Today is Friday and was definitely one of my favorite days so far! I learned a lot and the day was very entertaining. I woke up today and went on a very exciting Uber ride. It was my first one in the United Kingdom and it was very exhilarating. Then, we spent the morning and afternoon at the Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College. Finally, we then went to the Botanical Gardens and it was absolutely beautiful! We took a bunch of pictures and then were able to explore the city on our own.
Touring The College
Something that we did was walk around for a tour around the college. The college was very different from the University of Pittsburgh. Something interesting that our leader kept saying was that the college was like a school and university combined. I thought this was really neat because I personally think of schools being more personable and preparing the students more. On the other hand, I think of universities as being more advanced in what one is learning and what is being taught. Also, I have never seen such a diverse and inclusive school and I thought that this was amazing. Something else that was unique was that one-third of the students in the school are adults. It was talked about how half of the learning is for the A-levels and the second half of the learning is vocational. This means that there is more hands-on learning. For example, there was a nursing room that had dolls to work with. However, the room that I found more interesting was the teaching vocational room. I looked inside and I could see little chairs and dolls as if the students were in a real preschool setting. I thought this was a unique and very beneficial experience. There was also a beautiful space to sit outside for the students where they were enjoying the weather and bonding. Lastly, something very helpful was how in the center of the school were all of the offices of the head teachers. It was very open to students and they could put their name on the door if they wanted to have a meeting. In conclusion, I loved how inclusive and thoughtful everyone and everything in the school is.
Talks After The Tour
Then, we went back to the classroom and we had a very interesting conversation on continuous professional nursing. We learned that the goal of the school was to help the students be prepared. There are several ways that the teachers make sure they do this. There is a principal, an assistant principal, and there are also heads of different departments. Something else that is similar to the United States in some schools is what is called twilight where teachers teach and help each other after school hours. I think this is very helpful as well because nobody knows everything and it is always nice to get help from peers no matter your age or job. It is also very beneficial for the students. Then, we were told a lot about the four pillar circle. I never really considered these pillars of learning before. The four pillars are expert input, student output, assessment, and then finally feedback. We learned that in order to have the goal at the end to make the students prepared, the four pillars are needed. If something from the circle is missing then there will be no completion of the goal. Lastly, something I never thought about was if someone is bored in the class then that means that something in the cycle is not there. In conclusion, it was very interesting to learn how the teachers teach here and I was very excited to see these results first hand.
Truly Being A Student
I was able to go in and sit in an English class. It was very enjoyable and like no class that I have ever sat in on. The teacher was very engaging and pushed her students to do their very best. Something that I noticed was that after being in the classroom for only ten minutes, every person had either answered a question by raising their hand or was called on. The teacher gave several opportunities for every student to participate and was very understanding when they did not know the answer. She would help them get to an answer. I have never heard the word ‘help’ so much in a classroom setting. The teacher really wanted her students to help each other if needed. The teacher was definitely following the four pillars and helping the students become prepared. I did not even participate but I felt like I learned so much in the class. In conclusion, there are definitely teachers who are the same way in the United States, but it was very interesting to see what the teachers were taught and then I was able to see it for myself.
We went back to BCU to have a group discussion about the day and the rest of our time in the United Kingdom. This was possibly one of my favorite days so far. It is funny that it is considering I am going to be a nurse and not a teacher. Later, we had a great evening going to the gardens and I can not express how excited I am to go see more places! I know that this weekend will be so fun! Until then!
