Week 12 - Professional

This week I was able to look into different teaching styles that I was able to compare to other classes or groups that are within my placement school. For the first time this week I was able to

enter into a group 4 classroom and see what way they learn. Here my main purpose was to teach some more basic English for instance to say my name is, I am fine etc. From what I observed however was a little bit different from what our primary 4’s would be taught. Already I have seen groups 1 and 2 and the teaching style was quite similar to that of back home – keeping things basic, structured play etc. but they did get to spend more time during the day playing rather than actual academic work with pen or paper (like they do back home). It was evident in group 1 that they were more relaxed about everything but just that they focussed more on play as a learning tool.

“Play enhances every aspect of children’s development and learning. It is children’s window to the world.” Early Childhood Early Learning Centre

As I have been in group 8 the most I have seen a teaching style again that relates more with home, as the children are older they have to learn in a more formal matter. This in my opinion is so that the children can get used to this way before they enter into high school and this way they will learn. Yes there are times they learn through a different way maybe by sitting in a circle and discussing the topic or maybe through outdoors on class trips. This works along with the Northern Ireland Curriculum that states “Well planned and well-resourced outdoor play experiences allow for progression in a child’s thinking and understanding. These can provide the context in which these principles become the reality for all our children”. Many theorists also agree with the idea of outdoor play such as McMillian (1925) who says:

“The best kept classroom and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky.”

Then when in the group 4 classroom the teaching style was a lot different. It was a lot of ‘song and dance’ and the children did seem to enjoy it. They were actively learning and so the kinaesthetic learners were going to benefit well out of this however, the children who learned most through auditory and visual in my opinion were not going to benefit at all. In my opinion an equal balance does not seem to be carried out in each of the classrooms but again it is up to the teacher who knows their class and children the best. So maybe this way of learning that they practise is the best? All I know is that I can take a lot away with me from seeing each of these age groups as there are some differences here compared to back home with our teaching approach; however this is most likely due to the lack of a secure curriculum in The Netherlands.

The remainder of my week consisted of class which did seem to cause a little problem due to a class turning out to be something that we did not expect. This was due to the explanation of it when choosing our modules being completely different to what it actually was, including ways of assessment. However, due to our good friend Magda things have been sorted out!

This week mainly was focussed on school but we did have a leaving party as Beth left for two weeks for America and our good friend Djo is leaving soon for good back to France. However, we are already planning a trip to France to see her again before we all leave… and even better she lives in Bordeaux where there is lots of sun!

P.s. top tip for this week no matter how much a goodbye can be hard or seem difficult to say, remember that with a goodbye to someone, a hello will soon be followed as you will see that person once again very soon.

References:

Early Childhood Learning Knowledge Centre (2006). Let the Children Play: Nature’s Answer to Early Learning. Available:  http://www.changelearning.ca/get-informed/understanding-human-learning/born-learn/early-years/importance-play. Last Accessed: 29/04/13.

Northern Ireland Curriculum (2007) CCEA. Learning Outdoors in Early Years. Available: http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/foundation_stage/learning_outdoors.pdf. Last Accessed: 29/04/13.