Week 6: Professional (19/03/12 - 25/03/12)

I am now into the full swing of placement at the International School of Poznan (ISOP). I have been placed in a Grade 4 class which would be the equivalent of Primary 6 back home. The school itself is very nice and all the teachers are extremely welcoming. I should add however, that this school does not reflect on the rest of polish primary teaching as our school is an international school, and unlike other Polish schools, it follows the curriculum set by the IBO.

The ethos of the school generally resembles that of the schools I have been on placement on in Belfast with there being a strong focus on individual pupil development and preparing for lifelong learning. This is mentioned in the school mission statement which is displayed for all to see;

“The International School of Poznan is committed to provide international education of high academic standards and prepare students to become valuable world citizens.”  (www.isop.pl)

The teachers try and implement this ethos into all areas of learning. It was interesting to research what teaching in an IB school would entail, and I found that some of the areas were similar to those covered in our own NI curriculum.

“The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.
The six Trans disciplinary areas that teachers should follow are;

·  Who we are

·  Where we are in place and time

·  How we express ourselves

·  How the world works

·  How we organize ourselves

·  Sharing the planet”                  (www.IBO.org)

Our 'Energy' wall

At present, my class are learning about ‘energy’ and the effect it has on our environment. I must admit that I have been taken back by some of the levels of work that the pupils have been set, as they are the levels I would expect for high school pupils. This is not to say that all the pupils are able to complete this work as there are those who struggle. There doesn’t seem to be much differentiation in the classroom as all the pupils are expected to complete the same work during the same time frame.

Hard at work

 Both the teachers and the pupils have welcomed be into their classroom with no hesitation and they were keen to take advantage of English being my native tongue. I have been involved in many reading activities which I am enjoying, and even got persuaded into dressing up and giving a St Patricks day presentation!

The great 'Face paint' ambush

   This week, I was told that it would be the first day of Spring, and to celebrate this with the end of Winter, we would be burning the Marzanna. This ‘Marzanna’ is a large paper doll which represents winter and is burned as a symbol of Winter passing. It seemed a strange ritual, but the teachers and pupils really enjoyed it, and also celebrated this custom with a large (and by that, I mean HUGE) picnic and had special games organised. We were all told to wear bright clothes for this day, however, the pupils felt I wasn’t bright enough and they then proceeded to attack my face with colourful face paints!

After being in the school for several days, I can see some clear similarities with the different teaching strategies used back home, but I can also sense some differences, even if they have not appeared too obvious to me so far. I am really looking forward to finding out more about both these similarities and differences……. And of course, writing about them on my blog!

The Marzanna

References:
www.isop.pl
www.ibo.org