tasks set out in my learning journal.

Creating a classroom profiles was quite difficult; most student files had no background information in them whatsoever. At best, the information was limited to gender, address, and transferring school, if appropriate. And that really got me thinking about the difficulties a teacher faces. A teacher needs to teach effectively, without sometimes knowing the full picture of a child. In order to access the information, they might have to make many phone calls, emails, and trips to the front office to organise. With such a busy timetable, limited DOTT, and many children in one class...if this a real possibility? If not, what can you do? I found that my mentors prioritised very well; systematically working through the children on a case-by-case basis, in order of need. This prioritisation appeared to occur in assessments also, which has just begun for reading levels in literacy.

It's also been interesting to watch the dynamics between three very different teachers; all in one classroom, having to work together to work out the planning, and teaching roles. I can see at times that it's hard for them...can you really 'own' your lesson if you don't do the planning for it? Is it okay for another teacher to interrupt the lesson you are running in front of the children in order to change something, or add something in? What if that makes you feel like you can't make a mistake/learn? What are the ground rules? What if you don't agree with something and the other two teachers overrule you? What if your teaching style/behaviour management is different to another and the children react to this? It got me thinking about what a shared teaching position would entail, and the issues that surround it....I also was struck between the parallels between an adult collaborative learning environment, and the collaborative learning environment of a classroom.

And then, it got me reflecting even more; what is it that motivates any of us to learn? After this week, I would answer " the right environment". But what does that mean? To me, it means creating/experiencing a sense of genuine ownership in a learning task, having a learning goal that is challenging...but not defeating, having/conveying a strong sense of what the expected outcome is, and how to achieve it, and a strong respect for the learner as a whole.

What does that look like in the classroom? I've seen it in the way a teacher thanks a student for their effort, and acknowledges the difficulty involved. I've seen it in the way that a teacher placed a child at a particular table to ensure distraction free learning, and I've seen it in the way a teacher writes down the expectations for the lesson, and then explains to the children how they will achieve it. And I've seen it in the way a teacher activates (and scaffolds onto) a child's prior knowledge to ensure a higher chance of a successful outcome, this reinforcing the pleasure of learning to the child.

28th February 2013

This week at practicum I independently carried out two shared reading lessons with 25 children whilst small satellite groups went off and did guided reading with the teachers. I had the opportunity to create a lesson plan, use the ‘think, pair, share’ technique, and a combination of low-key behaviour management techniques too. On both occasions (including my first ever lesson!) I was observed, so my desire to not completely ‘bomb-out’ was incredibly high! In the first lesson, I was observed by the deputy principal (who had come in to do performance management observations of the entire class, and she ended up including me) and the next day by my site supervisor (who had come in especially to observe me).

I thought I’d be extremely nervous, but somehow, when I sat in front of the gorgeous little faces, all I could see and think about was them. I went into teacher mode, and we talked about book components, adjectives, and story morals. We discussed the word appealing, and I pointed out digraphs in words, so that what the children learnt in their literacy mat session was put into context. I held them accountable my randomly choosing children with questions, and I think it definitely helped with managing their behaviour. I made a conscious effort to have more positive praise than negative feedback, because I strongly believe that this will influence behaviour more effectively. I also decided to wear a clown's wig for the second lesson (the story was partly about wigs). It worked beautifully to hold the children's attention! I'm sure the children now believe Mrs Stewart is somewhat strange. They wouldn't be wrong!

The wig was also part of my effort to build strong rapport with the children in the class, especially those who might be seen as having disruptive behaviour. I can see that some children feel a bit different to others in the class, possibly because of their learning abilities, home life, and culture. They tend not to participate in the mat sessions, and are either extremely silent (trying to fly under the radar) or quite disruptive. Wearing a wig on my head, not only made them laugh and contribute, it also taught them that different can mean good, and that diversity doesn't have to be seen a a negative in the classroom. We don't have to feel like we need to be like other people to be celebrated. Rather, we are perfect just the way we are. That sentiment was also echoed in the story I read. 

Watching how aware the children are of their differences also made me particularly aware about just how diverse a classroom can be. Although my class has equal numbers of girls/boys, it also contains children who come from different cultures, families of different socio-economic status, children supportive families, and children in foster families. It has children with special learning needs, and those that would benefit from extension in some learning areas. 

So I started thinking...how will I support each one of these children in their individual learning journey?

I'm not too sure I can give a checklist of answers for this, other than to say I believe supporting a child means respecting their individual needs. Knowing and understanding individual needs can only come from knowing the child...and that means building a good rapport with the student, and with all of the people connected to them. I could do this before lesson time, and at the end of the day, during lunch and afternoon tea breaks, and during activities in the classroom. I could host a parent information night or after school activity that involved the child and their family.

Allowing for diversity in the classroom might mean adjusting my teaching to match a child's learning style, perhaps being more visual, or kinesthetic. It might mean adjusting my lesson delivery; reducing/chunking instructions to allow a child to retain and complete a task successfully and thus become more confident. It might mean making my voice softer, louder, being quiet, or more energetic in order to engage. I could celebrate a child's cultural heritage within my classroom planning, and recognise and respect a child's abilities in all areas, not just the area I am teaching in. Certainly, I could also use a child's skills in different areas as a scaffold for future learning.

I also see celebrating diversity as also making the classroom as accessible as possible for the child. If a child comes to school hungry, in emotional distress, with hearing issues, speech, language or sensory processing difficulties, then I need to refer them for extra support to ensure they are able to access/engage in as many learning opportunities as their peers. I also need to involve parents within the classroom environment, and open a dialogue with them to monitor what is happening in a child's world outside the classroom, as this may significantly impact on learning.

Although I believe I can answer some of my questions, I still have others. How can I be accountable in addressing diversity? Will my effort in this area be directly related to short term student outcomes, or is it more of a long-term measure? How can I measure my specific impact? I always seem to end up with more questions than I started with...I'm just hoping that's a good thing!