Today we traveled by taxi to Joseph Chamberlain College (FYI college in the UK is equivalent to high school in America). We got the opportunity to sit in on two classes as they prepared for their finals! The first class we went to join was for A-Levels, a test that many have to take to advance their education. The class size was so small compared to the ones I am in at Pitt. There were only about twelve students within the classroom when we arrived. We got to integrate with the students which was very interesting and made me feel like I was supposed to be in the class. The teacher was very direct and immediately called us out with basic questions about language. He asked us about nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc. We also went over the structural features of sentences. He was slightly scary but had a sense of humor to him. He would randomly call out someone to answer a question. I feel that I would not enjoy his class because I am shy sometimes and would not appreciate the random questions in case I did not know the answer. The professor did seem to be very knowledgeable on his topic. However, most of it was pretty basic knowledge. Maybe it’s just basic knowledge to Americans. He used a screen in which he could write on with a computer pen. He also stated that the students must be reading for an hour before bed every night. One thing I found interesting was the fact that Birmingham students are more likely to live in poverty and not have high expectations for themselves. They are more likely to fail therefore, the teacher’s energy and directness was what they may have needed in order to have a push towards success. The students within the particular class we visited had failed out last semester. As a result, they may feel lost or out of place due to their previous failure.
The experience I had in the classroom was eye opening because it was so extremely different from the college I attend back in the states. The teacher here was able to be interactive and get one-on-one responses since the class was so small. Back at Pitt, my classes are so big that the teachers must lecture without asking interactive questions. I am not sure what I would prefer, but they are definitely on two different sides of the teaching spectrum.
After our first class, we went on a tour of the college. It was quite small and cozy with focused classrooms. The students had a nice outside space to hangout with friends. They also had a very excellent library and study area for their independent studies!
We returned and the vice principal gave us a run down of the college’s idea on what is required in teaching for success. He stated that expert input needs to create students’ output. From there, the student’s output must be assessed by the teacher who should give feedback for improvement. This is how learning should work in their opinion. A learning experience without student output is didactic and not as successful. Age and mental cognition have a lot to do with one another in the sense of student output, therefore student output is more valuable for younger ages.
Then, we went to our second class where people who are trying to learn English are taught! They started off the class by asking us questions about ourselves and where we are from to practice speaking to fluent English speakers. One guy told us he was from Afghanistan and he was working on his English. The teacher emphasized today that we do not usually describe people’s looks such as race, weight, etc. He also taught some better ways to describe someone if need be. For example, he switch out “she looks fat” to “she looks healthy”. Contractions were also focused on today as in their last homework they confused “he’s” and “his”. It was so interesting to hear how they tried to learn English since I am a native speaker. It reminded me of taking French in high school. Now I know how my French teacher felt when we attempted to speak in French!
The last thing we did today was take a trip to the botanical gardens! It was absolutely beautiful. We got so many pictures and really enjoyed the flowers! I loved the pink ands yellow flowers the most. I would love to go back before we all leave!
That’s all for now! See you guys tomorrow!