MOLLY
Elementary Education &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
MOLLY
Elementary Education &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) |
During our eight week placement, Sarah and I are fortunate enough to experience, from start to finish, what the International Baccalaureate (IB) refers to as a “Unit of Inquiry” (UOI). During the school year, the students complete six units that are each six weeks long, where they explore a given topic that relates to one of the six IB “Knowledge Transdisciplinary Themes” - Who We Are, Where We Are in Place and Time, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organize Ourselves, or Sharing the Planet. Within the UOI, there is also a focus on a particular “Learner Profile Attribute” - Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, or Reflective. This specific unit is not treated a standalone subject, but rather, it is embedded within every aspect of the child’s education - mathematics, English, Italian, science, social studies, music, dance, and even gym! I recognize that all this terminology might seem complex to an outside reader, and I can empathize. I am only beginning to get a grasp of what an IB education is all about! However, when looked at in the context of my class’s current UOI, this approach to learning becomes much clearer and easier to digest. Personally, I have found the inquiry and concept-based learning process to be an incredibly meaningful, engaging and enjoyable experience for both the teachers and the students. My class’ UOI, in its broadest terms, is about beliefs. Our “central idea” is that, “people behave and express themselves differently based on their beliefs.” Our "Knowledge Transdisciplinary Theme" is “How we express ourselves,” and our "Learner profile attribute" is "Open-Mindedness." Over the six weeks, the students will inquire about the ways in which human beings discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, values and beliefs - both religious and non-religious. Now three weeks into the unit, the students have spent time “tuning in” and “finding out” about stereotypes, values and various religious beliefs around the world. During week one, students completed a pre-assessment, where they created a mind map to show their prior knowledge of beliefs. After that, the students participated in a “provocation,” which is done at the start of every unit to spark the students’ interest and lead them into the central idea and theme of the unit. For all the American teachers out there reading this, imagine it as one BIG anticipatory set that lasts a week! During this provocation period, the students were put in groups and given various photos of headless men dressed in different clothing and settings. One was wearing a white tank with tattoos all over his arms. Another was wearing a tuxedo on a red carpet. A third was wearing a plaid button-down with two police officers at his sides. The students wrote any words on the photos that came to mind in describing this person. What do you think they do for a living? How would you describe their personality? It turned out that all of these photos were of the same man - David Beckham! Judging from his headless appearance, some students thought he was anything from a criminal to a movie star. After this discussion, the students watched a video of him visiting a family in South America, where he paid off their bills for 10 years, wrote them a check for one-hundred thousand dollars, as well as gave them brand new iPhones. Some of the girls in class were in tears! As you can probably guess, the whole purpose behind this activity was to demonstrate that you shouldn’t always judge a person by how they look. From there, we had the students guess the topic of the unit (beliefs), as well as which "Learner Profile Attribute" they thought we were going to focus on (open-mindedness). See how it all ties together? This is a lesson I would LOVE to teach to future classes of mine! Although, I might include some photos of women, as some of the students complained about their underrepresentation in this activity. ;) Another provocation that the students did was, for homework, they had to write down the things they valued the most in their lives - family, friends, nature, sports, etc. When they brought them into class, we handed out specific colored paper to each student that was secretly supposed to represent what country they were from (blue for Italy, orange for Belgium, brown for China, etc.). The students had to write their values on this piece of paper, and cut them out and place them on the wall. After that, the students organized the values by similarity. Ultimately, they could see that, although we have many different nationalities in the class, we all have values in common. Not to toot my own horn or anything (but TOOT TOOT!), this lesson was mostly my idea, and it turned out better than I had imagined. I am already blown away by what these students have accomplished so far in this unit. I originally intended to write more about the “tuning in” process, where the students learned about various beliefs and religions around the world, but considering how long this post is already, I think I’ll save it for another post. Stay tuned for more inquiry magic!
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Today Sarah and I brought a taste of home to our Italian hosts - some good ol’ fashioned mac ‘n cheese! While Sarah and I didn’t have all the same ingredients available to make her mom’s famous recipe, we made do with some classic American cheese, white cheddar and parmesan, topped with breadcrumbs and bacon. We were a bit nervous for their reaction, but to our surprise, it ended up being a huge hit! Sarah’s host grandmother, Gloria, had a particularly priceless reaction. She kept going back for more to dip her bread into all the cheesy goodness. She even licked the spoon, and would have licked the tray had Sarah's host mom, Cinzia, let her! Perhaps my favorite part about traveling is having the opportunity for cultural exchange. Especially when living with a host family, you gain this insider perspective of a culture, and the chance to share yours as well. I'll never forget that time we turned Nonna into a mac 'n cheese addict. Perhaps I’ve hit the jackpot with my Italian host family, but I have interacted with so many generous and loving Italians so far in my experience that at this point I am convinced that Italians are just naturally loving as a people. This blog post was initially intended to be a “day in the life” post, where I essentially jot down the details of my daily routine. Five paragraphs in, I realized that I had spent the entire time rambling on about all the nice things my Italian mom does for me on a regular basis. While I’ve only been here two weeks, I’ve come to realize that this may just be an inherent part of Italian culture. The food, vino, and love never seems to stop! On top of my heartwarming host family, I’m very fortunate in that I essentially have a mini apartment to myself within my host mom’s apartment, including a small kitchen, sitting area, bed and desk. This place would make for an adorable AirBnb! Every night, my host mom kindly prepares coffee and leaves it in a thermos in my room. The coffee - or caffè as the Italians call it - is seriously out of this world. I feel so spoiled with the coffee here that I don’t know how I’ll ever get myself to drink anything else. I would not be surprised if an espresso maker ends up in my suitcase on the way home. My host mom’s thermos is also so nice that it keeps the coffee warm well into the next morning.
I also have a private bathroom to myself on my side of the apartment, which makes getting ready in the morning really easy. I finish out my morning routine while sipping my delicious caffè, and I usually end up putting breakfast food into my school bag to eat on the way. My host mom generously leaves a bowl of fruit in my room fully stocked at all times, along with cupboards full of bread, croissants, crackers, toast, biscuits, cookies, chocolate, etc. My fridge also has a range of yogurts, deli meats and cheeses as well. Needless to say, I have way more than I will ever need as far as breakfast options are concerned. I feel a bit guilty at times for how much I am given by my host mom, as I have always been a very independent person and have lived on my own since I was 18 years old, even in foreign countries. That being said, my host mom lives alone, with the exception of her 30-year-old daughter’s dog, Brenda, that comes to stay with us regularly (which I am NEVER mad about!). While her English is rather minimal, and much of our conversations rely on Google translate, she has told me that she intends to treat me as her daughter while I’m living here. Although I do not feel deserving, I am incredibly grateful for all that my host mom has done for me thus far to make me feel comfortable, supported and welcome. I can only hope to express my gratitude while I’m here, and fulfill my role in the household (when she lets me!). Maybe one day I’ll repay the favor by inviting an exchange student of my own into the comforts of my home. I have officially completed my first whole week at the International School of Siena! As I continue to get to know the students and how things operate in my classroom, I find myself struck by how meaningful the learning content is. Whether it be a homework assignment, math activity, or assessment, every lesson has been individualized and thoughtfully planned so that it addresses the language and subject-area goals, meets the students’ varying needs, and all the while engages and genuinely interests them.
On top of that, every subject - Math (or “Maths” as the adorably call it), Social Studies, Science and language - are all carefully aligned and linked to the Unity of Inquiry (UOI). Even the specials - gym, music, Italian (for both native and non-native speakers) - are all aligned with the UOI. It is mind blowing to witness the creative freedom and agency that both the teachers and the students have over curriculum planning. I can see how this culture of collaboration and inventiveness has had a positive impact on attitude and learning, both among the staff and the students. It is truly beautiful to be a part of. While I would consider myself a very creative person, I definitely find the autonomy at this school a bit intimidating, for up until now I have spent most of my student teaching experience learning to provide instruction with a more rigid and predetermined curriculum. Here, the planning is much more fluid, and leaves a lot of room for modification and adjustments according to the students’ needs. I am super excited for our upcoming UOI, which is about beliefs - both religious and non-religious. This week we will pre-assess the students on their knowledge of beliefs, and use that to begin exploring beliefs around the world and gathering their thoughts, questions, or “wonderings” as they call it in the International Baccalaureate (IB). Do I need to mention again how meaningful and engaging the learning content is?! In the upcoming weeks, I look forward to flexing my creative muscles and really going out of my comfort zone as a teacher. |
AuthorWhile studying abroad in Europe as an undergrad, I became infected with an ailment that makes one eternally propelled to discover and explore cultures other than their own. Many call it the "travel bug," and fortunately for me it is incurable. Archives
May 2019
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