HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-02-22, Page 20News
The Huron Expositor • February 22, 2006 Page 20
British teachers study thinking skills at St. James
Susan Hundertmark
While they're here to
study creativity and critical
thinking skills in Canadian
schools, British teachers vis-
iting St. James School last
week were just as impressed
by the threat of a winter
storm.
"Imagine that - snow
days," said Sonja Steed to
her colleague Claire Barnet.
"We'd have to have rain
days in the U.K."
With literacy, numeracy
and science the three core
subjects in Britain, teachers
were interested to observe
techniques to teach literacy
in four schools throughout
the Huron -Perth District
Catholic School Board.
After watching Grade 1
students go through a,guid-
ed reading session where
the teacher led students
through a story using a
large picture book, British
teacher Dalene Nol said she
was impressed by students'
ability to focus.
"What amazes me is how
on task the children are.
They would chat with you
but it was clear they were
busy working," she said.
Jean Harrison said British
students are expected to do
a lot more written work
than in Canada but was still
impressed by the competen-
cy in spelling and punctua-
tion.
"The spelling I've seen in
Grade 1 was phenomenal - I
was impressed with that.
And, I was astonished by
the punctuation skills," she
said.
Teachers from the U.K. all
remarked at the smaller
class sizes in Ontario,
adding that most classes
in Britain have at least
30 students.
"There are no classes
of 20 in the U.K. Smaller
classes here are a big
bonus, very positive,"
said Nol.
After targetting litera-
cy for the past eight or
nine years in the U.K.,
Nol said her school in
Kingston, a suburb out-
side of London, is work-
ing to meet targets in
numeracy.
"Literacy is a strong
Susan Hundertmark photo
Tyler Eckert, a Grade 2 student at St. James School,
shows visiting U.K. teacher Sonja Steed how he figures out
a math problem.
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focus already in the U.K.
This (visit) is helping. us to
develop it further," she said.
Several British teachers
said they were taking home
the idea of creating more
displays on the walls of
their classrooms.
"I noticed the alphabet is
clearly displayed in every
class with a collection of
words underneath that stu-
dents can. use in their sto-
ries. It's very visual," said
Harrison.
Barnet has been pho-
tographing school displays
that show reading and writ-
ing techniques, with the aim
of duplicating them in her
classroom in the U.K.
Steed, who grew up in
Canada and is teaching in
the U.K., said she was inter-
ested to see the strengths in
each system.
"At first, it felt so different
but the more we talk, the
more parallels I can see,"
she said.
Steed added that she's
impressed by how much
independent work Ontario
students do.
"It's taught me to step
back a bit more and let
them get on with it and do
the learning themselves,"
she said.
Each of the British teach-
ers remarked on the good
behaviour of the students.
"The behaviour is just per-
fect in all the schools. The
children are so polite and
welcoming. It's quite differ-
ent from London schools,"
said Barnet.
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