So, here I am at the beginning of a new week. My first full week within the school as a matter of fact. Already I feel that I am learning so much about the culture and the school system here. The children are absolutely beautiful creations and it is so heartwarming to be walking down the corridor and have them run up to practise their English greetings!

Today I got to experience the teaching styles of Nina, Celia, Laura and Ellen; all teaching similar ages within the second and third grade. It is so interesting to see how even though the core material is the same and there are similar objectives for the class, just how different they can be.

I think that ideas that work well within the classroom is the vocal call and response of questions and answers relating to the topic. By first having the students respond as a group it then builds up their confidence in what they are learning and then you have the opportunity to ask individuals for their answers. I'm still absolutely blown away by how excited the children get about participating with students so eager that they are calling "Let me try!" I also got to witness the first use of physical role play today with students volunteering which was really good, and they were all very excited about the prospects of doing that.

I think that it is very effective as the lesson goes on to expand more and more on what has been learnt as a basis at the beginning. This creates a cumulative effect as more knowledge is gained and as it is practised it means that there is a higher likelihood of it being retained. Introducing words on flashcards and mixing it up with images is also a good way of making sure that the word and its spelling is also implanted firmly in their memories.