Blog Post No.3

I have had to adapt and change some of my teaching methods and approaches in the school I am in during this Practicum. The school that I am teaching in has only about 400+ students, most of which come from refugee or 'rough' backgrounds due to socioeconomic status.


Because of this, the way the school approaches some aspects of discipline is much different compared to other schools I have had practical experience in. I find that the regulation of minor offencive language and uniform standards are more lax than my previous experiences or to what I'm used to, so as with Element 2 of the NSW Professional Teaching Standards, I have had to work a lot harder in comprehending how the students respond to certain forms of discipline and what methods are the best so that I am still ensuring that order is kept in my classroom, but also that I am not being too harsh with these students who come from such diverse backgrounds.


I have found that due to socioeconomic backgrounds of some students, many do not bring the required text books or equipment to class. For most of my classes, the faculties have issued each student with a free workbook to accompany the lessons and have photocopied pages of information and activities that I can teach from. The school is doing a great job in trying to accommodate this wide range of students and their needs,  and this has been a motivation for me in my teaching methods.


I make sure that I have enough activities photocopied for each student; that ICT is incorporated into many lessons so that the students are able to research or complete work online without the worry of bringing in books every day - they can be left in the classroom in a locker; that we get through as much work as we can so that the students have less homework to worry about at home, but if work has been issued, I ensure that it has been completed so that they still maintain a good work ethic at home.