Vignettes of field instruction
Starting professional conversation in a Guided Practice Seminar (Cynthia Allen, September, 2006)
Starting professional conversation in a Guided Practice Seminar (Cynthia Allen, September, 2006)
I asked each intern to bring a class list to the first Guided Practice seminar, knowing they had only been with their students for four school days. With the class list in hand, the interns partnered with someone in another grade level. They began going through their lists (alternately) telling what they knew about each of their students. I wanted them to discover which students they knew well and to identify those they needed to make an effort to seek out and get to know. The discussions included whether a student had siblings in the building, who played soccer, etc. As the interns talked I joined each group for a while. There were several comments I heard that brought about conversation when we returned to the whole group.
One intern had commented that a parent was helping a student with homework and she felt this was not beneficial because it presented a product that was very different than what was being produced in the classroom. This led to a good discussion, "What is the purpose of homework?" and there were a variety of positions by interns. The discussion helped everyone to analyze and clarify their own position.
Another intern (who happens to be married) talked about a student asking her age. The intern did not feel comfortable telling her age so she replied in a humorous way asking, "Am I 5? Am I 100? I'm between 5 and 100!" The student laughed at the reply. Then the student asked the intern, "What is your husband's first name?" The intern again did not feel comfortable answering so she said, "His name is mister!" They both laughed at the funny replay. When we discussed this in the group some interns indicated they would freely reveal their age, while others did not think this information should be shared. We all agreed the intern had answered in a clever way that didn't put off the student, while not revealing more than she felt appropriate.
These are two examples of discussion items I chose to highlight at that first Guided Practice and the rich conversation that followed. I will certainly use this activity next year to kick off my Guided Practice.