Josh Pidkowa Education 2500 logbook/reflective Journal

Practicum 5: Wednesday May 24, 2017

Well, it finally came and went. Field trip day at Telus Spark! It was a truly wonderful time and
a fantastic experience to take part in. I am extremely grateful to have been able to join the class for
such an exciting experience. Though I usually focus on a single lesson or event to discuss at length in
my reflections, I feel that the field trip as a whole demands a more holistic discussion than I usually
provide in my journal entries. I believe this is warranted as field trips can be considered a teaching
strategy unto themselves, and I would like to discuss several aspects of the event and how it relates to
teaching as a profession.

The day started out with a meeting with the parent volunteers at 8:45. Packages had been made
in advance by my TA and I containing pencils, crayons, sketchbooks, schedules etc. which were passed
out to each parent. Each volunteer was to be in charge of 4 students, and the groups had been designed
by my TA the night before. At 9:00 AM we lined the students up and got on the bus, my TA and I each
doing a head count both before leaving the school and immediately after boarding the bus. We rode the
short distance to Telus Spark and arrived shortly after 9:15, disembarked and entering the building,
followed by yet another head count. Following a short introduction by a staff member and the
explanation of where we would meet for lunch (and for emergencies) we splintered off in our groups to
explore the exhibits. My group consisted of 3 male students and 1 female, and I was lucky enough to
have an extra parent volunteer join me, as one of my students had a bit of a meltdown that morning so
his mom decided to join us last minute. We spent roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes exploring the
exhibits, while my TA and I were both trying to take as many pictures as we could to document the trip.
The students were able to explore at their leisure and there was very little structure to this part of the
day. We met up at 11:15 and had lunch, followed by a quick recess outside (despite the high winds and
chilly air, which didn't bother the students in the least). After recess we went to the dome theatre to
watch a film called Bugs! which was primarily about insects (though it also featured arachnids and
myriapods). After the film the students took part in the Young Artchitects program, which involved
the students working in groups to design and build their own structures out of PVC pipes and fittings.
Afterwards we got on the bus (along with many more requisite head counts) and headed back to the
school.

I feel the need to again acknowledge that I usually tend to focus on a particular lesson, but in
the case of this field trip I think that the unique nature of the activity (and how lucky I am to have
gotten to experience one during my first practicum!) deserves attention as a whole. What a unique and
wonderful day, and what a fantastic experience for the students. Not only were they on their best
behaviour, but they seemed to have so much fun and were so engaged that I couldn't help but be excited
for them. The field trip experience brought up a lot of thoughts and questions in my mind, many of
which were related to things I had discussed with my TA over the preceeding weeks. Though I could
explore these thoughts and questions at length, they can all be distilled down to a central concept;
caring about one's students. That's what this field trip really made me think about. We didn't need to
be at the science centre, and we didn't need to be showing these students so many interesting things.
There is no financial reward for painstakingly documenting the trip so that it will be remembered, no
bonus for teachers that go the extra mile. I have watched my TA go above and beyond for her class,
spending her time, money and effort in order to make their school experience special, and this field trip
to the science centre is another example of that attitude in action. In a public place like Telus Spark a
teacher needs to be vigilant, constantly keeping an eye on everyone, making sure students don't wander
off or get hurt. It is undoubtedly a lot of work and stress to organize it, recruit volunteers, get all of the
forms signed, get the bus scheduled, book the group at wherever the event is to take place, etc. And
why does a teacher do this? Because they care. Because they want their students to have wonderful
and memorable experiences. Trying to find a good work/life balance promises to be a challenge as I go
forward with my education career, as finding the line between caring for one's students and caring for
oneself can be a difficult task. I am just grateful that I have such a good example to follow in my first
practicum, as my TA is a truly exceptional teacher.

I believe the best part of the day at Telus Spark was exploring the exhibits in the morning. The
groups had been painstaking designed to keep the students on their best behaviour (by not putting
students together who were bound to cause trouble) and maximize their experience. It was absolutley
wonderful to see them explore and interact with the different exhibits, letting their natural curiosity lead
them through all of the activities that are educational by their very design. This is one of the things that
is so enjoyable about grade 1/2 students; they are excited to explore and learn on their own accord, and
are naturally fascinated by everything they see. Every action they take is a learning experience, and
even though many of the exhibits are a little over their heads they can still learn a lot from them. So
many of the things we take for granted are still unknown to children of this age, and taking a role in
their education at this part of their development is very rewarding. One student in my group, who
struggles sometimes in the classroom, was the first student to approach me and ask for his sketchbook
to record some of his observations. Mr P! Can I have my journal? I want to write down the cool stuff
I'm learning! This was immediately followed by a chorus from the rest of my group, Me too! Me
too! It's so important not to write a student off, as even the students who may have difficulties can
display stunning amounts of curiosity and insight. One exhibit in particular caught the attention of the
students in my group, a series of tubes with fans at the base, designed for testing parachutes to see what
is the most effective. Though the materials were lacking for actually building parachutes, the students
were absolutely entranced by placing different materials in the tubes to see what would float the most
effectively. It was beautiful to see them experimenting with the different material properties and why
they were more or less effective. The big lesson of Telus Spark is how effective well-designed
interactive activities can be for education. Learning by doing is extremely engaging, and the hands-on
nature of it can be very impactful and memorable. While observing some of the exhibits I reflected on
how easily some of them could be replicated by a capable teacher. I happen to be very good with my
hands, and building similar activities for students would not be terribly difficult, or even expensive (in
some cases) and if I end up teaching as a career I will be sure to put this skill to good use; what student
wouldn't want to have a mini science center in their own classroom?