#module e

Module E:

NB: This posting has previously appeared on the 2011 PPLE Ning site. (Tutorial 2 Monday 11:30)

Module E – The Secret Thief

1.       Beliefs about the links between learning and community:

Each one of those links (learning/community) is not mutually exclusive.  I believe Steve promoted the community should have a hand in the learning process, to a degree, but allow latitude for the teachers and the school administration to meet the learning and enabling objectives for the students.

The school is an integral part of the community, and if the money is followed, the faculty is paid by the taxes the community pays to educate their children.  This may sound rather sanitary; however, a successful community desires good schooling. 

Forging positive steps to gain a student’s willingness to work together is not dissimilar to the community working hand-in-hand with the school (Gossen, The Least Coersive Road 2005).  As in Steve’s story, he made it a point to get the parents involved, and this would have caused the students to enjoy a sense of ‘bridging the gap’ between school, family and learning.

2.       Beliefs about the link of classroom management and community:

Steve intimately involved the students in the decision process from the beginning, and the students who were involved in this medieval village would have likely enjoyed this.  In terms of classroom management, students likely learn better and more effectively when they have a say in what they are doing (Kohn, Three Bridges to Twenty-First Century Discipline 1999 pg. 89). 

3.       Do I feel a growing sense of community in PPLE tutorials?

Yes.  I feel that I’m part of a growing family, almost like a fraternity that looks after one another. Also, a growing focus on the student and what quality education is supposed to looks like.

4.       What specific techniques, tools or approaches have I observed Steve using which have contributed to my sense of belonging to a community?

In our tutorials we are involved in mini ‘think-pair-share’ exercises, and I believe this stimulates and enhances our learning process.  We are able to voice our concerns and communicate any successes we encounter along the way.  I think it’s a good thing we are able to candidly learn from one another and build upon this knowledge week-by-week.  The exercises we have done to enlighten our knowledge of ourselves, I feel, is of particular value.  It’s important for one to know oneself whilst trying to teach others.

5.       Which of Steve’s techniques, tools or approaches can I see myself using on prac and/or in my first year of teaching?

Several we have been introduced to thus far.  I will likely use the think-pair-share technique to stimulate thinking amongst a group.  Circle time is good for openness. Moving desks around to maximise student contact and enhance learning.  Using the Seven Connecting Habits Glasser alludes to in his Student Needs, Quality, and Choice Theory: caring, listening, supporting, contributing, encouraging, trusting and befriending (Glasser 2001 pg. 77).

5(a). My Observation Day was an eye-opener.  It forced me to think on my feet and try to envision what I would have done in a similar situation.  I kept thinking of which learning theory/style the [mentor] teacher was employing. 

1st Observation notes:

What a fascinating day … however, I should not expect the next observation to be the same flavour or appearance.  I’m expecting a completely different experience and set-up for this week, and for subsequent observations.  The mentor teacher appeared eager to get to know us (I was with another observation candidate) and asked us many targeted questioned about our past experiences, where we were from, and many other queries.  He seemed to care about us, the school, but above all – the students.

The switched-on mentor teacher was able to usher me into three distinctly different classroom environments during the day, also in varying grade levels.  It was enlightening to witness the varied degrees of questioning techniques and pace of the classroom topic with the different grades.  I suppose student comprehension is the watch-word here. 

Class sizes ranged from 5 – yes, 5, to a rather full class of 28 students.  I noticed the majority of students in the upper grades possessed mid to high grade laptops in on their desks. I was surprised to see this, and was not prepared for all the digitized units in the classroom – although we’ve discussed this in our ELPC classes.

When I walked into the classrooms, sat down in the back, and began taking voluminous notes on the teacher interaction with the class.  Suddenly, I found myself trying to recall the various teaching theories we have covered in PPLE, and how it all related to student learning and effectiveness.