After my first week on the Trinity International Foundation Programme, I noticed a lot of differences between the expectations of teachers in my native country and those of my new lecturers. However, there are also some similarities.
Since I came from a non-EU country there are quite big differences in the educational process and in teachers expectations. The first thing I noticed is that classes here usually last 50 minutes while in my country they normally last around 90 minutes.
Another difference that I noticed is communication with lecturers. Here, students can ask questions during the class and lecturers are helping if something is not clear. In Ukraine, communication with teachers can sometimes be more formal. Usually students listen to the teacher and take notes.
Also, here we have more group work and discussions during classes. In my county I was more used to listening to the teacher and doing individual tasks. At first, group work was a little unusual for me but I think it can help students communicate with each other and share different ideas.
There are also some similarities. In both Ukraine and Ireland teachers expect students to come to classes complete their homework and be responsible for their studies.
Overall, after my first week I can see that the education system is different from what I was used to in Ukraine.