Week seven: (26/03/12 – 01/04/12) Professional

In my previous blog (week five), I had written that the current unit of enquiry in my Kindergarten class is, ‘Fins, Feathers and Fur.’ Through this topic the children are introduced to the life cycles of a fish, frog (amphibian), turtle (reptile), butterfly (insect), chicken (bird) and elephant (mammal). My teacher asked me to teach both the life cycle of the chicken and elephant over the course of two weeks. This involved me having to make a poster for both animals, highlighting each stage of their life, as well as an introduction and a craft activity. As the class are only four to five year olds, I didn’t have to go into much detail, but build a foundation for future learning and vocabulary. Using a poster as a visual aid helps those pupils who struggle with English, along with it being something they can refer back  to later in the lesson. Teaching the word, ‘adolescent elephant’ to a child whose third language is English is not an easy task, but the children learn quickly through methods such as songs and repetition. I had been a little nervous about the children answering me in Polish; however, they tried their best to reply in English and anything I didn’t understand the teacher quickly translated it to me.

A man taught the children about other reptiles and insects

Although I had been given time to prepare my lessons on life cycles, the teacher frequently asks me to teach a lesson five minutes before it is about to happen. This has been a good challenge for me as although I am happy to change a lesson at the time I like to have it organised and feel prepared. I have enjoyed the challenge of thinking on my feet or ‘winging it,’ then reflecting on how I would do it differently. “Experience is a hard teacher because it gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.” (Law, sighted in Zepeda, 2008:192) From this experience I need to remember to always work from where the children are at individually with their learning. I am gradually being equipped with the skills required to think on my feet and adapt lessons quickly so my pupils are provided with opportunities to develop their understanding and knowledge. Even though it is important to have an organised and well planned scheme, it is important to be flexible. 

Art class: the children were asked
to create shapes on the playground

I have currently been reading the ‘Life of Pi’ and a quote stood out to me regarding learning; “It was my luck to have a few good teachers in my youth, men and women who came into my dark head and lit a match.” (Martel, 2001:25) My Kindergarten class has given me a new perspective on what and how young children can be taught. I would never have previously thought that primary one children should be taught the topic of life cycles in this detail, however, I have now seen the benefits it can have. This year, I had chosen to specialise in Foundation and KS1 and this experience has shown me that this was the right choice. I am constantly learning new strategies to manage behaviour and the importance of repetition with early years.

My class playing, tug of war!

Kasia, the ‘Polish for foreigners’ teacher, asked if we would like our own private lessons for an hour after school each week, to help with our pronunciation and general speaking. I hope that when I am a teacher I can be as kind with my time, as I feel it is an important quality to have – even to those who aren’t your responsibility!

Reference:

Martel, Y. (2001) The Life of Pi, Canada, Canongate Books Ltd

Zepeda, S. J. (2008) Professional Development: What Works, New York, Eye On Education.