This week marked the beginning of my placement in the International School of Poznan. ISOP is one of the most diverse school environments I have ever been in and one which I think I will learn a lot from. The school is private and parents pay about £300 per month to send their child there, as well as having to pay over the school holidays to keep their child’s place. 
The school teaches through the use of ‘Units of Inquiry’. These begin based on what the children already know about a topic and build upon this, focusing on what the children specifically want to know and learn. One of their main aims is to make the children as independent as possible, something which I was able to witness from the moment I set foot in the classroom. I found this to be quite similar to the Northern Ireland Primary Curriculum (CCEA, 2007:4) which aims to, ‘empower young people to develop their potential and to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.’ My teachers (there are two in every class) explained that the children at this private school would be at a much higher level than their peers in a typical Polish public school, who would not be able to work so independently. Before it even got to break time I was shocked by the level at which the children in my class were working. The Grade 2 class (7-8 years old) have been focusing their Unit of Inquiry this term on the human body systems and to my shame I had to use the old ‘Why don’t you go and look it up?’ line a few times when asked for help. As they have reached the end of the unit, the children have been working in groups to focus on a particular body system and present this in various ways such as posters, quizzes and games.
These were then displayed around the classroom to turn it into an exhibition and all other classes in the school were invited to come and visit the exhibition. This concept really appealed to me, and is something I would like to implement when I have my own class. I was able to see how the children engaged with the material and were keen to show off what they knew. Creating a ‘museum’ like this also enables children to fulfil many of the communication skills set out by CCEA (2007:5).
During my first two days at school I found myself constantly making comparisons with schools in Northern Ireland, something I will no doubt continue to do during my time here. The general classroom environment seems much more relaxed, with the children calling the teachers by their first names. The students in ISOP follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme which, ‘focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and the world outside.’ This programme is built upon six interdisciplinary themes, which are; Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we express ourselves, How the world works, How we organise ourselves and Sharing the planet. All six of these themes will be covered every year, by all classes within the school.
This is quite similar to the objectives set out in the Northern Ireland Primary Curriculum (CCEA, 2007:4) which aim to help young people develop as, ‘ Individuals, Contributors to society and Contributors to the Economy and Environment’. Over the next few months I hope to deepen my understanding of the curriculum and education system used in this school, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of it.
One of the things I found most impressive was the level at which the children could speak English. From beginning kindergarten, when the children are aged 4, all lessons are taught in English and they are discouraged from speaking in any other languages apart from during the last hour of the day where they either have Polish or English class, depending on nationality. Fortune (2008:32) discusses the benefits of such ‘immersion’ teaching, as the academic subjects are taught through the target language (English) while taking into account the language needs of the children and so the content will provide opportunities for the students to acquire the language. She notes that this is similar to how native speakers learn their first language, particularly through, ‘meaningful, significant and sustained communication with others.’ As a native English speaker, the teachers are keen for me to help with the children’s English. I look forward to this opportunity and I am sure I will learn a lot which I will be able to apply when teaching in Northern Ireland, particularly if I have pupils with English as an Additional Language. Reference List:
CCEA (2007) The Northern Ireland Primary School Curriculum, Belfast: CCEA Publications.
Fortune, T. W. (2008) Pathways to multilingualism: evolving perspectives on immersion education, Clevedon: Wordworks Ltd.
International Baccalaureate Organisation, 2007 http://isop.pl/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/PYPflyerEng2011.pdf (accessed on 17th March 2012).
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