Overseas School Observation Report

Overseas School Observation Report

Please write about these various aspects of your school observation experience. Descriptions can include similarities and differences between Canada and Korea, general observations, or anything else that caught your attention.

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Students - Student life, behavior and attitudes, interaction with teacher and classmates (split class)

1. Students show their respect to teachers. They call teacher by family name with Mrs, Miss, Mr.
2. Students with bad behavior exist in Canada.  After several disciplines by homeroom teacher, they are finally sent to principal.
3. Students usually seem serious in class. Sometimes they giggle but be in hurry to class.

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Teachers- Teaching style [speaking patterns, presence, mannerisms, energy level], teacher culture, fashion/decorum, job identity

1. Teachers always wrap up all classes with students thinking by themselves.  
2. Teachers give lectures individually according to the level and the year of students. It seems impossible to cover all students. When teacher teaches 7 graders, 8 graders try to complete math, language, and other subjects assignments by themselves. Some seem troubled doing that. But teacher has little time to focus on them.   
3. Teachers focus much more on what they teach than on how they teach. Some students look bored in class.

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Administrators - duties, relationship with faculty and students, leadership style

1. Secretary teacher in office is willing to help out. They regard their help as what they have to do. She  covers the role of nurse teacher and receptionist.
2. Principal is the final manager to bully students. He/she share tough thing with teachers.

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Classroom and School Dynamics- Environment, layout, design space decorations, ambiance, scheduling,  classroom management, discipline, unique qualities of a classroom or school, norms and expectations

1. The homeroom teacher keep using the same classroom year by year. So the board around the classroom is the collection of his/her teaching history and career . For example, the board is full of pics of ex-students, the past teacher, thank you cards, and awards.
2. Notebooks and most stationery are equipped in the classroom. Students don’t bring them.

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Reminders of what not to do as a teacher (Things I saw that I want to avoid in my classroom)

1. The first time the host teacher introduced me to students, she suddenly asked me for how to manage bully students. Very embarrassing. Her attitude made me think she just focus on bully students instead of me. I make sure that I will prioritize student teacher the first day.   

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   Language used in the classroom- challenging, useful, unusual  (Teacher Language I collected)

1. IEP : Individual Education Plan
2. That’s a tough combination. They have some learning deficit.
3. I am grade 2 teacher.
4. SERC : Special Education Resource Class
5. Anybody having parts unknown raise hand!
6. 9 weeks to earn 3 credits
7. They are split up.

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Useful techniques and strategies   (Things I saw that I want to try in my classroom)

1. Google Classroom is used in overall subjects for simplifying creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way. Google Classroom alleviates how to manage class for teachers.
2. Google Earth is used in STEM class.  Students have to solve a mystery through travelling around the world. They enjoy the process.

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Instructional materials - good, bad, noteworthy

1. Google classroom
2. Google earth
3. Laptops easily accessible, package(binder)

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Big thoughts- education systems, reform possibilities

1. Split class is needed more consideration. It would be burden
2. SERC
3. Individual performance learning
4. More motivating students

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Effect on your teaching - In what ways might your teaching change as a result of your overseas experience.

Prepare to describe and/or demonstrate activities and methods you observed that were most impressive, useful, and/or applicable to your teaching.

Activity/Method:   Music project based on google classroom     Adaptation:     English class, Culture learning in theme class, Cooperative class with music Pros:   Student friendly class (they choose, analyze and sing the song keeping on the process in google classroom) Cons:

Activity/Method:     Guessing game Adaptation:     Building up the strategy to communicate Pros:    Students keep asking for clues with questions. They ask and answer. Cons:

Activity/Method:    Google earth Adaptation:   English class, Culture learning in theme class, Cooperative class with music Pros:  students well engaged in class 1) Students travel around the world by google earth to solve the game.   2) Teacher ask what the capital city of the country is. Students find out the answer using laptop. Cons: