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
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