Week 2 of teaching placement complete and once again I have had an enjoyable week in International school Kreuzlingen.
This week, I have been able to get stuck into school life and have enjoyed teaching a variety of different subjects including Maths, English, Unit of Inquiry, Swimming and Philosophy.
One thing I have particularly noticed in the IB International School is how they try to make abstract learning more concrete and connected to other things the children are learning about, especially links to the unit of inquiry, which for my class, has been mini beasts. For me, this has meant connecting mathematical concepts such as adding and subtracting to mini beasts, for example by getting the children to look at different insects such as ladybirds and butterflies and counting the different spots, using this love of mini beasts to make subjects like maths more enjoyable and applicable to the child’s life.
As the NI curriculum (p.10, 2007) states;
“Children learn best when learning is connected” and when it has a real life application.
On Tuesday afternoon, I had the unique opportunity to take a swimming lesson with my class. I found this opportunity to be so exciting, as at home, teachers do not have to do this. As I was with the lower ability group, I was able to work on water confidence and leg kicking techniques when swimming which became lots of laughs as I tried to think of fun ways for the children to learn this, resulting in playing games like Fruit salad and getting flippers out for each child to put on their feet and try to swim with. It was also really fun to actually get into the water with the children and took teacher ‘modelling’ to a whole new level.
One of the highlights of teaching this week was when I had the opportunity to take a Philosophy lesson as part of one of my modules for the PHTG. I planned to look at differences with the main objective for children to; ‘Understand that everyone is of equal worth and that it is acceptable to be different’ (CCEA, 2007). Basing it on the story of Elmer the elephant, this brought about some interesting discussions between the children as it led onto the topic of skin colour.
Within an internationally diverse class the discussion was so rich, as one child commented “Yea, it doesn’t matter about our skin colour, we’re just born like that”, realising that it should not be a big deal. In comparing this to schools in Northern Ireland, I seen this moment as positive, as I seen a group of ethnically diverse children being aware of differences and not viewing them as an issue or anything out of the normal, where sometimes adults might. As teacher it is our responsibility to “take account of the significant features of pupils’ cultures, languages and faiths and to address the implications for learning arising from these” (GTCNI, p.24, 2011), rather than just ignore them.
Within an International school, it has given me the platform to see how a classroom rich in diversity brings about more learning than one without.
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour.”
{Maya Angelou}
Without a doubt, the biggest highlight of this week for me has been having my parents and brother come to visit. They arrived on the Thursday evening after spending a day in Zürich. After finishing half day on Friday, I enjoyed lunch outside in the sun with my mum in a really cute restaurant called Pano, cycling around the lake and visiting the famous Bodensee Therme.
On the Saturday, my Dad hired a car and we went for a roadtrip around Switzerland. I was so happy to actually sit in a car again, despite enjoying the efficient Swiss public transport, nothing beats driving through countryside and mountains, with the windows down and enjoying the scenery.
We stopped for coffee in a quaint little town called Urnäsch where we sat outside and admired the mountains and Appenzell traditions, before taking the winding road that led to the Säntis mountain. Again on a beautiful day, the magnificence of this mountain was incredible and despite already being here it was just as good the second time round. I think my parents and brother most definitely enjoyed the views from the top and it was nice to give them a taste of Switzerland.
On Sunday, we went to the church that I have been attending here and then enjoyed a delicious meal in our favourite restaurant, Holly’s. Since dad was treating us, I made sure to get a steak! I haven’t had much meat since I came to Switzerland as it is so expensive (so thanks Dad)! After showing them around Konstanz one final time, it was time to say goodbye after what had been an action-packed weekend. It was hard to say goodbye once again, but I assured them that I would come home eventually.
At the half way point in our Erasmus experience, it was a much needed boost of encouragement to see my family again and to show them around what has been my home for the last few months.
I am looking forward to next week, which will be my last week of placement and the start of May, a new month in my Swiss adventure!
LIVING IN SWITZERLAND 
Enjoyed being so much in Switzerland. According to Josh this was one of the best trips he has had. It was good to have a good guide and enjoyable company with your friends. Your trip to Switzerland has not only been a learning experience for you but an enriching experience for our family. Enjoy your remaining time on placement.
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