My first few weeks of observation at Victoria High have been an immersive, introspective experience that has allowed me to engage with a diversity of learners while observing classroom dynamics. This experience has provided insight into how educators build relationships with learners, and has allowed me to gain insight into pedagogies and teaching philosophies of different educators.

During one of my observations  the educator of a math class allowed my fellow observer and I to assist learners with their activity. I had the opportunity to assist a learner that could not find where their mistake was for a certain question. By working through the question together we were able to realise that the issue was not with knowledge of content, but because the learner hadn’t broke the problem down into manageable tasks. We then talked about how the concept of breaking a problem down can be applied to many areas outside of math. This interaction reminded me that there are elements of problem solving outside of course-specific content, and reinforced my desire to incorporate techniques to rationalize problems or approaches to general problem solving into my teaching habits. This approach could help to prepare learners for tackling a diversity of complex problems outside of school..

Towards the end of another class I was fortunate to be able to engage in some small-talk with a learner(fret not, they had finished their assignment). They were wearing a surf brand from a place I had recently traveled through. As it turns out, they had spent time there as well, so we took the time to share our experiences. I believe interactions like this are incredibly important because they allow educators to gain insight into the interests and lifestyles of learners which, in-turn, can allow the educator to draw on themes that seem more relevant to their group’s interests and experiences. On the other hand, casual conversation can also allow learners to connect more with their educators in a more congenial way. If educators are relatable, learners may see them as people that lead diverse, meaningful lives. .

My observations at Victoria High have reinforced my belief that there is much more to education than content-based learning, and have incentivised me to incorporate different methods of problem solving into lesson plans.. As educators we need to pursue a variety of different strategies to facilitate learning in different ways. We should also seek to build relationships with learners to strengthen our understanding of them, and their ability to see educators as real and diverse people, potentially mentors.