Date: 07th August, 2015

School through our students eyes.

CAPTION: Students observe more than we think during class time. Students know when we
are into teaching the lesson or just waiting for the bell to go. To see our students perform at
their best we need to come to school prepared and in a frame of mind to impart knowledge so
that learning can take place.
How it unfolded:

Introduction of students from various secondary schools

Discussion held by students on their school experience
Question and answer segment

The session comprised students from various schools a moderator, UWI lecturers and us the
Diploma in Education 2015-2016 class. The moderator engaged the students in a question and
answer segment, teachers were not allowed to make comments or ask questions, the purpose was
primarily to hear the students responses.
The first question asked was who is the most memorable teacher and why? Several students
answered this question recalling classroom memories that made them feel a particular way
towards the teacher. Some characteristics were similar, the teacher was encouraging, gave good
exam pointers, allowed them to find themselves, teacher interacted with students. One particular
student liked the way teacher related her lessons to real life that made it easy to understand.
It was interesting to hear the answers for the second question, what characteristics make up a bad
teacher? The following are some of the responses:

Comes to class and pays attention to only one student

Always leaving the classroom

Not giving notes in class

From my experience I would have students asking me if I didnt get sick or why am I
always on time for class. It is really amazing to hear the various views.

I will now touch on the questions that really resonated with me during the session. The
moderator asked the students for their views on homework. In my opinion homework is an
important part of the learning process. Homework allows for revision, it also shows where the
student may be weak and requires revision or sometimes the lesson may need to be re taught.
The following are some of the student responses:

It helps in learning time management

It allows for practice

One student mentioned she had no issue with homework if it is necessary homework. She
felt as though sometimes teachers only give homework to occupy the students time and it is
not relevant.
The moderator asked each student to give one word to describe a good teacher and the
following are some of the responses:

Interactive, hardworking, motivating, organised, creative, patient, understanding, reliable,

flexible and open to new ideas, genuine, inspiring, etc.

The moderator then asked each student what their favourite subject was and why? The students
gave various responses to this question. Some students loved the subject because of teacher
motivation others because of the social aspect, it allowed them to interact with others like in the
case with the drama students.One girl said that drama allowed her to express herself in a different
way.
One of the closing questions asked to the students was to recall their best classroom memory.
One student recalled a period where half of the class was asleep because they had no interest in
the subject while they were sleeping, the other half of the class did a skit. She stated that the skit
allowed better understanding of the topic without the usual interference from the students that are
not interested in learning the subject.
The moderator then closed off the session and allowed a brief open forum for teachers to ask
questions to the students. The major question that was asked that was interesting to me was their
view of lessons. We all know that teachers, parents and students all have different perspectives of
lessons. The following are some of the responses to this question:

The lessons environment is more relaxed

School uses more text books where as in lessons they do more question papers

Lessons are used as form of revision.

In my perspective lessons has its advantages and disadvantages, some students believe that
because they are enrolled in lessons they do not have to pay attention during class time. This
causes a distraction for the other students that may be interested in learning because they cannot
afford additional lessons. Also some students who take lessons have a tendency to doubt and
question what is being taught because their lessons teacher may have taught it differently. For
some students especially the strong ones lessons is beneficial as it allows them to revise what
they already know and also allows for more exam question practice.

The session was a very enlightening experience allowing views from students from different
schools, it really showed how school culture along with social upbringing shapes a childs
attitude to education. Lazear (1992) posited that teachers are better able to assess students
progress if they know how each student learns. This point was also highlighted by Gardner
(1991) who believes that educators must recognise students learning styles and teach to a wider
variety of abilities and skills.
Some of the students were proud of the school they attended as was evident in how the
introduced themselves. These sessions should be done at schools and even principal conferences
so they can get a realistic view as administrators and make necessary changes where needed.

References
Gardner, H. (1991). The unschooled mind: how children think and how schools should
teach. New York: Basic Books Inc
Lazear, D. (1992). Teaching for multiple intelligences. Fastback Series, No. 342. In: Phi
Delta Kappan Educational Foundation. Ed356227

Ms. Lystra Stephens-James

Business Curriculum Instructor
School of Education
The University of the West Indies,
St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.