Teaching My First Lesson

Still awaiting to hear where my placement for P4-7 will be! Not the only one either. This morning I went into the P2/3 class and without any preparation led a lesson(!) The teacher briefed me on leading a class discussion around the reflective learning log and the topic of manners. One of the children had asked earlier that week if it was ever too late to say sorry. The classed watched the video:

I asked the children to talk in pairs initially, then as a group regarding

1. When would we say sorry
2. Why is it sometimes difficult to say sorry
3. Is it ever too late to say sorry?

Feedback received

• Greater assertion required to get attention
• the discussion was not directed in the way I wanted it to go - I needed to adapt to what the children were saying and lead on from there.
• Need to affirm what children said - acknowledge their individual contribution which on two occasions I did not.
• Have a better plan of what the lesson will be - this was a spontaneous lesson, which I can see how an experienced teacher can easily do.
• Refer back to the video as an example of saying sorry.
• Use the interactive board to write down the children's thoughts. (Multi-task)

I was quite overwhelmed by this baptism of fire, with no planning at all it was difficult to gather my thoughts and help the children develop their ideas. These are all things to think about. Some higher learning was achieved - two children said that it was never too late to say sorry unless you kill someone. Other children also talked about how it is sometimes difficult to say sorry, the word 'shame' was mentioned and sometimes we don't always want to hear an apology, sometimes we are too upset to accept an apology.

Adapting myself to each child's level of ability and encouraging them to think further is challenging. I observed a spelling test which the teacher made fun by making up sentences with the words that needed to be spelt. Child B hit a child, ran out of the classroom several times.

An invaluable first experience.

The Culture of 'Rubbing Out' - Why erasers should be banned from the classroom

                                     

A six year old child, lets call her Millie, has been learning to write only one year. In class she is writing the sentence- 'I am really good at handstands'. At least, that is what she is trying to write. Instead she writes 'I am relly gud at handsad'. The teacher comes over to check her work, asks her what she has written, Millie tells the teacher 'it says I am really good at handstands'. The teacher spots the spelling mistakes, and goes through each word that has been incorrectly spelt, explaining the changes that need to be made. Millie immediately reaches for the eraser to quickly scrub out the errors. Nooooo! I hear my conscience cry out. Don't rub it out, cross it out and write it again, you can fit in the letters that you've missed out.

Instilled in our culture is that terrible emotion we feel when we make mistakes. Shame.

Why? WHY? Why should we be ashamed of our mistakes? Mistakes are the very essence of being human! One of the fundamental glories of our human nature is to make mistakes and learn from them! What benefit is there is erasing errors and pretending they never happened? Yes, mistakes can make us feel uncomfortable and even upset us, but how can we strive to be better and understand ourselves if we do not identify our errors and see them for what they are- opportunities to learn. For Millie to rub out her writing and write the word again, she may as well be using one of these- 

MIB neuralyzer.

Cognitive scientist Guy Claxton agrees following research that has suggested that "resilience and curiosity are two essential ingredients for pupils' success." - 'Ban erasers from the classroom', Daily Telegraph 26th May 2015. Claxton says that erasers are an 'instrument of the devil' because it 'perpetuates a culture of shame about error.' Children 'need to be interested the process of getting the right answer because that's what it's like in the big wide world.' No one gets the answer right the first time. Errors are how we learn and how we are shaped as individuals.

When I am a teacher, I will not be able to encourage the use of an eraser. There is no shame in Millie writing this:

'I am reAlly guood at handsadstands.'

'I am really good at handstands.'

Millie has corrected her errors, she has written the sentence again. There is no better way to learn than acknowledging an error. There is no negative connotations with 'mistakes'. We are simply understanding and learning.

EDIT 4/9/15 After relaying my thoughts to a class teacher, they said that if a six year old had made many spelling mistakes in their sentences, they would generally not correct all errors. It would discourage the child. It's more important that a six year old is collecting their thoughts and writing them down, rather than spelling every word correctly. Classes have spelling tests to identify words that need to be learnt, getting into the habit of writing is of importance before words are spelt correctly.

Back to school

So lucky to have the opportunity to get into a primary classroom at short notice! It's so good to get out of the books and into an actual classroom again. I spent the morning before break in a P1/2 class, and post-break in a P2/3.

The P1/2 class has eight 1s and ten 2s. I had a quick flick through the Staff Handbook which included policies on homework, behaviour, fire alarms etc. (Have seen that at my placement school I will have to photocopy all of these things...) After a group discussion the children filled in a learning log with 'What I am good at', then did some maths from workbooks. After break I joined the P2/3 class. In this class there are four P2s and fourteen P1s, one child with substantial behavioural difficulties (Child B) and one gifted child (Child G). The class were discussing 'Responsible Citizens' as a group. The teacher told me that each term the class would be focusing on one of the four capacities.

"The purpose of the curriculum is encapsulated in the four capacities - to enable each child or young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor" - Education Scotland.

Responsible citizens links to Health and Well Being. The topic this term is Manners. The teacher has mostly created their own resources for this topic. The children then went into pairs to discuss what they thought it means to be a responsible citizen. Then they came back together as a group and discussed, this time the teacher wrote down their points on the interactive whiteboard. The connection between the verbal communication and visual aid helped the children in the writing task. They were given speech bubbles and had to write the sentence 'I am going to...' followed by writing how they are going to be a responsible citizen in school.

All the children engaged in the activity, I assisted by spell checking. Child B cause some disruption by slapping another child. Child B managed to complete the task, as did the majority of the class. These speech bubbles will be displayed at the front of the class. This was a really valuable lesson. The discussion as a group and in pairs, coupled with the text displayed on the interactive whiteboard further consolidated the class' ideas. The class worked together as a group, in pairs and individually to complete this task.

The next lesson was Maths and telling the time. (I had no idea that telling the time was classed as maths). The teacher told me that in Heineman Active maths it's called 'beyond number' - e.g. measure, shape, money, time. I was really impressed with the way this subject was presented to the class. Each child had their own laminated clock with moveable hands which they had coloured in and constructed themselves. The teacher had a large clock to show to the class, and displayed on the board was an interactive analogue and digital clock. The teacher showed the time on their own clock, asked the children to set the time on their clocks. The teacher also showed the time on the interactive board which displayed the digital time. The learning was active, interactive and interesting. All the children took part. The children then went into pairs and tested each other on telling the time. The teacher had given extension questions for Child G. Child G had no benefit in participating in the group activity, as they have fully understood the basic concepts of time. Child G was given questions on time for P7s. Child G completed this with full marks in an impressive time. (Child G is seven years old! P7s are twelve years old) I asked him if I could have a peek at the next set of questions - 'How many minutes in an hour? How many minutes in 1 1/4 hours?' I said, ooh, that seems quite difficult. Child G laughed and said that it isn't hard. There are two extremes in this P2/3 class. Child B with significant behavioural difficulties and Child G. Although Child B was behaving well today, they often refuse to do tasks and leave the class. Child B's academic learning targets are to stay in the classroom and not be aggressive to other people. Two polar opposites in this class, it's highly commendable that the teacher not only manages this class but has created a strong sense of class community, engaged learners and catering for individuals.

Two children who found it difficult to concentrate (including Child B) I found to be seeking reassurance and attention from me and the teacher. The teacher affirmed good behaviour with positive feedback. This morning in the classroom has given me so much to think about.

I just love being in the classroom. It's challenging, nerve-racking and exciting. I don't know how I will manage leading a class - that's the next challenge. I've had an invitation to lead a task the next time I go in - next Friday I think! Ahh! :) And my first placement? Yet to be confirmed!!! All I know that the only thing that encapsulates my feelings right now is this picture of a dog.

Again, you're most welcome.

Getting into the classroom

All this reflection and reading has been enjoyable and certainly given me food for thought. Spending the last three days working in solitary at home is so separate from the classroom - tomorrow I'm going into a local primary school in the morning for some observation, to reground myself and get my head out of the books, off the computer and into a bit of real life.

Here's a picture of a kitten in a hat and glasses.

You're welcome.

Perspectives on Education

Two brilliant TED talks that have changed my view on education in this age of technology and globalisation. If you're interested in teaching or the human capacity for learning, I recommend you watch these talks!

Sugata Mitra 'Child Driven Education'. Children in the slums of Delhi were given The Hole in the Wall - a computer with access to the internet. Through this and further experiments Mitra has proven that groups of children learn on their own. Their natural curiosity, the control over their learning and collaboration using a computer have proven that this method of learning really works. In The Kalikuppam Experiment 2007. (Published in the British Journal of Education and Technology, 2010) He showed that, left to a computer and their own devices, in two months Indian children grasped some knowledge biotechnology in English. (Oh and, by the way, they don't speak English). "If you have interest, then you have education." I then ask myself, what is the point of having teachers?

Sir Ken Robertson's TED talk 'Changing Education Paradigms' attacks the fundamentals of our education system, a system based on the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, where we are told if we do well in schools we will go to university to get a degree so we can get a good job. Why is the educational system based on out-dated models?

Both Mitra and Robinson appear to have revolutionary ideas, but they actually make a lot of sense. We are living in an incredible age where access to information is at our fingertips, we can share our creative thoughts and collaborate across the globe. We are bombarded with video and images in our daily lives. How are children supposed to find education interesting if it does not catch up with the pace of our Internet age? And further to that, why do we divide children up into year groups according to age? Do we do that in the workplace? Why do we assume that our potential for learning is dependant upon of social class? Why is there a view that people are divided into 'academic' and 'non academic'? We have to think differently about human capacity. And what about testing? Why must we test, test and test children - at GCSE's, Standard Grades etc.

Robinson's visual description of the Longitudinal test - a test that tells you if you are a 'genius' in divergent thinking. Have a look at the image starting at the Cod asking the question. Kindergarten children came back with 98% as geniuses in divergent thinking. That percentage reduced as children got older and went to school. Food for thought there. Have I really been part of an education system that stamps out my divergent thinking? At school was I really considered a 'non academic' because I was in the bottom divisions of Maths, Science and English? We are all born as divergent thinkers. Why must we be put through an ancient educational system, where social class determines your abilities and tests are compulsory hoops to jump. We have got to have basic literacy and numeracy skills. I certainly wouldn't be able to sit here writing this without them. Mitra's method allows children to explore their own line of questioning- this makes me think- surely this will cause chaos. Allow children to lead their learning? What a stupid idea, they will never learn anything! What Mitra has proven to me is that children want to learn. Humans by our very nature are curious, and creative. The teacher is there as a guide. We cannot learn by sitting still and not talking. Learning is messy.

There's a challenge as a teacher. The government wants results, parents want their children to succeed. How do I include these revolutionary ideas of Mitra and Robinson when I am teaching, and receiving pressure from parents, management and educational bodies? I don't know. I've not taught one lesson yet, and these are certainly not the only challenges I will face.

In addition, a recent interview with our First Minister 'Our job is to maintain our educational standards for all children'. "My absolute priority... is to make sure that we give every young person, regardless fo their background or family circumstances, the same chances to succeed at school...That's why we have established a £100m Scottish Attainment Challenge, directing extra resources to more than 300 primary schools in our most deprived areas." Nice one, Nic.

Professional Studies TSDA 2, Further Challenge continued.. An Introduction to the Nature/Nurture Debate

Activity 3

"Determinism is the philosophical idea that every event or state of affairs, including every human decision and action, is the inevitable and necessary consequence of antecedent states of affairs." - The Information Philosopher

A synopsis and analysis of the given videos and text.
The video clip from the Centre of the Developing Child at Harvard University gives evidence that at a very early age, biologically the brain is prepared to be shaped by development. Babies brains are preprogrammed to learn language. Abuse/neglect disrupts the circuiting in the brains architecture as it is being built. The argument put forward is to 'get it right early' rather than trying to 'fix it later'. In other words, providing  children with the basic physical and emotional needs such as love and security, making solid foundations for normative cognitive development. But how do we determine what is the 'right' set of needs for an infant? Who should determine them? Is it right that they are determined by anyone except parents?

"Early traumatic experience or sever neglect may have long-term deleterious effects on some individuals... But early trauma and neglect can also result in some children become more resilient." The Deterministic Myth of the 'Early Years' Dr Helene Guldberg (2013). Dr Guldberg goes on to ask; "when the window [of opportuniy] purportedly shuts, after infancy, is it too late to turn things around?" Is it reasonable to determine that a child's cognitive development, their 'nature', is set? From a teaching perspective, certainly not. A child comes into class one day shy, withdrawn and quiet, the next day they come bouncing in. In both the short-term and long-term behaviour of a child, we cannot write-off an individual as a 'bad egg'. In Sarah Jayne's TED talk, she discusses the continued development of the brain beyond the early years and into adolescence. Synapses in the brain are 'pruned away' during this time, brain development continues. "The brain is still more complicated, supremely so, and it is foolish to make predictions about young children's behaviour using current findings from the field of brain research...You need to keep up with ideas about scientific research in the fields of genetic and the neurosciences, but do not be seduced by them." -Understanding Early Childhood;  Issues and controversies, Helen Penn, second edition p92 2008. In extreme cases of initial and continued neglect of a child, child development, in some cases, will be disrupted. A child who comes from an abusive home, without receiving support or intervention, will have significant effect on their learning in the classroom. This does not mean that in the future they will be unable to lead healthy adult lives. We must always be open minded and aware that our understanding and expression of love, support and care are different. "The idea that they way parents...generally intereact with their baby reflects how much they love their baby...is based on prejudice not 'science'. We all have our way for showing love to each other." Guldberg. This introduction into the nature nurture debate has reinforced my thoughts and philosophies. It is certainly important to remember that as teachers we should first understand each child individually, before we begin to teach.

"We cannot change the past, but we can change the future, and we will be much better placed to do that without infant determinism." Guldberg. I agree, but in extreme cases of neglect and abuse, it is with far greater challenges that we attempt to change the future.

Professional Studies TSDA 2, Further Challenge

Child and Adolescent Development

Activity 1

Goswami* (2008) identified three types of learning. Here are my reflections on my understanding of the three types of learning.

• Learning by imitation

As a mother to a four (going on fourteen) year-old girl I have had the pleasure to watch her develop and learn from birth. One of her first spoken imitations took me by surprise-

She does not know what she is saying, but is listening to me and imitating the word 'tickle'. I never made these videos with the intention to analyse them in this way. I am simply another parent who's love for their child makes me want to record things as they have been. And I'm really glad I did - time passes too quickly with little ones.

• The ability to connect cause and effect - explanation

She has learnt that by stamping in puddles will cause a splash - just don't forget your welly boots.

• Associative learning - analogy

Following this puddle splashing session she was uncomfortable with her trousers being soaked. She was developing an associative learning with puddle splashing. Recently she has said to me - "I'm not going to go into that puddle because I might get wet". This is an example of associative learning in very young children.

As a mother I have an understanding of these types of learning and appreciate the importance of each stage. I have a particular interest in the development of speech and social skills in order for children to feel included and have good self-esteem.

*Usha Goswami b. February 21, 1960
Usha Goswami is Professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. Goswami's work is primarily in educational neuroscience. Wikipedia

Activity 2

The child's version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• How might this theory about human motivation impact upon a child's cognitive development?

As discussed in Mary Stephen's lecture 'Child and Adolescent Development', the human brain grows most rapidly between the ages of zero and three. Needs that are not met at these stages will affect the fulfilment of needs at the top of the hierarchy. In order to make a solid pyramid, you have to have solid foundations; then you can climb to the top and beyond. If a child comes to school without breakfast and is hungry, they will struggle to concentrate. Video: Feeding our Children. If a child comes to school feeling unloved and from an insecure home, this will undoubtedly effect their learning. As a practitioner, understanding the stage/situation each individual child is at/in, and building upon it, will help to improve cognitive development.

• How might/should understanding this theory impact upon early childhood education and care?

Early childhood education should reflect these goals. As a mother I see the nursery education and care my daughter receives and how this theory is upheld. During the three hour sessions children receive a snack, are made to feel secure, communicate and interact with other children in order to build self esteem and self-actualization. Ideally, the pyramid theory should be reflected not only in education but in family units too. Sadly, this is not always the case. In primary schools breakfast clubs are an example of how childhood education are recognising and realising the need for the fundamental physiological requirements of children. The clubs provide support parents who may have working responsibilities prior to school commencement.

Activity 3

'Determinism' - to be continued.