Week 2- Professional
So we have now been here for two weeks and everything is starting to come together at slow pace, but we have come to realise this is Africa (TIA). After our weekend orientation we began the process of registering classes and getting our timetable for the semester.
We quickly were made aware that we were going to be placed on the PGCE course and that we would be attending classes with the vast amount of students never have taught before. We had a three day course orientation which involved meeting the various faculty members from the school of education; course structure and other important information about what was expected in our school placements. It was interesting to see how diverse the group of students that were taking on the PGCE course, many were mature students who wanted a career change and felt that education was the right route to pursue. Many talked about why they had chosen teaching as a profession and that they saw the importance and privilege it is to teach and mould the next generation to become lifelong learners.
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| Cebelihle Primary School |
I have been placed for my first observation at Cebelihle Primary School. This township school is quite a journey away from our accommodation, but we managed to get there after much debate of what shuttle bus and taxi we needed to take. There are over 1500 pupils at the school with an age range of 5-13, Grade R to Grade 9. I was taken to the school by Skura, the head of school partnerships at the University and introduced to the Principal and various other members of school management before being taken to my first class.
I was going to be shadowing “Ms Anthea,” for the day. She informed me that I was going to be moving around various classes to get a real feel of the diverse groups of children found within the school. Each class consists of around 40-50 pupils and there age range could vary as some children are held back if their teacher feels they are not progressing to meet the average standard of that age bracket. Names like Dingane and Dikeledi meant that if I was going to be teaching in this classroom a seating plan would be a necessary tool that would be put to good use. It was interesting and exciting to here the children responded to various questions with ‘Yes teacher,’ in a thick and calming South African accent.
To say that I was definitely in for a cultural shock is an understatement. The schooling is South Africa is very different to that found in Northern Ireland. The first time I walked into at grade 6 class (Primary 5/6) I was in astonished at the lack of resources available and your main teaching tools consist of a chalkboard and a text books per subject, which some have to share. Further, the teaching goes against everything that Stranmillis has ever taught me in catering for the needs of every pupil in my care and adapting my teaching methods to develop and progress the learning of each child. It is evident that the children are all taught at the same level and the use of differentiation to provide for the various learning styles is not considered as a means of supporting the various levels of learning within the classroom.
It is quite difficult to watch children being taught through rote learning and observe them struggling to form the relevant strategies, to develop their learning and skills for themselves to and ultimately hindering them from reaching their maximum potential. Robert fisher (1998) outlines that this theoretical knowledge based learning is a method in which inhibits learning and promotes the idea that children come to learning as ‘vessels to be filled’ or ‘fires to be lit.’ After observing the numerous lessons I was determined that when the roles were reversed I would endeavour to make my lessons, interactive, fun and worthwhile to every child.
The means of assessment fails to support and enhance the child’s development and rather degrades the confidence and self esteem of many of the pupils. To ask the children who got all the answers wrong and to hear children laughing at their peers was a very uncomfortable sight to witness. It wasn’t until now that I fully understand the importance of using assessment as a means of that only enhances and supports the learners within the classroom. This is reiterated by Gardner (2006) who states that indeed assessment must first and foremost; serve the purpose of supporting learning.
One aspect that I found quite strange was that the children move around the school to receive their various lessons and they have many different teachers. Therefore a teacher will only teach a one or two subjects similar to our post-primary schooling in Northern Ireland.
Later in the day the teacher gave me the opportunity to teach a few numeracy and literacy lessons to grade four (primary ¾) and grade seven (primary 7). This was quite interesting as I was handed the textbook and a piece of chalk and told what I had to cover by the end of the period. I definitely had to think quickly on my feet and try and produce a lesson that the children understood what was being taught and that they met the relevant success criteria. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience as the children latched themselves onto my every word, purely because I was the first white male student teacher they had encountered and this was a completely new experience to them. What was also refreshing and apparent was that the children actually want to learn and they appreciate their education unlike many children in the UK and Northern Ireland.
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| Teaching at the chalkboard" |
On a more positive light, it is clear that the school recognises the need to involve the community in establishing and creating a learning environment where parents and professionals work to build a school were children learn the necessary skills to survive and progress in life. The school has many programmes in which they provide an outreach for the community. An example of this is the daily soup kitchen were an hour before the children go home; parents and members of the wider community come and receive a hot meal. In return the community assist the school with keeping the grounds clean and safe for the children to play in during break and lunchtime. This was a very humbling experience in which I came to appreciate the poverty found within the area and indeed acknowledging the backgrounds in regards to the home environment in which these children were coming from.
School starts at 08:00 and ends at 14:00, which means we have the whole afternoon to experience the African culture and experience the student life found within the NMMU campus. We have already been to a few Madibaz (nickname for NMMU) rugby matches and plan to sign up to a few clubs and societies found within the University. So I can safely say this has been a worthwhile and learning experience. BRING ON WEEK THREE!
Until next time,
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