March and April are becoming the demanding months in relation to placement and University work submissions. Managing my time was important in the beginning however has become more crucial at this stage of the semester. I completed two examinations this week; one for the Service System module and one for the Finnish Language class. I passed the Finnish examination with some additional assignments to complete before the end of the semester.
Furthermore, I completed three days in placement this week and I continue to learn new things as time goes on. This week there were less staff and children due to sickness; therefore I was allocated to care for the 4 year-old children rather than pre-schoolers on one of the days. This was different as I had forgotten how much more dependent children can be at this age. My University tutor recommended I work with this age to observe the differences and this was a good opportunity. The teacher allowed me to introduce new songs to the children and read story-books, and the children concentrated well.
Over time I have noticed that the behaviour management of the children seems more relaxed than of Northern Ireland. I am curious whether this is because the children are in smaller groups or if their behaviour is acceptable that would otherwise be inappropriate back home. Perhaps it is because there is a more relaxed atmosphere between teacher and child; therefore children do not have the same respect for the teacher. I find this a challenge as I am trying to follow the teachers lead and be consistent, however in Northern Ireland I would not tolerate some of the behaviour. It is a difficult position to be in, as I had the authority to discipline in previous employments as would seem appropriate and here I have to hold back.
On the other hand I am impressed with the method of how children’s work is recorded. Each child has a folder where their work is filed and it is accessible to the child should they wish to look at their work. I find this a personal way for the children to enjoy their progress and have observed children doing this. In Northern Ireland work is separated by subject exercise books and children do not necessarily get to see their work at a leisurely pace. In raising this point, time seems precious and perhaps it is not manageable to allow thirty children to access their work during teaching time compared to a pre-school of nine children.
I look forward to returning to Northern Ireland and experiencing my old routine and being able to bring new ideas and opinions that I have learned in this setting in Finland.
No comments:
Post a Comment