Composing Classes

Hi all!

I apologise for not writing for so long, but alas I had to beckon to the call of uni assignments and placement...scary how time flies!

Recently I have embarked on my final year placement before finishing my studies at the end of this year....scary! While there, I have noticed that the school I am at has many composite classes, including my own. In fact, most of the classes are composite. Now I was curious as to why this was, as this particular school was not a small school, so numbers was not the issue.

But then I realised....is there really an issue with students being in composite classes compared to mainstream year levels?

Short answer...no.

It is a myth universally acknowledged that a student in a composite class is disadvantaged. WRONG! In my experience, I have found that in a normal mainstream class, there is a variety of skill levels already in place; no student is the same. In a regular year 4 classroom, there may be students doing year 3 work and some doing year 4 and some even year 5 work. That is just how it is.

This is the same in a composite year 2/3 class; there will be students doing year 2 work (some maybe even year 1), some doing year 3 work and some year 4 work...no difference.

Another myth is that a composite year 1/2 class will be composed of the 'smarter' year 1's and the 'dumber' year 2's... also completely WRONG! Believe it or not....classes are more based on friendship groups than 'intelligence'.

To all those parents out there who are concerned about their child being in a composite class...I completely understand. I have always been terrified of teaching a composite class....how am I supposed to teach one curriculum, let alone two! But I quickly realised that no matter what class I am teaching in, I would have to differentiate the curriculum. Teaching in a composite class is just good practice.

So let me assure all the parents out there that no matter what type of class your child is in, they will receive the utmost attention from their teacher and will have the curriculum they need.

The Difference in Differentiation

In class this week, the topic of differentiation has been discussed. This is something I find really intriguing, but also really hard to achieve. I don't really know what I'm teaching, let alone how I can alter my lesson to meet all the varying needs of students! In fact, in one of my classes I was told that it can take years for us to get good at differentiation.

It is often stressed to us the importance of differentiation within our curriculum. Jokingly, one of my fellow classmates raised the point that if differentiation is so important, how come there is no differentiation in the university curriculum?

This may seem like a stupid idea at first, but after I thought about it I realised that this was an interesting question; why isn't there differentiation in university, or higher education in general? I have different needs compared to my classmates, yet I am expected to complete the exact same work, following the same processes with the exact same outcomes.

For example: one of my current assignments requires me to make a video recording of me demonstrating certain skills on a computer. This involves me filming my computer screen, while narrating, and then editing the film. I have absolutely NO IDEA how to do this as I am not 'tech savvy', whereas some of my other classmates are and will excel in the assignment. I know all the skills I need to know for this assignment, I am just unable to demonstrate them in the form the assignment requires me to.

So this poses another question; is there are 'line' where differentiation stops? And does differentiation actually help in the long run?

There is a strong focus in differentiation in the primary years. Eventually, all my lessons will be differentiated in some way. There is still a presence of differentiation in high school, but not under such a strong focus. So after you finish high school, are you simply expected to complete the same work and processes as everyone else, after having work altered for you all your life?

There is no differentiation out in the 'real world' so by altering our curriculums to meet the 'needs' of our students, are we helping them, or in fact setting them up for failure later on, such as in university. And why does differentiation stop the moment you leave school?

Differentiation is by no means easy, but I hope I will be able to find the balance between differentiation that is useful and differentiation that is damaging in the long run.

I think I have some more research to do.......

The Science of Teaching Science

The media has been recently debating the issue as to whether primary school teachers are equipped with the necessary skills to teach science.  Science is deemed by some to be a ‘specialist’ subject; one which ‘generalist’ primary teachers should not be teaching in the classroom. Science is not purely a subject in which fun experiments are conducted, but it develops students’ skills of questioning and exploring, as well as their natural sense of curiosity, in a safe and supportive environment. Due to the poor academic performance of Australian schools in the science area, specialist teachers are being brought in to teach science as opposed to the regular classroom teacher. The short answer is that primary teachers are primed and equipped to teach science in their own classroom and they certainly should do so.

   Why? Well, firstly, primary teachers know their students. They know what engages them, how they learn best and how to manage them. If a specialist teacher were brought in with the sole purpose of teaching science, then they would not understand the students as well as the regular classroom teacher. Additionally, there would be no integration of science into other areas of the curriculum, such as maths and literacy, as the specialist teacher would have no knowledge of  the content been taught in other subject areas, while the regular classroom teacher would have no knowledge of what was being taught in science.

   Secondly, teachers and students do not need a high level of maths knowledge in order to teach or learn science. Dr Desmond Murray (2013) states that ‘the fact is in most of science people don’t use much more mathematics than a grocery store clerk’. Teaching science is not outside what any literate adult already knows or understands. Science is not about using maths to solve complex problems, but is more about questioning and investigating the world around us. It is not merely for ‘smart’ people, but for everyone. However, if a specialist science teacher is brought into the classroom to teach science, then the idea that only smart people can teach science is implemented in the minds of the students. If their own teacher is not ‘smart’ enough to teach them science, then are they smart enough to learn it?

   Yes of course they are! Why? Because, thirdly, students are naturally curious and it is the role of the teacher to build upon these curiosities. Teachers do not need to have a PhD in physics or a Master’s degree in Chemistry in order to teach a subject that is designed to nurture the valuable human trait of curiosity. Scientists themselves are not geniuses, they are just simply, according to Dr Desmond Murray (2013), ‘equipped with the powers of innate curiosity like every other human’. In the subject of science, the students take the lead, often investigating their own questions and explaining results and outcomes in their own words. In fact, the very first aim in the Australian Curriculum (2015) for science is to expand the students’ ‘curiosity and willingness to explore, ask questions about and speculate on the changing world in which they live’. The job of the teacher, therefore, is not to stand out the front of the classroom and lecture about the laws of motion or the life-cycle of a butterfly, but to merely act as a facilitator as the students take charge of their own learning. It is the students who do most of the teaching, not the teacher.

   Finally, teachers have multiple high quality teaching resources at their disposal to assist them in their confidence to teach science. One of the many reasons primary teachers do not teach science in their classroom is a lack of confidence in their own ability. Often this lack of confidence arises from the teacher’s own science experiences in their schooling days, such as them having a poor teacher, or even not being taught science at all. For some, it is merely the fact that they have not been taught science for a number of years. I am lucky in this regard as I loved science in school and studied it all through my high school years.  Furthermore, there certainly seems to be a strong focus on the ‘more important’ subjects in the school curriculum, such as maths and literacy as a result of the NAPLAN testing. As a pre-service teacher, I certainly find this to be true as I have one semester on science, combined with design, while I have several which focus on teaching mathematics and literacy. To combat this, the Primary Connections series was developed by the Australian Academy of Science to support teachers in teaching science. The series is fully aligned with the Australian Curriculum and aims to enhance the teacher’s science confidence and competence. The series focuses on the Foundation to Year 6 science curriculums with a total of 34 units available. Each unit includes detailed lesson plans as well as all the necessary resources needed for the topic. It also contains ideas for integration into other learning areas; something that you would not get if there were a ‘specialist’ science teacher. Furthermore, every teacher (In service and Pre-service) will have easy access to the Primary Connections series as every Government school was given a full set of the units and they are also free to download off of the Scootle website.

Primary school teachers certainly have the necessary resources and ability to teach science in their own classrooms. What they are missing, however, is confidence in their ability; something which will certainly be boosted thanks to the Primary Connections resources. You do not have to be a genius in order to teach science, but you do need to understand your students and how they learn, which I believe every primary school teacher certainly does. In the end, it is from providing the best educational environment for your students to thrive which achieves the best results. I, for one, feel confident and competent to teach science in my very own classroom one day.

References

Murray, Dr Desmond (2013) ‘The Myths of Teaching Science and Their Consequences’. Benton-Michiana Spirit Newspaper August 13, 2013 pg.7. Retrieved on September 16 2015 from http://flo.flinders.edu.au/pluginfile.php/1472323/mod_resource/content/1/Myths%20and%20Consequences%20of%20Teaching%20Science.pdf

Australian Curriculum (2015) ‘Science Curriculum Aims’. Retrieved on September 22 2015 from www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/science/aims

ICT Assignment 1

Dear Parents and caregivers,

In our year 4 class we have been learning about cyber safety in our Digital Technology subject. Your child is being exposed to various forms of ICT every day (at school and at home) and it is important for them to learn how to be safe, responsible and ethical while online. This is just a quick post to encourage your active involvement in this educational process at home and give you some strategies to implement at home to keep your child safe online.

Rules and Guidelines for ICT Use

'Child Using Laptop' by Chris Parfitt is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 

 Rules and guidelines are set in place to protect children from harm. Your child has rules at school surrounding how they play, learn and use technology, and as a parent, it is your right to enforce your own rules and guidelines about the use of ICT at home. These can include simple ideas, such as where ICT is used in the home. Is your child allowed to use computers in their bedroom? For the best protection, supervise your child while they are online. Another idea involves how often your child is using computers and other devices. If your child spends too much time online, this can begin to negatively impact other aspects of their lives, including their education.

 Identity

 Teaching your child how to keep their identity and personal information safe and secure online is very important. A person’s password and username is personal and is part of their identity and should not be given to others. We have discussed as a class the possible consequences of sharing passwords and usernames, such as the notion for being ‘responsible for any activity conducted under you username’ (Broome, 2015). In class, your child has made a ‘bumper sticker’ discouraging the sharing of passwords and change their own password every term. How often do you change your password at home?  A strong password consists of both letters (upper and lowercase) and numbers.

 It is also vital to discuss with your child the importance of not sharing personal information about yourself or others online. If you would not say it to a person on the street, do not put it online. Also, if your child has a social media site ensure that it is set to ‘private’ so no one apart from themselves and their friends can see it.

 It is also important for your child to understand that anyone that they talk to online could, in fact, be anyone. People are able to put all sorts of information online and it is important for children to learn to identify what is real and what is not.

 Identifying Threats and Inappropriate Material

 One of the main concerns resulting in ICT use is Cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is ‘the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person’ (Nemours, 2015).  We have discussed in class the protocols for when a student encounters cyber-bullying, or in fact any threat online. Students are encouraged to screen shot (if possible) the threatening material and let an adult know, such as their parents. If you discover your child is being cyber-bullied, please notify the school. However, before you do so, please make your child aware that you intend to tell the school and, more importantly, reassure and comfort your child. Finally, it is important that you or your child do not respond to the cyber-bully. For other measures and protocols, please visit this website.

There is a lot of information on the Internet and  some is not suitable for your child. Discourage your child from clicking on 'pop-ups' or other ads that may appear on their screens. Teach your child the idea that if it feels wrong, then it probably is and they should exit the site and tell an adult. Offensive and inappropriate material, such as cyber-bullying can be reported here.

 Acknowledging Sources

 In class, we are discouraging the ‘reference system’ of copying the URL for an image found in Google and simply placing it underneath. This is not an acknowledgement of the owner of the image, but merely showing where you took the image from without permission. Creative Commons is ' an international non-profit organisation that provides free licenses and tools that copyright owners can use to allow others to share, reuse and remix their material, legally' (Creative Commons, 2015). Students can search for images through the Creative Commons Search to ensure that all images found already have permission from the owner to be used. Please encourage this at home when searching for images or other media.

These simple strategies are certainly beneficial to protecting your child online. Please view the resources in the links list for more cyber safety tips and ideas.

Sincerely,

Miss Hannah Dyson 

P.S This is a fantastic children's video in regards to cyber safety which we watched as a class before beginning our cyber safety topic.

 

References

Australian Communications Media Authority (2015) ‘Cyber(smart:)’. Retrieved on 16 September 2015 from www.cybersmart.gov.au/Parents/Cyber20issues/~/~/~/~/~/~/media/C8984588769E4BD4BB81181F0CA3E8A3.pdf

 

 Austalian Federal Police (2015) ‘Cyber Safety: Top Ten Tips for Youths’. Retrieved on 16

September 2015 from www.afp.gov.au/~/media/afp/pdf/c/cyber-safety-top-10-tips-for-youth.pdf

 

Australian Government (2015) ‘Enhancing Online Safety’. Retrieved 16 September 2015 from https://esafety.gov.au/

 

Australian Government (2007) ‘Net Alert: A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety’. Retrieved on September 16 2015 from www.pcw.vic.edu.au/Wellbeing/Parents%20Guide%20to%20Internet%20Safety.pdf                            

Broome, Suny (2015) ‘Top reasons why you shouldn’t share your username and password’.Retreieved 8 September 2015 from http://news.sunybroome.edu/focus/top-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-share-your-username-and  password/

Creative Commons Australia (2015) ‘About Creative Commons’. Retrieved on 8 September 2015 from http://creativecommons.org.au/about

Nemours (2015) ‘Kids Health: Cyber-bullying’. Retrieved on 8 September 2015 from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/cyberbullying.html