Tuesday, November 4, 1997
Where the big kids meet the little ones
EDUCATION Undergrad course offers opportunity to help teach at
UCLA’s elementary school
By J. Sharon Yee
Daily Bruin Contributor
Very few universities share their campuses with 5- and
6-year-old children.
On a college campus full of aspiring 19- and 20-year-old
students, the two populations rarely mix.
But now, a class offered by the Graduate School of Education and
Information Studies allows undergraduates of junior and senior
standing the opportunity to work directly with their younger
"classmates" at the Corrine A. Seeds University Elementary
School.
Officially established in 1919, the UES holds the distinction of
being California’s only publicly supported elementary laboratory
school, and doubles as the site for the Education 199 class, where
undergrads interested in teaching, or simply working with children,
get first-hand experience in an elementary-school classroom.
UES Director Deborah Stipek explained how most students
interested in teaching do not necessarily get the hands-on
experience they need before applying to teacher-training
programs.
"For those that do go on to teach, this course gives a model of
an extremely organized school, where the teachers are professional
and the children are subjects of an excellent teaching program,"
she said.
"I suspect that it may even produce better teachers," she said,
"because of the chance for undergrads to gain valuable experience
before actually entering the field."
Entering its fourth year, the course came about as a
formalization of students’ requests to gain experience by working
as teachers’ assistants.
"We wanted to organize the students’ experiences to help them
better understand and reflect upon their observations," said
Stipek. "Students don’t necessarily get a whole lot from simply
observing."
The four-unit course, which enrolls approximately 23 students
each quarter, requires students to intern 10 hours a week in their
assigned classrooms, keep daily journals about their experiences,
attend three group-discussion seminars, and a write a five-page
paper summarizing their time spent at UES.
Often, students are shy about approaching their teachers about
concerns they have, Stipek said.
Therefore, one additional requirement added this year is a
conference and evaluation time during the third week of the
quarter, where students meet with their teachers to discuss their
progress.
While interning in the classes, students primarily act as
teachers’ aides, often helping children one-on-one, leading small
group instruction, and occasionally helping the teacher plan
activities.
"Nobody’s spending time in the copy room," said Wai Yu, a
fourth-year psychology student. "We get really involved, managing
the children and giving them personal, individual attention."
In addition to assisting with the children’s needs, the interns
also help out teachers who are not always able to individually deal
with each child. They assess the children’s strengths, take notes
and evaluate their progress.
Mandana Rastegar, a second-year French major, compared her
experience with the Los Angeles Unified School District to her
current internship.
She soon discovered that in the classroom of 6- and 7-year-olds
that she works with, it was not as monotonous and regimented as she
initially thought it would be.
"I thought it would be one teacher standing in front of the
classroom teaching, and I would help grade homework in the back,"
said Rastegar. "But there are three teachers, the class is divided
up into small groups, and I spend most of my time playing with the
kids."
"For those of us who have the desire to pursue a career in
education, the opportunity to interact with kids in a classroom
setting, apart from simply being a camp counselor in an
extra-curricular setting, is something crucial to have," explained
Aketa Narang, a fifth-year psychology and linguistics student.
"The classrooms (at UES) are so brightly colored and alive with
creativity," said Amanda Erickson, a third-year English
student.
"It’s such a magical little place, and the children are able to
learn much better in their own creative, special space," she
added.
Not all the interns see themselves as teachers in the future,
though.
"I don’t see myself as a teacher in the future," Erickson said.
"But being around kids gives me a unique perspective on teaching,
one that reminds me that I don’t want to stop learning."
"Being with the children is such an escape from my reality, my
world, my frustrations," Rastegar agreed. "It’s so nice to be able
to snap out of my daily routine and help alleviate someone else’s
frustration."
"It’s a good reality check," Erickson concluded. "Children have
such a refreshing outlook on so many different things in life that
sometimes we adults don’t realize."