Last Friday was a very special day for me. I had the opportunity to visit a public school called "The International High School at LaGuardia Community College". It was a great experience because I`ve never been to an American school before. The school was founded in 1985 and It is a multicultural school. There are 495 students from 60 countries speaking 52 different languages.
When we arrived at school we were greeted by two Brazilian girls, who have been studying there for more than 2 years. I thought very kind of them to greet us in our mother language. After that we were divided into groups of three to observe some aspects of the classes, the teachers and the students.
The first class I observed there was a culminating project where the students had to present what they have worked on about three weeks of class. They presented children`s books and some poetry based on their interests and cultural issues like racism. Talking about the students` behavior, in the beginning they were a little shy but little by little they felt more relaxed and comfortable to present their work. They were very creative in what they did. The teacher let them free to present and she didn`t point to anyone. The enviornment in the classroom was very good.
The second class I observed was also a culminating project that the students had to design a game. When i got to the classroom they were playng and having fun with their works. There was a Brazilian student that showed us what he had created. It was a game that used cards, a dice and money. It was very interesting.
Another class that I observed was called "enrichment". It`s a moment the students have to work on their homework and review the topics studied in classes. They may also read book if they like. The students were always working together in groups. The teacher is always walking around helping them.
The last class I observed was about a tv program the students had to create. There should be a tv host, a weatherman, a field reporter, a sports person and an entertainment person. They had to search a news story, report it, film it and edit it to the audience. During the class the students were working on the final adjustments to present to the class. Unfortunately, We didn`t watch them.
Comparing the school and the class that I observed to my school in Brazil, I see more differences than similarities. One of the similarities is that they use their mother language in class but the activities were done in English. The students` behavior was not so different from my students in Brazil. Some of them were listening to music, using their cell phones while others were paying attention to the teacher and to the presentations. The teacher was very helpful to the students all the time, monitoring and guiding them to what they`re supposed to do. The topics discussed in class were always something related to their interests and they were using technology all the time.
The differences that I found were positive. The students produce a lot. The teacher was not centered. There were more technological resources used in class. The number of students per class was basically half of what I have. The seats were arranged in a way that they can interect to one another all the time.
I got impressed how they are prepared to use the language in real life. The way the classes are developed and how the teachers act like monitors. I learned a lot and I hope to use some of the ideas I saw at LaGuardia school.
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