Week Twenty-one

Personal

It's hard to believe as I sit here in my living room watching television in English and drinking a good cup of tea that I am home and have been for a week. I left Nijmegen very early in the morning last Friday and didn't process the transition as much as I should have, the last week felt like a blur with a lot of tears shed and a lot of goodbyes said. It's hard to believe that the Erasmus experience is actually over, the five months have flown in with a mix of different feelings and experiences, I think it will take awhile to process properly everything I experienced and learned from my time in the Netherlands.

The last week was a mix of bitter sweet memories, we had a lot of good times together, spending every moment we could together , there were a lot of nights we had parties and nights that we sat around talking or listening to music. We said goodbye to a lot of things, our bikes, the canal, our rooms, the centre of Nijmegen and the hardest part, saying goodbye to our friends. I met a lot of wonderful people on Erasmus and made a lot of wonderful memories to look back upon whether it be sitting in class laughing about the night before , laying out beside the canal basking in the sunshine, having a snowball fight and hot chocolate after, climbing up onto the roof and looking at the stars or sharing a plate of frites and mayo in the centre. It was very hard to say goodbye to everyone and there were a lot of tears shed, "Somehow I know we'll meet again. Not sure quite where and I don't know just when. You're in my heart, so until then it's time for saying goodbye." Jim Henderson’s Muppet's.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to have this experience, to meet all the people I have met and to see education in a different country, i am so happy that i got to travel to Berlin and Bruges and Amsterdam, I learnt a lot about the dutch culture and also the different cultures of the people we spent these five months with. I also learnt a bit more about myself and how much I am able to do and handle, it certainly has inspired me to do things and to learn more. I am lucky to have the friends that I have made as I know how much support and care they can give, I would recommend Erasmus to anyone and encourage them to travel and see slightly more of the world, I know now that I would have regretted not going, it’s a experience and one that i will remember for the rest of my life.'The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.' St. Augustine

Week Twenty

Professional

“Some people live in a dream world and others see the reality. There are also people who realise their dreams.” Desiderius Erasmus

This week was the end of classes for all of us , it was a mix of emotions because not only were we saying goodbye to the pabo and our class groups on a professional level, but we had to finish and had in a lot of work, our final assignment was to present a group project about teaching children different ways to deal with diversity, of course myself Darren and Eimear just used our skills from teaching PDMU for the past two years and came up with some fun and interactive lessons using resources and materials that we had taught before. We listened to the rest of the class and their presentations on the topics and delivered group evaluations, some of the presentations were more interactive than others but it was clear to see that a lot of work had been put into each one.  I liked the idea of learning from each other and using each other’s ideas to aid our own teaching in the future, the best way to learn professional skills is to learn from other professionals and a lot of the classes we took gave us the opportunity to do so and also to pass on our own knowledge to other people.

Before our last tutoring class we had to read a letter which we had written to ourselves at the start of our Erasmus with the goals and expectations for our time in Nijmegen, my letter contained a lot of goals that were both professional and personal, it was nice to see how my feelings had changed from the start of Erasmus to the end and how many goals that I had

achieved.  While reading the letter I saw how much I had learnt and what perceptions that I had about how my time in the Netherlands was going to be, I thought that I was going to injure myself cycling but I became quite a good cyclist. It reminded me of how much I had achieved in classes and on placement, I definitely will have more of an understanding of EAL pupils and have a greater respect for classroom assistants as I saw how much they are needed in a classroom as I saw teachers in a classroom without them.

I feel that the other wonderful people have helped me grow in a professional level, by forming new relationships and allowing myself to see things from a different point of view I can have a more diverse attitude to education and can use what I have learnt from other countries educational systems as an example to improve my own methods. I liked this quote from Carl Rogers as it explains partially what I have learnt ‘In my early professional years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?’  

Quote found at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/carlrogers202206.html#ApB5mI8Gb4fbhK2H.99 

Week Nineteen

Cultural

Most of this week has been dedicated to meeting work deadlines, the past few months haven’t really been filled with a lot of work because they were waiting for our last two weeks. After finishing an eight page report about my school practice, a 1000 word essay about global citizenship and a group project on diversity I was very happy to celebrate Darren’s twenty first birthday

.

We discovered while searching for stuff for Eimear’s birthday that twenty one isn't a hugely celebrated birthday like it is back home. We could not find a lot of things with twenty one written on them like shot glasses, cups, keys etc. so this for me is a big cultural difference. We managed to pull off a jungle themed party in our kitchen and I used my skills at face painting to make everyone look like a jungle animal. It was a

lot of fun for everyone and it was a strange feeling looking around the diverse group of people how much we know about each other now and how our opinions have all changed from the first meeting, I understand more about each person and where they come from, I have a new respect for everyone and have definitely made friends for life. Any prejudices or stereotypes that I may have had on a conscious or sub-conscious level have disappeared and I can now tell others a little bit about the different cultures that I have met, I know how to greet people in Dutch, Basque Portuguese, Belgium and French and that is something not a lot of people unless they have been on Erasmus can say.

I was researching on-line why I was feeling so strange all the time while being here and it seems that I am experiencing what is known as ‘Culture shock’ it had never really seemed like a real thing to me before but the more I read about it the more I thought that this was something that I was experiencing more than anyone else. I think I have definitely moved out of the ‘honeymoon stage’ When you first arrive in a new culture, differences are intriguing and you may feel excited, stimulated and curious. At this stage you are still protected by the close memory of your home culture. I never thought that this would affect me as much as it did, but it is a huge learning experience and one which I will definitely appreciate in the future.

I got an interesting phone call from home this week where I learned that my sister was getting to go meet president Obama and listen to a speech by both Obama and Michelle. It was very exciting for me and I am immensely proud of her getting to be one of six picked from her school for her academic achievement. I am a

little disheartened that I wasn't there to see the TV coverage but I can see all the pictures when I get home. It seems while I have been away a lot of things have happened and changed both in myself and at home, it will be interesting to catch up with people and adapt back to the old way of life after being in the Netherlands for so long.

Quote found at ; http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/info_sheets/culture_shock.php

Week Eighteen

Personal

This week was my last week of placement in my practice school, it was a wonderful experience to have and I learnt a lot from my time there that will help me grow as a teacher. It was brilliant to be welcomed into a school and made to be part of a class, even if we didn't speak the same language I feel that my few months in the school taught them a lot. I enjoyed telling them about my home and what life is like there and how different and also similar it is to life in the Netherlands. I will have a lot of memories from my time there especially the children laughing at me saying the names of the day of the week in Dutch and also them mimicking my accent.

On the last day I taught them the game heads down, thumbs up, and Silvia brought them outside to play a few games in the sunshine, they had a lot of fun running about and climbing on things. We made popcorn for them and had a class party, then they presented us with wonderful and thoughtful gifts and each of them said

thank you to us.

Also our two friends from home came over to visit us; it was brilliant to see Shonagh and Rukaya it was like having a little bit of home here. We caught up on all the gossip form back home and the different things that had happened while we have been living in a little bubble in Nijmegen. We spent on day in burger zoo in

Arnhem which was massive and was absolutely amazing, they had an indoor Australian outback and aquarium, it was like being a child again running around, climbing over things, crawling into caves and swinging over streams, I would love to go back again and explore some more. On their final day here we went to the lake which has a beach and water sport facilities, it was a beautiful sunny day and it was nice to relax and take a break before the final assignments and packing to go home.

My week ended with a trip back to Den Haag to retrieve my emergency passport, myself and Michelle celebrated by trying lobster croquettes and iced coffee by the beach and then taking a walk along the pier, it was nice to see the city again as it is one of my favourite places in the Netherlands. I found it very strange sitting on the trams and hearing English being spoken in several accents, it reminded me of how well we have become accustomed to the Dutch language and how easy it is to pick up on certain words and have
a rough idea of what is being said. It was sad to know that travelling to The Hague would be one of the last trips I would make while on Erasmus here, the last four and a half months have flown in as it seems like just yesterday we arrived here preparing for snow and excited about the experience that we would have here it scares me that in just two weeks time we will be leaving in the sunshine, bringing a suitcase full of memories home.

Week Seventeen

Professional

This week in my placement school I had the opportunity to observe a group four class (primary four), it was an interesting experience because I have seen the youngest class in the school, have been working with one of the older classes and now have looked at the middle class, this gives me a good range of comparisons for the education throughout the whole school.

The experience highlighted to me the importance of the role of the teacher and how his/her methods can really shape the way the class responds and interacts with one another. My mentor on practice in the Dutch school has shown me that having a good relationship with the pupils really affects the behaviour in the room.

The primary four teacher used the tone of her voice to command attention, she raised the pitch and tone of her voice to make what she was saying more interesting, she showed great enthusiasm for what the children were saying and then that in turn kept them engaged in the lesson.

In the Netherlands they also have a lot more freedom in what they teach and organise in the classroom. The group four children had the opportunity to watch the news or sports on the smart board and break time while they were eating. In P.E they were engaging in a gymnastics lesson, this was a continuation from the week before where they had been learning to balance with a partner. There were three stations set up for them to work through and one included a small trampoline and a crash mat, the other involved the children balancing on each other’s knees, backs and shoulders to create different symmetrical shapes. Needless to say I was very shocked and intrigued by this as at home this would be a nightmare to do due to the health and safety issues.  The Northern Ireland curriculum (2007) states that within gymnastics at key stage one children should learn to explore a range of movement skills, including travelling, jumping and landing, rolling, climbing, transferring weight and balancing. The children in the class were definitely achieving all of these but it made me wonder if I would be confident enough to use a trampoline with children back at home during a P.E lesson, therefore I was very impressed with the teacher and how the class was managed.

In our own classes this week we worked on the topic of teaching children how to deal with diversity, we looked at many techniques in which to do this, however the one that stood out the most for me was the line game, we watched a clip of the film 'Freedom writers', which is based on a true story, and watched how the line game works. We then did the game for ourselves, asking various questions, if they applied to us we stepped up to the line, if they did not we stood away from it.

We discussed how to use this technique at home and why it works, I find it works because everyone can see each other and can feel a sense of community with those who they are standing on the line with, they can see that although other people are from different places to them and have different backgrounds, they can go through the same emotions and experiences as each other. I find it would be a brilliant activity to bring back home it could be used as an ice-breaker and also as a way to ease tension and probe discussion into heavy topics, especially in a PDMU lesson as the PDMU framework states that children should develop an awareness of the experiences, lives and cultures of people in the wider world and in their own community. Northern Ireland curriculum (2007)



CCEA (2007) Northern Ireland Curriculum, Belfast, CCEA.

Week Sixteen

Cultural

This week was our long awaited trip to Brussels to visit the European parliament, as I have already been to Bruges I was excited to see what the French speaking part of Belgium was like. I also wanted to know a bit more about the European parliament and how it affects me.

After a early start and a short nap on the bus we arrived at the parliamentarian, we went through security and were given a tour of the building using a smart phone and headset, it was very interesting, there was a room set up in a circle to look like a mini European parliament, we watched a video which spanned 360 degrees of the room telling us about the parliament and how it worked, it was very interesting  and with the surround sound  it felt like you where actually in the middle of the parliament.

The European Parliament is the only directly-elected EU body and one of the largest democratic assemblies in the world. Its 754 Members are there to represent the EU's 500 million citizens. They are elected once every five years by voters from across the 27 Member States.

Interestingly the European parliament is divided not by country but by your political beliefs and party. There are several translators constantly working making sure everyone understands each other  as the member addresses the parliament in his or hers own native tongue. The legislation and amendments are made by the parliament and council; the council can either reject the amendments or pass them on to the European commission who draft a bill before it can be made into law.

This means each party has to get a majority before a vote, and the process means a lot of talking, lobbying and persuasion, this can take at least a year. The European parliament deal with issues like healthcare, economy, welfare, crime, education and the environment, so what they do really does affect people all over Europe and therefore although I didn't think before, it has an effect on my life.

After a talk about more details of the parliament we had a chance to experience the European parliament for ourselves through a role play game, we were given a smart phone with the name and party of an actual member of parliament, I was Isabella from Belgium and a member of the environmental party. We then had group meeting and had to decide which of the two issues we wanted to work on, half our group choose water management as they were Dutch this topic appealed to them, my group choose the issue of using micro chip on humans. We then had to run around the centre and gather information to help us form an argument, at the meeting with all the other parties we discussed the topic and used our argument to gain a majority. At the end we had to present our topics and then had to comprise to get our amendments made into law. It was a wonderful afternoon and because the whole game was interactive it made it more interesting , meaning that I now know more about the parliament than before.

Quote found at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/0025729351/Organisation-and-work.html accessed on 30/05/2013

Week Fifteen

Personal

Me and Jodie

This week we really felt the loss of one of our group members Jodie, she was only on Erasmus for three months so she had to return to France. It was not as apparent until people started retuning from their trips back home, it has been strange being in her flat and not having her come and entertain us with her random chat and laugh with us. It brings to mind how hard it will be to leave everyone else here in a month’s time. However the aftermath encouraged us to book a trip to Bordeaux to visit her before returning home ourselves.

Placement is also coming to an end for us, it is sad because I have learnt so much and have been inspired to think of ways of improving my own teaching when I return home. With the end of placement also signals the beginning of assignments, I wasn't prepared for the amount of work we have, so far it has just felt like a long exciting holiday, but I will be keeping on top of it. I will also be glad of the lie in I will get on a Monday and Tuesday morning, as I will not have to get up at six in the morning to travel to school.

I taught the children a little bit about the school system back home and how we all have had to wear uniforms all through our school years. I asked them to design their own uniforms for their school; they came up with some wonderful and unique ideas. It also got me thinking about the differences and similarities between schools and education here and at home, some of these ideas I will have to explore for my placement assignment.

On a personal level I compare a lot of things to home especially what I like and what I think I could bring back home with me and certain things that I don’t like so much. I adore the food here but I would love to be able to get a proper lunch and not just a sandwich or McDonalds, I also have a love hate relationship with cycling, I enjoy how casually you can dress so casually for a night out and how laid back most things are. I am not enjoying the weather though, it is very similar to the weather at home and is often very windy but on the days that the sun is shining it is wonderful.

Sunshine by the Canal

Although I have lived in Vossenveld for three months now, I have just discovered a new park and also a centre for people with special needs to undergo sports therapy, this includes horse riding so we got to see the horses and walk around the beautiful park, it is nice to know that after all this time I can still find new things and be pleasantly surprised.

New found friends 

In class this week we had a very deep conversation about how to deal with diversity, one of the ways is to tell your story, invite questions  from others about your past ,present and future .You don’t truly know someone until your know their story and a lot of the time the stories can be very similar. It was good to have to think and empathises with others and was a new technique to deal with tough issues.

Week Fourteen

Professional

The main focus of this week was finishing an assignment for Dutch Culture and Society; I really enjoyed the course as it gave me a good insight into the Dutch culture, Dutch festivals and also the history of the Netherlands for example we learnt that the Netherlands have a government that is solely for the management

Dutch Culture and Society Class

of water, we learnt how the water is managed through canals, dykes and polders. We also learn about the Dutch Golden age and how the Netherlands came to discover the ABC islands and colonised parts of America. During the course we also had a opportunity to learn about the cultures of the other people in the class , we learnt a lot about Austria, Greece, Finland, Spain, Belgium, Latvia, America and also thought more about our own culture than we ever have before. I loved making comparisons for example the children in the Netherlands finish primary school at age twelve whereas at home they finish at eleven, In Finland the children take off their shoes in the classroom and at home we prefer for the children to keep theirs on. Overall it was a very interesting course and one I was glad to have taken during my time here.

Our final assignment for this course was very interesting and I had a lot of fun doing it, which can’t be said for every assignment that I have been given at university. We had to take fifteen pictures that we would describe as typically Dutch and then in two hundred words describe why, from our time here; we have come to see them as typically Dutch. It was very interesting to see how our opinions have formed and changed from we first arrived here and also to see the different things people have picked. For the sake of entertainment I will show two of the pictures I picked and why.

Windmills are very stereotypically Dutch; they were the one thing apart from tulips that I thought of before coming here. From my trips to the Arnhem open air museum and the tour to the west, I have a better understanding of how windmills work and what they are used for here in the Netherlands. At home windmills are just associated with grinding wheat to make flour; I did not know that they could be used for water management, or to make oils and paint. The main reason that I will associate a windmill as typically Dutch is the windmill on Sint Annastraat, every day that I cycle to class and see that windmill it serves as a wonderful sense of relief in the mornings during the cycle to Pabo, because I know that as soon as I see that windmill that I am nearly there and my legs will stop burning with pain because of the unusual amount of exercise that they are now having to undertake due to cycling. It will be a wonderful reminder of my time here in Nijmegen every time that I see a windmill.

Two decks on a train, before coming to the Netherlands I had only ever seen Double Decker buses imagine my surprise when I sat on top of the second deck of a train, I loved being able to gaze out of the window at the Dutch landscape. The trains in the Netherlands are very reliable and apart from a few occasions are always on time, if there is a delay or the train has stopped unexpectedly there is always notification or another way to travel is given. This is very strange for me as at home trains are not the main means of travel and when you do have to travel by train they are always late. The different sections on the train seemed quite strange to me like first and second class, speaking and non speaking and it was quite daunting at first to try to establish if you were in the right part but now I love travelling by train and have taken the train most mornings to get to my school practice, I love how vast the rail network is in the Netherlands and how you can travel anywhere you want to by train.

Week Thirteen

Cultural

Dressed to impress for Queen's day

What an exciting week I have had, I got to experience the last Koninginnedag (Queen’s day) What is this event well  Rodney Bolt ,2013 of the telegraph describes it the day well, ‘The day is celebrated with street parties all over the country, for example most cafes and many restaurants will set up on the pavement outside their doors. It is also celebrated with something quintessentially Dutch - a nationwide flea market.’ We decided to attend one of the street parties in Eindhoven, but to do that we needed to blend in, so off to the shops we went to find clothes and face paint and basically anything orange we could get our hands on. All dressed up and ready to go a large group of our Erasmus group who had not returned home for the two week break, boarded the train in high spirits. When we arrived it was amazing, there where people everywhere, I was lost in a sea of orange, it was quite like being back at home in Belfast in the summer when people decided to put on their fake tan. We spent the rest of the day listening to music, enjoying a few beverages of the alcoholic persuasion, dancing in the street and just having fun, it is one cultural experience I will never forget.

The week ended with myself and Eimear deceiving to visit Bruges, most people have seen the film starring the beautiful Colin Farrell who in a famous line states ‘Ken, I grew up in Dublin. I love Dublin. If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me but I didn't, so it doesn't.’ (Colin Farrell 2008) I wanted to see if the famous city would impress me.

It took us four hours by train with three changes, one in the station of Antwerp which is simply stunning, we met a teacher and her husband from Australia who were taking a bike tour of Europe, we helped each other find where our train was and talked a little bit about teaching in Australia which gave me food for thought about my future. When we arrived in Bruges we decided to go on a search for our hostel, without a map, we just wandered along the cobbled streets taking in the city. I have never been in a more beautiful place in my life, if you go anywhere in the world go to see Bruges, it’s a city that will transport you back in time, there was not one modern building in the centre and it is filled with history and culture. After mix up with the hostel we go ourselves settled and enjoyed Bruges by night, I would recommend doing this as most of the crowds of tourists have gone to bed and you have the city mostly to yourself. We discovered courtyards filled with greenery, canal boats hidden under bridges and a frog that if you are the 100,000 person to kiss will turn into a beautiful prince and carry your backpack around for the rest of your lives together, which sounds wonderful except when I kissed the thing it just stayed a frog, so my romantic dreams were shattered.

Kissing the frog

Our last day we saw Michelangelo’s Madonna, lollipops being made by hand, some of Picasso’s early sketches and bought some Belgium chocolates. The city certainly impressed me with its quaintness and sheer beauty. Although the cobbles actually destroy your feet (I don’t know how the locals can walk around in heels), it is defiantly worth a visit and I am glad that we took a weekend to explore it.

Telegraph 2013 can be found http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/10020591/Amsterdam-how-to-celebrate-Queens-Day.html accessed on (07/05/13)

Week Twelve

Personal

A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change.  Katharine Butler Hathaway

The last Family meal altogether

This week was a very exciting week personally for me as my mother came to visit, she arrived in Amsterdam on Friday and I spent Saturday with her just walking around and taking in what little sunshine there was. It’s strange to see her after three months, I didn't realise how long it was because I've been having so much fun.
We walked through Vondel park which is huge and just caught up with all the things that had been happening at home that I had missed, it was very hard to leave her on Saturday evening and I did get a tad emotional but I know that I will be back home In just two months and I really should make the most of the time I have left here.

Eimear's present

On Tuesday we celebrated a big event, Eimear’s 21^st birthday, after spending a few days recovering from our celebrations on Saturday night which ended with a dilapidated bike and a few cuts and bruises, we decided to take it easy and throw a party in our kitchen instead, it was great to have everyone together having fun and doing the Erasmus dance.

 On Wednesday we started our new semester which meant new classes to look forward too, we spent the afternoon laying about at the canal topping up on our sunburn and screaming ‘row row row your boat’ at the rowers going past us, we also discovered a petting zoo near to Vossenveld which we shall be visiting more in the coming weeks to feed the ponies.

Slush puppies

I had my first visit to the Nijmegen brewery on Thursday afternoon, it is such a lovely spot and we sat sipping a cold beverage under the shade of a few cherry blossom trees, Darren and I also treated ourselves to a slush puppy and a few new items of summer clothing. Friday was a very sad day for us all as it was the last time we all sat together for a big Erasmus family dinner one of our dear friends is only here for three months and will be leaving us to go back to

Our French friend Dojo 

France, a few of our friends have taken these two weeks we have off classes to go back home and see their families. For the dinner we each cooked a dish typically found in our country and had a giant buffet, then we went around the circle taking about how we first met each other and the fond memories we shall take away with us. I was personally shocked at how quickly these three months have gone by and am dreading the thought of us leaving here to go home, I know that as much as I miss home, I will miss my home here and the family that we have made for ourselves and I know that I would be heartbroken having to leave now when we have so much more left to see and do.

It doesn't matter where you are now; you are nowhere compared to where you can go. Bob Proctor

Week Eleven

Professional

This week I got to spend a morning with the first class, the children were aged four to six, just like the foundation stage back home. The interesting thing is children start school the day after their fourth birthday and stay in the first class until they are six, if they are born before January it counts as one year if they are born after it isn't until September that their first year starts.

Task board

They spend the first 15 minutes of the day playing board games with some of the parents and after that they bring their chair into a circle to begin the day. Each child has their own chair with their name on it. They sing the good morning song and place the day of the week onto the calendar after that they say good morning to one person in the class and the whole class says good morning to them. They use a very similar system to home when choosing tasks for the children to do, they have their own freedom to pick a station to go to by placing a magnet under the task on the chart, they have to use self management skills and also problem solving skills to judge were they can go. There is a visual timetable and everything is labelled in the classroom it helps with the children’s vocabulary and also to tidy up. At the end of the day the children come back into the circle and discuss what they did that day, they also complete self evaluation by colouring in a happy face, normal face or a sad face. The NI Curriculum (2007) suggests that children should be actively involved in planning, reviewing and reflecting what they have done.

Animal table

As they were learning about animals and their babies we had the opportunity to teach them a little bit of English by naming the different animals. It was heartbreaking not to be able to speak to the children and not being able to answer them when they asked me a question, I found it very hard but it was wonderful when they talked to me about what they were doing with such innocence and enthusiasm and using hand gestures so I understood what they wanted to say.

Clock

The three things I will take away and apply to my own teaching is the shoelace diploma which the teacher had, showing the date the child learnt to tie their laces, also the teacher had a big sign which the children turned around when they went to the toilet, so that she could see who was out of the room and others could see when it was okay to go; it encourages children to have choice and exercise autonomy and independence (NI Curriculum 2007).  The last thing I found very interesting was the clock, it showed intervals of time with colours rather than the actual time, I thought this was a wonderful way of introducing children to the concept of time at a young age, judging by the colour they know what time of the day it is and can correspond it to the visual timetable. This will tie in with competence 20 and 21 of the GTCNI professional competences which state that teachers should use a range of effective strategies to motivate and aid pupils in their learning including those with SEN and not learning in their first language.

 

Shoelace diplomas

CCEA (2007) Northern Ireland Curriculum, Belfast, CCEA.
General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) Teaching: the Reflective Profession, Belfast, GTCNI. (Available through www.gtcni.org.uk)

Week Ten

Cultural

I got to experience something very typically Dutch this week and that was the Dutch children in my class having their cycling exam. Of course the children have been cycling from the age of four and are far more at home on a bike than I will ever be so I decided not to participate and humiliate myself.

cycling exam

The children are also coming to the end of their Jeelo project, this involves them looking after an animal and learning about its life cycle, at the end they must make an interesting Power Point presentation outlining how to care for their animal and also different characteristics. It was an extremely interesting topic to observe in the school, I watched the children care for caterpillars and tadpoles with eagerness and ease. It is a fantastic way to combine a project with ICT as outlined in the NI Curriculum Pupils should be enabled to develop Using ICT skills by engaging in meaningful and purposeful activities, set in a range of contexts. They should use ICT to handle and communicate information, solve problems, pose questions and take risks.

This week was also our Tour to the West as part of our Dutch Culture and Society class. We visited Delft; famous for Delft pottery and also the New Church where King William of Orange is buried. The Nieuwe Kerk is also the home of the royal burial vaults and are not open to the public. We were all asked to visit the tower of the new church and after what seemed like an endless climb with hundreds of spiralled stairs we arrived very dizzy to a heart stopping view of Delft, if you had a fear of heights it was best not to look over the edge; it was a very beautiful view but the tower was very hard to navigate back down again and I suffered the after effects with a throbbing pain in my legs for days afterwards.

Parliament building 

Irish breakfast

On Saturday we travelled to Den Haag the home of the parliament, Queen Beatrix and the soon to be King Willem. We had a tour around the city with a difference, we got envelopes and split into teams, we had to find places using clues, it brought us around the entire city and my feet were very sore afterwards, we saw the working palace of the Queen as well as the new and old parliament buildings, the city has a lot of foreign embassies’ so it was fun to guess the country by the flags. I thought the city was beautiful it’s full of history, monuments, museums and culture. I think it’s true that everywhere in the world you will find an Irish pub, Den Haag had two, we enjoyed a wonderful Irish breakfast (no potato or soda bread though) and then sat out in the sunshine enjoying the sights and sounds of the city.

My favourite part however was seeing the Panorama by Willem Mesdag: firstly you walked along a dark corridor and up a spiralled stair, when you emerged all you could see were bright lights and sand, the panorama is one of Holland’s largest paintings, it encircles a room and is a beautifully detailed painting, there was sand and clogs all around you and it felt as if you were standing under an umbrella at the beach, it was truly something you need to see to understand. "Mesdag Panorama is the most beautiful sensation of my life. It has just one tiny flaw and that is its flawlessness." (Vincent van Gogh, 1881)

Part of the Panorama

CCEA (2007) Northern Ireland Curriculum, Belfast, CCEA.

Week Nine

Personal

If at some point you don’t ask yourself, ‘what have I gotten myself into?’ then you’re not doing it right. Roland Gau

Home comforts

This week was one of the week that I asked myself that same exact question, what had I gotten myself into, with my bike breaking yet again, my lovely purple Amsterdam bag breaking the very same day and just a lot of bad luck in general I found myself missing home more than ever. I missed the familiarity of home and just knowing that when I was having a bad week that I could crawl back into my bed with comfy double duvet and watch the sex and the city box set and just feel sorry for myself. On Erasmus this is simply not the case, and in a way I am glad, you just have to suck it up and get on with life,and of course there are many wonderful people here that will buy you a beer or a piece of chocolate in your time of need, and they will always remind you to ‘stop worrying about the potholes in the road and just celebrate the journey’ Fitzhugh Mullan

Erasmus family

My week was saved however with the arrival of a package from home, with Tayto cheese and onion, tea and a box of crème eggs I felt like the luckiest person in the world, I will never take a crème egg for granted ever again. We also had a wonderful night out with our Erasmus group, some of whom I hadn't really spoken to properly, it really made me appreciate how great the Erasmus program is and how I was so lucky to get to do this, sitting in a kitchen blasting music and talking to everyone made me feel part of something wonderful,

when the night ended I dragged a few people back to make them a good cup of Irish tea and it felt just like I was bringing a little of home here to Nijmegen.

Arnhem

On Thursday we had a trip to the open air museum in Arnhem, I have learnt that before people had fly spray and proper windows, they painted their houses blue to keep the flies away, also they used to sleep in a sitting position rather than lying flat, I observed how to make paper out of cotton fibres and how windmills are used in the Netherlands to manage water. On Friday we had some colleges from a Turkish university come and observe our tutoring class, we compared the different layouts of our classrooms, all of which were very different especially the younger classes compared to the older classes. We discussed why they thought the classrooms where laid out that way and also the positive and negative points, ending the discussion with what we would apply to our own teaching back home.

Sunday lunch

Sunday was a glorious day as we finally saw the sun; I had such a beautiful view of it out of my window so I spent most of Sunday lying on my bed with the curtains and the window wide open soaking up the vitamin D that we Irish people are severely lacking. I hope this means that the summer is here and I can finally cycle (when my bike is fixed) in shorts and t-shirts and without fear of being blown off the bike in the wind. 

Week Eight

Cultural

It’s hard to believe we are already 2/5 through our Erasmus journey, it feels like we've know everyone for a very long time, yet it seems like only yesterday that we arrived in Amsterdam suitcases in tow wondering what the next 5 months had instore.

This week was one of the most exciting weeks for me personally, not only did I teach an art lesson to my class which I loved every minute of, but we got to travel to the city of Berlin. I have wanted to see Berlin for a very long time so the 12 hour bus journey did not deter me, we were all extremely tired when we finally arrived but eager for the two days we had to explore the city. Our bus driver was what can only be described as a complete legend; he explained to us what was happening in English throughout the journey and made it a wonderful experience for us when he didn't really have to do that as it was a Dutch company.

The first day we walked all day in the snow and cold seeing the city up close and personal, we saw the Reichstag, the Brandenburg gate, the holocaust memorial, the museum of natural history and the Berlin wall. The city is very big compared with Belfast, Nijmegen and Amsterdam, the old and new buildings blend together so well to create a beautiful city. I loved the architecture of the Berliner Dom (Berlin cathedral) the copper roof reminded me of the city hall in Belfast, also the statues and wood carvings on the door remind me of some of the churches here in Nijmegen and Eindhoven. There is so much to see in the city and take in, it’s like a cultural paradise there is the parts of the city that you become stunned by it’s beauty yet parts that you become haunted by its past. The city is alive with the history and it embraces this and yet you can see through the various building works and improvements that the city is striving to embrace the future.

On our last day we decided to go to the German historical museum which was very interesting, it was good to be able to compare parts of the German history to both Irish and British history. The museum had a whole floor dedicated to the depression and Nazi Germany and the Second World War as well as a display about the bombing of Dresden and the Berlin wall, the museum itself was in a very pretty building but would need most of a day to walk around and appreciate.

We also got to visit the Atle Nationalgalerie where I got to see one of my favourite paintings by Monet along with a few works of Renoir, I was so happy although the others did not share in my excitement they were nice enough to come along with me. We walked to checkpoint Charlie and ate a Currywurst ,our American friend Beth had been excitedly talking about getting one from we arrived in Germany so I think with such a build up we were bound to be slightly disappointed. We also visited the Jewish museum which was huge, there were parts of it that were very upsetting, reading the stories of some of the people as well as seeing some of the artefacts belonging to the victims. There was so much to see in the museum documenting Jewish history and origins and we just didn't have the time to view everything. The holocaust tower was eerie, you walked in and the door slammed closed behind you, leaving you in the dark and cold, it was a huge empty void and although you were in with other people you still felt utterly alone, it cemented in my mind how horrible the Jews must have felt and it was utterly heartbreaking.

Locks

The one thing I loved about Berlin above all else was the locks that couples and friends had locked around the bridges over the river, it was lovely to see a little part of peoples own personal history left in the city. I will definitely go back someday as there is so much left for me to see there.

Week Seven

Professional

After recovering from a pretty spectacular weekend it was time to get back to work, that work started on Monday when we began teaching children a few songs in English, typical Irish songs that are somewhat easy to follow and play on the guitar. We taught them the Wild Rover and Belle of Belfast city, I tried first of all to teach them the song just orally by getting them to repeat the lines back but it worked far better when they had the words visually to see as well, most of the class seemed to enjoy this although some of the boys did not want to sing but they pretended to join in anyway.

caterpillars

We also had a trip to a learning centre were the children would learn something about different animals, of course I didn’t really have a clue what was being said but the children were nice enough to translate for me and I could look at the pictures and diagrams and know the general idea of what was going on, I enjoyed the look on their faces when they were told a cow had four stomachs and regurgitated grass to chew on after it had been digested by the first two stomachs. The most interesting part of the trip was cycling through Cuijk with the class, I was in the front with a girl named Robyn, I had no idea where I was going and just had to follow the directions Robyn was giving me. The class were so well behaved I was amazed, you can hardly walk somewhere with a class at home never mind cycle, on the way back I was at the end of the queue with a girl named Debby and we had a lovely discussion about our favourite places in the world and where we wanted to travel to.

English workbook

This week we also had caterpillars in the classroom, as the children are working on a WAU project that involves them caring for different animals. They will combine this practical work with some research and then make a slide show about how they cared for their chosen animal, they can look after butterflies, chicks or frogs ( vlinders, kippen or kickers). This is very similar to the study of  the life cycles of some animals, as well as learning to be responsible and take care of another living thing, in doing this the children are developing self awareness, problem solving skills, self management and working with others NI Curriculum (2007). I had the opportunity to observe an English lesson, the video they watch and the words they listen to are all in a very posh English accent, very different from my own, I read out the words along with the computer so that they could hear the differences in accent and pronunciation.  The best thing about the class is that they can use their common sense and own initiative, they know when they are finished work what they should do next instead of the constant stream of hands up asking what their next task is, it’s brilliant to see and something that I will try to progress in my own teaching when I return home as it relates to competence 7  and competence 19 found within the GTCNI teaching competences.

Lastly we had a class talking about our tour to the west for Dutch culture and society, we will visit Delft, The Hague, Ridderzaal and the Dutch parliament. I’m very excited for the trip and I hope I will gain a lot of cultural insight.

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) Teaching: the Reflective Profession, Belfast, GTCNI. (Available through www.gtcni.org.uk)

CCEA (2007) Northern Ireland Curriculum, Belfast, CCEA.