International Practicum at Wynnum West State School

Throughout the past five weeks, I was given the opportunity to teach in an

elementary school in Australia called Wynnum West State School. 

I was assigned to Prep L, a class of 25 students which was made up of 

four to six year olds. Unlike Singapore, the last stage of preschool 

is part of the elementary school system. This has been a change implemented 

in Australia about 10 years ago. It was a very eye-opening experience as 

I have never dealt with children younger than the Primary 1s. 

I absolutely love how the school advocates learning through play for the preppies. 

During play, students have the ability to make decisions, solve problems, develop

thinking and teamwork skills, communicated and develop a positive sense of themselves.

This also helps students make a smooth transition from Prep to Grade 1 without

additional stress and more fun, ownership and willingness to learn. The school 

focuses on performance-based tasks and activities as students find these more

meaningful and fun. In fact, such hands-on tasks allows students to pick up and 

develop psychomotor and multi-tasking skills, as compared to academic focus alone.

The students then get to see their own hard work being placed around in the class. 

 

           

            

The class is also designed in a way the makes learning very welcoming and fun,

especially for students who might feel uncomfortable with the concept of going to 

school. The class is decorated with lots of books, games, activities, play areas and

learning materials with ample space for students to learn and explore. 

For the five weeks I was there, I observed lessons for two weeks and I taught 

lessons for the remaining three weeks. I managed to observe lessons of different

subjects including English, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, Technology,

Music and Health. I managed to pick up lots of information which would definitely be

extremely useful for me when I teach my children in the future, back in Singapore.

        

        

I was given the opportunity to teach English, Mathematics and Science in class.

Although it was a challenge, it definitely motivated me to keep trying. With each

mistake I made, I was motivated to try harder the next time, to avoid a similar

mistake. For example, I conducted full lessons with the class where I taught

Science and Mathematics. Both lessons started with a hands-on activity where

the students got quite restless and loud. One feedback my mentor shared with 

me was that it is important to show that we are not afraid as teachers and that we

are confident, as students are able to tell once we start being unconfident or afraid. 

Thus, it is important to be very clear with the rules and inform students that misbehaving

would result in their chances being taken away. Later that week, I worked on the feedback 

where I made sure the rules are mentioned clearly at the start of each activity. This definitely

minimised any time wasted, as I did not have to repeatedly warn students about their behaviour.

It has definitely been a fruitful experience in Wynnum West, and I could not have done

it without the endless care and support of the school and Dr Kay. I am currently still

in touch with Mrs Little, my mentor and the teacher-in-charge of Prep L.  I've also

received a mountain of gifts from Mrs Little and the class, which really proved to me

how my existence and my teaching has brought about a change and an impact to the students.

International Praticticum 2019 (Brisbane Bayside State College)

Being the only teacher amongst my friends going to Brisbane Bayside State College was nothing if not daunting. The first day was extremely nerve-wrecking as I said goodbye to my friends when they alighted the bus and continued my own journey to BBSC. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how warmly I was welcomed from the very beginning.

All the staff, from the receptionists to the Principals and Deputy Principals, as well as the many teachers I was introduced to, were very friendly and greeted me with smiles. I was immediately put at ease!

These are the 2 teachers I accompanied throughout my 5 weeks at BBSC- Sophie and Jess (Or Miss Bowden and Miss Hayden, as their students called them). I observed 5 of their classes in total (3 of Sophie’s and 2 of Jess’) ranging from Year 8s to Year 12s, all with students of a plethora of backgrounds and abilities.

Both Sophie and Jess were extremely forthcoming in answering any questions that I had about BBSC, their students and the Queensland Education System as a whole. Furthermore, as teachers, it was very interesting to see the way that they managed a class. The teaching pedagogy that they employed was rather different from what I observed during my School Experience last year. For one thing, this is greatly influenced by the different profile of students here in BBSC, as compared to the Singaporean schools I have observed/been a part of.

Here in BBSC, students tend to be much more outright with their thoughts and opinions (though this is a generalization that cannot be applied to all BBSC students). While this, at times, helps to move the class along and facilitate discussion, it can also pose as a hindrance as students get distracted easily. Hence, this also affects how the CTs manage their classes because they have to constantly prompt the students gently. There were several occasions where I had to sit beside a student and guide him step-by-step through a task, as well.

Some specific class routines include the teacher saying “3, 2, 1” to bring students’ focus back to the teacher. These routines work but also likely require a lot of time to be adopted effectively. The CTs that I observed also tend to avoid scolding the students, instead, giving them firm reminders or taking measures like taking up the student’s break-time, for e.g. to complete their task if they had not done so during the class/as homework so that they are held accountable for their actions. Instead of scolding, when a student talks out of turn, the teachers say “Thank you, (name of student)” to remind the students to pay attention, whether it is to the teacher or their classmates. There is also a great emphasis put on being respectful, as a way to guide their behavior so they are more value-driven i.e. they pay attention and stay on task because they respect the teacher and their classmates.

One action carried out by one of the CTs that struck me was when a few students seemed to be rather problematic during the lesson. These students were then told to stay back after class and during this period, the CT asked the students what they think they did wrong, as well as how they think they can improve. The teacher and the students came to a compromise and decided on several actions that the student should take during the next class, and this was noted on the board. This seemed to be effective as, during the subsequent lesson, the teacher would point to the board if the student began acting up again, reminding them of the agreement that had been made.

I really like seeing how the students are treated like young adults and spoken to as equals, as it shows how the teachers respect the students, as well.

I had several experiences with the students here which caught me by surprise, ranging from the constant comments and teasing that I received from students about my height (one of them even told me I looked like a 12-year-old) to a student actually tearing a worksheet I put on his desk and putting half of it in his mouth. So “interesting” is definitely an apt word to describe these situations as they were clearly not something I expected from students. No educational psychology modules, or Teaching and Managing Learners classes could really prepare me to face such students.

That is not to say that the Ed Psych theories and teaching pedagogies that I learnt did not come in handy. They did, in other instances. For example, many of the students experienced a lack of motivation as they didn’t really see the point in classes or school in general. Throughout my 5 weeks, I’ve had many students complain to me about how school is useless, English classes are useless, lamenting about how they want to drop out of school and just start working. Clearly, there is a deeper issue at hand here. However, in the short-term, I learnt that extrinsic motivation was necessary to get them to do any sort of work, like taking away/giving break times to get them to complete tasks. And at the same time, I and the teachers constantly talked to them about the importance of school and of education for their futures to try and cultivate a sense of intrinsic motivation within them. It took consistent effort to continually remind students of the importance of education and answer their questions and remind them of the value of school. Cultivating this intrinsic motivation is definitely not an easy task, nor will the results be immediately observable but it is definitely worth the time invested.

I will not sugarcoat it and say that all the students that I met were angels and sweethearts, as I did have many difficult ones too who would leave the classroom without permission, incessantly swear or refuse to do work. But this is all part and parcel of the experience as I learnt a lot from it, like how to handle these kinds of students. It is vital in such situations that we remain calm but firm, and not to let our emotions get the better of us. These students rarely respond well if you just scream at them. Instead, reason with them and if it doesn’t work, then administer some form of punishment and reflection. Ultimately, they were good students with great potential- it’s just a bit harder to reach than others.

That being said, I did have many students whom I adored and loved teaching and talking to. These students, though often could be rather mischievous, are what I miss the most about BBSC. In my 5 weeks, I would like to think that I managed to build a good rapport with the students, with students giving me hugs and cupcakes on my last day too. Here, the teacher-student relationship was one that while remained generally respectful, it still gave room for me to joke around and banter with the students. And this made classes all the more fun and enjoyable.

Ultimately, I learnt a lot from the teachers here through their advice and feedback, and even more from the students from our everyday interactions. This time spent in BBSC (and in Brisbane in general) is not something I will be quick to forget.

Entry made by: Nashrah Alwi

International Practicum 2019 - Wynnum West State School

A photo of me and one of my Cooperating Teachers (CTs), Mrs Krasch.
I was given a Grade 1 class - 1HK 

CTs: Mrs Jenny Hughes and Mrs Tanya Kraschnesfski

The class rules that 1HK set for themselves.

The arrangement of the classroom.

The back of the classroom.

I have been attached to a grade 1 class throughout my 5 weeks in Wynnum West State School. They have two grade 1 classes which are pupils of age 5 to 7 years old. I have been assigned to 1HK where the class is made up of 20 pupils with different profile.  I was attached to two Cooperating Teachers (CTs), Mrs Krasch and Mrs Hughes. There are a few special needs pupils like Global Development Delay (GDD), Hearing Impairment and Autism in my class. It has been such an eye-opening experience doing my assisted teaching with 1HK. For someone who had no prior experience teaching in a real classroom, this experience was enriching and eventful. The observation I did for the first two weeks in the classroom helped me a lot in my final three weeks there. It is important that you know the profile of your class very well - their learning style, conduct, and attitude towards learning. This is key in ensuring that you will be able to manage the class and conduct lessons as smooth as possible. This is also important especially when you have a diversified class and you want to ensure an inclusive classroom. 

For the grade 1s, the syllabus is quite similar to Singapore education in terms of the content and topics that are being covered in the school. However, what differs would be the subjects that they learn at grade 1. They have Science and Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) subjects as part of their curriculum. Nevertheless, the content taught in these subjects are quite basic and manageable for the pupils to comprehend. Most importantly, at this level, teachers need to do a lot of scaffolding with the pupils when teaching a new topic or concept. The school follow the Curriculum Into Classroom (C2C) lesson framework when introducing new topic/concept to the pupils. Teachers will modify wherever needed and necessary so as to cater to the pupils' learning needs. From here, teachers will be able to plan the appropriate teaching materials like the resources needed to teach and worksheets for pupils to do as part of their summative  assessment. In addition, the teachers in school uses the "I do, We do and You do" framework to conduct their daily lessons. This is a familiar teaching framework to me because I have been using this framework when crafting my lesson plans thus far. This approach enables teachers to prepare their teaching materials properly and ensure effective learning experience for the pupils during their teaching. My class consists of kinesthetic and visual learners hence a lot of visual representations and hands on activities being conducted to spur and sustain their motivation level during class. Below are photos of the lessons that I managed to capture throughout the 5 weeks: 

New characters that they pupils came up with during one of the English lessons (Willy the Champ)

which they will later use it as part of their assessment.

The pupils have technology as part of their curriculum where they are given the Ipads to use. 

They get to access to the applications available in the Ipad like educational games.

This was an art lesson where the kids painted rocks as a gift for Mother's Day celebration.

This is one of the Maths lesson where my CT decided to use the internet as part of her lesson. 

They pupils get to take turns to use the interactive whiteboard to participate in the activity

This is another art lesson which was carried out outdoor, they had to observe the landscape scenery in the school on that day and paint what they saw on the paper. Landscapes was the recent topic they learnt for Science.

My CT decided to draw the number line as seen in the photo as part of their Maths lesson. 

She used this method to get the pupils to visualise and comprehend the concept of adding and subtracting in a more effective way.

This was taken during their computer lab lesson. The pupils are also assessed in this subject where the teachers will assess them based on their motor skills ability to use the computer appropriately.

This was during my last week there where my CTs were starting on their assessment. We had a rotational activity plan for two three days. 

1. Maths worksheet

2. Computer/Ipad

3. English Assessment

4. Game (Maths concentration) 

The pupils are grouped according to their learning abilities, Low Progress, Middle Progress and High Progress. Activities and worksheets crafted were catered to their groups. Out of the four "stations" that they have to rotate for the two days, one of the "station" was the English assessment that my CT carried out while I managed the other groups. 

It has been such a great five weeks doing my assisted teaching in Wynnum West State School. The teachers have been so helpful in guiding me with the school curriculum and classroom strategies that allow me to experience real classroom situation. My CTs also get me involved in the lesson planning and exchange views on how to carry out lessons for the class so that every pupil is involved in the learning. The opportunities given have provide me with important points and areas that I ought to take note in the future when I start my journey as a teacher. These takeaways will definitely be useful for me to use and apply accordingly when I have my own class in the future. In addition to that, the school culture is very positive and inclusive where the staffs are always trying their best to help the pupils to have a conducive and effective learning experience in school. The experience here has constantly remind me of my teaching philosophy and purpose as a teacher, which I feel is useful because it affirms me of my purpose in teaching. This have helped me to overcome the days where it was quite overwhelming yet I managed to pull through due to my purpose in teaching and for that, I am very thankful for this experience. Also, everyone was very warm and welcoming throughout our attachment there. I would definitely recommend Wynnum West State School to my juniors to consider as their international practicum in the future. 

I got the opportunity to observe a composite class, which consisted of Year 5 and Year 6 students. The students here learn Mathematics, Science, Civics, Health, Physical Education, Art, English, Music and Technology. There is also a designated Co-Curricular Activities period for the students from Year 3 to 6, every Friday, from 12 noon to 3pm.

The main teacher in class teaches the students most of the subjects, except for Music, Health and Physical Education, where specialised educators take over. Similar to any class of students, the students here have mixed learning abilities. Most of the students are kinaesthetic and visual learners. They value hands-on activities, and appreciate visuals and videos shown through the visualiser. Hands-on activities and videos/images enhance students’ understanding of a particular topic taught. Through hands-on activities, students are also able to discover their own learning and explore different possibilities. For instance, when learning about 3D shapes, students were given the opportunity to create 3D shapes from the templates given. Through this activity, students were able to see the number of sides and the types of shapes that form a particular 3D shape. The students were also given straws and toothpicks to create their own 3D shapes.

Generally, the students are disciplined and follow the class routines that have been established since the start of the academic year. Examples of class routines include duty rosters, lining up in 3 neat rows outside the class after every recess break, raising the hand up before speaking and keeping learning materials neatly in the desk trays. The class routines in place contributed to the order of the class. Students automatically know what to do at the right time, and this saves a lot of time on the teacher’s end as students do not need to be instructed all the time.

Generally, students are inquisitive in nature and ask many questions with regards to the lesson taught by the teacher. In fact, most of the time, the students were also enthusiastically sharing fun facts and their own opinions about a particular issue with the teacher and their peers. Most of the time, the teacher would fulfill the curiosity of the students by answering to their questions, however, the teacher also encourages self-directed learning by getting students to do some research on their own and share what they have got during the next lesson. Students understand concepts better when their learning is made relevant to every day life situations. For instance, while teaching the topic on Condensation, the teacher made links to real life instances where the process of condensation takes place.

I am particularly intrigued by the Technology lesson, where students apply what they have learnt in Science or English lessons, by creating a Keynote presentation on one of the topics learnt. Students made use of music from the Garage Band, and images and facts from the Internet to enhance the quality of their presentation slides. The teachers are also equipped with technological skills by going through a series of modules under the Apple Teacher Learning Centre application.

I received the opportunity to teach Mathematics, on topics such as Identifying Angles, and Science, on topics such as Condensation, and Effect of Heat on Solubility. When teaching the students, I realised the importance of engaging them during the lesson. The students enjoy pop quizzes that serve as formative assessment of their understanding. Worksheets and exercises in their work books are also useful to help students document their own learning. I also received the opportunity to execute a series of Art lessons for the students. I taught the students about Batik Painting, with the intention of encouraging cultural exchange through the teaching of this traditional form of art. The students were intrigued by this art form and were excited to design and paint their own masterpieces. The end products were colourful and the students made use of the different shapes, lines, flowers, animals and repeated patterns that were taught to them.

In my 5-week stint in the school, I also received the opportunity to help out in the school Sports Day event. The students competed in the various sports and represented their respective houses. Their house spirit and sportsmanship were commendable. I enjoyed seeing the students, school staff and even parents participating actively in the various sports.

There was also a dress-up day in school, where students came to school dressed up in their pyjamas. During recess break, the students were served hot chocolate. This initiative made all the students particularly excited; even the teachers came to school dressed up in their pyjamas. Elements of fun are clearly seen being incorporated into the school curriculum, through various school events happening throughout the academic year.

It has been an eye-opening experience at Wynnum West State School. I have learnt pedagogical and technological skills from the teachers here. I am inspired by the dedicated teachers, who put their students' needs as their main focus, and ensure that every student is given the opportunity to reach his or her potential in class. I am grateful for this unique opportunity to be able to observe lessons, conduct assisted teaching as well as executing my own lessons for the students here.

Entry by: Sakinah Binte Mohamed Mohsen

International Practicum at Wynnum West State School

I am Sukainah Mohsen, one of the students who went to Brisbane for International Practicum. We are attached to Griffith University as our host institution and Wynnum West State School as our host school. In Brisbane, we live in Pelican’s Nestle Inn, at a small and quiet suburb called Wynnum Esplanade. It is a lovely place near the waterfront and it provides a calm environment for us. 

Our supervisor from Griffith University is Dr Kay Hartwig and she is a lovely lady who is so encouraging and kind. On our 2^nd day in Brisbane, she visited our house to check on us and brought us out for lunch to discuss a few things. She constantly checks up on us, making sure we are adapting well in the host school and will provide assistance whenever we needed it.

Wynnum West State School is a primary school and the principal there is Mr David Brand. My Brand is very friendly and caring and will constantly check on our well-being. We were attached to different grades and classes. I was attached to Grade 3, Class 3 WK. There are 23 students in the class and 2 teachers in charge of the class. One teacher teaches every Monday and another teacher teaches from Tuesdays to Fridays. I was given the opportunity to observe all their classes such as Physical Education (PE), Health, History & Social Studies (HASS), Religion, Mathematics, Science, English, Reading Groups and Arts (Performing). My Cooperating Teacher (CT) teaches all subjects except for PE and Health. This school has 4 school rules which are Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe and Be a Learner. I think these 4 rules are simple to understand but are really important. Students abide by these rules and have these rules at the back of the minds. 

The school culture here is really different from schools in Singapore. There are 2 prep classes and classes from Grade 1 to Grade 6, and each class has approximately 20 to 25 students. This school has a small student population as compared to the local schools in Singapore. The classrooms in this school are designed nicely, filled with colours and many resources. The tables and chairs are arranged in a horse-shoe manner and it promotes room for interaction and discussions. There is also a slot called “playtime” during their first break and lunch time. They get to play at the field, playground, sandpit or library. Usually in the library, students will play board games, computer games or read a book.

The students here use journals to document their learning progress and class work. The schools here do not have textbooks or workbooks; teachers will print out worksheets and resources from online sources for students. Students are to paste their completed worksheets into their journals. There are many resources in class, such as colour pencils, water colour, crayons and scrap paper for students to draw on. The classroom also has paintings and drawings made by the students. There is a Class Treaty and Class Helpers board for students to carry out responsibilities in class. The responsibilities include giving out books, worksheets and collecting them back.

The school encourages reading a lot. They have a period called the Library period, once every week. During this period, students will visit the library to borrow a book or simply sit down to read a book. They are encouraged to borrow books so they can bring them home and read during their free time or silent reading period. Whenever there is time in between classes, students are also encouraged to sit down at their seats and read quietly. In the class, there is mini library, with books from different genre. Students can take books from the mini library if they have nothing to read.

Students here are really friendly, enthusiastic and participative in class. In the Grade 3 class, students enjoy raising up their hands to answer questions. They also are participative in Think-Pair-Share discussions and interact well with their peers. In class, there will be many Storytime sessions where the teacher will read a story out loud to the students. Usually, these stories serve as an inspiration for student’s narrative writing essays. Teachers will encourage students to gain inspiration from the plot of the story read to them. Students will then use their own creativity to write their own story.

In Mathematics class, teachers use different methods to teach calculations. For instance, there is the Number Line method, Hundreds Tens Ones method, Vertical Add Up method and using the Multibase Arithmetic Blocks method. My CT believes in introducing as many methods in Mathematics, so students can choose what works best for them and will not feel restricted to solve Maths equations in just one way. Hence, I feel that the class dynamics and environment is very encouraging for students. Students are encouraged to try their best in all that they do, have their eyes on the target and continue making mistakes because these will make their minds grow. My CT emphasized on the importance of giving everything a shot even if it means making mistakes, because these mistakes are what will make their minds grow.

All in all, the experience in Wynnum West State School has been a meaningful and fulfilling one for me. I have observed various teaching strategies, student behaviour, class management styles and different student learning needs throughout my 5 weeks there. It is hoped that I am able to apply what I have learnt in my future classes and most importantly, I have learnt to be adaptable in my strategies because not every student is the same. They have different starting points and learning needs and styles, and it is my responsibility to discover what works well for each individual. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to do my International Practicum with Griffith University and at Wynnum West State School.