My first day of practical!

I had my first day of practical teaching  yesterday with a wonderful group of 42 kindergarten children! It was quite intriguing to see how the teachers juggled teaching with the numerous complaints of “sore” eyes, arms, feet, teeth etc. Additionally, there were the never-ending requests to visit the bathroom or to get a drink. And as if that isn’t enough, there were also the special needs children to attend to! I must say it was a huge eye-opener as to the reality of teaching and the huge responsibilities teachers are faced with. I also came to understand how crucial good classroom management is and how necessary it is to implement excellent teaching strategies.

Direct instruction is a teaching strategy which was used by the classroom teacher and has often been criticised and frowned upon in our current society (Killen, 2007). However, I do believe it does have its benefits especially when dealing with a class of kindergarten students. After a good discussion with one of the classroom teachers, I discovered how great the variations in academic levels are between children starting out school. It is huge! Some begin school not knowing any of the alphabet whilst others arrive nearly knowing the whole alphabet. In order to bring students up to roughly the same level, I do believe direct instruction is important to teach the basics. This is not to say that getting children actively involved in discussions or group activities is a no-no. I am simply saying that kindergarten may perhaps need more direct instruction than the older grades.

Other strategies which were prevalent within the teacher’s lesson were the use of probes and the teacher’s level of enthusiasm. I found her use of probes quite effective as they were specific and thus directed the children onto the right path. It enabled the students to remember more clearly and efficiently, thus fostering their learning. And ofcourse, the level of enthusiasm displayed by the classroom teachers was phenomenal. Again this is so important as it plays a significant role in getting children to focus.

All in all, my first practical experience was an enjoyable one. I learned much from it and I’m sure I will keep learning in the following weeks to come!

References
Killen, R. (2007). Using direct instruction as a teaching strategy. In  Effective Teaching Strategies: Lessons from Research and Practice, (4th ed.), (pp 101-124). Thompson Social Science Press.