Community service was an event in which kids from the nearby government schools came to Fountainhead and the volunteers had to teach those kids a variety of different skills ranging from Arts, Sports, Science and ICT. The program was held for 3 weekends from 5th August to 20th August. I took ICT along with my 3 friends and we got to teach about 24 kids together.
ICT is comparatively much harder and complicated than the other subjects because of the technicalities. The school gave us a plan but we also had to take the initiative to teach them ourselves and plan on how to initiate the plan. Basically we got a list of different activities which ranged from typing test, Document, Learning the functions of computers and more. Furthermore, ICT was my favorite subject compared to the other subjects which were offered so I was prepared on what we should teach. I got my own table of 6 kids which I gave good attention to but at the same time it was also my responsibility to monitor the progress of kids on other tables which were being taught by my friends. The community service was a bit exhausting because I am the kind of guy who takes weekend as a kind of motivation in weekdays in order to move ahead, but during this time my weekends were taken and at the same time because ICT is a bit complicated the kids forgot what they were taught in the other class because of which it was sometimes harder to move ahead plus we had shortage of chromebooks so 2 kids had to share a single one sometimes which made the learning harder. The event still was a good opportunity to show my gratitude to the society and made the days of many different kids happy with interaction and knowledge giving them memories which they might cherish moving forward. It was a bit stressful because kids constantly called from all the sides calling for help so it was kind of a chance for me to put my legs into the shoes of my own teachers and understand how they might feel when they teach us alone. In the second weekend I got a cold so my throat even hurt when I spoke a lot of things loudly in front of class. This event was a good representation of responsibility and should at least be done once by a kid in their school life.
LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
During the three-weekend community service program teaching ICT to government school students, I had the opportunity to discover both my strengths and areas needing improvement. Working alongside three friends to teach 24 students, I realized my ability to explain technical concepts in simple, relatable terms was one of my key strengths. I could break down complex computer operations into step-by-step instructions that young students could easily follow.
However, this experience also highlighted areas where I need to grow. Managing a large group of students with varying skill levels proved challenging at times. Some students grasped concepts quickly while others needed more attention and support. This made me realize I need to develop better classroom management skills and strategies for differentiated instruction to ensure no student falls behind while keeping advanced learners engaged.
LO7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
Teaching ICT to students from government schools raised important ethical considerations. I recognized the significant digital divide that exists in our community – while we at Fountainhead have regular access to computers and technology, many of these students had limited exposure to these tools. This experience made me reflect on the ethical imperative of sharing knowledge and resources with those who have fewer opportunities.
Our actions in teaching these students went beyond just technical skills – we were helping bridge an educational gap that could impact their future opportunities. I learned to be sensitive to their background and prior knowledge levels, ensuring we created an inclusive and supportive learning environment where no student felt inadequate or left behind. We also had to consider ethical use of technology, teaching students about digital safety and responsible internet usage alongside basic computer skills.
LO3 – Initiate and plan a CAS experience
Through the school gave us a rough idea on what to teach the kids me and my friends had to plan internally to created a structured plan in which we should teach kids so that all the kids enjoy and learn at the same time. We had to plan on What to teach, How to teach and at what time should we teach the perticular thing. We even created a practice test for them in the second last day of the event in google document to test their knowledge.
LO5 – Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively
Me and my friends got a class of 22-24 kids to teach ICT. Even though we taught the kids in our table individually still it was a collabration because whenever one of us spoke to the whole class it was my job to add on any detail they might have missed and it was kind of non verbal communication between us. At the same time we had to listen to each other’s ideas on what to teach and we had to keep an eye on each others progress too so it was a group collbrative work.
LO6 – Engagement with issues of global significance
Computers are the future but because of less quality education in our country not everyone get to learn about them, this is an issue with global significance because this can lead to nations staying behind of each other so me teaching these kids about the basics of ICT was an engagement with this global issue.
