An Educational Adventure in Prague

I can’t believe my time in Prague is coming to an end. It seems like I was just stepping off of the plane and taking in my surroundings, trying to find my way to the pension and meeting my new roommates. Now, six weeks later, I have found that there are many things I truly love about this place. Here is a list of my ten favorite things about this trip (In no particular order) :

10. Gelato at Angelatos (the best gelato in Prague.)

9. Rafting at Cesky Krumlov

8. Eating at the swinging tables outside of Mustek

7. Public Transportation. Period.

6. Visiting Charles Bridge

5. St. Vitus’ Cathedral

4. Jewish Quarter

3. Tesco

2. Bohemian Bagel

1. “Family Dinners” at the Institute

10 favorite things about Prague:

1) The blue pear chicken at the pub near the pension
2) gelato, and cupcakes at the Bake Shop
3) thus.. having to walk everywhere
4) Drink please.
5) 80’s/90’s night at Lucerna
6) an AMAZING Mexican/Native American restuarant Megan and I found
7) that Starbucks has actual coffee
8 ) pasminas
9) reading in Old Town Square
10) listening to Czech people sing American songs

Today it’s the last day of my staying here in Prague…I can’t believe six weeks are already gone! Thinking back it’s hard to make a list of my favorite things and rank them…A lot of them are “equally favorite” to me. But, here are some of my favorite moments, or things I enjoyed while in Czech Republic:

1. Taking a walk on Kampa park along the river

2. The Vysehrad Castel & Park

3. Walking on Nerudova Street

4. The Spanish Synagogue

5. The panoramic view of the city from Prague Castel

6. The Royal gardens (Prague Castel)

7. Eating at Kri-Kri (the Greek taverna on Koruni Street)

8. Coffee at “Caffee Haven”

9. The old monastery in Cesky Krumlov up on the hill

10. Rafting in Cesky Krumlov

Wow, these weeks have just flown by.  We are now in the last couple days here in Prague.  I’ve been really proud of our students — of what they have learned and accomplished in the short amount of time here and also how they have taken in their experiences while abroad.  And we’ve had a lot of fun coming up with classroom experiences to integrate with the Czech culture.  Here are 10 of my “favorite” things from Prague:

1. Eating at Kri Kri

2. Getting Amarena and Strachiatella gelato at Angelatos.

3. Walking into Old Town Square the first time.

4. Running in Kunratice Forest

5. Watching our students with Charles Univ. students and teaching 3rd grade Czech students

6. Walking around Prague at night

7. Meeting new friends (even if they are a little goofy )

8. Seeing the library at Strahov Monastery

9. The little market on Korunni on the trail back to the pension

10. Tuc crackers and Milka bars (chocolate and cookie)

Okay so after being here for six weeks I have eaten, seen, and experienced a lot in the Czech Republic. This is just a brief list of my top 15 favorite things in Prague and Cesky Krumlov. You will be able to find some of my favorite restaurants, treats, and most memorable places I have visited.. right here!

1. Vanilkla gelato from Angelato
2. Anything/everything at Kri Kri (Greek restaurant near Pension)
3. 80s & 90s night at Lucerna (club by Wenceslas Square)
4. Rafting in Cesky Krumlov
5. Family dinners at the Institute
6. 24 CZK double scoop gelato at Namesti Miru tramstop
7. Tesco
8. Complementary water and tea at Laundromat
9. Miss Fit cereal
10. Namesti Miru escalators
11. Blue Pear dish at the Pub
12. Chips and drinks at Puerto Rico (restaurant near Pension)
13. Merlin Hostel in Cesky Krumlov
14. Fitness Flora
15. Spanish Synagogue in Jewish Quarter

As I talked about in my EDP blog, you can see that we have had a VERY busy week this week.  We’ve travelled to Italy, taught in a Czech elementary classroom, read many chapters in our textbooks, and even constructed and administered our own multiple choice test!
I feel like during this week, I have had the chance to use assessment on two different occasions. The first was during our lesson at the Czech elementary school.  Kayla, Sarah, and I learned that we would each have the chance to teach a mini-lesson to a English class in the third grade.  Based off our observations of the first grade class, we created lessons that we thought would be in the children’s’ ZPD. However, the children’s English language skills accelerated much faster than we anticipated and the children showed to be much more advanced. While we did not utilize any form of formal assessment, we were able to conduct informal assessments.  Throughout the lesson I paid attention to the children’s engagement and as we got further into the lesson the students proved to be more efficient at the material (verb usage).
Another form of assessment that I experienced was in a more formal setting.  Kayla and I were assigned a project in which we had to construct a multiple choice test and administer to at least fifteen people.  The test was to be designed for a elementary class in the Czech Republic (ergo, the material was culture specific).  The process of creating the test proved laborious, as Kayla and I researched our subjects and constantly revised our questions.  After we finished writing the tests we administered the tests to our other NC State study abroad classmates.  Not so surprisingly, most failed.  We analyzed their answers in depth, practicing computing things like item discrimination and item difficulty.  Overall, this project was very valuable- it showed me what skills I need to further develop and how significant content mismatch between instruction and assessment can really be.

So last weekend we got back from our travels to Italy. We visited Venice that was more of an extended weekend stay (mostly due to our flight reservation difficulties). Since we were gone we had a hard time coming back to school and having a lot to make up.  However, the trip was well worth it.  The first day we spent the day simply wandering the streets of Venice, kind of just getting lost in the city.  The second day we went to a nearby island, Lido, and spent the day on the beach.  The rest of the time we spent visiting Italy’s tourist landmarks (S. Mark’s Basicalla, ect). Other highlights included authentic Italian pizza and pasta and large quantities of gelato!

After our amazing time in Italy, I would have to admit I was a little disheartened coming back to Prague. However, we did have a pretty hectic week ahead of us.  We had a lot of work in our classes and planned and taught our first lesson in a Czech elementary classroom!  Kayla, Sarah, and I worked together to design an English lesson that focused on verb vocabulary and usage. However, once we actually got inside the classroom and began our lesson, we quickly learned that the students’ English level was actually

much higher than we anticipated.  In EDP this week we talked about metacognition and learning strategies.  Since I had the first portion of the lesson to teach, I introduced the lesson by asking some pretty simple questions. I reminded them of some of the English they had been learning so far this year. I also asked them what kind of verbs they remembered. At first, the students seemed like they had no idea what I was talking about. However, after I provided an example of a verb and explained that a verb “is what you do”; the students immediately rattled off numerous verbs they remembered. This is an example of the students’ ability to retrieve relevant prior knowledge.

I encouraged the students to think about what they already knew about the topic- and they took it from there.  Although the lesson w

as obviously not in the range of their ZPD because it was not challenging enough for them, I think the students had a good time because our activities were so interactive.

This week we were able to present a English lesson to a third grade class at a local elementary school. The lesson focused on verbs, and was divided into 3 parts. We first played a game to help the students practice saying their hobbies and to get to know their interests better. Then we played a game where the children had to guess what verb or action another student was drawing on the board. Finally we played a game where they had to act out the verbs presented.

The children seemed to enjoy the activities, however their English level was much higher than we anticipated so the games may a been too simplistic for them. We also had a few discipline issues. There was a lot of talking during the last two games, and some students were having their own side conversations. Since it was not our classroom we felt hesitant to discipline the students. However this was a learning experience and going into the classroom we really did not know what to expect as far as their English comprehension level, or their behavior.

Italy..

last weekend I traveled to Italy and it was amazing! It’s my favorite place I’ve been and I definitely want to go back. I loved the Italian culture, food, and not to mention shopping. It didn’t hurt being in the fashion capital of the world, well maybe my wallet a little, but when in Milan…

We found a really cool area/district of the city which had a river and restaurants and shopping on both sides. We had great meals, and loved shopping “the fake stuff.” We haggled the price down for some gifts we bought which was fun, although I’m sure they are probably still making a good profit.

      This week in Prague was a very busy one. Last week I went out of town and visited Venice, Italy and had alot of catching up to do when I came back. The trip was worth it though. Venice is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been in. The people there are so friendly, and every street holds a new building or view of the water that can’t be captured in a picture. It was fun to visit another area in Europe and see how very different this place is.

     Upon returning to Prague, it began to hit me that our time in Prague is winding down. With only two weeks left I have spent this week trying to make the most of my time here while completing assignments for class. It has involved a great amount of planning and time managment, but this busy week has proven to be a blast.

     One of the biggest learning experiences of the week was our micro-teaching activity in the third grade Czech classroom. Megan, Sarah, and I prepared a lesson reviewing verbs the students had learned using their workbook and our assumptions about their skill level. We had never observed the class, and weren’t really sure if our lesson would be too difficult for them. We had only observed first graders, who spoke no english, and put that knowledge with what we know about our second language classrooms at home to plan. When we entered the classroom we quickly learned that their skill level was far above what we anticipated. They were very able to use the verbs we were reviewing and were even able to form sentences. We never expected this, and thus, our lesson was a little off. While they had fun because it was an active lesson, they were not at all challenged and at times got bored with the content. This just reaffirmed Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development in my mind, and our lesson did not fall within that zone, but below that zone. If I could redo the lesson I would prepare a more challenging lesson for the students, but I would still incorporate ways of allowing them to be active and to work with one another to learn and review.

APPLICATION TO ELM:

In Assessment this week we talked about aptitude tests and their ability to measure cognitive skills and ability. We discussed Intelligence tests and how these are the popular choice of aptitude tests in schools. These are usually given to those being considered “gifted” and those being considered “handicapped” so as to decide where to place them in schools. The classroom we taught in this week was a gifted third grade classroom, as is the highly selective school. I am sure the students have some sort of aptitude test to decide which students are selected for the program, but I wonder if the aptitude tests in the Czech Republic are the same as those given in the United States.

APPLICATION TO EDP:

This week in Educational Psychology we discussed Classical Conditioning, the form of learning in which a new, involuntary response is acquired as a result of two stimuli being presented simultaniously. We use classical conditioning all the time in schools when we offer rewards and punishments to our students. When Megan, Sarah, and I were in the classroom on Wednesday we didn’t offer tangible rewards, but we did offer verbal rewards. If a student did something we approved of, that student was classically conditioned with a “Good Job!” Students don’t realize it, but they then strive for that stimuli the next time. Also, other students see that stimuli and begin to want that stimuli and work for it. The goal is to use classical conditioning tactics such as rewards in moderation so that students don’t become externally motivated and dependent upon such rewards, but they can push themselves to perform with intrinsic motivation.

This week has been filled with school work and studying, probably from catching up after the weekend trip. I have also been catching up with everyone from home before I leave again this weekend for Milan! I am very excited about visiting Italy since I’ve never traveled there before. I’m especially looking forward to shopping and dining. My friend and I are hopeful that we will be able to get tickets to see “The Last Supper” which is another attraction of Milan.

In EDP….

This week we further discussed schemas and how they influence our everyday conceptions of “how things should be.” For instance, I have a certain schema and script (predictable sequence of events for a common activity) for going to the grocery store. Usually you place everything you want to buy in your cart then pay as the groceries are bagged for you. In Prague there is a different “script” for going to the grocery store. You have to pay if you want a cart, carrying baskets are free. At certain stores if you buy fruits or veggies you have to weight them yourself and place a printed sticker with the price on the bags. Also don’t be surprised if you feel like you are being “watched” as you shop because there is usually a normal dressed man walking around the store watching everyone as they shop to prevent thieft. Finally as you reach the check out be sure to grab a plastic bag if you haven’t brought your own, or you will be standing at the end of the conveyer belt with a bunch of groceries staring at the cashier who does not speak English. Yep, you must pay for these plastic bags, they will not ask you if you need a bag. And forget the “bag boy” you have to be a swift grocery bagger to prevent getting the next persons groceries slung towards you down the belt. The different script for grocery shopping took some getting used to, and when I return home I will have a greater appreciation for the “bag boy.”