Collingwood is divided between two campuses: the "Wentworth Campus" which houses students from JK to Gr. 6 and the "Morven Campus" which hosts students from Gr. 7 to Gr. 12. Being in the PDPP program for Secondary Teachers I'm obviously at the Morven Campus.
In the Morven Campus the school is again divided between Middle School (Gr. 7-9) and Senior School (Gr. 10-12). Before you start thinking that this system doesn't sound too bad, let me say this: the Middle School runs on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT timetable than the Senior School. Having a hard time picturing my dilemma? There is virtually no overlap between the two divisions and therefore I cannot attend a grade 9 class and a grade 11 class in the same day. So, for the first week of observation I dedicated my time to the senior school. If you noticed I was only observing classes in grades 10, 11 and 12. In order to broaden my scope and include some younger grades and see the difference (if there is any) in teaching styles I have dedicated an entire two days to the middle school.
Today I sat in on grade 9 SS, grade 8 SS AP, MultiMedia 9, Science 7 and Grade 9 English classes. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I was expecting subtle difference between the students in the middle school and the students in the senior school; I was also expecting a subtle difference in teaching styles and student-teacher relationships. I guess I was expecting a lot more class management from the middle school teachers (ex. younger kids = more energy = rowdiness). Boy was I wrong! The differences between the two schools is like night and day. I found the middle school teachers to be far more friendly, laid-back, enthusiastic and kind. The students were not rowdy at all! They remained on task and focused the entire time, contributed to class discussion, and did not disrupt the class as much as the older students! I swear it's a hormone thing....it's must be!
Anyways, after one day in the middle school, interacting with younger kids, I have to say that I'm seriously thinking about restricting my teachable to grade 8, 9, and 12. Has anyone else seen a difference in student behaviour from grade 8 to grade 12?
Until Next Time,
LC
Showing posts with label student behavior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student behavior. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Day 2 - A little more focus
Well, another day is over. I'm still getting used to waking up in the dark and being at school by 8:00am, but it's totally worth it!
As promised, I'll be focusing on two aspects of my day, instead of a full re-cap: Student Behavior and Student-Teacher Relationships. Today I went to different classes with different teachers. I went to a Creative Writing class - which comprised of grade 10, 11, and 12 students, SS 10AP, SS 11, Eng 12, and Economics 12. It was interesting to see the different relationships that each student had with the teacher and the accompanying student behavior. Does that even make sense? Basically, the student-teacher relationship dictated how the students behaved.
For example: the young man teaching Creative Writing was viewed as a "friend." The students treated him like a friend instead of an authority figure. I found there were both pros and cons to this teaching-style/approach. Pros: the students were very open and felt like they could talk about anything; they were interactive, talkative, and relaxed; they were comfortable and at ease. Cons: while there was respect between student and teacher, it was a lot more difficult for him to get their attention, be quiet, and listen/follow directions. He was constantly having to "shhh" the class and repeat instructions. There was a lot of class-management going on instead of actual teaching.
All of the other classes were taught by teachers who had far more experience than the young Creative Writing teacher. It was evident that they demanded respect and attention. The relationship between these teachers and students wasn't as "friendly" but more, for a lack of a better word - mature.
I had originally thought that I wanted to be a "friend" teacher; but after watching the Creative Writing class I think it's super important to maintain a "friendly" relationship while having enough authority and discipline to create a happy medium between friend and professional.
Until next time,
LC
As promised, I'll be focusing on two aspects of my day, instead of a full re-cap: Student Behavior and Student-Teacher Relationships. Today I went to different classes with different teachers. I went to a Creative Writing class - which comprised of grade 10, 11, and 12 students, SS 10AP, SS 11, Eng 12, and Economics 12. It was interesting to see the different relationships that each student had with the teacher and the accompanying student behavior. Does that even make sense? Basically, the student-teacher relationship dictated how the students behaved.
For example: the young man teaching Creative Writing was viewed as a "friend." The students treated him like a friend instead of an authority figure. I found there were both pros and cons to this teaching-style/approach. Pros: the students were very open and felt like they could talk about anything; they were interactive, talkative, and relaxed; they were comfortable and at ease. Cons: while there was respect between student and teacher, it was a lot more difficult for him to get their attention, be quiet, and listen/follow directions. He was constantly having to "shhh" the class and repeat instructions. There was a lot of class-management going on instead of actual teaching.
All of the other classes were taught by teachers who had far more experience than the young Creative Writing teacher. It was evident that they demanded respect and attention. The relationship between these teachers and students wasn't as "friendly" but more, for a lack of a better word - mature.
I had originally thought that I wanted to be a "friend" teacher; but after watching the Creative Writing class I think it's super important to maintain a "friendly" relationship while having enough authority and discipline to create a happy medium between friend and professional.
Until next time,
LC
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