Day 4 - Lyceum and Gymnasium School Visit (Public Schools in Moscow)
Today we had the most fabulous visit with two different public schools in Moscow. The first school was titled a Lyceum School, a very competitive school focused on science, technology, and mathematics (similar to the STEM school concept in the US). I found the administrators to be so hospitable and anxious to show us all of the great accomplishments of their school and all that they offer. I also felt a little bit like a celebrity, as several camera men popped out of the woodwork at different times to take our picture and and video us - our very own paparazzi.
After touring several classrooms, I noticed the students were dressed much nicer on a regular day of school than my own students. Unlike yesterday, they did not all stand when an adult entered the room. I was able to tour a computer class in which the students were building databases in Access. They seemed eager to run the queries and were not complaining about the process as I know so many of my students do when learning similar concepts. The students still seemed to very much respect their teachers and the teacher was definitely the center of the class. In one room that we entered, the class broke out in a Russian song, almost as they do this when learning different concepts. I questioned if it was a music class because the instructor was equipped with an electronic keyboard. No, just a Russian history class that likes to sing, I guess. I also noticed this school had mostly boys at this science school, none had cell phones out or noticeable, the students were friendly and willing to help, and they raised their hand when called upon.
The school was also eager to show us many of their students' best works in forms of several different presentations. We saw some science projects on robotics, projects on energy efficiency, and a wonderful drawing time lapse made using Adobe Flash. Being a technology teacher, I was definitely impressed with the level in which the students were learning. I also saw students writing code in computer science and creating websites on various topics, such as Lebron James and New York City. I found the building to be much older than most, but extremely clean and well kept rooms. I also noticed that the hallways were clear of students when class was in session. No kids were wondering the halls, using hall passes, using the restroom, etc. - things I constantly deal with at every class change.
I also sat in on a 45 minute English as a Foreign Language class. The teacher was similar in terms of her lesson planning and chunking of the lesson. She also used a nice mix of her smartboard, powerpoint, audio-visuals, and handouts. She even ended the class with an online quiz that immediately gave them their score. I try to do similar things in my own classroom, but I know other teachers at my home school do not use this amount of technology in their lessons. I was very impressed.
For lunch we headed down the street to a sister-school, a gymnasium school. Here, the school accepts all students without an application. Students take a general array of classes, but also include music, dance, art, and gym within their daily schedule. This school was similar to our previous schools in that they were definitely proud to have us. They served us an amazing homemade lunch of soup, salad, breads, potato-filled rolls, rice, beef, and apple danishes. Even the lunch ladies were excited to have us. From there, we toured each classroom from Kindergarten through high school.
I found the younger grades had 30 students in each class. They sat in pairs of two at the desks, all facing front in row formation. One of my older colleagues compared this classroom style to how she grew up in school. She also mentioned that she thought Russian classrooms were similar to the US in the 1940's. The students were also well dressed and sat at attention. From there, we sat in their theater for a concert of performances. This was awesome! I hope to include videos and photos as soon as I can.
Today was a great day! This is what I came here for. I was very proud to be an American teacher and to have this wonderful opportunity. We also exchanged emails and personal information in order to keep in touch with the teachers.
Next, I'm headed to the Moscow airport for an overnight flight to Siberia. Hopefully I can function tomorrow, as we are scheduled for another full day of touring and meetings. I'll be in touch!
Miss you all!
Today we had the most fabulous visit with two different public schools in Moscow. The first school was titled a Lyceum School, a very competitive school focused on science, technology, and mathematics (similar to the STEM school concept in the US). I found the administrators to be so hospitable and anxious to show us all of the great accomplishments of their school and all that they offer. I also felt a little bit like a celebrity, as several camera men popped out of the woodwork at different times to take our picture and and video us - our very own paparazzi.
After touring several classrooms, I noticed the students were dressed much nicer on a regular day of school than my own students. Unlike yesterday, they did not all stand when an adult entered the room. I was able to tour a computer class in which the students were building databases in Access. They seemed eager to run the queries and were not complaining about the process as I know so many of my students do when learning similar concepts. The students still seemed to very much respect their teachers and the teacher was definitely the center of the class. In one room that we entered, the class broke out in a Russian song, almost as they do this when learning different concepts. I questioned if it was a music class because the instructor was equipped with an electronic keyboard. No, just a Russian history class that likes to sing, I guess. I also noticed this school had mostly boys at this science school, none had cell phones out or noticeable, the students were friendly and willing to help, and they raised their hand when called upon.
The school was also eager to show us many of their students' best works in forms of several different presentations. We saw some science projects on robotics, projects on energy efficiency, and a wonderful drawing time lapse made using Adobe Flash. Being a technology teacher, I was definitely impressed with the level in which the students were learning. I also saw students writing code in computer science and creating websites on various topics, such as Lebron James and New York City. I found the building to be much older than most, but extremely clean and well kept rooms. I also noticed that the hallways were clear of students when class was in session. No kids were wondering the halls, using hall passes, using the restroom, etc. - things I constantly deal with at every class change.
I also sat in on a 45 minute English as a Foreign Language class. The teacher was similar in terms of her lesson planning and chunking of the lesson. She also used a nice mix of her smartboard, powerpoint, audio-visuals, and handouts. She even ended the class with an online quiz that immediately gave them their score. I try to do similar things in my own classroom, but I know other teachers at my home school do not use this amount of technology in their lessons. I was very impressed.
For lunch we headed down the street to a sister-school, a gymnasium school. Here, the school accepts all students without an application. Students take a general array of classes, but also include music, dance, art, and gym within their daily schedule. This school was similar to our previous schools in that they were definitely proud to have us. They served us an amazing homemade lunch of soup, salad, breads, potato-filled rolls, rice, beef, and apple danishes. Even the lunch ladies were excited to have us. From there, we toured each classroom from Kindergarten through high school.
I found the younger grades had 30 students in each class. They sat in pairs of two at the desks, all facing front in row formation. One of my older colleagues compared this classroom style to how she grew up in school. She also mentioned that she thought Russian classrooms were similar to the US in the 1940's. The students were also well dressed and sat at attention. From there, we sat in their theater for a concert of performances. This was awesome! I hope to include videos and photos as soon as I can.
Today was a great day! This is what I came here for. I was very proud to be an American teacher and to have this wonderful opportunity. We also exchanged emails and personal information in order to keep in touch with the teachers.
Next, I'm headed to the Moscow airport for an overnight flight to Siberia. Hopefully I can function tomorrow, as we are scheduled for another full day of touring and meetings. I'll be in touch!
Miss you all!