Upon arriving at Ballinteer, the first thing I noticed was how unorganized the school was..... or so I thought. Instead of a traditional school day encompassing 6 to 7 class periods of teaching the same subject and the same students at each time of the day, my new schedule went a little like this....
I have my 1Y Geography LG students on Mondays at 1:35, Tuesdays at 9:20, and Thursday at 10am. I have my 1Y World History SH students on Mondays at 2:55, Tuesdays at 11:35, and Wednesdays at 11:35. I have my 1Y Geography SH students Mondays at 11:35, Wednesdays at 9:20, and Fridays at 12:15 etc, etc....... confusing, huh?? I was so confused and puzzled at why 1) a class didn't meet every day and 2) they met at different times of the day.
Soon to find out, there's actually a method to this madness!!! Ms. MacAliden, the deputy principal, explained to me the reasoning. For starters, there has been countless research done which suggests students have varying times of the day their optimal "learning" occurs and also certain times where they are more alert. Since every student operates and learns better at different times, schools have created schedules that alternate what time of the day classes meet so each student's learning is maximized. Hypothetically, if a class meets three times a week, each meeting time would be at a different time of the day. It makes so much sense now! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT??!
Also, my question of why classes didn't meet everyday was also answered. I'm not sure if I explained before, but there are three different standardized tests Irish students take. The first one is the "Junior Certificate", then the "Senior Certificate", and last they take their "Leaving Certificate". Each subject has their own portion of the standardized test. The main subjects that count the most are English, Irish, Mathematics, and Science. These classes meet 4 times a week. The next most important subjects are History, Geography, Religion, etc. These classes meet 3 times a week. Then there are subjects like Workshop, Foreign Language, Business, etc. These classes meet 2 times a week. It totally makes sense! The subjects that are most important on the standardized tests meet more often than the others!!!
After talking about all of this, Ms. MacAliden gave me some old "Junior Certificate" tests they had from the past. HOLY COW these kids are smart! Here are a few questions from the World History portion.... see if you can answer them! (by the way there are only 4 multiple choice questions out of 30, and this is the Junior Level, so you take this when you're 14!!)
Select one of the people described below. Write about that person. If you wish, you may use the hints to help you in your answer.
(i) A Religious Reformer from the Reformation
HINTS: *early life *ideas *difficulties *spread of the religion
(ii) A worker in an English city in 1850
HINTS: *working life *life in the city *entertainment *efforts to improve living standards
(iii) A soldier fighting in World War Two
HINTS: *Name of the leader in charge of his country *the actual fighting *leaders of other countries *reasons for victory or defeat
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Political Race
The biggest thing that has really taken me by surprise is the amount of interest the Irish people have in American politics. If I had a euro for every time I've already been asked, [insert Irish accent here] "So, who are you going to vote for? Obama or Romney?", I would have enough money to buy a new car by now! I always jokingly reply, "As of now, I'm not voting for either one!!!" As much as I'm joking, there's actually a lot of truth behind that statement.
Although, I am not certain who I am going to vote for, one thing I will definitely consider in my decision is how OUR election as Americans will effect hundreds of other countries. Numerous times and also by numerous Irish people, it has been explained to me that when a Democratic president is in office, all of Europe flourishes economically. Until Obama's presidency. Which is why all of the Irish are so intrigued, worried, and hopeful with the upcoming election. Even my students follow the presidential election. Something most 12-14 year old students in the states could care less about......
Although, I am not certain who I am going to vote for, one thing I will definitely consider in my decision is how OUR election as Americans will effect hundreds of other countries. Numerous times and also by numerous Irish people, it has been explained to me that when a Democratic president is in office, all of Europe flourishes economically. Until Obama's presidency. Which is why all of the Irish are so intrigued, worried, and hopeful with the upcoming election. Even my students follow the presidential election. Something most 12-14 year old students in the states could care less about......
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Irish Lingo
Here's some Irish lingo I've learned over the past two weeks! I just thought it would be interesting to post!
Slagging = bullying
Rasher/Ratior (sp?) = bacon from a pig's butt
Gorgeous = how they describe a delicious food. ex: "This tea is absolutely gorgeous!"
Delicious = how they describe something pretty ex: "Sara, your dress is just delicious!"
Delicious = how they describe something pretty ex: "Sara, your dress is just delicious!"
Grand = okay or great
Coach = the bus
Bold = bad student ex: "Johnny was being bold today in English."
Bold = bad student ex: "Johnny was being bold today in English."
Quid = buck, kind of like how we substitute saying 20 dollars for 20 bucks
Lift = Elevator
Copy (as a noun, not a verb) = notebook
Estate = neighborhood
Mobile (pronounced with a long i) = cell phone
Loo = restroom
Regg = classroom roster
Biscuit = cookie
Queue (sp?) = a line
Copy (as a noun, not a verb) = notebook
Estate = neighborhood
Mobile (pronounced with a long i) = cell phone
Loo = restroom
Regg = classroom roster
Biscuit = cookie
Queue (sp?) = a line
Monday, January 16, 2012
Lesson #1
Today I taught my first lesson on River Features to my 1Y Geography class; however, I think it turned out being more of a lesson for me than the students themselves!!
TIME. For starters, the biggest hurdle was planning a lesson plan that was only 40 minutes long. I am so used to planning either 55, 60 or 90 minute lessons. I ended up only teaching about half of the material I outlined in my lesson plan. Mr. O'Donovan assured me this was definitely not a problem (but to me it seemed like a catastrophe!) . The students are conditioned to only learning one concept over a span of 2 or 3 class periods. That is definitely something I am going to have to get used to. In the long run I think teaching this way will be beneficial, because it will force me to teach one particular concept in varying ways on varying cognitive levels to ensure comprehension.
DISCUSSION. Another issue I ran into was getting the students to actually cooperate. I tend to operate through inquiry, discussion, and group work activities; however, the students are conditioned to listen to lectures. It is quite surprising to me that students at the age of 12 and 13 can physically, mentally, and intellectually sit through a 40 minute, teacher directed lecture! The biggest challenge will be figuring out strategies on how to get the students interacting!!
ACTIVITIES. When it came time for the students to do the activities I had planned, they were very confused. Not only were they apprehensive about working with a partner on an assignment, but they were even afraid to talk to each other. I kept saying stuff like, "it's okay to talk to your partner" or "re-tell or teach to your partner, x, y, z". Being a social studies teacher, one of the biggest qualities we promote is the development of students becoming active citizens. Participating in discussion, group work, and being a trustworthy member of a group are the first steps to this! This will all come with time!
For the most part, Mr. O'Donovan said my lesson went well. He just had some classroom management suggestions. That will all come with time and experience. Now that I have my first lesson in an Irish classroom under my belt, I feel a little more at ease. I'm excited to see how my teaching evolves through this experience- should be interesting!
TIME. For starters, the biggest hurdle was planning a lesson plan that was only 40 minutes long. I am so used to planning either 55, 60 or 90 minute lessons. I ended up only teaching about half of the material I outlined in my lesson plan. Mr. O'Donovan assured me this was definitely not a problem (but to me it seemed like a catastrophe!) . The students are conditioned to only learning one concept over a span of 2 or 3 class periods. That is definitely something I am going to have to get used to. In the long run I think teaching this way will be beneficial, because it will force me to teach one particular concept in varying ways on varying cognitive levels to ensure comprehension.
DISCUSSION. Another issue I ran into was getting the students to actually cooperate. I tend to operate through inquiry, discussion, and group work activities; however, the students are conditioned to listen to lectures. It is quite surprising to me that students at the age of 12 and 13 can physically, mentally, and intellectually sit through a 40 minute, teacher directed lecture! The biggest challenge will be figuring out strategies on how to get the students interacting!!
ACTIVITIES. When it came time for the students to do the activities I had planned, they were very confused. Not only were they apprehensive about working with a partner on an assignment, but they were even afraid to talk to each other. I kept saying stuff like, "it's okay to talk to your partner" or "re-tell or teach to your partner, x, y, z". Being a social studies teacher, one of the biggest qualities we promote is the development of students becoming active citizens. Participating in discussion, group work, and being a trustworthy member of a group are the first steps to this! This will all come with time!
For the most part, Mr. O'Donovan said my lesson went well. He just had some classroom management suggestions. That will all come with time and experience. Now that I have my first lesson in an Irish classroom under my belt, I feel a little more at ease. I'm excited to see how my teaching evolves through this experience- should be interesting!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Weekend Excursions
Today I took the bus down to the city centre to do a little site seeing! I was a little apprehensive to go by myself, but Dublin is actually a very navigable city and very safe, especially during the day! Thanks to the Dublin books Webb got me, I knew exactly which buses and streets to take.
My first stop was Trinity College which included the Book of Kells and the Long Hall. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
In case you don't know, the Book of Kells is one of the oldest existing primary documents written by Irish monks in 800 AD. They wrote the first four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in Latin. The museum was really neat, it described a lot of the text and symbolism within the book. One thing that surprised me is it mentioned how the drawings of snakes in the Book of Kells represented Jesus Christ. Usually, we interpretate snakes as being evil. However, the Irish monks saw it as a snake sheds and loses its skin, it symbolizes resurrection and rebirth... interesting!!
My next stop was the Grafton Street. It is one of the busier streets that has a ton of great shopping along it. In some ways it reminded me of being in New York, because there were some real upty-up shops, but at other times it reminded me of New Orleans with all the street performers.
My first stop was Trinity College which included the Book of Kells and the Long Hall. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
In case you don't know, the Book of Kells is one of the oldest existing primary documents written by Irish monks in 800 AD. They wrote the first four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in Latin. The museum was really neat, it described a lot of the text and symbolism within the book. One thing that surprised me is it mentioned how the drawings of snakes in the Book of Kells represented Jesus Christ. Usually, we interpretate snakes as being evil. However, the Irish monks saw it as a snake sheds and loses its skin, it symbolizes resurrection and rebirth... interesting!!
My next stop was the Grafton Street. It is one of the busier streets that has a ton of great shopping along it. In some ways it reminded me of being in New York, because there were some real upty-up shops, but at other times it reminded me of New Orleans with all the street performers.
Then I went to Dublin Castle. It was built sometime in the 1100s, and apparently was occupied by the British for the majority of its existence. Much like a lot of Ireland. The inside of the castle looked almost like a Catholic church, it was gorgeous. Then it opened up into a huge courtyard area. Some of the castle buildings are now used for government offices and apartments!
Tomorrow Dany and I might going back into the city centre and take a hop-on, hop-off bus tour or go to Phoenix Park which includes a zoo! I also teach my first lessons on Monday. Thankfully, things are going to start getting busier with school!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
My First Day!
Today was my official first day!!
There are so many differences between the Irish education system and the American education system!!! It is so intriguing! The school I am at has a total of 9 class periods.... NINE!! However, every teacher doesn't teach all nine class periods! On average, a teacher only teaches about four class periods a day. During their off periods, they hang out in the staff work room (which is amazing!), or do planning. They usually actively teach about 22 hours a week. When I told them American teachers usually teach 35-40 hours a week, they were absolutely stunned!
I will be teaching 1Y (first years) World History and 1Y Geography. They are anywhere from 12-14 years old. For the most part the content subjects are the same; however, there aren't nearly as many assessments given throughout the duration of the courses. Personally, I think the less amount of tradition assessments (pencil/paper tests) the better! Today I observed classes, and I probably will for the next week. Then after a week or so, I will begin my teaching! I am really excited to start working with the kids...... should be an interesting experience!
I mentioned earlier the staff work room is amazing.... well they have tons of tables and comfy chairs, a TV, half a dozen computers, a ping pong table, free and continuous coffee, tea, and pastries, and the teachers are all so genuinely nice! A luxury we would never have in the US!
Also, this afternoon I went down to the City Centre with my roommate Daniella (Dany). We visited my first pub, and I had my first official Irish Guinness! We didn't really have much time to site see, but I'm definitely planning on going back frequently!
.....more to come later!
There are so many differences between the Irish education system and the American education system!!! It is so intriguing! The school I am at has a total of 9 class periods.... NINE!! However, every teacher doesn't teach all nine class periods! On average, a teacher only teaches about four class periods a day. During their off periods, they hang out in the staff work room (which is amazing!), or do planning. They usually actively teach about 22 hours a week. When I told them American teachers usually teach 35-40 hours a week, they were absolutely stunned!
I will be teaching 1Y (first years) World History and 1Y Geography. They are anywhere from 12-14 years old. For the most part the content subjects are the same; however, there aren't nearly as many assessments given throughout the duration of the courses. Personally, I think the less amount of tradition assessments (pencil/paper tests) the better! Today I observed classes, and I probably will for the next week. Then after a week or so, I will begin my teaching! I am really excited to start working with the kids...... should be an interesting experience!
I mentioned earlier the staff work room is amazing.... well they have tons of tables and comfy chairs, a TV, half a dozen computers, a ping pong table, free and continuous coffee, tea, and pastries, and the teachers are all so genuinely nice! A luxury we would never have in the US!
Also, this afternoon I went down to the City Centre with my roommate Daniella (Dany). We visited my first pub, and I had my first official Irish Guinness! We didn't really have much time to site see, but I'm definitely planning on going back frequently!
.....more to come later!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Learning the town
I'm officially posting from Dublin!
So yesterday my flight landed around 6:45am Dublin time. The airport was absolutely empty, besides the passengers that were on my plane. Apparently, the sun doesn't rise in this part of Ireland until around 8:30am so the day starts a lot later! My school days start at 9am!
Once, I got to Joyce's (my hostess), I was already extremely exhausted. I didn't sleep very well on the plane, because I was so overcome with different emotions. I was sad to leave all my family and friends, nervous traveling so far away on my own, yet excited to see what the next two months were to bring me! Joyce showed me around her house, and we sat at the kitchen table chatting for a while over coffee. There are two other students living here too. There is a Brazilian girl (Daniella) who is absolutely gorgeous! She's is studying business at one of the local colleges. The other student is a Japanese boy named Ryo. I haven't met him yet, because he is in Norway skiing!
Today, I walked around the town trying to grasp my bearings! I went down to the school I'm teaching at and just became so much more excited to start tomorrow! The town is so quaint, I love it! There are people walking everywhere, and moms and dads walk to go pick their kids up from school. As I was walking to my school, there were tons of little kids running around on the sidewalks! I just walked around the town for like 2 hours looking at all the shops and markets. One I went into I got a fruit smoothie and peanut M&Ms for 2.53 Euros, which is like $3.20. Things are fairly cheap! In the same market, you could get the fresh soup of the day for 1 euro! Also, at one of the salons, you could get your hair blown out for 20 euros, which is like $25. I sent H.L. a picture of the advertisement!!
Obviously, the cars drive on the opposite side of the road than back at home; however, I've realized people walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk as well. That's something I'm going to have to get used to! I'm super anxious to start tomorrow at the school! I will post again tomorrow and let everyone know how it went! Here are a couple pictures from my walk earlier....
my school!
So yesterday my flight landed around 6:45am Dublin time. The airport was absolutely empty, besides the passengers that were on my plane. Apparently, the sun doesn't rise in this part of Ireland until around 8:30am so the day starts a lot later! My school days start at 9am!
Once, I got to Joyce's (my hostess), I was already extremely exhausted. I didn't sleep very well on the plane, because I was so overcome with different emotions. I was sad to leave all my family and friends, nervous traveling so far away on my own, yet excited to see what the next two months were to bring me! Joyce showed me around her house, and we sat at the kitchen table chatting for a while over coffee. There are two other students living here too. There is a Brazilian girl (Daniella) who is absolutely gorgeous! She's is studying business at one of the local colleges. The other student is a Japanese boy named Ryo. I haven't met him yet, because he is in Norway skiing!
Today, I walked around the town trying to grasp my bearings! I went down to the school I'm teaching at and just became so much more excited to start tomorrow! The town is so quaint, I love it! There are people walking everywhere, and moms and dads walk to go pick their kids up from school. As I was walking to my school, there were tons of little kids running around on the sidewalks! I just walked around the town for like 2 hours looking at all the shops and markets. One I went into I got a fruit smoothie and peanut M&Ms for 2.53 Euros, which is like $3.20. Things are fairly cheap! In the same market, you could get the fresh soup of the day for 1 euro! Also, at one of the salons, you could get your hair blown out for 20 euros, which is like $25. I sent H.L. a picture of the advertisement!!
Obviously, the cars drive on the opposite side of the road than back at home; however, I've realized people walk on the opposite side of the sidewalk as well. That's something I'm going to have to get used to! I'm super anxious to start tomorrow at the school! I will post again tomorrow and let everyone know how it went! Here are a couple pictures from my walk earlier....
my school!
one of the parks. there was an old man practicing his putting when I walked by!
the fresh market!
Well, Joyce's grandchildren just got here. I'm going to go downstairs and meet them!
Oh, and ROLL TIDE!!! BEAT THOSE TIGERS!!!
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