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A key component of field-based methods courses is the interaction with students. There are many ways to go about building this relationship with students, but here are some of the ways that we have structured opportunities for pre-service teachers to connect and support their buddies.
Before Meeting the Buddies
Before Meeting the Buddies
We obtain a class list from the teacher and assign each pre-service teacher at least one buddy. It is important in design for each pre-service teacher to be responsible for connecting with one buddy throughout the visits, even though teaching often occurs in small groups. One-on-one connection is important in getting to know the student and building relationships over time together. Also, the buddies feel important and valued with having their pre-service teacher to connect with.
During Weekly Visits with Buddies
During Weekly Visits with Buddies
We structure informal and formal spaces for pre-service teachers to get to know their buddies each visit.
Informal Spaces:
Informal Spaces:
- "Picking up" buddies from the yard and walking with them as they transition from recess to class time
- Taking a 5 minute one-on-one walk around the playground with students before beginning instructional activities
- Playing games for 5-10 minutes with students before instructional activities (card games, dices games, get to know you games)
Formal Spaces:
Formal Spaces:
- Eliciting student ideas and listening to responses of students during instructional activities
- Facilitating instructional activities in small groups with a discussion debrief after based upon what was learned about students and their ideas
- Pre-service teachers reflecting each week on what they learned about their student as a person and as a reader or mathematician (about their own buddies and about other buddies in the class)
- Purposeful attention to anticipating student strategies and ideas when planning new instructional activities based upon what they've learned about their students
Ideas for First and Last Visits with Buddies
Ideas for First and Last Visits with Buddies
First visit with buddies
- Consider an activity to match up buddies. We have had pre-service teachers decorate a name sign with their buddy’s name on it. After arriving at the class, pre-service teachers spread out in the classroom and held up their name sign (like picking someone up at the airport). Buddies then walked over to meet them.
- Consider a small fun activity to play with the buddy after meeting, such as games to play that allow for fun and conversation between pre-service teacher and buddy (card games, dice games, get to know you games.)
- Consider a small one-on-one math or literacy activity as part of getting to know their buddy, ie. counting collections, a card game (Make Ten, Target number, Double Compare), or reading a favorite children's book.
Last visit with buddies
- After building this relationship with their buddy, it is important show appreciation to buddies for all that was learned from them. In order to do this we have done the following:
- Have pre-service teachers write a thank you card or give a small token of appreciation to buddies
- Have the buddies write a letter to the pre-service teachers describing what they have learned
- Have the pre-service teachers and buddies make bookmarks for each other
- Consider spending the last visit similar to the first in playing games and/or engaging in math and literacy one-on-one activities such as counting collections and/or an interactive read aloud, as a way to connect through a final instructional activity together
Back to Building Relationships with Children.
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