First session of course at K – enjoyable!
This week I began my second course, the one I am running at K. The course is supposed to be the same as the other one and I had the same program planned. For many reasons this session was more successful than the one I ran last week:
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I was more experienced, my lesson plan and content were better rehearsed
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My laptop connected easily to the projector and I could begin with the photo story presentation I had prepared on writing
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The group was much bigger and more varied (25 teachers from grades 1 – 6, some of them literacy coordinators).
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The centre itself has much more comfortable learning conditions, tables, chairs etc.
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I had never met the teachers and they were eager (more eager?) to see what I have to offer.
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I was excited by the prospect of contributing to the schools in such a remote, rural area. The centre is a two hour drive from my place (which is also far away from the big smoke!).
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the long country drive. As long as it doesn’t rain on Sundays, I will be fine.
Some of the things that interested me and demand thought and lengthy discussion are:
- At least 3 of the teachers repeatedly remarked that writing is a born trait. Each time the idea arose I tried to attach a question mark to it. I commented that we will attend to this question during the course.
- Many of the teachers were in hysterics when they read the description of the final assignment. A few remarked that they may have to drop out of the course because of the writing component. I tried to calm them down.
It is disturbing that some of the teachers who enrolled in a course on teaching writing aren’t 100% convinced that they have the ability to change the way their pupils view writing and write. One of my aims in the first meeting was to start a questioning process, one in which they will critically examine their own practice and their beliefs concerning themselves as teachers and their pupils.
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