November 6: End of Week 1 Reflection

In the past couple of days during the week of my practicum, I have been busy preparing lesson plans, meeting the students and teachers, going to various non-math and English classes to learn about different teaching/class management styles.

I have attended a Chemistry 12 class, a Japanese 11 class, and a ELL class. I find that the language-based classes are generally are more interactive and involved than the math and science classes. The math and science classes are more subject-based (subjects and contents are more important), and in language/art classes are more analytical (analysis and thinking are more important).

I have two classes that are repeated for this short practicum, both math and English. I realize that even though they are the same classes, the students' response, thinking and behaviours in that same grade and subject area are all different. In addition, I realize that teachers have slightly different teaching strategies and methods for every class they teach (regardless if they are repeated or not).

For this one week being at a school, I learned about...

• Students are all different at their own levels - their competencies, abilities, personalities, etc.
• Teachers are all different in terms of their teaching and practices.
• The amount of discipline that's needed to control the classrooms are almost consistent from the youngest grade (9) to the oldest grade (12). E.g. some Gr. 9s need more discipline than the Gr. 12s, and some Gr. 12s need more discipline than the Gr. 9s.
• Students at Point Grey are very passionate about what they learn and what their hobbies are. From the clubs that I have attended and observed, students are not only passionate about the big things (e.g. humanitarian clubs) but also about the littlest things that I often don't think about, which amazes me!
• Students do notice me and acknowledge my presence even if they didn't say Hi to me in the classes I observed. (They always come up to me and tell me that I was in his/her's this class and that class, and I didn't even know!)