Growth and Learning

This week has been wonderful for me in that I feel as though I am growing as a teacher and also as a learner. I have been very active in the classroom this week, taking over the maths sessions and also leading a reading group rotation. The theme for this term in Grade 5/6 is Indigenous Australia and because of this I am always learning new things from personal research or materials Lauren provides me with. I have found it a challenge to form new and creative activities for the students to complete because of the amount of knowledge I do not have about the topic. As the week comes to an end, I am starting to feel more comfortable with the theme and know where to go if I need more explanation. Lauren has been very helpful with pronunciations of words as well as guiding me towards ideas for the reading groups. The grade 5/6 teachers rotate book boxes that come with activities already in them, but Lauren and I have often tried to create our own. By doing so, we are able to better fit the needs and interests of our students. While it has been a challenge, it has shown me that sometimes there will be topics that need to be covered and while you may not feel the most comfortable in doing so, it is possible to teach your students successfully and thoroughly.

In teaching Maths this week, I have become more aware of the language I need to use with the students (remembering to use as many Maths terms as possible during group instruction). The students responded very well to my second and third lessons. While teaching the lesson I felt the students were very engaged and eager to know what the next instruction was (they were using paper and scissors to visually represent tenths, hundredths, and thousandths). After the lesson I was able to talk with Lauren, and she definitely made some great suggestions that I will consider when preparing for next week. There were times in the lesson where I only involved one student and could have used all the students to keep them engaged. She also suggested giving them more of a chance to discover what the purpose of the cutting the pieces up was instead of me guiding them. All of her suggestions were very helpful and I hope that as I become more comfortable teaching on my own that these things will come more naturally to me.

I think part of me has worried about stepping in to teach because the first two weeks of school were not "normal" or routine. It may have been hard for the students to see me as a "teacher". Up until late last week I think I was viewed as someone helping in the classroom and not the lead teacher. Now that our schedule has settled down and I am taking over various subject areas I think they are seeing what my role in the classroom is and will become over the next few weeks.

Other news at Greenhills & life in Australia:

1. Next Thursday is House/Fun day
The students are split into four different houses when they come to Greenhills and they stay in these teams throughout their time at school. Part of the day is spent playing games and doing various activities with members of their house teams.
2. Grade 6 Camp is a little over a week away
3. The Grade 5/6L Wiki is completed and accessible to students
4. I am trying to plan a Skype interview between my class and some elementary students in WI
5. 5/6L has a class pet (Junior): a blue tongue lizard
6. Susan and I are spending the weekend with a group of teachers
7. Next weekend is The Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles
8. I have tried and very much enjoyed some Australian favorites:
Kangaroo, Lamb, Lamingtons, Pumpkin, Pancakes with Ice Cream, cocoa biscuits, Vegemite (this one I did not really enjoy but did give it a go)
9. I contributed a piece on my reaction to the bush fire appeal/communities uniting in Contact, which is the school newsletters

A Learning Experience

Today I have learned a lot about myself as a teacher, and this will not be a real long entry because I just want to do a short reflection on my experience. Throughout the first few weeks of school there has been a lot going on in and out of the classroom (for students) and last week was our first full week of getting into the subject/content area for the year. I had my apprehensions going into today's lesson because Miss Richardson is still working to set up guidelines and expectations for work time and the environment in general. However, I was very excited about the opportunity to teach for two entire sessions and use what I have learned from my observations over the past weeks and also add in my own style.

I did a lesson on expanded notation and refreshed the students on decimals (place value). Overall I think the lesson was a positive experience for the students and they were able to gain something from both my teaching and the time spent in rotations. I believe that my strengths in the lesson included starting the lesson and bringing the students to focus, transitioning between different activities and topics during the lesson, and asking the students questions throughout the lesson to check their understanding.

This experience has also sparked some opportunities for improvement in my teaching. One part of the lesson became confusing because I thought I understood how to read decimal numbers, but found that they have the students do it a bit different than what was shown in the curriculum book. After thinking about the way Miss Richardson quickly explained it to the students, I believe it actually helps the students to think about the number and how it is formed. I appreciated her input, but hope in the future to be more aware of these things before I work with the students. I have to remember to ask if I have any hesitations or apprehensions going into the lesson because it is better to know ahead of time. I also want to work on my time management during the lesson. There was one activity that I was unable to do with the students, but am glad that I had too much prepared than not enough. I think I was afraid that I would rush through the material and not have enough for the students to do, but instead the opposite was true.

Today we also had a PD session on assessment and the purpose of strategic questioning. We watched various classroom teachers implement closed and open questioning, as well as strategies used to check students understanding throughout the lesson. This session has given me the opportunity to really think about what my purpose or intent is for each lesson I prepare. This was a focus in many of my classes at St. Norbert and in the excitement of being active in the classroom I have let this approach slip from my mind. This week my goal is to remember to do this when preparing my lessons and make sure that the learning focus for the students is clearly indicated.

Pictures

Me with a view of North Beach in Torquay

Milla Milla Waterfall in Cairns

The crossing signals :)

Chalk art on Australia Day in the city

View of the sky at night outside the house

My desk and Miss Richardson's desk

A literacy rotation where the students reflected on Aboriginal Artwork

The classroom- 28 students!

Student's personal shields- part of the Greenhills Gets Going Program

The 5 values at Greenhills

Maths for next week

Daily Schedule:

9:00-9:50- All school Assembly (Monday only)
9:50-10:40- Session 2
10:40-11:10- Morning Tea (Snack and play for students, and break and tea for teachers)
11:10-12:00- Session 3
12:00-12:50- Session 4
1:00-1:50- Play (Students eat in the classroom from 12:50-1:00 and then go outside to play. For teachers, this time is used to relax, plan or eat lunch.)
1:50-2:15- Fruit and Cereal (Students eat their fruit or cereal while the teacher reads aloud)
2:15-2:40- Session 5
2:40-3:30- Session 6

The students also have Specials, which include Music, P.E. (or Sport), Library, and Art. They have each area one time during the week. In grade 5/6 the students participate in Summer and Winter Sport as well. This occurs for the first session on Tuesday’s, which is used as practise time and then the first two sessions on Friday. On Friday’s the students break into their Green and Gold teams and either compete against another school at Greenhills or travel to a primary school to compete. The Summer Sports include cricket, bat tennis, basketball, volleyball, and rounders. Bat tennis is similar to tennis, but played on a smaller court, the players use wooden paddles, and the net is a wood block about a foot off the ground across the court. I have hit the ball a few times, but have yet to play a full match. Rounders is a lot like girls softball. I have not had the opportunity to watch the teams play yet because I am helping to coach the volleyball teams.

Differences in schools [Australia vs. America]
This is based on the experiences I have had as a student and also as a Pre-Service Teacher
1. Less “teaching” time and more student exploration
2. In Australia they combine the grades (1/2, 3/4, 5/6)
3. Compared to Greenhills, schools I have worked in are much further behind on technology
a. Students know more about computers in general and how to operate them
b. Teachers use Interactive White Board on a daily basis
c. The entire school here has wireless
4. Students in Grade 5/6 have numerous experiences that do not occur in America (from my experiences) including:
a. Intensive Swimming for 2 weeks
b. Sport weekly
c. 4-day camp trip
d. End of year pool party
e. Book Club on Friday’s
5. In America the students eat in a lunchroom, whereas in Australia they eat in their classrooms or outside

These are just a few of the differences. As always, it depends on the age of the students, what school you are working in, and also the teacher you are working with. Things vary even from state to state in America so it is sometimes hard to make the conclusions, but these are just some observations I have had thus far.

Next week I will be taking over the Maths block completely. Lauren has shown me what she typically does for Maths during the week, so I am more comfortable with how it is laid out. On Monday I will be doing a session of instruction and then the students will complete a rotation of the activities I plan. Throughout the week there will be two other sessions dealing with the same topics. I will start each session with a mini lesson or game for the students and then they will continue to work through their rotation.

Over the past two weeks I have really learned a lot about myself as a teacher. I would consider myself a very organized person who is more comfortable when things are ready to go for the following day and laid out for me. I like to know what I have planned and can look over my materials the night before. Lauren is more relaxed about preparing her lessons and does a lot of prep in a short amount of time. Her experience shines through in her teaching and I have learned that not everything needs to be planned out or laid in front of me. Sometimes, the best teaching moments happen when they are spur of the moment. I have seen some great examples of this and Lauren has shown me that sometimes you have to go with the side track conversations because they are beneficial to the students in the end.

I look forward to the lessons I have planned for next week and also learning a bit more about the literacy groups. I am hoping to have my students up and using the class Wiki by the middle to end of next week and am going to focus on transitions and classroom management in the next week or so. So far the students have been very respectful and I have been able to hold their attention or get it when I need to. We do have a few talkers in our grade, but I think just a change of seat or reminder here and there will solve the interruptions that are occurring.

Days Are Flying By

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is Thursday. The weeks seem to be going faster and faster lately.  With my grade going on camp in March, I only have five weeks left in the classroom before returning to America. Where has the time gone? 

School continues to be a positive experience each day and I have really embraced the staff camaraderie that I encounter on a daily basis.  I feel connected to several of the staff members and can see that there are strong friendships within the building.  Work is always more enjoyable and relaxing when you have these relationships and know you get along with the people working around you.  This is especially true with the 5/6 team and I am fortunate to be working with such great people.  Each week the different areas meet before or after school to share ideas and go over any new news that individual committees have met about.  This is a great opportunity to both share activities you have tried in your own classroom, and also learn new things from other people who are working with the same concepts.  It gives you different view points and can be great help if you are stuck on a topic and need something new and fresh.

I have now observed complete literacy and maths rotations this week and will be taking over all of maths next week.  In America there is typically a group lesson everyday for these subject areas, but here in grade 5/6 the students are introduced to a new topic or may revisit a previous skill towards the beginning of the week.  The students then split into either ability or mixed groups and have three to four activities that they rotate through during the week.  This may include independent work, computer activities, handouts relating to the topic, games, websites on the Interactive White Board, etc.  Students are able to complete tasks using different approaches to learning and the teacher circulates during this time or may just focus on an activity or group for that particular topic.  

Other responsibilities I have taken on in the past week or two include reading and responding to the students weekly journals, checking over maths work to see what students need more instruction on for next week, reading during "Fruit and Serial" time, assisting in Maths instruction, integrating the IWB (Interactive White Board) into lessons, and working with small groups of students during literacy rotations.

One project that I have taken on this term is setting up a PB Wiki for 5/6 L to use as a communication device for the students.  Lauren (my cooperating teacher) and I will post a monthly calendar with reminders about events at school, homework dates, sport practise and competitions, etc.  The students will also give us input on what to include in the Wiki and have the ability to comment back and forth with each other about things happening at school.  Eventually the students will contribute to the blog and we may be including student work and photos as well.  I am very excited about this and hope the students enjoy it as well.

I look forward to the teaching opportunities to come in the next few weeks and will be sure to keep you informed on how the lessons go, as well as the progress on the Wiki. 

G.R.E.A.T

Things are continuing to go well, both at school and at home with Alan and Carolyn.  This week starts a more normal schedule with the students which I am excited about because we will be splitting the students into their proper groups for maths, language, and spelling.  Some interesting things that I have seen in the past week at school include the PAT Maths and Reading Tests, as well as the ACER Spelling test.  These tests are Progressive Achievement Tests, which were formed t0 help teachers analyze what level the students are at based on the standards that are set.  Unlike in America, the teachers are not using these tests because they are accountable for the results, but instead use where their students are at depending on their performance, to put them in proper learning groups. By doing this, the teachers help the students to improve their skills and knowledge throughout the school year and the test also helps to see individual student improvement.

While I continue to observe the structure of the classroom this week, I hope to take on more tasks as the week progresses.  I am excited for the students to learn the respect song and perform it for their classmates.  It is both fun and something the students should value and work for in their daily lives, which is why I believe it will go well.  Some random things I have learned from the students and staff since arriving:

1. The trunk of the car is called a boot

2. Eraser= rubber

3. They use the word pencil, but more commonly they use grey lead

4. Stick deodorant is rarely used here.  The majority of people use roll-on

5. The map of the world here has Australia on the other side of the United States. (I will have to bring one of these home for sure)

6. The students do not know what Webkinz are (which makes me secretly happy)

I have created a message box for the students and will check it twice a week.  It is a way for them to ask questions or tell me things about themselves that they may not get the chance to do throughout the school day.  While I feel as though I am getting to know my students more and more everyday, there are still some that I do not know much about outside of the learning environment.  This week I want to focus on looking at each student as an individual and try to discover what their strengths and weaknesses are, as well as what type of learner they are.  From my observations thus far, I have found Australia to be more successful at meeting the needs of the whole classroom because there is so much room for flexibility and the style in which they teach.  The curriculum provides leeway for teachers to add in ideas they have or something that best fits the students in the grade.

My weekend:

I thought I would also share a little bit about the weekend. Susan and I went down to Alan's mothers beach house in Torquay.  It is about an hour and forty minute ride from Diamond Creek and is west of the city (Melbourne).  I have been to the ocean before, but this was so beautiful.  I found that I could spend an entire day just walking up and down the beach and taking in the view.  It is so surreal and calming. It was a wonderful break from everything that has been happening close to home.  Saturday afternoon we went to Surfer's Beach and attempted to boogie board.  The waves were not the best, but we still had fun.  We enjoyed some fish and chips by the water and also tried some deep-fried pineapple.  It was good, but I definitely prefer pineapple all on it's own!  

Sunday was a bit cooler than the previous day so we were unsure about going down to swim and boogie board again.  We spent some time at the market along the waterfront and then headed to Jan Juc beach which is one of the main competitive surfing beaches.  It was beautiful, like the two beaches we had been to on Saturday.  We walked back towards surfer beach and I couldn't resist going in and I'm so glad I did because I ended up getting Susan to come and boogie board for over an hour.  The waves were over my head and so much fun! I felt like a little kid all over again.  It was a great way to end our "getaway" weekend.

Community and Perseverance

Unfortunately, as many of you have probably already heard about in the news, the bush fires in Victoria continue to burn and spread to towns all across the state. At this point the death toll is still rising and has reached over one hundred and eighty as of last night. Families all over the state have lost everything, and are still waiting to hear if loved ones have been located.

This tragic event has brought communities together and the support among strangers is impeccable. People from all over Australia as well as other countries are sending clothing, food, toiletries, and monetary donations. Right down the road from where I live there is a community centre that has transformed into a relief center. People are able to stay here until the fires have ceased and it is safe to return to their communities. The support the communities and surrounding states have shown is incredible and while it is devastating that people are without everything they had to call their own, it is amazing to see how people can come together and raise money to assist all those who have suffered.

My host parents, Alan and Carolyn have known several people affected by the bush fires and we actually were in the area of the fires two weekends ago. One week after we went up to their son's Break Away camp the fires started. They finally received word last night that the fire had not destroyed the cabin and lodge that we celebrated the opening ceremony in. The towns we went through on the way up to the lodge have been affected though. Both Buxton and Healsville have been under flame or are completely burnt to the ground. We even stopped in one of these towns for an afternoon tea and the place we were at, no longer exists. Homes, businesses, police and fire stations, etc. will have to rebuilt and communities will have to start over from nothing.

It has been a very emotional time for both my host family and also the school community. Students and staff members have been directly impacted by the fires and many have come to school with stories to tell. On Monday, Mr. Fairweather (our principal and also my host dad) had a brief staff meeting to address how to approach this in the classrooms. In my grade, my teacher and I decided that we would address the fires and allow the students silent writing time to either write about their weekend or any questions or concerns they had about the fires. This allowed students to ask questions in a safe setting or to write about something other than what was all over the news the entire weekend.

On a more positive note, my second week in the classroom is going by fast. I cannot believe that tomorrow is Friday already. The students will have their final day of intensive swimming in Eltham and we will also participate in the first Inter School Sport competition. Each Tuesday morning the students practise in their specific sport and then on Fridays they either compete at school or travel to another local primary school to compete against another school. I am helping with the volleyball team and I am excited for the first match. Most of the students do not know a whole lot about the specific rules and techniques of the game and I am looking forward to educating them on these things. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to be active and also learn to work with others. I have found that the grade 5/6's have numerous opportunities to strengthen their teamwork skills as well as be active outside the classroom subject areas of maths, language, and integrated studies.

In the past two weeks I have done a lot of observing and getting to know my students on a personal level. Learning names was pretty easy for me, and the students have been nothing but welcoming and enthusiastic about me being in their classroom. The students are very curious and I feel that with each day I get to know a few more on a more personal level. I have introduced Pen Pal letters to my students (I had the classroom that I will be working in when I return to America write letters to the students in Australia) and throughout the week they have written letters back to the students in America, learned about the assessment process in grade 5/6 for the beginning of the year, taken role, read parts of the fruit and cereal novel, and engaged in various team building activities in the classroom.

Next week will be more of a regular schedule for grade 5/6's because the intensive swimming program will be finished. We will have another two periods with the students to start doing language and maths on a more regular basis. Lauren (Miss Richardson) is going to introduce me to their literacy circles as well as the spelling program they use and slowly give me tasks to do towards the end of next week or the start of week four. We are planning to do the same with Maths and possibly do small group work next week. The focus unit for this term is about Indigenous Australians, which we will also begin next week. I am looking forward to learning about the curriculum in more detail and take on some bigger roles in the classroom.

Over the weekend I will have some planning to do on Respect. We are doing some work on the Greenhills Gets Going Program next week and I am in charge of having groups of students put on plays about respect. Two of them are group plays and the other is a song to an NSYNC song. The students will have fun with these and entertain their classmates, I am sure of that. This weekend we are heading to Alan's (my host dad) mothers beach house. They have a gathering on Saturday night and thought it would be a chance for us to see a different part of Victoria and relax by the beach. It is supposed to be very nice weather for the weekend so I am excited to see something new and get away from everything for a weekend. I will try to post some pictures soon of all the adventures I have had since arriving in Melbourne. More on these later...

Week One at Greenhills

It has almost been a week with the students at Greenhills and I am very excited for this term.  I am in 5/6L with Miss Richardson and have twenty-eight students. The first two weeks in this grade are a bit unusual because the students participate in a swimming intensive program. This means that everyday from 11:15-1:00 my grade goes to Eltham Pool for swimming lessons. The students also had the opportunity on the second day of school to spend the entire day at Doncaster Outdoor Pool participating in swimming trials and then a free swim in the afternoon.  While I have yet to experience a first day of school in America besides my own childhood experiences, I doubt that this would happen in the states.  I think this whole program is great for the students and I am positive that by the end of the two weeks there will be great improvements in their swimming abilities.

I have also been fortunate enough to participate and complete three days of professional development before the school year started.  The staff started on the 28th of January and we spent three days learning about various topics and situations we would encounter throughout my term with the students.  Each session was very valuable and I think a lot of the ideas and information presented are things that I can see myself applying in my own classroom in the future.  I think the most helpful and interesting session for me was Bounce Back and Student Well Being.  We completed a lot of work in teams and were introduced to children's book that present situations that students will experience in their lives.  One of my favorites was How to Heal a Broken Wing.  It discusses helping others and how to look to others who may need help. The idea of rewarding and also giving ourselves time to heal were other focuses in the story.  I believe all of the books that were shared can really hit home to students if you use the right activities and allow for rich discussions in the classroom.

For the most part, I think I am adjusting to life in Australia.  I have found it very similar to America, but am also slowly finding that there are differences.  Speaking to the students has shown me that I will have to be aware of what I am saying at all times, and I must remember that not all the words we use in America have the same meaning here.  For our swim day, the students asked what I would be eating for lunch and I told them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I received many strange looks and was not sure why until I went home and found out that jelly here is our jello at home.  They use the word jam for what we would call either jam or jelly in America.  No wonder they were looking at me so funny. 

The kids have been very curious since day one and I am looking forward to week two at Greenhills.  I am planning to do work in small groups with students on some reading comprehension and also do several activities with my teacher on the Greenhills Gets Going Program.  It is a start of the school year program that all grades follow.  Most of it focuses on the five values of Greenhills; generosity, respect, enthusiasm, acceptance, and teamwork.  The first week has gone by very fast and I am excited to get to know the students on a more individual basis this week.