“During Phase-II, 20 teaching practice lessons (minimum)
using different instructional strategies conduct Reflections sessions on all
Saturdays”. This is the direction to
teacher trainees undergoing the Bachelor of Education (BEd.) Degree Course
offered by the University of Kerala (
Restructured -2004). See P.102 ‘Teaching
Practice in School’ (Item 4)
As
per the above directions, every Saturday
a majority of the 200 trainees of the college
where I teach, ‘promptly’ return to college from their schools for a common
Reflection Session in the General
Lecture Hall, followed by an Optional-based (the college offers eleven different subjects) Reflection session in their respective
departments.
During
the Common Reflection sessions, all the
teacher educators of the college are
expected to be present (though as per UGC Norms, Saturday is not a working day)
. Then in their presence a
representative, one each from the twenty-odd Practice Teaching support schools
reflect on the experiences the trainees in each school had during the week. The
sessions vary from 60 minutes to 150 minutes or even more.
It
does happen that during Common
Reflection Sessions, trainees do present issues not in any way directly related
to classroom transactions or matters
related to teaching skills. The following are some such observations made by
the trainees of my college on 31st July 2010, which to many present
was something quite startling, if not
shocking:
*
There is this particular boy in class who is seen as a problem child by all
teachers in the school. The other day, while teaching, I found him making page
after page of sketches of houses in his Notesbook. When I ordered him to be
attentive, he broke down and in tears told me that in the previous day’s heavy
downpour, his house had collapsed and
now he has no roof to call his
house!
*
There is a boy in class who has a maimed leg and though he needs plenty of help
and support, I have found him always confined to the corner. Even his
classmates shun him! On inquiry I found that the boy is a cancer patient and
his leg is cancer affected.
* The following is more or less the verbatim reproduction of
what a trainee had to say about a
school, which has the ‘Free Noon Meal
Programme’:
“
Sometimes there would be excess food
(the pupils refuse to eat) . So we, the trainees are directed
by the Head of the institution, to
have the meals prepared for the children to avoid wastage. But we found the food highly unpalatable. The
rice served didn’t appear to be properly
washed and it had a foul smell! Eating
the meal creates a nauseating feeling . When we asked the pupils why they don’t
eat the food they said that their stomach would eject the food no sooner that
they consume it. When the trainees made
some discreet inquiries to the cook, they found that it is cooked improperly because no remuneration is paid to
the cook for cooking!
* In some schools it invariably happens
that the trainees succeed in drawing the
respect and affection of the pupils, much to the chagrin of the regular
teachers in the school. One day it so happened
that the regular teacher of the school had not turned up even after the
bell had gone for the classes to
commence. So, the pupils invited the
trainee whom they adored to engage the class. As the trainee was engaging the class, the
regular teacher arrived… and all hell broke loose. The trainee was kicked out of
the class and
blows were showered on the buttocks of the pupils who had invited the
trainee- a message which was so painful,
that the pupils couldn’t attend class
for a couple of days!
Well,
dear reader, how did you find the tales the trainees had to tell? It is said that “Reflection is intellectual
and affective actions in which individual engage to explore their experiences
in order to lead to new understandings and appreciation (Boud etal) and
Reflections is a crucial element in professional growth!” (Calderhead and
Gates)
How
far can you endorse the statements on ‘Reflection’ by educationists quoted above…Do you think, the Common
Reflections sessions do offer something more than what is commonly given to be
understood by the term ‘Reflection’?
Please post your valuable comments…
References
Boud.D,
Keogh. R, Walker D. Eds.(1985). Promoting reflection in learning : a model. In
D.Boud, R Keogh and D. Walker (Eds.)(1985). Reflection: Turning experience
into learning. New York: Kogan Page.
Calderhead,
J and Gates p.(Eds). (1993) Constancy and change in American Classrooms 1890-1990. New York: Longman
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