November 2017 – Page 10

The Importance Of Voice

“The voice of the teacher is of paramount importance in carrying out professional roles and responsibilities. It is essential that this asset is protected” (GTC, 2017). In todays seminar we focused on the importance of the voice. We started off by looking at the GTC and their explanation of why the voice was important. They […]

“The voice of the teacher is of paramount importance in carrying out professional roles and responsibilities. It is essential that this asset is protected” (GTC, 2017).

In todays seminar we focused on the importance of the voice. We started off by looking at the GTC and their explanation of why the voice was important. They have a whole document explaining why the voice is important and what we should do if our voice is effected. This was a useful tool as it allowed me to follow instructions on how to use my voice effectively and what to do if it gets damaged.

We then went on to look at the use of voice in music and how we can use singing in the primary school classroom. We were shown a number of resources that were very useful such as Choon Baboon. Choon Baboon is a brand new, modern way to get the children singing songs they will love in the classroom. Each song is on YouTube which is quick and easy to access, and you do not need to have an account to access the resource. I would definitely use this resource as i lack confidence in music, and can allow the video to take over. Choon Baboon also fits in with the Curriculum for Excellence Level 2 music.

We then went on to sing a few songs of our own such as ” Penguin come for tea” and the “number 9” song. These were fun and engaging and suitable for the primary classroom. We were also shown Graphic Scores which was a way that children can draw their own music and follow it :

Each children will have an instrument which pairs up with one of the symbols. When ever they see the symbol they have to play their instrument. This is a fun way to get the children to compose their own music without using notes and scales. We practiced this in our own groups, following the theme of fireworks :

Overall, this was a very exciting lesson. I was engaged throughout and took some useful tips from the lesson!

Choon Baboon (2017) About us. [Online] Available : http://choonbaboon.com/about-us/. [Accessed : 3rd November 2017].

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (2017). Voice Management. [Online] Available : http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/voice-and-the-teaching-profession1652_214.pdf. [Accessed : 3rd November 2017].

Disasters – Log Entry 4

Today’s seminar was focused on presenting a PowerPoint based on natural disasters. Our group focused on earthquakes : Skills I developed during this task where communications skills, digital literacy skills, presentation skills and time management skills. As we only had 1 week to prepare this presentation, my group found it challenging to all find a time […]

Today’s seminar was focused on presenting a PowerPoint based on natural disasters. Our group focused on earthquakes :

Skills I developed during this task where communications skills, digital literacy skills, presentation skills and time management skills. As we only had 1 week to prepare this presentation, my group found it challenging to all find a time that suits best to create the PowerPoint. Between uni, placement and work we all have a busy schedule, so not having an allocated time slot given by lectures was difficult. We came up with a solution which was to all create our own slides and put them together to create a final draft. Communication skills were vital as we all had to keep in contact to make sure we had created our slides. We used email to send back and forth the slides which was a great form of communication. We also contacted one another through the use of social media which we found beneficial.

As a student teacher, I think it is crucial that we manage our time effectively and also have great communication skills. As I am I placement just now, I think it is important I can manage my time effectively as I need to know how to balance a part time job, university, and placement. I have experience doing this due to college. I make sure I keep on top of all uni work and also that I plan for placement in advance so that I don’t become stressed.

I also think it is important that we teach children the importance of time management. Using a visual timetable in the classroom can let the children see how we will plan our time throughout the day and it is crucial that we stick to the timetable to stay on track. However, I also think it is useful to explain to the children that sometimes everything does not go to plan due to certain circumstances and this is just a matter of life.

Sustainable Development – Interdependence

Interdependence refers to the reliance of different organisms and species on each other for their survival. It impacts the world environmentally, socially, and economically. The food web is an example of interdependence as humans, for example, eat fish which eat smaller fish which eat insects and plants in the ocean. A concerning impact of this … Continue reading Sustainable Development – Interdependence

Earthquakes – learning log

Earthquakes Above is a link to the PowerPoint we created on Earthquakes. The skills I learned while presenting and creating this presentation were: team building, communication skills, research skills, listening skills and my ITC skills. Working as a team is something that I sometimes struggle with. It can be time consuming and frustring trying to […]

BA1 Placement

Well it’s day three of my placement and today I am starting to understand how to compose a piece of reflective writing as I think back on the past few days and think about changes that I can make to … Continue reading →

I have had a great few days, although tiring. One of the biggest challenges I have found has been that two of my days so far have been in an open space environment. The challenges here were very interesting and I found a lot of respect for the teachers in this area. For example, the P3 class already faced in class challenges in its own right; there were 3 children that had barriers to learning, that had been identified. Add to this the arrival of a P7 class coming to use a bank of PC’s in the common space, the P2’s singing a Halloween song and the Primary one’s repeating numbers 1 – 10 in French, I found it hard to remain focused on the class and ensure that all children were given the same chance to learn.

Going into a closed classroom today, I have to say I was excited to get a chance to be in a space with fewer distractions. The class today was a composite class of P4/5 with one child with a hearing difficulty. As aresult, whilst there were fewer distractions the composite class presented it’s own challenges and as such I was in for another challenging and I have to say another very enjoyable day.

My moment of reflection happened when (I am ashamed to say), in my mind, I stereotyped one child who, in comparison to the rest of the class was more disruptive (Child J). When I had a chance to ask the children if they has all gone out for Halloween I was surprised to discover that child J had not because he was a from a Christian family. I am a christian and also volunteer with a Christian organisation. I realised that I had judged child J as perhaps coming from a low income family with less focus on the importance of education. I also reflected that my own child, despite coming from my Christian background is not engaged with education. On a positive note though, I was pleased that despite my inner thoughts I had continued to treat Child J the same as every other child, with respect and dignity.

With all that being said, I have been given a wonderful amount of autonomy and have been able to engage with the children in the school. When walking through the school I am being greeted with shouts of “Hello Mr Bell”, I’ve been given art work “for you” and my very own leaf, plucked with care from the playground!

Now that I have started to blog my reflections, the thoughts continue to flow and I realise that there will be lots of opportunity to reflect on my practice in the coming years and one cannot write about every experience! Now I have started, I am sure there will be plenty more blogs to follow!

DRAMA!

Over the last few drama workshops we have looked at numerous different drama techniques, there were a lot more than I previously thought. Through the teaching and identifying of these techniques my knowledge of drama has deepened. As part … Continue reading →

Month: November 2017