Today is P.D. Day, and Mr. Yake and several teachers put together a workshop for all teachers. I believe that it is very important, as Mr. Yake put it, to have shared beliefs and understanding among all staff. Staff should be working together for the best interest of the school and the students, so mutual understanding and support are essential. It is good to promote diversity, but if every teacher utilizes a different system in teaching and dealing with students, then the school would be very dissociated. One grade moves into the new school year, and the students have to get used to a new system all over again, and the teacher has to get used to the students with a different set of learning strategies. Therefore, I feel strongly that everyone in the school should cooperate to strive towards a holistic view of presenting education, which I find it happening in Greensborough since my first day.
Ann gave a little presentation on how to help poor readers improve. She suggested that we need to prepare a safe place where they can help each other. To me, it is very true. If I'm not good at something, I would feel intimidated, because I would be conscious of how others see me -- they must think that I'm bad. Learning is not a cautious process, so students should not be taught to be afraid of exposing what they are not good at. They need to be given an opportunity to demonstrate what they know, and to receive guidance in how they can improve. And it should be something between the teacher and the student, as well as among the students. They should not be intimidated by each other, because they are there to support and learn from each other. It is a teacher's responsibility to create a space where it's ok for students to make mistakes, because making mistakes is the first step to correcting them.
I like the activity that Ellen conducted, where each of us were given a card with a reading strategy, and we had to find another person and ask them what they think the strategy means. I shared a card with Ann, and it says "Making Connections: text to text". We discussed it with Jen (Ms. Jones), and I pointed out something. In our discussion, text means print. However, I think that text encompasses more than print resources. It includes images, movies, websites, and all the new media that is out there. Ann wasn't sure if this is what text implies, but we concluded that it is, because new media doesn't fit into "self" or "world", so it must belong to text. It is not until last year that I become aware of all kinds of literature around us, not only books and articles, but also music, dance, and new media technologies. It might seem overwhelming at the beginning, but these "new" kinds of knowledge should be available to us as well as our students, because they are part of our environment, and printed materials are not the only sources of information and knowledge.
Talking about new media technology, I realized that a lot of teachers felt enstranged to the computer while Sean was demonstrating how to set up the report card online. I think that teachers need to be ensured a safe environment while learning something new, as much as our students. Most teachers feel that using the computer is hard, just because they are not taught the basic skills. They need to understand why clicking this button goes to the next page, in order to feel comfortable using it. If they can't make sense of it, then the technology would only be an added-on burden that they must use, and incorporate in their classroom. The fear would overpower the purpose of including technology in education. Therefore, I think that teachers should be well equipped and prepared to accept new media technologies, to become role models for our students that live in the modern and future world.
I'm also surprised by the supply of labtops in the library. My New Media Literacy and Culture course requires us to do a project on new media technology, and it can be anything that relates to the classroom. I thought about making a homepage for Ms. Carson's class, which might include things like classroom news, school news, fun links to educational games, a bulletin board for upcoming activities in the community (e.g. colouring contests, Markham Fair), and an online blog for the students. I actually thought about doing an online blog first, but it would make more sense when it's put into perspective with the homepage. Once a week, the students can type a journal entry (in a few lines) about anything. They can also post pictures of their work that are pre-scanned by the teacher, and the students can reply to any entry. It serves as a social tool for students to interact. After today's workshop, I felt more strongly about it. Mr. Herridge said that some students think that a writer is someone sitting on the desk with a pen and a piece of paper, which is not true. By writing in the blog, children are given a space to express themselves in a new way, without pens and papers, where they can be encouraged as writers of their own life.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Oct.13, 06
Today during Ms. Carson's prep. time, Ms. Curry came in to teach the students Health. She talked about the different categories of the Canadian Food Guide, e.g., Grains, Milk and Diary Product, etc. After the lesson, she gave each of the group an envelope. Each envelope contains some paper slips, which has different kinds of food written on them (e.g., ice-cream). As a group, they had to arrange the paper slips into the categories of the food guide.
As I was walking around, I felt a bit intimidated. This is a difficult activity! I don't know where "oil", and a lot of other food, belong to. I asked Ms. Curry, and she explained it to me so I could help the students. I realize that if I'm planning a lesson, I must really know what I'm doing, or else the students would be confused. I need to show them that I know what I'm talking about, and I can help them and let them learn. I was talking to a friend afterwards, who is also a teacher candidate. She is doing her placement in a Grade Six class, and last time there was a supply teacher during French class, who doesn't know French. My friend doens't know French either, but when the student asked her a question, she went up to another student who knew, so she was able to go back to the student who didn't understand it. I think she handled it very well, and I'm going to learn from her. Facing the problem is an important aspect of being a teacher. Sometimes it requires us to do what we don't usually do, but we must adjust to the situation and make the best out of it.
I noticed that the seating plan is changed in about every two weeks. I think this is helpful for the students in terms of their social skills. I saw that one of the groups didn't work really well together. One of the students in the group likes everything to be done according to his way; one doesn't speak much, but she doesn't listen to the group either; one is frustrated when the rest of the group don't work together; and the other one doesn't get involved in the arguments. It is interesting to see how they work things out, because situations like this don't always require teacher interference. We have to trust that students have the capability to handle it themselves, to let them learn how to communicate and cooperate in a group when they are not good friends with each other. Two weeks later, the groups are going to be changed again, and they are going to deal with other students with different personalities and working habits. Then it's a new experience all over!
As I was walking around, I felt a bit intimidated. This is a difficult activity! I don't know where "oil", and a lot of other food, belong to. I asked Ms. Curry, and she explained it to me so I could help the students. I realize that if I'm planning a lesson, I must really know what I'm doing, or else the students would be confused. I need to show them that I know what I'm talking about, and I can help them and let them learn. I was talking to a friend afterwards, who is also a teacher candidate. She is doing her placement in a Grade Six class, and last time there was a supply teacher during French class, who doesn't know French. My friend doens't know French either, but when the student asked her a question, she went up to another student who knew, so she was able to go back to the student who didn't understand it. I think she handled it very well, and I'm going to learn from her. Facing the problem is an important aspect of being a teacher. Sometimes it requires us to do what we don't usually do, but we must adjust to the situation and make the best out of it.
I noticed that the seating plan is changed in about every two weeks. I think this is helpful for the students in terms of their social skills. I saw that one of the groups didn't work really well together. One of the students in the group likes everything to be done according to his way; one doesn't speak much, but she doesn't listen to the group either; one is frustrated when the rest of the group don't work together; and the other one doesn't get involved in the arguments. It is interesting to see how they work things out, because situations like this don't always require teacher interference. We have to trust that students have the capability to handle it themselves, to let them learn how to communicate and cooperate in a group when they are not good friends with each other. Two weeks later, the groups are going to be changed again, and they are going to deal with other students with different personalities and working habits. Then it's a new experience all over!
Oct.6, 06
Today, I was a bit nervous because it'll be my first time reading a picture book to a class of Grade Ones. First times are always difficult, but I know that after I get through this, I'll feel much more comfortable dealing with a class!
Ms. Carson told me that I would have time to read the book after lunch, so during the first half of the day, I just did what I usually do -- talking to students before class starts and during recess, walking around and observing them during class time, helping Ms. Carson with whatever needs to be done, etc.
One interesting thing that I did was drawing a person on chart paper. I have to admit that I'm not a great artist -- not after I've "grown up", anyway. I don't mean that I'm afraid of drawing, but when it comes to group activities, I won't be the one to volunteer to do the pictures. Ms. Carson asked me to draw a person, colour it and cut it out. It's going to be the material for a lesson on bullying. She told me that she'll ask the students to stand in a circle, and she will hold the paper person in the middle of the circle. She'll ask them to say bad things to the paper person and bully him. Each time someone say something bad to him, Ms. Carson would tear the paper. After the paper man is poorly ripped, she'll let the students say sorry to him. For every "sorry", she'll tape the parts that are ripped. After this, she will explain to them that even though we apologized, it leaves marks on the person being bullied. I think that it is powerful. We as teachers always tell students not to say this and not to do that, but it may be abstract to them. From this lesson, students would be able to see the "wounds" visually, and make connections to how a person would feel deep inside.
As a teacher candidate, I feel empowered after drawing this paper man. I realize that teachers aren't perfect beings, we have our own weaknesses, but we must help ourselves. In a classroom, we must do whatever we can do to make each lesson worthwhile. For example, I'm taking an education elective called Literacy and Culture this term. I thought that it's about reading texts, but it's actually a new media literacy course. I could've dropped it and taken another course, but I didn't, because I want to try new things, and here's a chance. Most fellow teacher candidates are not familiar with new technologies and how to incorporate them into classrooms, but we must make our best attempts if it enriches our students. We must believe in ourselves and feel confident, because we are the models of the 20 children in our classroom. If we are resistant to learning, then we will not be able to guide the students to learn. We must be brave!
After lunch, I read the story book to the Grade Ones. By that time, I wasn't nervous anymore, because I have been with the class for half a day, so I didn't feel as self-conscious. The story is called "Where the Wild Things are". I asked them questions before opening the book, and they were very eager to tell me what they think about it. As I was reading the book, I let them investigate the pictures, tell me about the pictures, and guess what might happen next. I was glad that there were lots of interaction, that they were enthusiastic and they seemed like they were enjoying it. Ms. Carson said that I did a wonderful job, which really encouraged me. I have studied this picture book in a Humanity course called "Worlds of Childhood" last year, and I am really glad that I took that course. The professor taught us how to analyze a children's book, what are the hidden ideologies, and how should we approach it. I learned a lot in that course, and I became a more insightful reader.
Today is a great day, and I look forward to introducing a Math activity to the students in two weeks!
Ms. Carson told me that I would have time to read the book after lunch, so during the first half of the day, I just did what I usually do -- talking to students before class starts and during recess, walking around and observing them during class time, helping Ms. Carson with whatever needs to be done, etc.
One interesting thing that I did was drawing a person on chart paper. I have to admit that I'm not a great artist -- not after I've "grown up", anyway. I don't mean that I'm afraid of drawing, but when it comes to group activities, I won't be the one to volunteer to do the pictures. Ms. Carson asked me to draw a person, colour it and cut it out. It's going to be the material for a lesson on bullying. She told me that she'll ask the students to stand in a circle, and she will hold the paper person in the middle of the circle. She'll ask them to say bad things to the paper person and bully him. Each time someone say something bad to him, Ms. Carson would tear the paper. After the paper man is poorly ripped, she'll let the students say sorry to him. For every "sorry", she'll tape the parts that are ripped. After this, she will explain to them that even though we apologized, it leaves marks on the person being bullied. I think that it is powerful. We as teachers always tell students not to say this and not to do that, but it may be abstract to them. From this lesson, students would be able to see the "wounds" visually, and make connections to how a person would feel deep inside.
As a teacher candidate, I feel empowered after drawing this paper man. I realize that teachers aren't perfect beings, we have our own weaknesses, but we must help ourselves. In a classroom, we must do whatever we can do to make each lesson worthwhile. For example, I'm taking an education elective called Literacy and Culture this term. I thought that it's about reading texts, but it's actually a new media literacy course. I could've dropped it and taken another course, but I didn't, because I want to try new things, and here's a chance. Most fellow teacher candidates are not familiar with new technologies and how to incorporate them into classrooms, but we must make our best attempts if it enriches our students. We must believe in ourselves and feel confident, because we are the models of the 20 children in our classroom. If we are resistant to learning, then we will not be able to guide the students to learn. We must be brave!
After lunch, I read the story book to the Grade Ones. By that time, I wasn't nervous anymore, because I have been with the class for half a day, so I didn't feel as self-conscious. The story is called "Where the Wild Things are". I asked them questions before opening the book, and they were very eager to tell me what they think about it. As I was reading the book, I let them investigate the pictures, tell me about the pictures, and guess what might happen next. I was glad that there were lots of interaction, that they were enthusiastic and they seemed like they were enjoying it. Ms. Carson said that I did a wonderful job, which really encouraged me. I have studied this picture book in a Humanity course called "Worlds of Childhood" last year, and I am really glad that I took that course. The professor taught us how to analyze a children's book, what are the hidden ideologies, and how should we approach it. I learned a lot in that course, and I became a more insightful reader.
Today is a great day, and I look forward to introducing a Math activity to the students in two weeks!
Friday, September 29, 2006
Today, Ms. Carson let me take the attendence, and I'm surprised that I remember all of the students' names. Then we went to finish the Terry Fox walk, because the Grade.1s didn't get to complete 3 whole labs yesterday. We went with Ms. Jone's class, and each class was accompanied by 2 Grade.8 students, just to look after the little ones. Two of them sang along with the Grade.1s, and it was very nice to see them getting along like this. I believe that it has something to do with The Gators Day and how Mr. Yake and the teachers promote and emphasize on unity. Seeing older students and younger students working and playing together is very powerful, because what we usually see is a separation among different age groups. Parents would let cousins of the approximate age play together, because they play with the same things, and because older children might think that the younger ones are annoying. This few weeks in Greensborough really opened up my thinking horizon.
During recess, I witnessed quarrels among students. Two boys were being rude to another boy. Ms. Carson saw that and stopped them. She asked them how they would feel if their positions are reversed, and she asked them to apologize. However, they came back and said that the boy wouldn't listen, and he just covered his ears with his hands and kept saying "blah blah blah". Sometimes it's difficult, because that little boy is sometimes mean to other students too. Students at this young age might not have the social skills to work and play with different people, and it's important as educators to guide them and teach them as good people as well as good students.
Although it's not pleasant seeing the students quarrel, I'm happy that I haven't seen any students fighting against each other because of racial difference. Greensborough is a very diverse school, and students seem to work well with each other. I believe that addressing to difference is a learned phenomena, so we have to be careful what kind of messages to convey to students.
I did lots of photocopying today, and I also used the computer to make the October calendar with Ms. Carson. We did the word wall words today, where the students stand on the carpet, and they reach, crouch and clap while saying the words. For example, the word "at". The "t" is a word that's "up above the trees", and they would say "a" and clap normally, then say "t" and reach up higher and clap. "p" would be a "down on the ground" word, where they crouch down to clap. This activity gives them a physical and visualized concepts of alphabets and words, which I find really interesting. They'd repeat the spelling a few times, and then say the word "at". Through practice, they would know and internalize the word and the spelling.
After lunch, the class worked on patterning in Math. They were assessed today. I talked with Ms. Carson about assessment in Gr.1. The Professor in my "Teaching Math in P/J" course said that it's not really reasonable to assess Gr.1 students, because they are so new to the schooling system. They had to be there all day, which already makes them feel exhausted half way through. Ms. Carson also mentioned that they do not have the language and vocabulary to express themselves, which makes it hard for evaluation.
After school, two students gave me a hug and wished me a good weekend, which I think is very sweet of them. I'm excited in having students know me and feel comfortable around me. Ms. Carson said that I can bring in a picture book to read to them, and I'm feeling even more excited!
During recess, I witnessed quarrels among students. Two boys were being rude to another boy. Ms. Carson saw that and stopped them. She asked them how they would feel if their positions are reversed, and she asked them to apologize. However, they came back and said that the boy wouldn't listen, and he just covered his ears with his hands and kept saying "blah blah blah". Sometimes it's difficult, because that little boy is sometimes mean to other students too. Students at this young age might not have the social skills to work and play with different people, and it's important as educators to guide them and teach them as good people as well as good students.
Although it's not pleasant seeing the students quarrel, I'm happy that I haven't seen any students fighting against each other because of racial difference. Greensborough is a very diverse school, and students seem to work well with each other. I believe that addressing to difference is a learned phenomena, so we have to be careful what kind of messages to convey to students.
I did lots of photocopying today, and I also used the computer to make the October calendar with Ms. Carson. We did the word wall words today, where the students stand on the carpet, and they reach, crouch and clap while saying the words. For example, the word "at". The "t" is a word that's "up above the trees", and they would say "a" and clap normally, then say "t" and reach up higher and clap. "p" would be a "down on the ground" word, where they crouch down to clap. This activity gives them a physical and visualized concepts of alphabets and words, which I find really interesting. They'd repeat the spelling a few times, and then say the word "at". Through practice, they would know and internalize the word and the spelling.
After lunch, the class worked on patterning in Math. They were assessed today. I talked with Ms. Carson about assessment in Gr.1. The Professor in my "Teaching Math in P/J" course said that it's not really reasonable to assess Gr.1 students, because they are so new to the schooling system. They had to be there all day, which already makes them feel exhausted half way through. Ms. Carson also mentioned that they do not have the language and vocabulary to express themselves, which makes it hard for evaluation.
After school, two students gave me a hug and wished me a good weekend, which I think is very sweet of them. I'm excited in having students know me and feel comfortable around me. Ms. Carson said that I can bring in a picture book to read to them, and I'm feeling even more excited!
Monday, September 25, 2006
Sept.22, 06: P.A. Day
Today is P.A. Day, and I arrived at Greensborough at 8:30am in the morning. Ms. Carson wasn't there yet, so Ms. Jones opened the door for me. Since I didn't know what needs to be done, I took out my camera and started taking pictures of the classroom and the students' works. After I tidied up the cupboard, I went to Ms. Jones' room to see if she needed any help. In the meanwhile, Ms. Carson arrived, and we started talking about school supplies orders.
Ms. Carson and Ms. Jones flipped through pages in the catelogue, looking for what they need in their classroom. I think there's a misunderstanding about teachers that they teach 8:00am to 3:30pm and then have the rest of their time free to themselves. They have lots of holidays, good salaries, and they just have to go in and teach five days a week. A lot of people make it sound like an easy job, but guess what? Who has to decide which kind of pens to purchase, how many sticky notes they need? The teachers. Who goes out and explore teaching resources, and get everything laminated for classroom use? The teachers. Who do all the cutting, pasting and crafty preparations before they hand the work to students? The teachers. Who brings home unfinished work, assignments and reports home after school? The teachers. Teachers need to do everything, because they are responsible for a class of students, and they have to meet the needs of the 20 children whom they build a strong relationship with. This is the great job of teachers.
During the first half of the day, I did lots of cutting. Ms. Carson sent all her things to laminate, and returned with 92' of lamination. My job was to cut out each individual piece. She asked me to do so in an apologetic tone, but I didn't mind at all. For me, everything is a learning experience. If I want to become a teacher, I need to try doing everything, from teaching a lesson to cleaning the classroom. I'm ready for that! I'm happy that both Ms. Carson and Ms. Jones think that I'm very neat and organized, and that I'm helpful. Everyone in the school is friendly, and I'm feeling really comfortable in this environment.
During lunch, I ate with Ms. Carson, Ms. Jones and Mrs. Kanhai in the staff room. We talked about travelling. It is nice to hear teachers talking among themselves like friends. Not only am I learning about education from them, but I'm also learning about their lifes, which is very interesting and enriching to me.
After lunch, I started working on another job. There are 30 or so envelopes with word wall words written on them, and I had to find the words from a pile of lamination, stick a magnet on the back of the words, and put them inside the envelopes. I had fun organizing it so that I could do it in a more efficient way. Some of the words were missing, and I had to write them and cut them out. There were 10 words left by the end of the day, but Ms. Carson told me to go home, and said that she can do it later.
That's the end of my first P.A. Day as a teacher candidate. I was tired after I went home, but I felt good about myself. I like doing the work, and I'm having a greater understanding of what the art of teaching is all about.
Ms. Carson and Ms. Jones flipped through pages in the catelogue, looking for what they need in their classroom. I think there's a misunderstanding about teachers that they teach 8:00am to 3:30pm and then have the rest of their time free to themselves. They have lots of holidays, good salaries, and they just have to go in and teach five days a week. A lot of people make it sound like an easy job, but guess what? Who has to decide which kind of pens to purchase, how many sticky notes they need? The teachers. Who goes out and explore teaching resources, and get everything laminated for classroom use? The teachers. Who do all the cutting, pasting and crafty preparations before they hand the work to students? The teachers. Who brings home unfinished work, assignments and reports home after school? The teachers. Teachers need to do everything, because they are responsible for a class of students, and they have to meet the needs of the 20 children whom they build a strong relationship with. This is the great job of teachers.
During the first half of the day, I did lots of cutting. Ms. Carson sent all her things to laminate, and returned with 92' of lamination. My job was to cut out each individual piece. She asked me to do so in an apologetic tone, but I didn't mind at all. For me, everything is a learning experience. If I want to become a teacher, I need to try doing everything, from teaching a lesson to cleaning the classroom. I'm ready for that! I'm happy that both Ms. Carson and Ms. Jones think that I'm very neat and organized, and that I'm helpful. Everyone in the school is friendly, and I'm feeling really comfortable in this environment.
During lunch, I ate with Ms. Carson, Ms. Jones and Mrs. Kanhai in the staff room. We talked about travelling. It is nice to hear teachers talking among themselves like friends. Not only am I learning about education from them, but I'm also learning about their lifes, which is very interesting and enriching to me.
After lunch, I started working on another job. There are 30 or so envelopes with word wall words written on them, and I had to find the words from a pile of lamination, stick a magnet on the back of the words, and put them inside the envelopes. I had fun organizing it so that I could do it in a more efficient way. Some of the words were missing, and I had to write them and cut them out. There were 10 words left by the end of the day, but Ms. Carson told me to go home, and said that she can do it later.
That's the end of my first P.A. Day as a teacher candidate. I was tired after I went home, but I felt good about myself. I like doing the work, and I'm having a greater understanding of what the art of teaching is all about.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Sept.15: Gators Day!
When I stepped into the classroom this morning, Ms. Carson looked at me in sympathy. She said that she didn't have my phone number, so she couldn't call to tell me to wear comfortable clothing. Because it's "Gators Day"! Gators is their school symbol, and the Gators Day is a play day event which takes place twice a year. The students would be spending most of the day outside, playing games.
The teams were divided in an interesting manner. At first, I thought that the class would be a team unit, but I was wrong. Each team consisted of students from Gr.1 to Gr.8. During the morning assembly, Mr. Yake, the principal, emphasized that the day is arranged to unite all the students in the school. They get to know each other, cooperate with each other, and learn from each other. There would be two awards at the end of the day -- the teams with the most points, and the teams that demonstrate the most spirit (which is the more important award).
Outside, different stations were set up on the playground. Two teachers were responsible for each station. Two teams were assigned to each station, they would compete for 15 minutes, and then each team would move on to another station. Most of the teams made up a cheer, which might earn them a spirit sticker.
Ms. Carson and I were responsible for the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" game. The teams lined up in two rows, and they played against each other. After the first round, the ones who lost would step back, and the winners would keep playing until the all of the players from one team lost. Some of the little kids wasn't sure how to play it, so Ms. Carson and I arranged them to stand closer to us, so we could help along.
Throughout the morning, I saw that some of the bigger children were really kind to the little ones. I really saw them uniting and working with each other. It was quite touching.
After recess, I stayed inside to do work. I helped Ms. Carson to sort some alphabets into a little box, prepared some booklets for both Ms. Carson's and Ms. Jone's class, and copied the word walls envelopes from Ms. Jones. Ms. Carson told me that the teachers get 180 minutes of prep time in a week, and it's increasing by year. She said that it might be reasonable for the higher grades teachers, but primary grades teachers need more time for their preparation, because of all the cutting and pasting that's involved.
After lunch, we met in the gym again. A slide show was projected to the front of the gym, and every student was watching their own photographs in fascination. Beforehand, the teachers asked some Gr.8 students to take pictures while they play along. During lunch, Mr. Yau and some other students uploaded the photos and put together this slideshow. They were really efficient! The pictures captured the warm and cooperative atmosphere in the playground, and I thought that it was a moving moment.
Each student received a participation certificate, and the winning teams were presented. After that, Mr. Yake told us a story. He said that one year, he watched the Olympics, and saw a fascinating scene. It was during the marathons, towards the end of the competition, when one of the athletes fell down due to exhaustion. The other athlete who happened to be next to him helped him up, held him, and walked with him slowly until they reached the finish line. This game has united the two people, and that's what Mr. Yake would like to see. Today, he saw more than one of these incidences. He felt proud of the school, and proud of the students. And most importantly, he let them know. As he talked, he brought with him "his friend", which is an alligator stuffed animal. He told them that whenever the students feel that they have done something really good, they can feel free to knock on his office door, and bring this "friend" to their own classroom. It would serve to remind them of the good deed that they have done, so they can be proud of themselves. In my mind, this is what educators would call "character education". He has shown me how to educate these young people, right in front of my eyes.
I noticed that some of the Gr.1s weren't so fond of the Gators Day in the morning. But when I saw them again in the afternoon, they were so excited! I was really glad.
P.S. While the students were trying to find their homeroom teachers before departing from the gym, a little girl called Mahi found me and held my hand. I was surprised, and I was very happy that she feels comfortable around me. =)
The teams were divided in an interesting manner. At first, I thought that the class would be a team unit, but I was wrong. Each team consisted of students from Gr.1 to Gr.8. During the morning assembly, Mr. Yake, the principal, emphasized that the day is arranged to unite all the students in the school. They get to know each other, cooperate with each other, and learn from each other. There would be two awards at the end of the day -- the teams with the most points, and the teams that demonstrate the most spirit (which is the more important award).
Outside, different stations were set up on the playground. Two teachers were responsible for each station. Two teams were assigned to each station, they would compete for 15 minutes, and then each team would move on to another station. Most of the teams made up a cheer, which might earn them a spirit sticker.
Ms. Carson and I were responsible for the "Rock, Paper, Scissors" game. The teams lined up in two rows, and they played against each other. After the first round, the ones who lost would step back, and the winners would keep playing until the all of the players from one team lost. Some of the little kids wasn't sure how to play it, so Ms. Carson and I arranged them to stand closer to us, so we could help along.
Throughout the morning, I saw that some of the bigger children were really kind to the little ones. I really saw them uniting and working with each other. It was quite touching.
After recess, I stayed inside to do work. I helped Ms. Carson to sort some alphabets into a little box, prepared some booklets for both Ms. Carson's and Ms. Jone's class, and copied the word walls envelopes from Ms. Jones. Ms. Carson told me that the teachers get 180 minutes of prep time in a week, and it's increasing by year. She said that it might be reasonable for the higher grades teachers, but primary grades teachers need more time for their preparation, because of all the cutting and pasting that's involved.
After lunch, we met in the gym again. A slide show was projected to the front of the gym, and every student was watching their own photographs in fascination. Beforehand, the teachers asked some Gr.8 students to take pictures while they play along. During lunch, Mr. Yau and some other students uploaded the photos and put together this slideshow. They were really efficient! The pictures captured the warm and cooperative atmosphere in the playground, and I thought that it was a moving moment.
Each student received a participation certificate, and the winning teams were presented. After that, Mr. Yake told us a story. He said that one year, he watched the Olympics, and saw a fascinating scene. It was during the marathons, towards the end of the competition, when one of the athletes fell down due to exhaustion. The other athlete who happened to be next to him helped him up, held him, and walked with him slowly until they reached the finish line. This game has united the two people, and that's what Mr. Yake would like to see. Today, he saw more than one of these incidences. He felt proud of the school, and proud of the students. And most importantly, he let them know. As he talked, he brought with him "his friend", which is an alligator stuffed animal. He told them that whenever the students feel that they have done something really good, they can feel free to knock on his office door, and bring this "friend" to their own classroom. It would serve to remind them of the good deed that they have done, so they can be proud of themselves. In my mind, this is what educators would call "character education". He has shown me how to educate these young people, right in front of my eyes.
I noticed that some of the Gr.1s weren't so fond of the Gators Day in the morning. But when I saw them again in the afternoon, they were so excited! I was really glad.
P.S. While the students were trying to find their homeroom teachers before departing from the gym, a little girl called Mahi found me and held my hand. I was surprised, and I was very happy that she feels comfortable around me. =)
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Math Journal: Memories of Math
My memories of elementary school mathematics lessons are complicated. The reason behind is that I have learned under two different curriculums at different times, and the transition was quite a drastic one.
I was born in Hong Kong, and I received my first education there, until 10 years old. Mathematics, to me, was very hard. I remember bringing home a lot of homework, which often brought me frustration. We had large and heavy textbooks, and our work were usually done in little workbooks with grid papers. I never quite understood why we had to do math on those workbooks, because we never drew graphs in them (at least not from my memory), just numbers. We had to write tiny too, to fit in those narrow lines. As a result, my workbooks were always messy.
I have never been a brilliant math student in Hong Kong. There were lots of drilling and memorizing. The teachers and parents believe that practice makes perfect, and that is how the system works – rote learning. It seems that we kept on doing the questions and problems until we know the magical formulas.
On the other hand, after I immigrated to Canada, a huge change took place. I was in Gr. 5, and what the teacher taught seemed so simple to me! It was a whole new world for me. At first, I did not get very good marks because my English was limited, so I had trouble with word problems. But once I got better in the language, I started to succeed in math. I got great marks, I got praised, and I felt really proud of myself. We had games, activities, group work, and not even half as much homework as those I got in Hong Kong. In another words, math became fun for me.
Rote learning did not really work for me. It was just too much. I think that it works for the “smarter” children, because the more they practice, the more they get it into their brain. However, in my case, it was not beneficial because I needed to understand the underlying concepts and ideas before repeating steps and algorithms over and over again. It couldn’t help if I did not know exactly what I was doing. I did not like that at all. It seemed like I could never finish the questions, and the bits and pieces of knowledge just kept on building and building until it becomes too overwhelming. I remember hearing my Gr.3 Math teacher saying that we were rubbish when she got frustrated at us, which, of course, hurt a lot in a very scary way.
Canada’s classroom surely was more fun and interesting. We seldom did group activities in Hong Kong, but there was interaction between students here. People raised their hands, asked questions, gave answers, and the atmosphere was very positive for learning to happen. The teacher wasn’t the “boss”, and each of us could contribute to the class discussions. The teachers were also more positive, they gave compliments (and stickers), and they would not hurt the students’ self-esteem.
I think math is about thinking and inquiring, while much of what I did in early years was doing and repeating. That is probably a major reason of why I like it better here.
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