SARAH
Elementary Education
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SARAH
Elementary Education
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Today was our first full day of school. The sun was shining and everyone seemed happy. The first thing the students had was technology time. Their task was to use their iPads to create presentations about the unit they had just finished up. They had been studying different types of houses and materials. The students used iPads to take screenshots of a type of home they wanted to talk about. Then, they used an app to put their pictures together, added pictures of themselves in the houses, and used a voice over tool to talk about the houses, the materials used to build them, where people lived in this type of houses, and why this type of house was appropriate for that place’s particular climate. It was very impressive. They were having fun, everyone was engaged, and they were practicing their research and technology skills. After about 45 minutes of technology time, they went outside for 30 minutes or so. We took about a 5 minute spelling test, did math and then went to lunch. After lunch, we played outside again and then went to gym.
Gym was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in the few years that I’ve been interested in education. The I.B. director is also the gym teacher, so he knows exactly what he’s doing each time he conducts an activity. He explained to me how he’s transitioning from activities that the students can do on their own within a team (relay races, etc.) to activities where they have to communicate and work together in order to succeed (soccer, volleyball, etc.). He knows that this class has some difficulty communicating and working together, so he’s using specific games to help them improve on these skills. The games are hardly different from any games I played myself as a kid: ships and sailors, zombie tag, keep the balloon in the air for as long as you can. The difference, though, is that after each game, he brings the kids back together, does some self-regulation exercises (breathing, yoga), and specifically talks with the kids about the skills they need to succeed at a certain game. So much can be gained through sports and movement, and the emphasis on physical, social, and emotional skills here is fantastic. After gym, we went outside again! At the end of the day, we passed out homework, and then had indoor “golden time” (more purposeful, open-ended play) with legos and paint. After school we joined some of the other teachers from the school for gelato, drinks, and homemade chips (potato wedges, to us Americans) and buttered leeks. We had a blast comparing our American English to their various U.K dialects. Nerdy, but so much fun!
2 Comments
Nancy Chicola
4/1/2019 09:13:14 pm
Sarah,
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Patty
4/5/2019 05:23:49 pm
I'm glad I was able to observe that PE experience. It was astounding how much Isaac packed into the 40 minute session!
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AuthorHello! Ciao! I'm originally from the rural Finger Lakes region of New York state, but I've lived in Michigan, Japan, South Korea, and now, Siena! I originally got into the field of education after teaching English in South Korea. I've continued to study education because kid-brains never cease to astound me. Apart from spending lots of classroom time with young children, I really love to run. I am excited to explore the gorgeous Tuscan hills on foot. Hopefully all the hiking will balance out the ridiculous amounts of pasta and cheese I am sure to consume. Thanks for following along! Archives
May 2019
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