Incident of my first week

During the previous week, the school went through many changes. One of the changes was a different grouping style in all the classroom. Before the change the children were in 5 groups, two groups sit with the teachers while the other groups play freely in the corners. Now, they divided the children into three groups and each group have to sit on a table doing specific activities and swap to other tables. An Arabic table , an English literacy table  and the third table for craft or any activities. So the children have to sit during the circle time for about 15 minutes and then move to the 3 table and sit in each group for 15 minutes!!

The first two days of doing this method I felt that it could make the classroom more arranged and quiet but it was the opposite. The children were trying hard to sit in each table and do the activity but after they finish they start to be so active because they sit for too long.  

This incident took a place because it affects my teaching style negatively. I taught the first week using the same way the school asked the teacher to do. Using flash cards, white board and other stuff during the literacy group. I felt that I was not enjoying the lessons that I was teaching. Moreover, what is the most important thing the children were not having fun. Forcing children to move from one table to another without having any choice or free play made the children restless and a lot of miss behavior appeared. This incident create a negative climate in the school because not all the teachers agreed on this change which may affect their teaching as well.

 

As a trainee teacher I should have asked the teachers to teach the way that I believe and explained for them my point of view. If they did not except other ways of teaching, I should also try to integrate my teaching style and what I believe with any system.

From this I learned that the teacher should not do what she think it’s not beneficial for the students. I should do the lessons the way that I believe will enable children to learn and have fun and not give up on what I believe because a change in the grouping system.

 

Others perspective of the incident

Dr Neil observed my lesson and he said that my teaching moved backward and the grouping strategy affected my teaching and the children’s learning. He added that we should do the lessons the way we believe in. My mentor also did not like the new grouping activity but she said that we can’t change the way of teaching unless they let us change, I told her that I want to use more art and craft for numeracy and she said that she will support me on that. my colleague Reem had the same point of view but the  Arabic head teacher when she knew about that we want to change she said : no way to change the grouping method!

 

Look how the children feel about this!!!

 

 

I’m joking these pictures are from previews feelings lesson =p