Amazing Three Weeks in America
BA Early Childhood Studies Student Jennifer visited America as part of her course to see what education was like State-side. Here’s how she got on.
I departed for Atlanta in order to go to Middle Georgia State University for an exchange program on 18 June 2017 and stayed until 8 July 2017, which was followed by a week of sightseeing in New York and Boston with my friend from Hong Kong. Having just returned from placement in Sweden organised by the University during 22 April to 28 April 2017, this exchange program provided me yet another eye-opening opportunity to experience teaching from an international perspective.
I was given a room in their on-campus student accommodation and shared the flat with a student going to her senior year of their Bachelor of Science in Education in Early Childhood Special Education course after the summer semester. During the first week, the School of Education hosted a welcome lunch for me, followed by meeting all the staff that assisted them in order for the exchange program to happen.
Moreover, the School of Education hosted a Junior Knights Summer Camp which is an academic enrichment camp for elementary schoolchildren (aged between five to eleven), as part of a final assessment before the students on the Early Childhood course go into their senior year, therefore, I provided an extra pair of hands to the students who needed help. I was taken aback with the students’ creativity and the effort they put in the setups, as they would stay till midnight and go in during weekends just to make them perfect!
Having told the staff involved I have not had any experience with children in this age group during placements at Northampton and I would like to give it a go, they were flexible with me by allowing me to rotate amongst the different age groups during the whole week of camp, starting from the youngest onwards, however, at the end of the week, despite loving working with the children, I believe I still prefer working with the babies! Highlights from the camp included the live animal show the Museum of Arts and Science did and watching a helicopter from their School of Aviation in Eastman campus land.
Besides working with the students and the children, I also had the opportunity to pay visits to the Tubman Museum, the Museum of Arts and Science, the World of Coca Cola, the Ocmulgee National Monument and go on a helicopter ride, which I had a go at flying myself! Visiting the Museum of Arts and Science made me think on how different facilities available around us can be used for teaching and learning, as it incorporated a STEAM approach throughout the use of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics to encourage children to inquiry and think critically.
Through communicating with and observing the students and their professors, it was noticed that there was more one-to-one time between the students and professors and students do actual teaching during their placements, unlike us students at Northampton, where we would spend the majority of time observing the practitioners in the settings. Now that I have experience teaching from United Kingdom, Sweden, and America as well as home in Hong Kong, I believe these have opened up a lot more learning opportunities for me, hence, I would highly recommend any of you to take as many overseas opportunities the University can provide as possible.
