Week Five - Professional

08/03/12

Over the past few weeks I have gradually grown accustomed to teaching in a different country and culture.  I have developed a comfortable teaching style with the Ugandan children and I am now fully enjoying my experience teaching Maths and P.E to P3N.  It states in the Northern Ireland Curriculum that “pupils learn best when learning is interactive, practical and enjoyable.”(CCEA,2007.)   My experience here in Uganda has allowed me to realise the true potential of this statement, particularly when reflecting upon the progress of my P.E lessons.  I have chosen the Olympics as a theme to promote the development of core motor skills and athletics.  The children have fully embraced this theme and they all seem to love the fact that they have been assigned different countries in order to compete with each other.  Teachers and pupils alike have been very intrigued by these exciting and active lessons which take place in the central courtyard in which all classrooms face.  It is quite common for some of the pre -schoolers to escape from their classes to join my lessons outside.

 Although enjoyable, teaching a class of eighty children has also proved challenging at times.  In Uganda, the use of corporal punishment is accepted and often encouraged as the main form of pupil discipline.  During our weekly lectures, the lecture regularly promotes the use of the cane in class as he believes that using any other form of discipline “will just turn our children into misfits.”  I however, disagree with this statement and during my teaching practice placement I have used various methods which exclude corporal punishment in order to control the class.  I have introduced the children to a five stage discipline programme named ‘Teacher Lynsey’s five stages’.  These stages are enforced when a child misbehaves or disrupts the class; starting at step one, the discipline procedure is escalated through the various successive stages should the child’s inappropriate behaviour continue.  The discipline stages progress as follows:

1. Verbal Warning

2. Stand at the front of class

3. Extra Work

4. Move down a class for the remainder of the lesson

5. Letter home to parents.

The children seem to be responding well to this new discipline technique and currently I have not had to proceed past number two on the list.  Furthermore, teacher David has also embraced the five stage discipline technique during his lessons also.

 I recognise that within teaching it is vitally important to provide children with positive reinforcement and enable them to set goals for themselves, thereby promoting empowerment.  In order to accomplish this with my P3’s I have introduced ‘beans’ as our reward system within class.  I have spilt the three rows within my class into different teams; the kobs, zebras and peacocks to promote and develop team working skills.  The children receive a bean for their team if they complete work to the best of their ability, respond to questions in class and work to their full potential.  At the end of each week the beans are totalled and the winning team receives a small prize.  It is amazing how well this strategy is working within class; with the children’s work ethic improving immensely.

Since beginning my teaching practice in City Parents School, I have had to adapt and implement the theoretical strategies learned in Stranmillis to the Ugandan teaching environment which I am experiencing, (with its many cultural and logistical obstacles.)  I feel that my competence and confidence addressing classroom management and conflict resolution has greatly increased as a result of this experience.  Furthermore I am learning many new management skills which can be employed in my future career as a primary school teacher.

CCEA, (2007) The Northern Ireland Curriculum; revised edition, Belfast, CCEA.