Tutorial 1
Getting to know the school and the outside community
Introduction
The aim of the first tutorial and observation session is to help you prepare yourself for your
practicum (School Experience) visits as well as to guide you in familiarising yourself with the
school you will be working in for the first year of your teaching career and to get to know the
outside community.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that now that you are a student teacher or a teacher-intraining, you will now be seeing things from a different viewpoint. So far, you have seen
things from a child and student’s perspective. You will now be in a position where you have
to take decisions, plan activities ahead of time, deliver lessons which are meaningful and
relevant to the children for whom you will be responsible, ensure that there is real learning
and understanding going on etc. In other words, rather than sit complacently and wait for the
teacher to tell you what to do, you will now be responsible for organizing the work for
children. Naturally, you will not be expected to do all this right from the beginning but it is
highly advisable that you begin the year by getting to know the school and its environment.
Aims & objectives
By the end of the first tutorial and observation you should be:
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Familiar yourself with the outside school community
Aware of the set-up of the school
Acquainted with the administrative staff and other key persons in the school
Informed about/conversant with the various school policies that influence the day-today management
Familiar with procedures and routines that contribute to the smooth running of the
school
In possession of essential documentation, including the set of textbooks and syllabi
relevant to the classroom you will be working with as well as other school-related
information (newsletters, calendar of events)
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Observation, tasks and activities
1.1: Getting to know the community
While schools are communities in themselves, they do not exist in isolation. They form an
integral part of the outside community, the village or town they reside in. Frequently schools
have strong affiliations with the immediate community including parents, organizations such
as local councils, the parish priest and religious institutions, and other non-government
organizations. Moreover, children form part and participate in community activities – they
attend religious services and doctrine lessons, they go to boy scouts and girl guides meetings,
etc.
You have to keep in mind that learning does not occur only in school. It takes place all the
time and everywhere, linking schools to the homes and the outside community. Children
bring to class the beliefs, values, culture and traditions of their community. Similarly, they
take with them the knowledge, skills and attitudes they learn at school. Thus, children are
continuously engaged in this dynamic process of linking schools with the outside community.
When this process of collaboration occurs, schools become more effective in enhancing
academic performance. Therefore, as a student-teacher you need to be aware of the impact of
this collaboration. As a teacher then, you will be responsible to seek ways to enhance family
and community communication, co-operation, involvement and integration with the school.
As a student-teacher it is important you should be knowledgeable about the traditions and
culture of the surrounding community of the school, and be aware of the affiliations that
exist.
The following is a list of tasks to help you with getting to know about your community:
Tasks
1. Take a walk around the village/town, read documentation and access various internet websites (local council, the parish, non-government organization) and find more information
about what constitutes the town/village
Rural/urban, demographic information (population size, structure, distribution)
Dominant community occupation/s
Dominant culture
Places of interest
Non-government organisations
Potential resources available for teaching
2. WRITTEN TASK: Write a short write-up about the community in general.
Check
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1.2: The first visit: School orientation
The following tasks will guide you in becoming familiar with the school environment and
physical layout, the school policies, philosophy, etc.
1.
2.
Tasks
School population, policies, ethos and procedures:
Hold a short meeting with a member of the school administrative staff (either the Head of
School or an Assistant Head) and access the school web-site (if available) to find about some
general information about the school
Names of Head of School, Assistant Heads (and their responsibilities)
The number of classrooms, teachers and LSAs at each level
The school population and number of children across classrooms
A list of peripatetic teachers who service the school, their timetable (how, when will they
visit your class, who will take/bring children to the subject rooms)
Ancillary staff & procedures you need to follow when needing their help
School philosophy and Mission statement (Review the School Development Plan in relation
to school policies)
School policies: Get copies or ask about school policies (language policy, inclusion policy,
discipline policy, etc.), their implementation and monitoring
Parental involvement:
- How and when parents are involved
- Parents’ level of response and participation
- Parents’ days & meetings
- Procedures to follow for parents to speak to teachers
- Parental support to teachers (preparation of resources, reading to their children)
Local or foreign projects the school is involved in (ex. Comenius, Eko skola)
School outings procedures:
- Who decides where children go and on what basis
- Frequency
School procedures & routines:
- Admission, dismissal and assembly times and routines (including transport
procedures)
- Break times & procedures
- Distribution of fruit & milk
- Fire drill and other emergency instructions
School resources:
- Type of equipment, resources available, storage and access
- Consumables procedures – cardboard, paint, glue, etc.
- Photocopies procedures (who pays, when & how can these be made)
Obtain a copy of the School calendar and extra curricular activities
Physical school environment:
Take a walk around the school so that you become familiar with the building find more
information about the physical layout
Obtain or sketch a plan of the school.
Identify key areas: entrance/exit; staircases, administrative offices, hall, rest rooms,
playground/s, emergency exit.
Mark all classrooms on the map including yours.
Identify rooms used for a particular purpose:
- library (open to public or for the use of the school) & library procedures
- kitchen
Check
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3.
- multi-sensory room
- gym
- art room
- music room
- medical (nurse room)
- staff room
Give an account of your view of the school environment:
- size - spacious or over-crowed
- maintenance of school building
- corridors & displays on walls
WRITTEN TASK:
Present the information you acquired in your file and write about each section in brief but
organized, well-structured manner.
1.3: Meeting the cooperating teacher
On the first visit you are to introduce yourself to the classroom teacher, get to know him or her seek
basic information about your classroom. Tutorial 2 will specifically deal with the classroom context.
Tasks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Check
Contact details:
Exchange contact details with the cooperating teacher (mobile number, email-address)
Obtain a copy of the timetable and discuss what subjects are taught
Teaching material:
Get copies of textbooks, software and syllabi relevant to the class you will be observing
Ask for a copy of classroom rules, guidelines for classroom management
WRITTEN TASK:
Write a reflective write-up about your first impression and experience of visiting the school
and classroom
Bibliography
Nolan, J. F. (2011-2012). Student Teaching Handbook. USA: The Pennsylvania State
University.
Available from http://www.ed.psu.edu/educ/cife/copy_of_studentteaching/fa_10_-_st_handbook_-_revised_7-8-10.pdf
United Nations Children’s Fund. (2009). Child friendly schools: Chapter 4, Schools and
Community.
USA:
New
York.
Available
from
http://www.unicef.org/devpro/files/CFSManual_Ch04_052009.pdf
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