Any educator knows the importance of including objectives in lesson plans (thank you Meredith College Department of Education). Objectives are short, precise goals that the students should be able to do at the end of the lesson. In general, I want my experience in Spain to benefit me as a teacher and I want to benefit my students in a positive way. That being said, my professional objectives for teaching in Spain are: 1) to compare school systems in Spain with school systems in the United States 2) to provide an intercultural exchange between Andalusian elementary students and North Carolinian elementary students 3) to become a fluent speaker of Spanish so I can be an asset to the Hispanic community within the public school system.
Throughout my college career I have spent endless hours doing observations and assisting in classrooms. I have planned lessons and watched them unfold, sometimes wonderfully and sometimes horribly. The joys of being a teacher- you plan and prepare but at the end of the day you just learn to roll with it. I have a good sense of how our education system works, specifically in the elementary setting. I'm curious to see how this setting differs in Spain. How are the classes conducted? What are their procedures for beginning class, ending class, and everything in between? How do they handle discipline? Does cooperative learning exist? How are their learning styles? What are the buildings like? What is a typical school schedule and how does it differ from the U.S? Do the students wear uniforms? What kinds of extracurricular activities are available and do many students and staff participate? I'm hoping to compile my findings into a power point to share with people when I return. I hope that experiencing first hand how a different school system operates in another country will help me to relate to my students who come from all over the world.
My second objective is to create an intercultural exchange between Andalucian elementary students and North Carolinian elementary students. This is essentially a pen pal system. I have studied aspects of culture and the affects it has on student learning. I may be a little biased, but I think that learning about other cultures is absolutely essential in our classrooms. A pen pal system will give students a chance to send pictures and write letters, learning about students their age from across the globe. This will also give students a chance to work on their writing skills (the writing process, punctuation, etc). Two of my good friends and graduates of the MC Education Program, Magdalena Deihl and Mindi Thorton, have agreed to work with me on this project. I am very very excited :).
My last objective is to become a better speaker of Spanish. Ever since my first mission trip to Mexico I've wanted to be fluent in Spanish. I remember wanting to communicate so BADLY with the Mexican people but feeling so limited. As I have got involved in the school system, I see how valuable knowing Spanish is (especially for ESL). In Spain, I hope to find an intercambio (language exchange partner) to help me practice in a low pressure way. I also hope to make Spanish friends to force myself to speak in Spanish. Couchsurfing.org is a great resource for local events in Malaga and I plan on attending many of these events as well.
So these are my professional goals for my time in Spain. I have many personal goals as well, but we'll leave those for another blog. Until then, I will leave you with this amazing quote.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward
Besos!
No comments:
Post a Comment