Professional training for primary and pre-primary schools (KPA/E-PBM)

• 4 credits
• Lecturer: Mgr. Ondřej Šimik, PhD.
• Lessons (Lectures + Exercises + Seminars): 0 + 1 + 0 [hours/week]
• Semester: winter / summer
• Termination: course credit

Requirements:

1. Direct participation in inspections and auditor attendances of classes at an assigned primary and nursery school.
2. Elaboration of portfolio (for details see the topics of lectures).

Annotation:

The aim of the subject is to familiarize students with the environment of an ordinary nursery and primary school. Students focus on observing children when playing and during other activities, as well as within the process of learning. Students make notes based on their observations according to set tasks and assigned criteria.

The aim of the practical placement is to give students an opportunity to become familiar with the school environment and more aware of the real conditions and needs of the teaching profession in the form of class inspections and assistance connected with all professional activities of teachers. Within a selected class group, students fully participate in school and out-of-school life, assist the teacher with all professional activities (including after-teaching and out-of-school activities, all forms of school documentation etc.), and carry out observations of classes. Students observe and make notes on selected aspects of education, as well as consulting the class teacher (who is in charge of the practical placement) regarding his/her own methods of planning, implementation and evaluation of lessons.

Topics:

1. Gain an overview of the nursery school – equipment for children and teachers, changing rooms, washing facilities for children, WCs, and if applicable also other rooms for children. Make notes on decoration. Make notes on equipment in the kitchen and other utility areas. Tour the garden of the nursery school, familiarize yourself with the outdoor equipment and its functions. Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
2. Familiarize yourself with toys and didactic aids for children in all classes of the nursery school. Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
3. Make notes on the games that children play. Describe how these games began, who stimulated them, how they proceeded and how they ended. What were the relationships among the children during the game? Describe the leading role of one of the children during the game. Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
4. Which toys did the children play with? Did they change toys during the process of playing? What relationship with the toys did the children have? Notice the role of their teacher. Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
5. Make notes on the types of activities carried out by children with their teacher which took place during your stay. Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
6. Choose one child for your observation. Observe this child when playing and during other activities. Make notes on how the child participated in activities conducted by the teacher. In what ways did the child communicate with other children? Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
7. Monitor a selected sample of work with children. Production of a report for submission to the lecturer.
8. How would you assess the school environment (quality of the school’s social life, your relationship with the training teacher and other members of the teaching staff and school management, atmosphere among the staff, quality of material equipment, aesthetics of the environment)? How would you diagnose the psychological-social atmosphere of the school class?
9. How would you assess your relationship with the children? How do you assess the ways in which you became involved with the children, built openness and developed trust?
10. Try to describe positive and risky aspects of the teaching lessons. Try to describe situations which caught your attention positively or negatively (in relation to pupils, their educational difficulties, problems they had with their learning tasks, in relation to their teacher, methodological processes the teacher used, methods he/she applied when solving educational and teaching problems etc.).
11. How would you assess the teaching style of the teacher (autocratic, democratic, or liberal)? How would you describe specific observable manifestations of his/her teaching style?
12. Characterize selected pedagogical skills of the teacher: level of communicative skills, ability to control the pupils’ discipline, ability to prepare interesting learning activities / learning tasks for pupils, ability to motivate pupils for learning activities, ability to organize learning activities of pupils, ability to react flexibly to the pupils’ current needs; discreetness, courtesy and readiness to help all pupils, ability to assess the pupils’ learning achievements objectively and comprehensively.

Literature:

• WALBERG, H.J. et al. Educational practices. International Academy of Education.
• BURKOVIČOVÁ, R. Introduction to Issues Regarding the Science of Education. Ostrava : PdF, 2008, 2008. ISBN 978-80-7368-618-5.
• PASCH, M. Od vzdělávacího programu k vyučovací hodině. Praha : Portál, 1998.

Updated: 18. 11. 2022