KARA
Adult Education Graduate |
KARA
Adult Education Graduate |
One of the most amazing things to me when being at the Primary School in Germany, is the amount of young children who can speak and understand English. The kids start learning at a very young age typically in first or second grade. I had the chance to see children in first, second, third and fourth grade during their English lessons. The opportunity to see each grade was an amazing way to see how far students progress in their English lessons through the grades.
The younger students in first and second grade start to learn more basic words and their lessons seem geared more towards understanding the language first and then speaking it. Mrs. Brown, the English teacher and our host, primarily speaks German during these classes and translate her words to English so she's repeating herself in both languages. She is often times playing games with these grade levels and using repitition to make the words stick. Once the students reach thrid grade, Mrs. Brown speaks very little German to her students. She typically aims to speak English for the entirity of the lesson. This way she is challenging her students to undertand what she is saying and make sense of it all. I thought that this would be impossible to do, and surely she would have to speak German a lot to translate. However majority of the lessons for the third and fourth graders were spoken in complete English. Rarely did she have to translate in German. Usually she would challenege the other students to answer each others questions and help in their understanding before translating in German. While we were in the classses we were actually able to communicate more than I expected with the children, especially those in third and fourth grade. A lot of the time students were very intrigued and intersted by our language and it encouraged them to speak to us more so and practice their English. It's truly amazing to see a different country teaching English to children and such a young age. At the same time it makes you realize how behind we are in the States with learning different languages. With the U.S being a melting pot of cultures and languages, I hope to see an expantion and push for learning second languages in our education system. Unfortunately I don't think we will ever compare to the European schools who have been teaching English for decades now. Katie and I were lucky to be able to teach an English lesson to the first graders while we were at the school. As a dental hygienist I decided to teach the kids a little bit about brushing and caring for your teeth and differentiating between foods that cause cavities vs. those that are healthy for your teeth. At the end of my lesson the students we able to identify foods/drinks in English that would be considered good for you teeth and bad for your teeth. As a reward I was also able to give the kids a new toothbrush and toothpaste for their particpation. It was a really awesome experience. I was worried that the children wouldn't be able to understand me. I only needed a few translations during my lesson and all in all it was a fun and exciting experience to teach in a different country.
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One of the things that I love seeing around Germany and other European countries is the children playgrounds! They can be located in the most random spots around the cities and include tiny trampolines in the side walk, small slides or just beams to walk on. The playgrounds are so different than playgrounds you see in the States. They aren’t brightly colored plastic standing out in a park. Instead the are incorporated into the streets and sidewalks in bigger cities. Instead they use minimalism and the surroundings.
I appreciate this because I find that kids in reality don’t need all these flashy complicated structures to keep them busy. Instead these simplistic concepts allow children to be more imaginative and create their own fun with very little resources around them. This facilitates creativity within students. I admire that playground or play areas could be seen in the most unusual places and yet fit right into its surroundings. I find this to be a great way to encourage families to venture out and explore the cities while being kid friendly. Not only are the playgrounds around the city’s more simplistic but the playgrounds at schools are also more simplified and smaller than those you see in the States. Most of the time it’s a small play ground with a few things like a single slide, monkey bars and a swing. Typically it’s just open area where the kids are encouraged to play in the open area and use their imagination and creativity. Most of the time when we observed recess at the schools the kids didn’t even go in the playground, they would instead be running around in the open area playing with a ball or a jump rope. We all got to be kids for a day while we played in the playground located at the top of a lookout in the Black Forest! The playground looked so much more natural and made of recycled materials making it more environmentally friendly. The pictures above show a playground we found at the top of a look out in the Black Forest. Another picture shows Katie jumping on a Trampoline in a Alexander Platz where the city incorporated a play area for the kids in a busy shopping center. Going in to the classrooms I experienced major culture shock. Following along with the instruction is almost impossible when the lessons are in German. So it was very stressful the first two days and mentally exhausting. Your brain is constantly trying to piece together things with very little success, which can be draining. Overall my first few days we a little overwhelming in the class because I needed to adjust.
After adjusting, I was able to notice significant difference in German schools. The first difference is the freedom that the children have roaming around school grounds, through the hallways, in and out of classes etc. As a kid I remember not being able to walk the halls alone or without a pass in elementary school or middle school. Even in high school we had to have permission to be in the hallways. Here kids come from the classroom with a surprising amount of freedom. During a lesson they would have to ask permission to leave, however during snack time, or classroom breaks all the kids were allowed to leave and come and go without having to ask permission or have a buddy with them. Another huge difference I noticed is that the children are very independent and self-sufficient. I found that kids only needed to be told once to do something or how to do something and they would do it without hesitation. Unlike in most elementary schools in the U.S, kids go from room to room for different lessons. This isn’t usually a standard until middle school. It would seem like the kids would need guidance with this and it could be challenging for the kids, but everyone did it with ease even the kindergartners. When a bell rang indicating the end of a period. The kids knew where they had to go next and the teachers didn’t follow them, they stayed in the class. I think that this is important to learn at a young age. It gives the children small responsibilities that will be of great use in their future. The biggest difference that I observed in my first few days that I find to be the most important aspect of the German school day is the recess time that they get. Recess is a crucial part of a child’s school day and its unfortunate that recess is dwindling in the states. German schools typically have recess two to three times a day, each lasting anywhere from 30-45 minutes. Playing is crucial for a child’s development. It facilitates creativity and imagination. A child learns significant life skills during recess. It helps them to take a mental break and refuel for their lessons. It has only been a few days in the classrooms and already I have noticed so many differences. Its hard to condense everything into the blog. Within the next few days I hope to share more about the classrooms, school days and more so keep reading =) The first few days have been filled with walking tours, German cuisine and lots of sight seeing. Berlin is a beautifully clean city. Instantly you can tell that it is a diverse melting pot of cultures just like Buffalo. There is so much history throughout the city. In a place where the history has a cloud of sadness surrounding it, it’s great to see how Berlin has rebuilt itself to be an accepting city of all walks of life.
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AuthorHi my name is Kara! I’m 25 years old, and I live with my fiancé in Rochester, NY. I am currently working as a dental hygienist while I pursue my Masters Degree in Adult Education. In my free time I love to travel, I have been all over the world from Hawaii to Iceland. I am getting married this year and hoping to buy my first home with my soon to be husband. We both love the outdoors, hiking, kayaking...you name it. I’m looking forward to my summer in Europe. In addition to being in Germany, I have travel plans to visit London, Paris, Amsterdam, Belgium and Greece! ArchivesCategories |