OUTCOMES
The main outcome of my placement was the creation of a pack that allows staff and students alike to make better use of the Internet. It introduces them to the idea of the Internet as a geographical resource and demonstrates how easily it can be incorporated into classroom teaching and how essential it can be to various elements of the education/learning system.
In producing this pack and the work carried out at the school I feel I have successfully achieved the aims that were established at the outset of this module. This is discussed again in the commentary and conclusion below.
COMMENTARY
Initially the whole idea of going back to the classroom seemed incredibly daunting, despite being described the potential benefits at the Campus Connect training session. However once I had visited the school and had the initial meeting with my supervisor (Mr Neil Cuthbert), I felt far more positive. I had a clear idea about what the placement was going to entail, what the school and pupils were like, and how I was going to conduct the module.
In the first few weeks I experienced a mixture of feelings, both positive and negative. I enjoyed interacting with the pupils and seeing handouts that I had produced being put to use, generally I felt a sense of achievement. However at the same time I had concerns over the behaviour of pupils. My log shows how on the first day at Lawnswood “I was worried about how the children might respond to me” (Friday 11th October) and quickly drew comparisons between “this co-ed comprehensive and the private all girls school I went to” (Friday 11th October). This is what forms the first key aspect of my placement, that is dealing with children and the way in which they behave.
I was actually very shocked at the behaviour of a minority of pupils at the school. I had always thought that I was an absolute nightmare as a school pupil, as I had a reputation for being cheeky and disruptive. However I now feel that my teachers were very lucky! Despite my misbehaviour I had always had respect for my teachers, I knew where to draw the line and I rarely overstepped it. At Lawnswood a handful of pupils clearly didn’t even know a line existed, they were repeatedly rude and disrespectful to Mr Cuthbert. I was overwhelmed with the way Mr Cuthbert handled such students, he dealt with them firmly but calmly and maintained self-control. I knew early on that I was going to have to get used to such bad behaviour, luckily I didn’t have anything directed personally at me and to be perfectly honest I’m not sure even now I could handle it as well. I would like to point out that this describes only a small proportion of the Lawnswood population. The majority of the children were polite, keen and a pleasure to work with.
My time at the school was spent introducing pupils to the Internet as a geographical resource. I worked with small groups of pupils looking at useful sites that gave them information about the topics they were learning about in the classroom, as well as working through question sheets I had prepared and showing older pupils how to carry out on-line research. I was grateful to be working with small groups because although “I felt absolutely fine having 20 little faces staring at me with curiosity” (Friday 11th October) I was able to get to know the children much better and believe they worked better without the distraction of their classmates. What was a little uncomfortable though was I had to mark the work I set the children. I was concerned that the marks I gave out might change the way the children respond to me. It was quite the opposite however as the vast majority of the children achieved excellent grades and “it was somewhat heart warming to see those who got As with smiles on their faces” (Friday 1st November). I also believe that the few pupils who “really couldn’t be bothered, they didn’t concentrate or put any effort in” (Friday 1st November) were quite content with their marks, as I think they are quite realistic about what sort of grade their behaviour is going to achieve them. All in all I need not have worried about having to mark the children’s work.
Another key aspect of the placement was that I was working with a variety of age groups. By the end of my placement I had worked with year 8, year 9, a GCSE group and a number of sixth formers. I was really grateful of this opportunity because it provided greater variety in the work that I was doing and in the relationships I had with the children. It is quite hard to explain but I shall try and simplify what I mean. A year 8 pupil will ask you a question because they are required to know the answer. A GCSE or A Level student will ask you a question because they actually want to know the answer and because they want to actually not what your thoughts are. I really enjoyed working with the A-Level group as it was a far less formal environment and I was actually able to give them practical help and advice. I also think I found this aspect of the placement a little easier as it is not long since I was in the same position as the pupils I was working with, so I was able to help them from my own experiences and recollection. However with the younger pupils I actually had to re-familiarise myself with a lot of the basic facts and figures of simple geographic phenomenon due to the length of time since I had learnt them myself.
The final aspect that I wish to comment on is in regards to working with children who had learning difficulties. I was extremely apprehensive about this as I have a severe lack of patience at the best of times and was worried that these pupils would frustrate me. However “Mr Cuthbert reassured me that all I need do was let the kids take their time and explain the exercises slowly and clearly to them. I did this and they got on really well” (Friday 15th November). I was really proud of they way I dealt with these children as there were moments where I felt tempted to just give them the answers to questions. Instead I worked slowly through problems with them and “it was clear that these children were intelligent- when they took their time and concentrated they were able to find the correct answers. In fact they achieved far more accurate/correct answers than many of their peers” (Friday 15th November).
As well as working on the Internet I also produced a number of handouts and updated/computerised several worksheets. Which I enjoyed seeing put to use and didn’t find to challenging to do as I made great use of the QCA website and the Curriculum online, as well as studying existing worksheets. My task at the outset of the placement was, however, to introduce the pupils and staff to the Internet as a geographical resource. In attempting to achieve this I produced a pack of materials designed as a guide to teachers as to incorporating Internet use into the curriculum. This approach meant that I was able to write the pack in a style suitable for adults but I did so in a way that meant the pack is not only accessible to the pupils (as a reference for websites) but is also approachable for those unfamiliar with computers and the internet.
CONCLUSION
There is a lot of literature written about the use of computers and other sorts of media as part of learning and what benefits and variety they can bring. Some academics are concerned about the appropriate implementation and use of such media and how effective they really are, but even the government has adopted use of different media in teaching and learning as an essential part of the National Curriculum. For example Unit 22 at Key Stage 3 specifically requires the use of the Internet by pupils in research (see page 15 of pack). The Internet has fast become one of the most important and useful educational media not only for research purposes but also as a forum for teaching with online courses and virtual classrooms. McVay Lynch (2002) draws attention to the problems of such courses but does call for a need to integrate the Internet into our education system.
“The communication capabilities of the Internet provide us with the opportunity to help create the kind of educational environment we want for tomorrow’s students” (McVay Lynch, 2002:2).
Similarly de Cicco et al (1998) highlight the value of the Internet as a resource and that information found on it is often far more up to date than other resources. This is just one of the many benefits the Internet can have and as I hope I have displayed both in the pack of materials I produced and in carrying out my placement, that the Internet has much to offer students and teachers alike.
Bibliography
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De Cicco E., Farmer M. & Hargrave J. (1998) Using the Internet in Secondary Schools, London: Kogan Page.
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Forsyth I. (2001) Teaching & Learning Materials & the Internet, Third Edition, London: Kogan Page.
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McVay Lynch M. (2002) The Online Educator: A Guide to Creating the Virtual Classroom, London: RoutledgeFalmer.
