By Kennedy
Today was our fourth day teaching and the third day teaching class four. The moot surprising thing so far is how quickly the kids caught on to the concepts or block coding. It is really fun teaching them because I was around their age when I got into coding and now I’m teaching myself python. One thing that has impacted me the most is that when the kids are proud of themselves and see what they are able to do. The smile on their faces when they complete a project is priceless. I would love to do more things like this in the future. A challenge I had in the beginning was explaining scratch to them in a way they would understand. Since I learned it so long ago it was hard to simplify what I was saying. To overcome this obstacle I tried to remember how I felt at that age and using smaller words for them to understand the term ‘sprite’ and the X and Y axis. My communication style is now a lot more simplified for the kids and I can see that it is helping them understand. The skills that took 30 minutes to complete earlier in the week now take ten minutes. I use smaller words like I say character instead of ‘sprite’. In the future I know to make instructions more clear and to slow down the speed of the lesson so that there is ample time to re explain and help the kids that are behind. To explore Barbados more I could ask the kids and teachers places that are popular the dinner or lunch. To get a feel of the way they live. My experience is different from my expectations in a good way. I didn’t think the kids were going to have as much fun as they did. The more fun they had, the more they wanted to be there, and the more I wanted to teach them.
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By Leah
Today was the third day of teaching at Beacon’s Primary School. The class four kids were on a field trip for the day so we got to teach the younger class three children. They were all so nice and really great at Scratch. They listened when we talked and everyone could keep up while using the program which was brand new to them. Teaching different kids was exciting because we were able to get a different perspective from a different class. The most surprising this about these kids so far is how well they are able to grasp the coding concept. Each kid is so great at thinking and problem solving and they all seem to have a genuine interest in coding. The kids all love to design their projects to be their own by changing the background and the sprite that they are using. I think this is their favorite part. They love to scroll through all of the options and choose their favorite one. One way I have adapted my teaching style is to announce everything we are doing specifically because sometimes the computer terms that so use the kids do not understand. We also have learned that it helps to show the kids on the smart board what they are doing, before they do it, so they have an example to look at. Overall these kids are amazing and I am going to miss them so much once we leave. By Ally
Here is my second blog post! Today at Good Shepard Primary School my group and I were able to teach the class one students as opposed to the class four students. I was incredibly surprised to see how much the seven and eight-year-old students accomplished in class today. During our teaching session, we were able to go far beyond our lesson plan with even teaching the students curriculum from the class four sessions we had on Monday and Tuesday. A moment that impacted me today was when I saw the children's astonishment as they walked into the computer lab for the first time. When they saw the laptops they became curious about what we were going to do and became excited. When the students first opened up the computers I heard a little boy say, "this is incredible!". Knowing that our hard work and determination filled children's hearts with wonder and excitement makes this trip a lot more meaningful to my classmate's and me. I have made much progress on a challenge I have been struggling with through the year during our time at Good Shepard Primary School. This challenge was for me to slow down while presenting to children. I have become better at slowing myself down by scanning the classroom to see if the children do or do not look confused. I have adapted to the communication style with the students by having one teacher help a designated row in the classroom because there are four rows of desks and four CSG students. By doing this I allow myself to focus on only a few students at a time, so my teammates and I do not feel overwhelmed. A word of advice about teaching in Barbados that I would give to my future self would be to be as interactive with the students as possible. I have noticed when we call up a student to show the class how to do a certain code they instantly become thrilled. This happiness fuels the student's love of the program he or she is working on. This makes coding a much more enjoyable experience for the child. I would tell my future self that when traveling in Barbados you always need to be willing to try anything new. Whether it is new food, or a new activity I think that it is important to be adventurous while traveling anywhere. Traveling to Barbados by plane was a lot easier than I expected it to be. I imagined that the flights would be boring, and the connection stressful. However, this expectation was completely false because the connection at the Miami International Airport was easy, and the flights were fun due to us watching great movies! By Ms. Scranton
Hotwash: (military definition from Wikipedia) The immediate discussion and evaluation of a performance following an exercise, training session, or major event. The purpose of a hotwash session is to identify strengths and weaknesses. At 12:10 p.m. my group had a hotwash in a hot car as we drove home for lunch. (Merrill, Kennedy, Syd, Ally, and I) From my recollection in no particular order:
By Sophia
Today, Tuesday, was our second day teaching. Today we had all of the 4th grade students together in the computer lab for a full three hours. Coming into today, I was expecting to jump right into the lessons we had began yesterday. However, with a bigger group we all came to realize that we would need to be more thorough in our lessons and make sure to keep everyone up to speed. Today we learned that the children we are teaching are not as familiar with computers and technology as we expected. As we worked through teaching the children how to code their own maze, we discovered how excited the children were to create their own background and choose their own characters. However, we had to work closely with each student to make sure they understood each step. Today I really recognized how excited the students become when they finally understand a step we taught them. The children are very eager to learn about the XO computers and one of the most exciting parts of this experience so far has been seeing what the children can create when they are free to be creative. We have learned how much time and attention it takes to make sure that each student comprehends the lessons. In addition, we have learned how to organize a lesson in a clear and orderly way. We are continuing to grow as we learn how to teach Scratch in a way that the students here will comprehend. We hope to improve our skills as we continue the week and grow our bonds with all the children we work with. By Ally
Today we taught the year four students at Good Shepard Primary School for the second day, and it was absolutely amazing. We were greeted with many students welcoming us to their school for another day. When the year four students filed into their seats I was very surprised to see that they were all very eager to continue their coding adventures. I was also surprised to see that the new students joining the class were as eager as the veterans from yesterday's class. As we were teaching the lesson I noticed something that had a large impact on myself in which I saw a new student happily helping his teacher with Scratch. I was so excited to see the children's enthusiasm about the program, and it made it more special when I figured out he was completely new to the program! A challenge I quickly overcame was my fear of the student's not responding well to the coding platform Scratch. I was instantly relieved when I saw the happiness that lit up on the student's faces when they achieved success while coding. While teaching the students I noticed that I was going a little too fast for them to stay on track, so I have been working on slowing myself down while presenting. Some advice I would write to my future self about teaching in Barbados is to "go with the flow" because you cannot expect every lesson to go smoothly. In order to stay a little more relaxed, I learned that you do not have to stick to a lesson plan, but go at the pace in which the students are learning. I also think that I would tell my future self while traveling in Barbados to try some traditional Caribbean food because it is always fun to try something new and delicious. In conclusion, I think that traveling to Barbados was a lot more interesting than expected. Because I have never been to this country before I did not know what to expect, however, once learning more about the Barbadian history, culture, and scenery I have been pleasantly surprised at what I have discovered about Barbados! By Sophia
Today, Monday, was our first day teaching the children at the schools. As soon as we pulled up to the school, we all became very excited to get into the classrooms and meet all of the kids. None of us knew exactly what to expect, however the teachers and students made us feel very welcome. We were greeted by students of all ages coming up to us and giving us high fives and waving at us as we made our way around the school. We were able to join their morning announcements where the children sang songs and recited school prayers. It was during this time where we really got a sense of what school life looks like in Barbados. We then made our way to the classroom where we introduced ourselves to the 4th grade students and informed them on what we would be teaching them throughout the week. We began handing out computers and teaching the children the basic steps to logging onto them. All of them were so well behaved and eager to explore the computers. They then had some free time to play their own games on the computers and get a sense for how they work. We then opened up the Scratch program and began teaching them how to navigate their way through Scratch. We then took a break around 10:45 and had a new group of students come into the classroom and we repeated this process again. I was blown away by the atmosphere at the school. All of the children were so pleasant to be around. They were curious not only about the computers, but about us as well. At the end of both classes, we got a chance to just talk with the children and they asked us questions all about ourselves. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity because seeing the way the children reacted to our presence at the school was incredible. As we were leaving we were bombarded with children from all grades coming up to us and giving us hugs goodbye. I know each of us really felt a connection with the children at the school and I cannot wait to go back tomorrow. By Kayla
Today was our first day of teaching and I didn’t really know what to expect. We talked about our teaching plan the night before but we all didn’t know how the students would be or what the classrooms would be like. Driving to the school and instantly having kids ages 6-12 waving, welcoming us, made us all instantly feel good and happy about what we were doing. After figuring out what room we were teaching in, we walked down to their announcements where the kids had a school prayer and song. Seeing this, I felt at home with these kids because CSG also has their own song and prayer. We were then introduced to the whole school and told them what we were doing there. Seeing that people with knowledge about computers are welcomed and valued there helped me remember that not everyone has what we have and that we are so blessed. When class started, 4th graders (ages 11-12) rushed into our class with anticipation about what they were going to learn. Having the experience with our 4th graders really helped in these situations where we knew how to talk to the student to where they would understand what we were teaching. Using their skills and understanding of the computers, the students could create small projects on scratch with the time that they had. After an hour and a half, students had break and we then got a new class of 4th graders. We taught the same information and let students use thinking skills to figure out what code is needed to make the sprite move. Before, during, and after teaching, the students were so loving toward us. With waving at us in the beginning and welcoming us to their school at announcements, CSG girls felt a connection with these students. After being in the classroom for no more than 5 minutes and introducing ourselves again. One students asked if she could give me a hug. In that moment I realized that these kids are grateful that we flew down from Ohio and are teaching them how to code. While teaching, students weren’t scared to ask questions and make jokes establishing trust and becoming comfortable with strangers. With both classes, students began to open up more by the end of the lesson. After the students break around 10:45, many of the girls in the first class came rushing back in with Hershey kisses that they had bought for us. After teaching, we walked downstairs out into the courtyard where students were having lunch and running around. We were instantly bombarded with little girls and boys wants high fives and hugs. While getting in the car and driving away, kids yelled “goodbye” to us and waved as we left. I absolutely loved teaching these wonderful students today and I can’t wait to see how the students being relationships with us and build more connections by the end of the week. By Sydney
This trip to Barbados will be a trip I will always remember. When I first signed up for the trip, I did not honestly know how the whole trip went. I saw the photos, heard the stories, but never really understood what a fantastic gift it was to venture to Barbados. When we first landed, we were greeted with smiles, cold water, and local tropical juices. I had never exited a plane and been greeted with such kindness. As the days grew, I saw just how kind and helpful the citizens of Barbados are. The sights we saw were magnificent, and I can not wait to see more of the Island and meet more genuinely amazing people. I can not wait to meet the students tomorrow, but I also feel the nerves building for our first class tomorrow. Merrill, my team leader, talked Ally, Kennedy, and I through what our day will be like tomorrow. She gave us scenarios to run through, how to answer specific questions, and what to expect overall while we teach. I truly enjoyed hearing her experience as she talked about the connections she made with her students, and since this is her third year on this trip, knowing how much she enjoyed her role as a teacher. Hearing her speak has really calmed my nerves for tomorrow since we will be meeting our students tomorrow, and start our first class at 8:30. I am looking forward to helping the students understand scratch and see their confidence grow with each lesson. I remember how anxious I was when I first learned how to use scratch, so I hope I can make their enthusiasm grow like the OLPC group grew mine when they taught me to use scratch. My team and I are all very open about what makes us nervous throughout the teaching process, and we all have helped each other. Whether it be small or large, we have promised to help each other. We are all super excited to have this opportunity and cannot wait for what lies ahead. I am incredibly thankful and absolutely thrilled to be apart of the One Laptop Per Child group and be able to help students learn more about scratch and build confidence in themselves. By Leah
Today is Sunday the 20th and it is the day before our first day of teaching. During the day we went to Harrison’s Flower Cave which was so beautiful. It is an old coral reef that has risen above seal level over time. We walked along a path to an overlook onto the ocean. In the cave we swam in the cold water and jumped off the side. After the Animal Flower Cave we ate lunch and then headed to the beach. We enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun and swimming in the ocean. At the end of the night we got into our groups and began to discuss and plan the events of the next day. We prepared our laptops for teaching and explored the XO’s which the kids will be learning on. As we discussed our lesson plan we shared if we were nervous at all. I shared that I was nervous to teach the kids because I do not have much experience in teaching. I said I am unsure how to prompt the kids to get creative and how to encourage them to explore. After our meeting and discussion I began to feel excited for the day ahead. |
Deacons Primary School
Good Shepard Primary School
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