Day #17

S today I went in for an extra day.  I taught two lessons and I have definitely learned a lot form this placement.  The lessons I have been teaching have improved and I have learned a number of management techniques and ways to get student's attention.  I have truly enjoyed working with the students.
The lessons today went really well and I really wish I could continue to teach and work with this group of students.  They are just absolutely lovely and fabulous.  They are so into their learning and it's great to see. I think their love for learning and enjoyment of learning comes from having an excellent teacher as well as excellent parents that encourage learning.  The students' parents also all seem to be really involved in students' learning from working on their child's learning at home or coming in during the day and helping out for an hour or two.  I really wish to see more of this in the American school system.   Parent interaction is barely present in the American school system (at least not that I can remember).   I think the American mentality is that all teaching goes on in school and not at home, but this is completely wrong.  So much learning goes on at home and outside of school and parents being involved in their child's learning is essential to a child's success and growth.
I really loved my experience here in Australia and I hope that I will be able to continue working in other Australian schools as well as schools in Taiwan (since I will be there for three months).  I think that all these international experiences are really great for me to see especially when I go to Taiwan to see how different schools are there from the Western style of teaching.  I am excited to continue my international teaching experience and I hope to learn lots.

Day #16 (Excursion Day!!!)

Although my student teaching is completed and done, I decided to go back and help out and work with the class again.  Today we went on excursion to CERES, which is a wetlands park that does a lot of eco-friendly things.  It was great because students learned a lot, had a lot of hands on activities, and had fun.  It was quite different from our first trip to Healesville Sanctuary.  I was also able to see how to deal with students in an excursion environment.

This excursion was a lot more relaxed than the first excursion.  Students were given more time to explore and look closely at things, where as at Healesville the students were rushing around and did not get much time to explore and learn.  They were both great learning experiences for the children but at CERES students were able to more thoroughly explore things they were talking about and learning about.

Students did three different 50-minute activities.  Students did a walk along a Creek which explored the impact of humans, an organic recycling lesson where students learned about how earthworms help to compost, and a ponding activity where students looked for water bugs in the pond.  These activities were all really hands on and students seemed to throughly enjoy them.

I was also able to learn how to deal with situations that arise as well.  Today a few students got hurt and I was able to see how my teacher as well as other parents dealt with the situation and I was also able to take charge.  One student got a bathroom door closed on his finger because the students were being silly.  I was able to deal with this situation by having a parent take the hurt child to get some help while I took charge of the students in the bathroom.  The students still continued to horse around even after one of their friends got their finger jammed int he door.  I had to raise my voice for the first time to get the students to listen to me and it worked.  It was a great learning situation for me because it showed me that in a situation like that, raising my voice worked and the students immediately stopped what they were doing and calmed down.

I am really glad to have been able to go on this excursion with the class.  I will also be teaching tomorrow as well and I'm really excited about that.  

Day #15

Today was sadly my last day of teaching.  However, it was really good to see and reflect on how far students have improved and changed.  The students today finished writing their wetlands animal story and the writing that the students produced was really good.  Although some students that I expected to write more or elaborate on their stories more didn't it was still good.  Others that I expected to write the minimal wrote a lot.  All the students did really good writing and it drastically improved from the stories they wrote when I first started teaching them.
My Cooperating Teacher (CT) was telling me that this is the most hectic but exciting time of the year.  She said that this part of the year is filled with lots and lots of cramming in information as well as trying to get everything done.  Teachers have to write reports, do assessments to see where students are at in terms or reading and math.  It's also very intense for the students because they have so much to learn in such a little period or time.  However it is an extremely exciting time of the year because it's usually the time when Prep students grow the most and make the most drastic changes in terms of behavior, studies, and maturity.  From the time when I started, I have seen some students grow quite a bit and make improvements.  This is really exciting for me and I was only with them for 3-4 weeks.  I can only imagine what it must be like for my CT.
It was also really interesting because my CT was telling me how she wants to get one student on an Individualized Learning Plan because the child seems to daze off into a daydream and ignores everything else.  The child will start to rock on her chair and she enters into a daydream where she is oblivious to everything else.  My CT does not know how to deal with this situation and is now keeping a record of all the occurrences.  For example, today the child was in her daydream and did not hear the bell go and was still outside after everyone had entered the classroom and was ready to learn.  This can be very dangerous and my CT is trying to get help for the student.  By keeping a record of all these occurrences, my CT will be able to track the progress of the condition and show school officials and administration so that the child will be able to receive and Individualized Learning Plan.
I think that I have learned a lot form this teaching experience.  I have also collected a lot of valuable learning resources as well throughout my time at the school.  It's really great and I'm really happy that I was able to be of help to my CT and the students.  I am also excited that I will be going back to the school on Wednesday and will be able to go on excursion with the students.  I'm really happy for this and I hope to have a great time.

Day #14

Today I was able to do some testing for my Cooperating Teacher (CT) and I was also able to put up some displays.  It was really cool to be able to actually do testing for students.  The testing consisted of me pulling students out one at a time and having them read me a list of 100 words.  These are high frequency words that students should know instantaneously.  I would call one student at a time and he or she would read me the words.  If he or she was not sure what the word was, I would ask him or her to have a go at it.  I would check the words that students were able to read without sounding out the word or taking too long to recognize it.  It was really interesting the large range in abilities.  One student could only recognize 5 words or so while other students knew almost every word.  I had always learned about doing testing on students but it wasn't until today that I actually got to perform testing and see the range.
Today I also put up displays.  It was really good to see this because it actually takes a lot of time and you just don't realize it.  I remember one of my professors told me that you should change your displays every week f not everyday.  I realized that this is almost impossible because it takes so long to put up displays and figure out places to put things.  It is really nice to have constantly changing and new displays but it is just super time consuming and it is really hard to do.
I have also realized that Australia is a lot more laid back with rules and regulations.  Since today was a really hot day, my CT turned off the lights and had the kids lay down on the floor and she sprayed them with water.  Although it is not harmful in anyway, I do not think this would've been possible in the States.  I think that parents int he States would've said something and it could've been a possible lawsuit. I really like how things here are so much more relaxed and parents, teachers, and students are just very carefree.  In the State's things are much more strict and regulated, but I think this is partially caused by the large number of lawsuits that occur.  If Americans don't like something, they will sue and this is just ridiculous.  This is sometimes really limiting for teachers to do some fun activities I feel.
Tomorrow is my last day and I am really sad about this.  However, I will be visiting the school again after tomorrow.  I will be going on excursion with the students next Wednesday and I'm really excited about that.  It's a way for me to learn more about how excursions work as well as tour around Melbourne a bit more for free.  It's a win-win situation.

Day #13

Today I was able to sit in on a staff meeting on report writing.  I was also able to go to the Preps Picnic.  It was really great.  Sadly I wasn't able to take any pictures.  I also taught two reading lessons today and it went quite well.
The staff meeting on report writing was quite interesting because it was on report writing.  It was interesting to see how the report cards are here in Victoria, Australia.  There is a dot system where students get a dot on a number line.  The numbers on the number line represent grade levels and the student is given a ranking based on what grade level they are at or performing at in different areas of learning.  It is seems like quite a nice system because you can really see where each student is in comparison to where he or she should be, but then it can be quite embarrassing for some students to see.  If all of a child's friends were above grade level and that student wasn't, he or she may feel embarrassed about his or her grades even if he or she is on target.  It was also interesting at the staff meeting because we were told a few figures of where the children were at in terms of grades.  A majority of the 3rd and 5th graders were above their grade level. This is really good and also good for me to know.  I knew that the students at the school were quite smart but I did not know they were that much smarter.  However, I have not had a close look at what the standards for each grade are so the standards could be really low.
The Preps also had a picnic today and it was really great.  Although I was unable to stay for the whole thing, it was great to see all the students together with their parents and having a good time.  It's also really nice to see how so many parents are interested and want to be involved in their child's learning.  In the Boston schools I've been in, this is not very apparent.  Parents are not very involved in their child's learning and it really hinders the child's learning.  These parents also don't seem to have a strong value on education like the parents at this school do.  It is quite upsetting to see and I think I will be talking to my Cooperating Teacher (CT) about ways to get parents involved.
Today I taught two reading lessons.  It was really great and students were engaged.  My supervisor also came in and observed and she gave me some really great comments and feedback on what to improve upon and what I was doing well.  It was really nice to get a formal observation form someone since my CT and I have mainly just been verbally talking about my lessons.  Today my supervisor wrote notes as I was teaching and it was really great because she was able to keep track of exactly what I did and what I can do to improve upon my teaching.  I think that being able to teach so many lessons and work with a great group of children is really helping me to learn about teaching and how to better improve my teaching.
I am absolutely loving it here and my teaching experience here is just wonderful.  Sadly, it is coming to an end in two days.  However, I will be in Australia for another 3 weeks and I hope to visit the school again since I have nothing planned.  This would be a great way for me to continue my teaching experience and learn more about teaching.

Day #12

Today was really cool because I was able to attend an inter-school semester meeting.  These meetings happen once every semester (quarter).  The staff form three schools including the school I'm at will gather together and have a meeting and discussion about ways they assess and grade.  During the year they have focused on reading and writing.  Today's meeting focused on oral assessment and children's ability to speak and listen.  It was really interesting because you were able to see how each school has it's own "flavor".  The teachers at different schools had a different teaching philosophy and each individual teacher had her own philosophy as well.  It was just really interesting to see how different all the teachers were.
It was also really good to see how different schools and teachers assessed the same thing.  It really goes to show that there are numerous and endless ways to reach the same point.  All teachers are striving for their students to reach a certain benchmark and each teacher had her own way of getting to that.  It was also really nice to see staff from different schools interact with one another.  Most of the time, you get so caught up with the staff at your school and thats the only staff you know.  However, these meetings allow staff from different schools to learn about each other and interact and share ideas about learning, teaching, and different resources.
Today my Cooperating Teacher (CT) also showed me how to group students based on ability since she just finished assessing all the children in the class.  It was really good because I know the general abilities of the different students and seeing her place them in new groups was really nice because I could actually picture what the groups would look like.  She said that there are three things to keep in mind when making groups.  These three things are ability, behavior, and functionality.  I completely agree with her and think that the groups she made were really good and will help students to excel and grow as readers.
Tomorrow, my supervisor will be coming in to check on me.  I am a little nervous, but I believe that I have been doing a lot of really great things in the classroom so far, so i should have nothing to worry about.  I will be teaching two lessons tomorrow and I'm really excited. Although they are both reading lessons, I think that this will be a great opportunity for me to further practice my teaching reading skills.  I hope to teach a full class math lesson before I finish my placement at this school.  However, after I finish my placement, I hope to return to the school for a visit since I will not be leaving Australia for a few more weeks.

Day #11 (Excursion day!!!)

Today we went on an excursion to the Healesville Sanctuary.  All the animals there were Australian animals and it was quite exciting.  The kids were excited and they behaved really well during the entire trip.  However, today I was not with my class.  I was working with the other Prep class because they did not have as many helpers as the other class.  It was still good because we were able to have a great day.  It was also really great because I was able to see another type of teaching today when the students had their Discovery Session.
The students were really well behaved and this is probably because many of their parents were around, and they knew that they were representing the school.  The students seemed to enjoy their time at the sanctuary.  I'm really glad that the students had a great time because it was a great learning experience for the students. The students were able to see various wetlands and wetland animals, which was what they were learning about in class.  It was really great because students were able to learn a lot and see and interact with what they were learning about in class.  This will also really help students with their research projects that they will be doing.
The students also went to a Discover Session, which was when a Sanctuary Teacher taught the kids about wetlands and the different animals there.  He showed the students various animals and allowed the students to touch the animals as well.  The kids really enjoyed this because it was quite hands on and exciting for them.  It was also a learning experience for me as well.  I was able to see how the Sanctuary Teacher was able to entertain, teach, and get the students to listen to him.  For example, he was able to get the students to remain sitting by having all the students put imaginary glue and gluing their bottoms to the floor.  It was a very creative idea and it works and the kids seemed to enjoy it as well.  Although this may not be the most practical thing to do in a school classroom setting, it was great to see different techniques from different types of teachers.
During the Discovery Session, students were also given the opportunity to interact with a wetland by scooping out some water and looking for water bugs.  The kids really enjoyed this and they behaved really good during this activity, which was great.  The kids really enjoyed what they saw and they seemed to have a lot of fun.  They learned a lot and they were doing a really good job sharing and listening to directions.  It was really great that I was able to go on a day where students went on excursion.  It is not a very common occurrence in schools and it was really great to be able to experience what a field trip is like.
I must say the day was really tiring and there were many changes tot eh schedule that we originally had.  The teachers had to constantly be thinking on their toes and think about what is the best thing to do.  We had a lot of great activities and we did a lot of walking.  Many of the kids were tired but surprisingly not that many fell asleep on the one hour bus ride back to school.  I was dead tired and nearly fell asleep on the bus.  It was a really great day though in many aspects.  The weather was good, the students were well behaved and had fun as well as learned a lot, I learned from and observed a new type of teacher and teaching, and I was able to interact with parents.  I've attached some photos below of some activities from the day.

 Wildlife Hospital - students are observing the vets perform an examination on an injured bird

 Discovery Session - students learn about a tree owl that lives by wetlands

 Discovery Session - students are looking for water bugs in the wetland using a bowl, net, and magnifying glass

Day #10

Today was a really great day.  I taught my second full class Reading Lesson and it went really well.  My Cooperating Teacher told me that I did a great job and the lesson went well.  We will also be going on a field trip tomorrow to Healesville Sanctuary.  I am super excited and so are the kids.  I'm quite surprised they weren't too hyperactive and unfocused during my lesson.  However, by the end of the day, they were very unfocused and both my CT and I were both shaking our heads in disapproval.  We were both so tired and worn out from the week already that we just didn't know what to do with the kids.
I think one of the reasons my lesson was more successful this time was because it was the second time I was teaching the whole class and they now know what I expect of them and what my CT expects of them. I think the students are also more "used to" me teaching now and are more well behaved.  Another reason for this might be because it is the start of the day and students tend to be the most alert and focused during that time of the day.
I think though I did a great job with classroom management, I could improve upon keeping students more controlled and focused during reading groups.  Since I am only work with one group, the rest of the students are on their own.  Today we had a helper and he was able to work with another group where two students would've had trouble with the work.  I wonder what it would've been like if the helper wasn't there and if it was just me alone with the kids.  How would I have managed my Teacher group as well as a group that is having trouble with the work?  Would I just provide that group with an easier activity than the other groups?  I am still thinking about it and I am not sure what is the best thing for me to do in this situation.  I should discuss with my CT about this situation and ask her what she would've done and how she would've managed it.
So far this has been a great experience.  I have been getting a lot of great teaching experience and I have really been able to learn about the school, staff, children, and parents.  I'm hoping that I will be able to learn more about the Australian culture, animals, and the students tomorrow.  I cannot wait.
To end with a lovely little snip-bit, one of the grandma's of one of my students is just adorable.  She is so loving and kind and has been asking me every morning I see her how I'm doing and if I'm enjoying my experience here.  She also offered to bring me out to lunch at a really good Chinese/Malaysian/Asian food place and it just made me feel really happy and at home.  I'm so grateful that there is a parent that has been so open and caring towards me since many of the parents just ignore me even when I try to start a conversation with them.

Day #8 & #9

So the past two days have been quite fun filled.  There have been a lot of great activities that I have learned a lot about.  On day #8, my Cooperating Teacher (CT) was absent so I was able to take a more prominent role in teaching.  It was a great experience and we were able to co-teach with the teacher from the other Prep class and work with the Sports Teacher as well.  We did some great relays that helped us with out maths activity as well.  Since Melbourne Cup (a horse race) was the next day, we had the students do a few novelty races that were fun and educational.  The students were asked to see which group came first, second, third, forth, and so on.  Students were learning about the different places (1st, 2nd, 3rd...) and the students were able to see math in their everyday lives during these races.  It was really good because the students enjoyed it and learned from it as well.  It was also great fun because there were only 14 kids and we made 3 groups so I had to be the 5th player on one of the teams.  It was really fun because it was a great way to bond with the kids and it was also fun for me.  It made me feel like I was a little child again.

Today (Day #9) I taught a math lesson and it went really well.  It was on doubling and it was great because I was able to give the students a number of different strategies and methods to help them solve the problems.  Almost all the students knew what they were doing afterwards and were able to complete the worksheet.  Some students still needed help, but it was mainly help keeping them focused.  I talked to my CT about it today and she was thinking that I could possibly pull these students out and then run and intensive maths group.  I think that this would be a great opportunity since she will have the help and I will also be given and opportunity to run an intensive maths group to help the students.  This will give me the opportunity to learn how I can structure and run an intensive maths group in my future classroom.

I think that I am learning a lot here and my CT gives me a lot of responsibilities int he classroom which is great.  I cannot wait to teach more lessons and work with the students.

Day #7

Today was great fun.  I taught a full class Reading lesson and the kids responded quite well to it.  It was quite successful but there are points I could improve upon.  I really enjoy working with the 5-6 age group and I think that they can really learn a lot and they're in the state where they really want to learn and care about their learning, which is great.  Today we also had grade 5/6 students come in and help the Preps with their first research project.  It was really good to see how the kids look up to and listen to the 5/6 students.  Today the students also had free choice and it was a great opportunity to see how children like to spend their time differently.
For today's reading lesson, I read the students a book titled, Why Frogs Are Wet.  This book looked like a fiction picture book but then it was actually a non-fiction book.  I started the lesson by asking students what non-fiction books look like and what fiction picture books look like.  I then followed by asking students whether they thought the book was a fiction picture book or if it was a non-fiction book.  Most students thought that it was a fiction picture book, but after reading, it students realized that it was a non-fiction book and changed their mind.  What really intrigued me was that one student said that it was both a non-fiction book and a fiction picture book.  It was kind of true because the book was non-fiction but it did have a bit of a story to it as well.  It was quite interesting to see that reaction from one child though.  After the reading of the book, the students split into 5 different groups.  These five groups of about 4 children each did different things.  One group did a "-ot" word worksheet, another did phonics games on the computers, others played sight word bingo, some used magnetic letters to make their new word box words, and a few were finishing up their wetlands pictures.  I think that I could've improved upon the design of the lesson by reading half of the book first, since it was a rather long book, and then having the students do their group work.  Then have students pack up and then finish reading the book to them.  In this way, students would not be as rowdy towards the end of the story.  However, I do think it was quite good for my first full class lesson.
The 5/6 students also came in today and worked with the Preps on their first research project on a wetland animal.  There were three different stations and students went to each station.  One station was the computers where EncartaKids was loaded up, another was looking through non-fiction books, and the last one was using the SmartBoard to look up information on the internet.  The 5/6 students helped the Preps on the computers and the books, which was really great because it allows the 5/6 students to become the teachers and the Preps will also gain a new type of learning experience.  It worked really well because the Preps look up to the 5/6 students and listened really well to the 5/6 students.  The 5/6 students are supposed to come in every Friday to help the Preps with their research project and I am really excited to see how the 5/6 interaction with the Preps will change.
Observing the students during free choice was also quite interesting.  Some students wanted to use the computers, other wanted to build structures using straws, some want to build spaceships using legos, and a few wanted to finish their writing from earlier today.  It was also quite interesting because in the beginning, no one was on the computers than one person went on the computers and immediately after, all the students wanted to go on the computers.  It's quite interesting how it only takes one person for everyone else to want to do the same thing.  I think it's a great idea that my Cooperating Teacher (CT) puts free time into her schedule.  I thin that it is extremely important for the students at this age to have developmental play.  Although it may seem like a waste of time since it's nothing "academic", it is really helpful for them socially.  I think that Prep is one of the years that students develop socially and the more students interact with one another, the more socially confident they will be.  I know that some schools int he States offer a grade between Kindergarten and 1st grade for those students that are not socially ready for 1st grade.
To end with a cute story, today when I was about to start my lesson, the one girl that always mocks my accents asked me, "Why do you speak weird?"  I told her that I am from the States and that we speak differently there because we have different accents but she just continued to ask my why I spoke differently than her.  It is quite cute and interesting how students couldn't understand that there are such things as accents and that people are different and people from different places speak differently.

Day #6

So today was my 6th day.  It's been about 1 1/2 weeks since I last visited the school.  I've really missed it and I'm glad to be back.  Today was a fun filled day of helping kids put together a piece for their portfolio, making paper crocodiles, and joining in on an art class.  It was a good day but the kids were quite hyper and for all of us (teachers and myself) this has been an extremely long week, which didn't work out too well.  However, we were able to get through the day successfully.
Today my Cooperating Teacher (CT) asked me to help the kids put together a piece for their portfolios.  The students were given three pictures of them making ChocoCrispies and were asked to glue it on a sheet of paper and decorate and create their own borders as well as write a few words about what they were doing.  It went quite well however, some kids were being very silly and it took them a while to finish the activity, which was a problem.  This is because I pulled a few students at a time while they were doing a different activity.  It was really nice because I was able to see how some students were more creative in terms of art and how they represent themselves.  It's really nice that the students are assessed based on a portfolio of works throughout the year instead of having actual written exams, which are becoming more and more common in the American school system.
Today I also helped the students in making paper crocodiles which was really fun.  the students were given verbal direction on how to complete the crocodile and were also given a demonstration as well.  It was interesting to see the different motor skills that the students had in using scissors.  Some students cut the crocodile out really neatly and folded really neatly, while others had trouble cutting along the lines or had problems following directions.  One student in particular had a lot of problems following directions and understanding how he was supposed to make the crocodile.  The students were asked to fold the paper along the line and cut along the lines of the crocodile.  However, this one student cut along the fold the first time so we gave him a new sheet and showed him what he was supposed to do.  Once again he cut along the fold so I taped the two pieces together and told him and showed him what he was supposed to do.  But once again he cut along the fold.  This happened one or two more times after this and it just left me speechless because the directions were clear and I showed him where he was supposed to cut but he just kept cutting it along the fold.  I talked to my CT about this after class and she told me that she was surprise because usually this student is really good with his hands and these types of things but she didn't know what went on today.  It was also interesting to see the range in fine motor skills of using scissors and how neatly some of the crocodiles were made, while other were more messily done.
Today I also had the pleasure of joining the kids in Art class.  the School is very fortunate that the students have both Studio Art and Performance Art.  Today I sat in on the Studio Art class and it was great.  The activity students did was to color tubed shaped pasta and then string them onto string and create a necklace, bracelet, belt, or whatever they wanted.  It was interesting to see all the different designs that the kids made.  Some followed the lines on the pasta, others drew against the grain, others used dots and made up their own pattern.  It was really great to see the kids doing art and really enjoying it.  The teacher was also telling me that the way she thought of this project was that she was given a box of pasta that spilled on the floor.  She then realized that the pasta had a hole and could be strung so she decided to do this quick and easy project.  It is a really great activity because it utilizes whatever the teacher can get and it is fun for the kids and cheap and allows us to conserve and not waste things.  As the saying goes, one man's garbage is another's gold.
To end on an interesting note, the students are learning about the life cycle of a frog and one of the students actually hatched a frog egg and it became a tadpole and is developing into a baby frog.  He brought it into class and left it on the teacher's table in a tank for everyone in the class to look at.  My CT also brought in a tank with frog eggs in it and hopefully the eggs will hatch into tadpoles and grow into frogs.  This allows kids to see what they are learning in action and it was just really cool to be able to see a tadpole since i've never seen one in real life.

Day #5

So today was a good day.  My Cooperating Teacher (CT) was out sick yesterday so she said the kids would probably be a little jumpy today and they were.  However it was ok.  I was also asked to lead the teacher group for Reading and lead a group for Math.  Although I have worked with other groups throughout the past few days I've been in the class, today I was actually given the teacher group.  Although it is a small task that I could've easily have done, I think that being given the responsibility of THE teacher group was just a nice feeling.  I also once again sat in on a staff meeting, which gave me a view of the inner workings of the school and staff as well.
As I said earlier, my CT asked me to lead the Teacher Group today for Reading.  What I did was have the students take a picture walk through the book titled, The Old Cat.  We looked at each picture in detail and I made sure that the students would say almost every word that was on the page before moving onto the next picture.  My CT was telling me that this helps the students when they read through the book for the first time.  Some of the students cannot read yet or have problems reading so by going through the vocabulary words before hand while looking at the pictures, it allows students to have the vocabulary fresh in their minds when they go to read the book.  It also helps them figure out what some words may be as well.  After going through a very detailed picture walk, I had the students have a go at reading the book by themselves.  After all the students had a go at trying to read the book to themselves, I have the students read it together slowly.  After reading it together, slowly, I ask the students a few comprehension questions as well as critical thinking questions.  For example, I asked the students, "How do you know the girl loves the cat?"  It was really good because the students had to go back through the book to look for evidence and think about the question as well.  After we finished with the book, I explained to the students what their activity would be tomorrow so that my CT would not have to explain it to them again tomorrow.  I think the group went really well.
I think part of the reason the group was able to go so well was because the students already knew the routine and have been doing the same routine for almost a whole year.  I think another reason is that the students in the class are all for the most part really well behaved, which made it really easy to be able to to take over the group and have the students do what they wanted to do.  My CT also gave me a good tip that I had learned before but had forgotten , which was to sit in a position where you can face your group as well as see the whole class.  This is a great tip because this allows you to not only teach your group and have them focused on you, but also allows you to keep and eye on the class and make sure that they are doing their work.
Today I was also able to run a math group.  Although I had worked with math groups before in the class, the activity today was more abstract than concrete.  When I worked with previous math groups, the activity was very straightforward such as sorting numbers that were odd and even.  However, the activity today allowed students to use more creativity and draw their own treasure map as well as work with a partner to use their words (left, right, up, down) to direct their partner how to reach the treasure form the start.  This activity was hard with some groups but was easier for some groups.  For the most part though, I thought it went really well.  Some students tried to get away with not describing to their partners using their words how to get to the treasure by using their fingers or moving their partner's finger.  However, I caught these students doing that and then had the students use their words.  It was hard for some students because they didn't know their left and rights.  For some using the trick of making an "L" with your thumb and index finger was hard for some students to understand that the left hand made an "L".  I think this is because some of the students still have trouble with their letters and recognizing them.  Overall, I thought the students did a good job in completing the task and had fun while doing it as well.
I hope to be able to take over and run more of these group lessons like I did today in my next 10 day block.  My CT and I were discussing teaching a few full class lessons.  Possibly one in Reading, Writing, and Math, and maybe one that is cross-subjects.  I am thinking of possibly teaching more full class lessons since Prep is the age group I hope to teach in the future and more practice wouldn't hurt.  I think that this is a great group to experiment and try new techniques and ideas with because they are a very calm and well mannered group.
I am also really excited because I will be going to the zoo with the class later on.  This is great because it will allow me to see how to handle kids on a field trip and see different ideas of how to utilize different hands on and interactive learning opportunity for students.  I am excited for this trip also because I am excited to go to a zoo as well.
At today's staff meeting, I was able to see more of how the school and staff operated.  It's great to see that the staff know each other quite well and are able to crack jokes with each other.  Even the principal and vice principal join in on the jokes as well.  There doesn't seem to be a divide between the principal, vice principal, and the rest of the staff.  Everyone seems to be on the same level and everyone is treated equally.  Each member of the team has something different to offer and they are all encouraged to share these unique differences with the group.  It is also really interesting because the schools runs a lot of fundraisers compared to the schools that I have worked at.  These include fundraisers for charity and school budget.  The school gets a lot of money from school fundraisers and it is able to fund many different activities the school offers such as Mathletics.  Mathletics is an online program that teachers can use in the classroom to teach lessons, enhance lessons, and give practice for the students.  Mathletics can also be used at home by students to practice their skills and some teachers even use it as a homework assignment and as a way of assessment.  This program costs the school about $2,000 and the fundraising the school does allows them to pay for this extra program, which his very helpful for students learning.  I really wish that in the states I would be able to sit in on staff meetings like I do here.  It would really allow me to get to know the school better as well as how school system works on a more administrative level.
I am really learning a lot from this experience here and I am really glad that I did this.  Since I am staying for a year, I hope that I will be abel to find a job or volunteer opportunity at a school or after school facility where I will be able to work with students.  It has been really helpful for me as a student teacher in developing management skills and just learning about how to work with staff, different situations, and students.
Once again to end with a story from today, some of the older girls decided to open a hair salon.  These girls go around asking other students if they would like a hair appointment and write down these appointments in a book.  The girls operate in a corner of the playground and have hair products like gel, hair spray, and curlers to style hair.  The girls are quite talents and do make some really nice hair styles.  However, I'm surprised that the schools allows for students to use products like hair spray and gel that students could have allergies to.  I guess that is the relaxed Australian culture.

Day #4

Today was yet another rainy day.  However, the kids were much more behaved and a lot more calm than they were two days ago.  It was also nice because today was a pretty calm day in terms of work wise.  I also learned more about the school and the different things my teacher has set up.  It's quite nice to see how she involve parents in her student's learning also.
Today during break and lunch, I was able to talk to the Music Specials and they were able to tell me a little about how the music system works in the schools.  Students are asked to take a test to evaluate their level of skill and ability.  These tests require students to know their scales, play a few pieces to show variety, and sight reading.  This is similar to the tests in Nassau County, NY, but the tests in Nassau County only require students to prepare one song.
During break and lunch, I was also able to talk with a couple of other teachers.  Many of the teachers had been to the States and it seems to be a discussion topic a lot of times.  It's nice because I get to talk to these teachers about their experiences in the States, which is familiar to me while I can talk to them about Australia as well.  Many of the teachers have also had previous teaching experience in England and I can talk to them about the education England as well, which would be quite interesting to hear about.  I hope to talk with these teachers more about their experiences.
Today my teacher was telling me about the different assignments she gives students.  There are four different things that she has students do on a daily or weekly basis.  The students have "readers", which are bags that have reading books in them.  Children bring them home every night and each day they come to school, they change their books.  Students are supposed to read the books they bring home every night.  This is an excellent way for students to get reading practice.  I remember that my brother had reading bags when I was in Kindergarten and it encouraged him to read and made his love for reading grow even fonder.  The students also have a Math Share Folder, which is due weekly.  In the Math Share Folders, students are given a different real life math problems to do with their parents for the week.  This is a way to involve parents in their children's learning and for them to see that math is in everyday life.  The students change their problems every Friday and it is based on the honor system that students have done the problem by Friday.  Students are also given library bags where students are allowed to go to the library on Fridays and check out a book that they like.  They will return the book the following book and check out a new one.  This helps to encourage reading and many time the books the students choose are too challenging for them to read by themselves so it encourages parents to read to their children.  There is also a writing backpack that goes around to everyone in the class.  One person will bring the backpack home one night and complete an assignment and then the net night someone else will bring it home and complete an assignment.  This cycle continues until everyone in the class has had a go and then it will start again.  This is a great way to encourage writing in a way that gets the kids excited about it.  The kids look forward to being able to bring the backpack home and do a writing activity.  This is similar to my previous CT's idea of having a stuff animal that the class would name, which would go home with a different student every night or week and the students would write in a communal journal.  I hope to implement some of these ideas in my own classroom because it makes learning fun and interesting.  It also involves the parents in their child's learning, which I think is extremely important.
The school also encourages parents to be a part of their children's learning by sending out weekly newsletters to parents updating them on what is happening at the school, what the different classes are doing and how parents can help to continue learning at home, and different highlights from the week.  Teachers will include ways parents can help children to continue school learning by suggesting possible activities or questions they can ask their child.  This is great because parents will get to see what their children are doing and learning.  It also informs parents of upcoming events such as fundraisers and field trips.
I am really excited to teach the students.  I cannot wait to be able to teach them about things that I know about and I think it would be really cool to incorporate some of my own knowledge and American and Chinese culture into their learning.  There isn't much cultural diversity in the school and I think that it is important that students learn about difference at a young ages because it allows them to be more accepting in the future. I get made fun of my accent by one girl who continues to mock me.  I try to tell her that people are all different and they have different accents.  However, she continues to mock me and make fun of it and pretends that she doesn't know what an accent is.  I do not know how to address this problem and I hope that she will just come to her senses and grow up.  However, right now she does not seem to be doing that and she has been getting others to join her mocking of my accent.  I think that she may be making fun of my accent because she hasn't been exposed to difference and now that she is exposed, she doesn't know how to deal with it.  It is quite an interesting problem and I still have not thought of the best way to go about solving the problem.
I cannot wait to figure out what I will be teaching on Tuesday.  I'm so excited to be able to work with such wonderful kids that are for the most part very respectful and knowledgable.  It's sad to say but the students in this class are just as smart if not smarter than some of the 2nd grade students I taught last semester.  I am trying to figure out how it is that students in the States can be so far behind.  I think a lot of it may have to do with teachers teaching only to the test or the No Child Left Behind Act, where children are just getting passed along in the education system even though they should not be.
On a happy note, today I was able to witness "puppy love" in my classroom.  Two boys were talking about how one of the other boys in the class likes one girl and that girl was right there in front of them.  The boys then started to say no you like her and it went back and forth and they were saying things like, "You like her" and "You want to marry her".  It was so cute and the girl was just sitting there not knowing what to say.  Kids are so interesting.

Day #3

Today was my third day and was the first rainy day since I've been at the school.  It was a relatively bad day for the students today and I was able to see how my teacher handled the situation.  It was a great learning experience and she also shared a few techniques with me on how she likes to handle these types of situations.  It was also nice to see what a rainy day schedule looks like as well.
It was interesting to see what a Rainy Day Schedule is like.  Since there is no gym per say in the school, students stay in their classrooms for recess and play with games and toys.  The teachers are allowed to leave the room for the time and take a break.  Students know that they are to stay in the rooms and play nicely.  Teachers who are on duty will walk around to the different classrooms and make sure that everything is in order.  This is quite interesting because I do not think this would ever be allowed int eh states because of possible lawsuits of children hurting themselves while not being "supervised".  It is interesting to see how the laid back culture of Australia follows through to the schools.
According to my Cooperating Teacher (CT) today was the worst the students had ever been all year long.  She told me that she felt super embarrassed that I had to see the students like that.  However, I found it to be an excellent learning opportunity for me to learn from her and learn about her method of solving these types of problems.  My CT said that it was partially her fault because she had noticed the bad behavior starting on Monday but did not address it then and the problem just grew and grew and finally exploded today.  However, I believe that it also had to do with the fact that students weren't able to go outside and run around due to the rain.  Many times during little breaks between activities, my CT will give the class a short break to grab a drink and use the bathroom.  During this break, some students will choose to go on a little jog to get some of the energy out of them.  However, due to today's weather, this was not feasible.  I think this definitely caused some students to become rowdy.
I think the way my teacher handled the situation was a good method, but I think it could've been better.  When students were not behaving properly, my CT would write their names on the board as a reminder to those students that they were not doing a good job.  After having their name put on the board, students will usually start to behave and then they will get their names taken off the board.  This is quite effective and seems to be a method that could be very useful in my future classroom.  When students are being noisy when my CT is trying to explain something, my teacher uses the phrase "You're wasting your own learning time".  This usually quiets the children down and they refocus.  However,  I remember using this with my 2nd graders last semester and it did not work at all.  This technique did not seem to work well today in class probably because the students were very grumpy and/or jittery form not being able to go outside and play and run around.  The students probably didn't want to learn and therefore that phrase did not work.  I think that my CT should've realized that this technique wasn't working and tried another one.  My CT also threatened to take away Computers (one of their specials) if their bad behavior continued.  In the end, she ended up taking Computers away because students were not behaving so clearly this method did not work either.  It is a good method, but I think something that might be more effective is for my CT to rearrange the children so that the are not sitting with children that they are being naughty with.  This is a simple solution and often times works really well.
After my teacher took away Computers, she had the students do independent silent reading as a punishment for being loud and rude.  After the students calmed down, my CT pulled out a wetlands coloring worksheet that was like and "I Spy" type worksheet where students had to find the number of hats, beach balls, and other things in the picture.  My CT was saying that she also has a worksheet like that on hand that is easy and calming for the students and it relates to the topics that they are learning about.  She was also telling me that the worksheet should be easy because it will help calm the students down because the students will feel that they know the information and feel confident.  She said that the work the students were doing today and the past few days were quite challenging and that may have been the cause of some behavioral issues.  I think that it is awesome that she plans for possible bad days and always has something prepared in advanced just incase she ever needs to use it.
One problem that I seem to face as a Student Teacher is that students don't see you as a teacher.  I know that last semester when I would ask students to stop doing certain behaviors, they would say to me, "You're not a teacher".  This happened today with one student who was trying to be smart with me.  He said to me that I wasn't a teacher and when I told him I was, he just refused to listen to me and continued to say that I was not a teacher.  I am wondering what is the best way to approach these situations where students question your authority.  I hope to talk to my CT about this and see if she ever had this happen to her when she was student teaching and how she dealt with it.
I was also asking my CT as to how students are placed into schools and she said that it is based on zoning.  However, if one year enrollments are low, they will pull students from other places.  She said though that Carlton North Primary School is in a pretty affluent place and students come into school read to learn.  She said that it isn't that most students come from affluent backgrounds but that the parents look highly upon learning and education.  For this reason, the school receives a lot of funding and donations from the parents, which is one of the reasons why the school has four different specials (Arts, Robotics, Italian, Computers), which is a lot.  The way funding works in Australia is that schools receive a certain amount of money per student and that is there budget.  On top of that, schools will hold fundraisers to raise more fund for the school budget.  Families are also able to donate money to the school, which will increase the school's budget.  I think that this is a great idea and I think schools int he states should hold fundraisers more so that they can provide more services for students to enhance their learning.
To end on a happy note, today one of the boys asked me what were on my ears.  I then realized that he was talking about my earrings and I told him that they were octopi and he was extremely excited.  This was because the students are learning about wetlands now, which include oceans, swamps, lakes, ponds,  rain forests, and any wet areas of land.  He made a like as to how octopi live in wetlands and it made me really happy because he made a connection.  It was also funny because I didn't even notice that I was wearing octopus earrings while the students were learning about wetlands.

Day #2

Yet another successful and informative day at Carlton North Primary School.  It was a great learning experience because I was able to go on a Walking Field Trip with the kids, go to Sports with the kids, read a book to the kids, and attend a staff meeting.  It was all very interesting to see how things run around here and compare it to my experiences back in Boston.
The Walking Field Trip the students went on was a Number Walk.  The students had been learning about odd and even numbers for the past few days.  My Cooperating Teacher (CT) and her team teacher decided that it would be good for students to actually apply it and look at numbers in real life.  Therefore, the students went on a Number Walk around the communities that surround the school and looked at house numbers.  Students were asked to identify whether the numbers were odd of even and it worked really well.  Although it was hectic and a little bit crazy at times, I think it worked really well.  My CT and I were discussing how after the Number Walk, the students really seemed to grasp the concept of what an odd number is and what an even number is, as well as how you know if a number is even or odd.  It is a nice approach to learning about odd and even because all the numbers on one side of the street are even and the other side is odd so when students walked down one side of the street, every number was odd or every number was even.  The constant repetition of the odd number and even numbers really helped to drill it in the students' heads.  I think that this would be a good activity to do with students because when I was working with 2nd grade students in Boston last semester, the students had a really hard time grasping the difference between an odd and even number.  This is a great activity that I will definitely make a note of to use in my future classroom.

The students also had Sports today, which is equivalent to Gym or Physical Education in the States.  The students did a circuit of different coordination exercises that are supposed to activate both hemispheres of the brain at the same time.  My CT was telling me that studies have shown that these types of activities are really helpful for developing writing, reading, and many other skills.  It is very interesting so see this and students also seem to really enjoy it.  I think that this is great and I have never seen any type of activities like this in the States; at least not in primary school where these activities would be the most helpful.  I think that it is great that even the Sports teachers are using a really well thought out and developed curriculum that will help the students not only physically but also academically.  I think this needs to be implemented more in the States where Gym is a time for playing only sports.

I found it quite interesting when I was reading a book to the students.  I felt sort of out of place because I knew that I had a different accent than the kids.  I was afraid that they would make fun of me for it just like one girl did yesterday.  However, the kids were quite well behaved.  It took them a little bit of time to become focused because they had just gotten back from the Number Walk, but overall, I would have to say the students were extremely well behaved for their age group.  I feel as though these students are even more well behaved than the 2nd graders I had last semester.  I am curious as to why there is such a stark contrast.  I hope to talk to my CT about this observation and ask her if she has any techniques that she has used or uses to get kids to focus.

Today I was also able to sit in on a staff meeting.  This is the first time I was ever able to sit in on a staff meeting and it was a really great experience.  I think that I learned a lot about the inner workings of schools and staff.  It's also really interesting to see how the funding for schools are done in Australia as well as seeing the entire teaching staff working together to solve a problem.  It's amazing and interesting to see how many different ideas and approaches come up.  During the meeting, the idea of doing Instructional Rounds were also address.  Instructional Rounds are when teachers go around and observe other teachers' teaching and evaluate it and give feedback.  It is a way for teachers to be able to reflect on their teaching and receive helpful feedback from other staff.  It's also great because it allows for interaction between staff and the sharing of new ideas.

Today was a great learning experience for me and I cannot wait to actually start teaching lessons.  To end once again on a happy note, this one girl today kept coming up to me and saying "It's so cool that your from New York.  I really want to go to New York" and she said it with a very posh accent.  It was quite adorable and she did it to me multiple times throughout the day.  I just find it so interesting how different children react differently to me and my background.

First Day

I'm studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia and today was my first day of student teaching. I was placed at Carlton North Primary School in the Prep class, which is our Kindergarten. I really like the school, staff, and students. Everyone is just so friendly and laid back. It's completely different than the hustle and bustle of the North East. There is so much to talk about with the school and the set up. I much prefer this school to those that I've visited in the States. The environment is very nurturing and inviting. There is no sense of being put down or anything like that.

I think the first thing I noticed about the school is that there are two separate buildings. The older kids (3rd-6th graders) are in one building while the (Prep-2nd graders) are in another. It's a pretty nice set up because it allows the younger kids to be bullied by the older kids. It also allows teachers that are in the younger years to work together and plan and set up their building to fit their needs and the same with the older students. However, they do interact with one another at lunch which allows for students to learn from one another. Grades here are also mixed, except for Prep; so grade one and two are mixed, grade three and four, and five and six. I was told that it was because the school is so small and it works better in terms of number and classes. However, it is a nice idea that the older kids can help the younger kids, which allows them to learn the information on a more comprehensive level.

Another really interesting thing was that students call teachers by their first name. It's so interesting how things are so casual here versus in the States. I remember when I asked my kids to call me Miss Dorine, my supervisor told me that I should not do that and should have the kids call me Miss Yang. I much prefer being called Miss Dorine or Dorine than Miss Yang. Although I do understand that being called Miss Yang is probably more respectful and proper, I think that being called Miss Dorine or Dorine makes kids feel not as intimidated.

The structure of the day is also quite nice. Students get two play times; once in the mid-morning and one after lunch. Students have two classes and then have snack and play time, then they come back for two more classes and then have lunch and play time, and then come back for two more classes and then go home. Kids have snack and lunch in the classroom on the floor. They sit in a circle and eat together. Students all bring packed lunches and they can order food on Fridays if they like. There is no cafeteria for students, which can be both a good and bad thing but the system they have works out quite well. Students are also required to wear hats with a brim around the whole thing or hates with side flap covers during Term 1 and 4, which are the summer months. It's quite interesting since there is nothing like that in the Boston. However, it is due to the strong sun and many kids will come back sun burned.

I was also really lucky to be able to sit in on a planning meeting today. My teacher plans with the other Prep teacher and they plan out the schedule for next week despite it being a Monday and they have barely started this week. They actually do quite a detailed schedule and it's very organized. It's quite amazing and they said that it has worked out really well for the year so far.

There is so much that is new and different here in Melbourne. The school, staff, and students are quite different than those in the States, but I'm really loving it. I think that the U.S. should look at the Australian teaching methods just like many are looking at Singapore math. The Singapore math education is excellent and many U.S. schools are trying to adopt the curriculum. I think if they adopted some methods from the Australians, it may be very helpful.

To end on a funny note, Australians have an accent, which is sometimes quite different than the American accent. I was talking with one of the girls in my class today and I said to her, "Now draw a picture." She responds, "HAHA...picTURE...HAHA". I said to her, "Picture?" and she just continues to laugh at me and say "picTURE". I guess I must've said picture weird. Getting laughed at by a 5 or 6 year old on my first day because I spoke "funny".

P.S. I added some pictures of my classroom.