Inquiry

Inquiry Project - Pedagogical Travel Log #3

Overview - how was the practicum set up and what was taught?

One of my 12 classes at L’Ecole Saint Exupery.

I am officially done my placement at L’Ecole Saint Exupery. In the 10 weeks that I have been living in France I taught I total of 12 days. That’s it. But in those 12 days in the classroom I learned so much about the French education system, and about myself as a teacher.

When I arrived in France I had absolutely no information about what I would be expected to teach or what the students already knew in terms of English language. At my first meeting with the director I was given an English curriculum guide that spanned all of the grade levels. I was told that the students knew some numbers, some colours, and how to introduce themselves. The rest was up to me. 

The first of our two articles in the local paper.

Having never taught English as a second language before, nor even having taken a class or workshop on it, I was fairly overwhelmed. Where to start? Verbs or vocabulary? Which phrases are most important to beginning english language learners? How to make it relevant and interesting to young students? My other worry was how was I going to be understood in a school where nobody spoke English and I have beginner level French? I’ve never had an experience like this before where I was literally thrown into something without any idea what I was doing, and a minimal ability to communicate.

One thing I did know from the start is that my lessons would reflect who I am as a teacher and would not follow to the French educational norms of copying notes into a notebook. As an adult language learner myself, I know that in order to learn a language it is vital to speak it and listen to it, in addition to reading and writing. It is also important to make mistakes, because making mistakes is a sign that you are trying to speak the language. Each lesson was filled with vocabulary, phrases and conversations, songs, and stories in English. I had each lesson build on the last, so that in the end the students would have a collection or questions, responses, and phrases that could be used together.

In my last lesson with each class I did a cumulative lesson where students had to use all of the English they had learnt over my course. We ended the class by reading the same book that we started the first class with (Eric Carles’ The Very Hungry Caterpillar) and I was simply amazed at how much the students had learned and retained. During the first lesson, the students stared rather blankly as I read the story and translated key parts and questions into French. This time around, students were able to answer questions such as “What colour is...?”, “How many...?”, or “Do you like....?”. It was so satisfying to see this progress in only a few weeks, and made me think what we could do if given an entire year together.

Another of my classes saying “We love English!”

How has the TAB experience changed you as a teacher?

• Building my ESL skill set

• Becoming aware of other teaching methodologies around the world

• Working through communication/language barriers

• Navigating new situations 

As I said earlier, when I entered into the TAB experience I had absolutely no experience teaching English as a second language. This practicum allowed me incredibly valuable, hands-on experience teaching very beginner ESL to a large number of elementary aged students. While there is still so much to learn about this discipline, I really feel that I have a good start on how to effectively teaching a second language to students of this age. 

I am interested to learn more about the principles of teaching English as a Second Language, as I believe that many of these principles can apply directly to my work with children with special needs who are non-verbal. I have been very interested in working on communication skills in children who are non-verbal (through sign-language, PECS, or adaptive technology such as the iPad) for a few years now, and after this experience I see teaching ESL as very similar to working with children who are non-verbal. For both disciplines, its all about repetition, articulation, positive reinforcement, and patience. 

Another learning was simply to become aware of other teaching methodologies that are currently in practice in countries across the world. Before entering into this experience I didn’t really think too much about teaching practices in other countries around the world, and how the education systems can reflect or mirror the values of its citizens. I has assumed that France, being a first-world country, would have a very similar system of education to our own. Initially I was shocked to see the difference between our system and theirs, but after spending some time here and learning more about French culture and values, I understand why the system is the way it is. That’s not to say that I would want to adopt this system of teaching as my own, but historically and culturally I understand why the system is the way it is. 

A typical classroom at Saint Exupery - note the alignment of the desks and the grammar rules posted on the wall.

This experience has really opened my mind up to what students and parents who are immigrants to Canada may think about our system of education. I know that this knowledge will help me as a teacher when I encounter students or families who are struggling or not fitting into the Canadian model of education. As much as it was a shock for me to come to France, I think that it would be even more of a shock to come to Canada from a country such as France! It is so important to keep these cultural values and experiences in mind as a teacher, and I know that this experience is invaluable for allowing me to see first-hand some of the differences. 

A huge aspect of this experience for me has been overcoming the challenge of communicating in my own second language, French. I took French in grade school and was miserable at it. We learned French by rote, and although I could sing my way through the conjugations of “etre” and “avoir” I had no idea what they were used for, or how to use them in a sentence. How I got though grade-school French is still a mystery to me, as the only phrase I really understood how to use was “Est-ce que je peux aller au toilette, s’il vous plait?”. I knew that if I said that I could leave the class for 5-10 minutes. 

It wasn’t until 2007 when I attended a conference in Québec City that I found an actual interest in learning French. During the conference many of the presentations were in French, and even though they were of interest to me I was not able to access them. I also visited Montréal during that trip and fell in love with the city and the culture - now if only I could speak the language! When I returned home to Calgary I made my first ever real attempt to learn French by signing up for classes at the Alliance Française. 

                                         

In 2011 I was fortunate enough to participate in the Government of Canada’s Explore exchange program - where I got to live in small town Québec for 5 weeks in a strict immersion experience. My french language skills improved incredibly there, but I would still classify myself as a beginner/intermediate learner. 

Then I arrived here in Saint-Fargeau, still with my beginner/intermediate language skills. I was fortunate to be placed with a family where the parents speak English, but other than that I was on my own. Nobody at the L’ecole Saint Exupery speaks English (students nor teachers). It was time to step my French up if I wanted to be able to communicate while I was here. 

I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been a struggle to communicate in French throughout my placement here. I do well when one person is speaking at a time, and when they are speaking clearly and articulately, but my comprehension does not always extend to discussions around the lunch-table, or to the groups of students that rush me upon my arrival to the school and all talk to me a mile a minute. But day by day things got easier as I immersed myself in the language, and as I became more familiar with the people around me. Overtime it became easier to join in and joke around with my colleagues at lunch time, or respond to the students speaking a mile a minute and pay attention to two different conversations at the same time.

Although I have a long way to go in order to become fluent in the French language, I have made huge leaps and bounds by living in France for the last couple of months, and I am completely satisfied and proud of the progress I have made. There is something so wonderful about being able to communicate in more than one language!

Outside of the classroom, the TAB experience has given me so much more confidence in independently navigating new situations. This has been my first time outside of North America, and I have been navigating the majority of the journey as a solo traveller. All the small things (like figuring out the train system in Paris, phoning to make dinner reservations in French, asking for directions in Italian, figuring out running routes in foreign locales, etc.) have been new experiences for me, and most of the time there has been nobody there to rely on except myself. 

This says “All directions” - one of the not-so-useful signs I encountered in my travels.

This TAB experience has strengthened my problem-solving abilities and given me more confidence that I can deal with anything that is thrown at me. This confidence will translate into the classroom as I know that I am capable of dealing with the various challenges that will be thrown at me as a beginning teacher.

                                      

The past 74 days have been an absolute whirlwind of an experience, and I am so grateful to both the University of Calgary, and the commune of Saint-Fargeau de Pontheirry, for allowing me to participate in this experience. I have learnt so much and have grown as a teacher because of this experience, and I know that I will carry this with me as I begin my career as a teacher. 

A+ 

Naomi Bell

Inquiry Project - Pedagogical Travel Log #2

As I write this reflection, I am just over half-way through my Teaching Across Borders experience in Saint-Fargeau, France. I am so grateful for this experience because there is no way that I could have learned what I have over the last 6 weeks if I had stayed in Canada. The education system in France is worlds apart from the education system in Canada, and the differences are something that must be experienced, rather than learned from a textbook. I have  seen aspects of the system in France that I respect, and I have seen other aspects that greatly strengthen my beliefs in the Canadian system of education. My time here has made me reflect on what is truly important in education, and how education should best be structured. 

I want to be clear that the observations that I will write about below are simply that, observations. I do not proclaim to know and understand the entire French education system, and I do not want to generalize my experience at one school in small-town France to the entire country. It is very easy to harshly critique and look down on systems that are different than our own, but I do not believe that this is the point of this reflection. Though the French education system that I have experienced is vastly different than the Canadian system, and I would not say that I agree with its pedagogy, I appreciate having the opportunity to learn from this experience.

Q: What differences in schools and curriculum do you find significant?

Physical Space

The set-up of the classroom, and of the school itself, is directly related to the teacher-focused pedagogical practice that runs the French education system. In every classroom I’ve visited, the chalkboard is the focal point of the room and is where the lesson is presented the majority of the time. Desks are arranged in straight rows oriented towards the chalkboard, and are usually grouped in twos in order to allow space in between the desks for the students and teachers to walk. Students keep all of their personal resources (notebooks, texts, writing utensils, etc) at their desk so they do not have to get up and move around the classroom after they are settled in for the morning or afternoon. 

All of the classrooms that I visited were nearly identical in their set-up; it was very difficult for me to tell whose classroom I was in other than by the name-plate on the door. On the walls of each classroom hang posters reminding students of the rules of the school, or the rules of grammaire, or the rules of cursive writing,.... There is very little to reflect the individualism of both the students or the teacher. I see the physical set-up as very reflective of the authoritative, whole group style of teaching here. 

The school building itself is quite old and very simple. The building is three stories high, with the first level containing the teachers room, the directors office, and the washrooms. All these rooms are accessed from outside the building - they are not on the inside. The second and third floor are the classroom floors; the classes are side by side down a narrow hallway. In addition to classrooms, the school has a small library and a small computer lab. There is no communal space that could hold the entire population of the school. The students place is either outside, or in their own classroom. Both the gymnasium and the cafeteria are located off campus, and students must walk 3-5 minutes for each facility. 

There is a large outdoor area for play at recess and lunch time, however there are no play structures or equipment. The area is simply a concrete slab, and the only play materials are a couple of balls. 

Schedule

The elementary school week in France is only 4 days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday). In the past students also had to attend classes on Saturday morning, but that practice has been eliminated over the past couple of years. The school day starts at 8:30 and runs until 4:30, with a 2-hour lunch break and two 15-30 minute recess breaks. It works out that the students receive 5-5.5 hours of classroom time per day (similar to Canada), except that here it is only 4 days of the week instead of 5. 

As for yearly schedule, I have not been able to put my hands on the 2011/2012 school calendar, but the general rule of thumb here is that there are 6 weeks of classes and then a 2 week vacation period. The summer holiday is typically the months of July and August. 

The teachers who I have spoken to love the 4 day schedule for themselves, but acknowledge that it is not a set-up that is in the best interest of the students. For the students the days are very long, especially for students who are struggling (chosen students are requested to remain after school for 1-1.5 hours for extra work). The teachers say that the 6 weeks of school feel like a slog towards the freedom of vacation, and the feeling recommences immediately upon returning to the classroom. They also say that there are simply not enough teaching hours in the school year to cover all of the material in the curriculum, so they are forced to pick and choose the areas that will get the most attention. 

Curriculum

The focus of the curriculum in France lies in two subjects: French Language Studies & Mathematics. Teachers are required to teach all of the other subjects that we teach in Canada (science, history, physical education, second language (English) and an elective (music, art, or philosophy)), however French Language Studies and Mathematics receive the most attention. 

French Language Studies is taught very differently than English Language Arts in Canada. In Canada I see a big focus on persuasive writing, creative writing, critical analysis, and form. In France, the language itself is more important than the form that the language takes. The majority of lessons are spent on grammar, orthography, and ‘dictée’. Dictée is a lesson where the teacher reads out a passage of writing and the students must copy down the story as they hear it. The writing is then corrected for grammar and spelling. I have not seen any lessons where students are asked to write creatively or persuasively. Most of the writing is fact based and written in a style to deliver information. 

Mathematics is taught by rote and is done without the use of manipulatives or other physical aides. Students are expected to complete the problems given on the board in their notebooks following the formulas and directions that have been given to them by their teachers. 

I have not seen any of the other subjects being taught in the classroom, but I’ve been told that teachers only move on to the other subjects once the students are where they need to be in French Language Studies and Mathematics. There is a great deal of detail within the French curriculum, and teachers have admitted that often they have to pick and choose what will be taught because there is simply not enough time to cover all of the material. 

Teaching Philosophy/Practice

There is a lot of emphasis on individualism in the education system in France, and very little (if any) work is done in a group setting. Students work at their own pace, but must wait until all of the students have finished the assigned task before they can collectively move on to the next individual task. This results in the students who understand the concepts quickly having a lot of down time, and the students who struggle are under constant pressure to hurry up and move on. 

The method of teaching is largely teacher-directed, where the teacher holds the knowledge and delivers it to the students through lectures or notes on the board. In every class I observed the teacher asking closed-questions and picking one student at a time to answer the question. If a student is struggling with the answer they are often made to work it out while the rest of the class sits in silence. In what I have observed, there is a lot of time spent in the day where one student is answering a question and the rest of the students are just sitting waiting with nothing to keep themselves occupied. 

When I have asked different teachers how they feel about group work, or having students work in pairs in the classroom, I received variations on the same answer. Some teachers were concerned that if students work in groups there would be no way to know who was actually doing the work, so it was easier to have students complete tasks individually. Other teachers worried that the noise and excitement level would get out of hand and they would not be able to regain control of their classroom. Other teachers said that there was simply not enough time to play around with group work when there were so many individual tasks to be done. 

Special Needs/Inclusion

There is a boy with autism who attends one of the classes at the school every Tuesday morning. He is very high functioning, has high verbal skills, and is able to do classroom work that is slightly modified. The school is working to include him in a typical classroom for one morning a week, as the rest of the week he attends a separate school for children with special needs.

He works one-to-one with an aide who has been assigned to work with him. Special education aide’s here do not have extensive training (perhaps a one-day or one-week course) and are not particularly specialized in working with students with special needs. The classroom teacher prepares completely different work for him to do with the aide, and he works quietly with her at the back of the classroom rather than being involved in with the rest of the class. This can be quite distracting to the rest of the class because while the teacher is giving instructions or reading a dictée, this student is speaking with his aide about something completely different.

When he is finished his task he must wait until the rest of the class is finished what they are working on before he can move on with a different activity. This is the time when he becomes restless and starts calling out. When he does call out or make noises, the other students look at him and smirk at each other. He does not seem to be integrated into the classroom community, rather he is an outsider who is doing completely different tasks within the same classroom. I know that it can be very challenging to integrate students with special needs seamlessly into the typical classroom, but I think that there needs to be more support in having this student actually integrated into the classroom and working meaningfully with his peers. If he is just on the periphery of the classroom doing other work, this is not true inclusion. Also I think that it is important for the other students to be talked to about how they can interact with this student and the ways that they can help him to become a member of the classroom community. 

Q: How have you changed as teacher or a learner?

Even though I have been in Saint Fargeau for a relatively short period of time, I feel that this experience has, and will continue to, change me as both a teacher and a learner in a very positive way.

Being in such a different educational environment I have had the opportunity to really think about why I teach the way I do in Canada, and about whether or not I truly believe that it is the best way. The teacher who I am has been cultivated over many years of working with children with and without special needs, predominantly as a music therapist and behavioural therapist for children with autism. I practice a humanistic, success-oriented style of teaching, and I believe that working with children’s strengths and areas of passion will make connected, curious, and successful learners. I have incredibly high expectations of my students, however we celebrate successes rather than dwelling on failures. 

I also believe in collaborative, inclusive classrooms where all students (and teachers) come together to create a vibrant classroom community. Not all students have the same strengths and interests, and that is okay, when we all come together we can live in a space of shared knowledge. There is not one person who “owns” knowledge and gives it out, rather when a classroom is functioning effectively there is a collective knowledge that every student in the class can draw from.

One comment I am constantly getting from the teachers here who observe my work in their classrooms is how positive I am in the classroom and with the students. They have told me that they usually focus on the faults of their students, and are surprised at how the students are responding so well to a positive style of teaching. They have also been shocked that their students can work successfully in small groups, and even though it is louder in the classroom than usual, good work is being done. 

I have had many discussions with co-workers and other education figures here in Saint Fargeau (including a meeting with 10 education students who travelled to Calgary for three weeks for an exchange) and have had the opportunity to talk about (and even defend) my pedagogical practice with others who are unfamiliar with how I teach. This opportunity has provided me the opportunity to really articulate to others what I believe (even in French, which has had its difficulties!), but more importantly I have had to articulate these beliefs to myself. I have changed as a teacher and a learner here because I have become more self-assured, more passionate, and more articulate about who I am as a teacher and stronger in my beliefs. 

Inquiry Project - Pedagogical Travel Log #1

My name is Naomi Bell and I am a student in my final semester of the Bachelor of Education program at the University of Calgary. Instead of spending my final semester on campus, I will be teaching English at l’Ecole Saint Exupery, in Saint Fargeau Ponthierry, France. L’Ecole Saint Exupery is an elementary school spread over two campuses, with a total of 15 classes. It has only recently been mandated that elementary students in France have to learn English, and the students here have so far learned basic greetings, colours, numbers, etc. Through this practicum I will be working with the students on their English skills, as well as helping the teachers to develop English lessons for future use. I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to come and teach in France for this final semester.

One of the reasons that I chose to study Education with the University of Calgary was to be able to participate in the Teaching Across Borders program. I knew that I wanted to participate in TAB before I even applied for acceptance. 

I was keen to be involved in TAB because I believe that by experiencing how a different culture values and approaches the practice of teaching, I will deepen my own understanding of good pedagogical practice. I’m sure that by teaching in a different culture I will see things that will inspire my own practice, and also methods which I disagree with, but which will strengthen my beliefs in the Canadian system. I also believe that having the opportunity to live in an unfamiliar culture provides many chances for self-development in terms of self-confidence, problem solving skills, flexibility, adaptability, and so on. This sort of self-development will no doubt strengthen my ability to become a great teacher. 

In terms of becoming a better teacher, I believe that I gain much more knowledge from practical, hands-on experience, than from University classroom discussion. In looking at the coursework available for the fourth semester of this program, I felt that I would get a lot more out of completing another practicum (through TAB) than going to the courses that are offered on campus. With TAB we still are required to do similar coursework through an on-line component, but the majority of our experience rests with our practicum. For me, this is what I need to develop my teaching practice. 

I have never had the opportunity to teach English as a Second Language through my practicums or other involvements. I think that in our increasingly multicultural education system this is going to be an important skill, and one that I’m sure can transfer to all types of teaching practice. Having hands-on experience with ESL through the TAB program will be less stressful than trying to figure it out the first year on the job. 

Lastly, I was so excited for the opportunity to travel for an extended period of time before starting work as a teacher. Due to the schedule here, and the periods of vacation, I will be able to travel around Western Europe and explore new places. 

In terms of preparation, I have done some long term preparation and a lot of short term preparation to get ready for my travels. When I applied for the TAB program in November of 2010, I also decided to apply for the Explore program (a 5-week French immersion language program sponsored by the Government of Canada). I knew that if I was accepted for TAB it would be extremely beneficial to improve my ability to speak French. Last May I attended to Explore program at the Universite de Quebec a Chicoutimi, in Chicoutimi, QC. The program was amazing and took me from a beginner to intermediate level of French. I am so glad that I did participate in the program, because the French language skills are essential in the small town of Saint Fargeau where very few people speak any English.

In terms of short term preparation, there was lots to do in a very short period of time, because I only found out that I was going 12 days before I left for France. Some of the things that I had to arrange were:

• Book my plane ticket from Calgary - Paris, and looking into train transportation from Paris - Melun (where I was picked up and driven to Saint Fargeau). 
• Purchase travel insurance in case of any medical problems or emergencies.
• Apply for an international studentship bursary with the University of Calgary.
• Register with the Department of Risk Management through the University of Calgary, as well as registering as a Canadian Traveling Abroad incase of an international emergency.
• Attend an International Travel Safety course at the University of Calgary
• Inform my bank that I would be traveling abroad for 3 months, as well as order some Euros for travel.
• Purchase a new camera to document my travels (my favourite errand on this list!)
• Go to appointments with both the dentist and doctor for a clean bill of health.
• Purchase enough medication to last for the duration of my stay, and get an extra copy for my prescriptions in case of lost medication. 
• Check the baggage weight allowances prior to arrival at the airport.
• Scan and copy all of my travel and identification documents (passport, birth certificate, driver’s license, etc)
• Purchase various travel items (backpack, travel locks, power adaptor, etc)
• Gather resources for teaching english (storybooks, articles, Canadiana, etc) 

**this was incredibly difficult as I had no contact with my host school before I left Canada

• Plan a travel itinerary for a period after my placement has finished.
• Give notice to my various employers, and if possible find a replacement for the period that I am gone for.
• Purchase textbooks for the on-line course, and search for articles about the French education system for my studies.

Needless to say, the days before my departure were hectic but it was well worth the effort. 

Before my departure I felt prepared and ready to come and live in France for 3 months. I have been very interested in France, and the French lifestyle for a long time, and I find that in many ways it is not so different than Canada. Over the past few years I have watched many, many French films, listened to French music, been involved with the Alliance Francaise of Calgary (through French courses and cultural events), and met many friends who come from France. I am ready for my journey and excited for all of the new experiences I will have.