Week Three Professional

After a relaxing break we were all well rested and ready to start back into classes this week.  The only thing that we were not looking forward to was getting back into the routine of cycling to class. (After not cycling for one week, the first day back on the bike was a killer).  We do not start our school placements until the 4^th March.  This means that the only professional side of The Netherlands that we have seen is the way our university classes have been run and what we have been hearing from other students who have already been out on placement.   So far the reports about schools and teachers have been brilliant so this has made us feel very excited for meeting our new pupils.  

Example of the worksheet that we were doing
in class

Our first class this week was a Dutch language class.  I now understand how other Erasmus students feel when they have to sit and listen to a full lesson in a language that is not their mother tongue.  The idea of having the complete lesson in Dutch was to ensure that everybody was starting off at the same level.  (The teacher thought that if the lesson was all in English it would be unfair for those who could only speak a small amount of English).  At the start I thought that this approach would end in disaster but at the end of the lesson I was able to see the benefits of it.  One benefit was that it made sure that I paid attention throughout the lesson because even a two-second day dream would have meant falling behind.  From this experience I got to see how gestures, facial expressions and body language are vital when trying to explain things in class.  It has made me think of how I should work on these different aspects before I go to my placement school where I will be working with children who may have little or no English at all. 

Our second class this week was Dutch Culture and Society and it was in this class that we got to present our first piece of homework.  Each student had to pick a picture that showed some aspect of their country and present it to the class.  I thought this was a good idea as it made me thing about where I come from and what type of picture I would like to choose to represent my country to my fellow students.  In this class I got to see a range of pictures from places all over the world including Finland, Austria, Belgium, France, Curacao, Switzerland and America.  It was from this experience that I got to see the benefits of learning about different places and cultures.  The Northern Ireland Curriculum (2007, pg. 83) states that “Children should have an awareness of themselves and their place in the world, as well as other places, cultures and the environment”.   Even from the little bit of information that I have learned so far I can see how learning about other cultures can prepare children for many things in life including family holidays, new classmates and even heading on Erasmus.

My picture for Dutch Culture and Society 

Our final class this week was a tutoring class were we received our teaching practice guide that explains what will be expected of us when we go on school placement.  We were given a slight introduction into what our lesson plans would be like.  They include aspects of a “learning goal” which is like our “Learning intentions” and also a lesson structure of a beginning, a core and a closure.  One area that I was interested in on the lesson plan was the ‘Personal goal’ section which allows us to write down what teaching skills we are trying to improve in our lesson. 

Part of the lesson plan

This week of class has got me even more excited for heading out on teaching practice.  With two years of teaching practice and the help of two different styles of lessons plans I am counting down the days until I meet my new class.  

References 

CCEA (2007) Northern Ireland Curriculum, Belfast, CCEA.