November 2017 – Page 6

BA1 2 Week Placement

Having just embarked upon a placement in my local authority, it was interesting to see the differences in this school was run compared to my placement last year through Ayrshire […]

Having just embarked upon a placement in my local authority, it was interesting to see the differences in this school was run compared to my placement last year through Ayrshire College. During my first couple of days, getting used to how each teacher managed their classroom and their pupils was challenging, as well as getting used to an open learning space as I had been previously used to closed off classrooms.

I started my week in a Primary 1 class where there was a couple of children with learning difficulties and one of these children also had a disability. This child always had one-to-one support be that from a classroom assistant, myself or time permitting, the teacher. Being able to see the strategies used by the teacher in order successfully manage the class and make sure they are all achieving their learning intentions. I was able to take a small group of children and help them learn the phoneme ‘f’. On reflection, this was a valuable lesson as I was able to observe different teaching techniques that I will be able to take forward with me throughout my career.

My second day was spent in with Primary 2. This was a much rowdier class with a few children who again presented learning difficulties. One child had already been placed on an ILP. Due to a health condition, the teachers felt this placed obstacles in the way of their learning, however they also said that without the health condition they would still have been placed on an ILP. I was able to take part in some topic work and put into practice some of the reading strategies, for example, sounding out the word. Having done a lot of this previously on my previous placement as well as with my own child, my prior knowledge allowed me to carry out this part of the lesson with confidence.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to continue the rest of my first week on placement.

First year placement 2017

Today is my first day back at university after two weeks on placement in a primary school. I have been in a small school which has only 42 pupils. There are two teachers, one head teacher and one support assistant within the school. The school operates with two multi-composite classes, primary 1-3 and primary 4-7. I worked mainly within the primary 4-7 class, however I was also able to spend a little time within the primary 1-3 class. It is a rural school but is close to a large town. Only a handful of pupils are from the village the school is in, the rest of the pupils come from placement requests from nearby towns and villages. There is a large percentage of children with different sorts of additional support needs within the school As a Mum of a child that falls within this category I was very interested to see how the children responded to the intimate environment that a small school provides.

Going into my placement, I expected to enjoy myself. I am looking forward to the day that I can lead my own class and this was another step in the right direction towards this. However, I was not prepared for just how much I would enjoy my placement. There was so much I could do to help the teachers to teach their classes. I felt that the time I spent there was not only worthwhile for me but also for the teachers and the children in the school.

Having previously spent time in another school and also having my own children, I know that I enjoy empowering children with knowledge and allowing them to enjoy the freedom that this knowledge brings to them. Over the course of my placement I had several opportunities to do this. In numeracy the Primary 4-7 class were building on their knowledge of place value. One primary 6 pupil was using sums to increase numbers by hundreds of thousands or millions. I sat with the child and asked her about the link between the first number and the resultant number. The child very quickly showed me that they could see the link. I reassured the child that the teacher didn’t need them to do sums but if that was what they needed to do that it was alright. They moved on independently without using the sums and completed their work with more confidence in their own abilities.

Before entering my placement I was paranoid about my verbal communication skills. I have had bad experiences in the past where I have been misunderstood by people and had accusations made against me due to poor communication skills. After these two weeks out on placement I feel that I may have left that part of me behind. I was able to make great communicative connections with the children on the placement. One of my biggest fears was communicating with the staff in the staff room. Small talk is a large weakness of mine. During breaks, we had some insightful conversations in the staff room. I was able to do a lot of learning in those times as well as while in the classroom. Going forward into another placement I will not be so worried about this side of it, I now know that I can maintain appropriate professional conversations with others.

Everyday the primary 4-7 class watch Newsround on BBC iPlayer. The class teacher would compile a quiz on the contents of the programme which would then be asked to the different groups in order for them to build up points for their groups. Towards the end of my placement, the teacher asked my partner and I to devise the quiz and ask the children. This was a good exercise with us. We found it difficult to make sure the questions were challenging to the children – they were very good at it. This is something I would like to take forward with me into my teaching career. It is most suited to older children but could easily be adapted to the age and stage of the children.

One of my main observations in the school was how well behaved the children were. As I previously said there is a high percentage of children with additional support needs in the school. This can bring with it poor behaviour. However, this is not the case in this school. The children are, with very little exception, very well behaved. They are respectful of their teachers and the other adults within the school. The teachers have developed strategies to allow them to keep control of the whole class, even when they are teaching 4 different year groups at once. The professionalism of the teachers enables them to overcome anything that happens in their classroom. They are a good team and clearly support each other very effectively.

I will be returning to the school to help soon. I will also be attending to watch the children take part in their nativity show in December. I really look forward to seeing everyone again.

Placement Reflection

During the two weeks of placement, I was privileged enough to observe within many classes. This allowed me to see many different stages throughout the school environment. I worked with small groups on certain topics such as maths, literacy and art. This meant I could get a better understanding of the things the pupils were struggling with. I was involved throughout all lessons giving assistance to any pupils who needed it which allowed me to get to know the pupils better.

The areas of the curriculum that I observed were maths, literacy, topic, science and outdoor learning. By doing this, it gave me ideas and strategies for the future. Challenging behaviour was an issue in some classes but the class teacher helped to think about ways to help and calm the pupils down. It allowed me to use the communication skills highlighted in Uni to be put to good practice.

By being in the staff room, it meant I could contribute to discussions and get any of my questions answered. It also made me feel included in the school as a whole. By also staying at the school when the children left meant I could see the structure and organisation a teacher needs and how important is it. I also went with the children to the assembly on both Fridays which showed me the work being produced in many classes. It also became apparent to me how together the school was and how helpful they were to the people around them.

The whole school placement made aware to me the things I need to work on such as trying to find methods to keep all children on task and not spend most time with specific children. Also making sure all children are concentrating by making sure certain pupils don’t dominate. I need to also think about developing the skill in being a reflective practitioner as this is a very important skill to have and use in the teaching profession. Positives to take away from the experience is that I engaged well with the children and adults within the school and remained professional throughout.

Reflecting on placement

My 1st year placement has come to an end I it is now time to reflect on the experience. I had previously gained some placement experience as part of my SWAP course at college, so it was really interesting to … Continue reading →

I found the placement experience valuable and given it was arranged by the University the formality of it helped me approach the experience with a professional head on. (My experience through SWAP was much less formal). The Placement handbook was also a valuable tool as it helped my focus throughout the whole experience.

Something that I found very beneficial was the observation tasks which were done with my placement partner. I have to admit that I have a tendancy to be a bit of a know it all and I monitor this within myself. As a mature student I have to remind myself the my younger cohorts can provide important, valuable and objective feedback and that I must be receptive to it. It cannot have been easy for my placement partner to have had to feedback to me and I think she did this with great professionalism.

These tasks were of particular importance as not only did they provide positive encouragement about areas where my strengths lay, they also suggested areas where I can improve and develop. One thing that seemed to crop up on more than one occasion was had gestures. Whilst I received positive feedback about my body language, which I worked hard to be positive, it was noted that I had a lack of hand gestures. This led me to think and I noted that in my eagerness to always have a pen or pencil on hand, these then became a barrier to me.

It is hard to summarise two weeks of experience into a blog post of reasonable length, I feel that as mentioned in a previous post there are always going to be things that one must move on from, but the lesson remains with you in your own mind.

I cannot move on without also noting the bond that develops for the children I have been involved with. It is natural to feel fond of children, some are funny, others are kind, some remind you of your own children, others have bed hair or appear tired. Some have challenging behaviour, some have barriers to learning. One thing I note reflecting back over the past two weeks is that each child is individual and unique and each has a right to be respected and heard. I am proud of my own professionalism and am confident that this was noted by my peer, and the school staff.

Overview on Placement!

During my two weeks at placement I observed a variety of different practices. When I first walked through the doors of the main entrance I felt very overwhelmed as I didn’t know what environment I was about to walk into. My partner and I were sent to the Head Teacher’s office where we were welcomed and the run down of our two weeks were explained to us. We were also asked to sign a child protection and confidentiality notice. We were then escorted to where the ‘Breakfast Club’ was being held, and began to get to know the pupils within the school. I participated every morning at half 8 to 9 in the Breakfast Club. I found this time invaluable to get to know the children.

The first time walking into the staffroom was very intimidating as I am aware from experience it can be quite a territorial place. However, this was not the case and I felt very welcomed, I was even offered a cup of tea.

I got used used to the routines in the school pretty quickly. Every morning (before lunch and at home-time also) they would stand behind their chair and pray, before sitting on the carpet. Here they would do the days of the week, what day it was today, tomorrow and yesterday. Next they would say the days of the month, and what month it was currently. After this they would practice the date they were born. They would then learn the seasons. After this they would do the weather.

Most mornings consisted of doing maths work accept from a Monday morning where an active schools c0-oridnater came and took them for PE. Due to there being multiple ages in the class all the children were asked to sit on the floor so they could learn their times tables before being set to task. When the children were set to task I was asked to teach the Primary one’s their maths lesson. We learnt a variety of things from area to what ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’ means. At first, I found it quite difficult to make my language appropriate to a Primary one level. Although after the first couple of lessons I became more confident, and I feel the children began to benefit more from this. My whole body language changed was I became more confident, I began to use more facial expressions and hand gestures. The teacher of the class even made a comment on how much my confidence improved over the two weeks.

Next the class mainly did literacy work. Here each primary class were taken to the carpet where the teacher would write down what the children were to do on the board. I found this affective because every child was aware fully of what they were doing. After this the children were set to task, and I had to circulate the classroom and provide help to the children who need it. At first, again, I found it difficult to change the language I used to make it appropriate to the age and stage of the child I was talking to. For example, I would help a Primary 4, and then go help a Primary 1 so it was difficult to change between both levels. Although I became used to this as I got to know the children.

Other curricular areas I observed was French. Here a supply teacher would come in to teach. As I am doing French at university I felt fairly confident in this area. Although due to the different levels I imagine I could be difficult to plan a lesson as the children will all have different knowledge. My role in the class was to help keep the children’s behaviour in check and provide the children help with pronunciation with words and phrases. For example, one boy found it particularly hard to say ‘Je m’appelle..’ (my name is…). Therefore I took him aside and worked with him until he felt more confident with this.

I also observed drama lessons. A supply teacher would come in to teach this also. She would read a poem from a Julia Donaldson book, and ask the children to act it out. I sometimes had to act as well which I found extremely fun, as it let me get to know the children in a more fun environment.

Extra curricular activities included swimming lessons at the local pool every Friday. During this time I had to ensure that I looked after to back of the line. From my placement last year I drew on my knowledge such as: if you’re walking next to a child ensure that the child is in the inside and you’re on the outside next to the road. In addition, if you are approaching a road ensure all the children stop and look right to left before crossing.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed my placement experience and I wish I could have stayed longer than the two weeks. Everyone was so welcoming and lovely, and it made my two weeks a lot easier. I learnt a lot about myself and my practice in that I need to be more confident in myself that I can do it. I can’t wait for my next placement.

Placement Reflection

At the beginning of my first year two week placement I arrived feeling very anxious and wasn’t sure what to expect. Although I have had previous volunteering experience within a […]

At the beginning of my first year two week placement I arrived feeling very anxious and wasn’t sure what to expect. Although I have had previous volunteering experience within a primary school environment I felt this time was different as I would now be observing the classes for evaluation while also being observed and reviewed myself. Despite feeling reserved and nervous I found that as time progressed in the day I began to feel more confident in my abilities to assist the teacher and children with their work. I was very fortunate that the school had given me the opportunity to observe every classroom in the school over the course of two weeks. This gave me the chance to observe children of all ages in their working environment as well as getting the chance to witness each teachers teaching styles, giving me ideas into what styles I might adopt as a teacher myself.

One lesson I found particularly beneficial was a P6 math lesson I observed which focused on the introduction and reinforcement of time. I found the way the teacher introduced the concepts of 12hr and 24hr clocks extremely effective as the children responded very well and appeared to be confident in their understanding. This lesson was also helpful and educational for me as a student teacher as time is a concept I previously felt nervous and unsure of how to introduce to a class as I myself struggled to understand this at school. However after getting the chance to obverse this lesson and the teaching styles used throughout i now feel that I have a better understanding of what style of teaching and resources to use.

Throughout the course of my placement I feel I behaved in a professional and helpful manner. Where there were opportunities I made effort to show initiative and always display enthusiasm. Through the use of my self evaluation, peer observation and mentor observations I can now identify areas of development to work on so that I can progress in my practice and education. An example of suggested areas to improve were speaking at an appropriate and slower pace and my hesitation before answering questions. Overall I feel these areas can be improved through working on my confidence as if I feel confident in what I am saying to the class I wont feel the need to rush my sentences or be hesitant due to nerves.

1st Year Placement Diary

Placement Diary-First Year

Disasters Learning Log

The theme of disasters is arguably one of the most interesting and engaging topics of this module. We are quite lucky in that Scotland is a relatively stable country in terms of extreme weather, and as such disasters tend to be more of a fascination than a real concern to children here. There are a …

Continue reading “Disasters Learning Log”

Integrated Arts 8

MICRO-TEACHING MUSIC This week’s music input was very interesting and fun. We had a fantastic opportunity on learning to play a string instrument which was taught to us by a group of primary 6&7 pupils from a school in Ayrshire. … Continue reading →

A Reflection of Placement

Placement allowed for me to go further down my path towards becoming a teacher. Whilst out on placement, I learned so much as to what teachers do on a daily basis and what their routines consist of. Prior to starting placement, I was slightly nervous however, my excitement took over me. I had my placement … Continue reading A Reflection of Placement →

Placement allowed for me to go further down my path towards becoming a teacher. Whilst out on placement, I learned so much as to what teachers do on a daily basis and what their routines consist of.

Prior to starting placement, I was slightly nervous however, my excitement took over me. I had my placement file prepared before starting. I then met the school’s deputy head teacher, where myself and the other student I was on placement with got a tour around the school. I was informed that there are over 400 pupils within the school, this thought scared me as I wondered how I would possibly learn names. Despite the size of the school, I still managed to find my way about.

A strength which I easily identified within myself came from my communication with the children. I found that I was really strong at varying my volume, pitch and tone of voice. Whilst being with the primary one pupils, I found my HNC in Early Education and Childcare came in very handy when reading, as character voices were very important during my time out on placement last year. I also feel changing my language to suit different age ranges was a strength of mine, especially when being with the primary 1’s and primary 2’s due to me doing the HNC and knowing what level of language the children are coming up from.

An area for improvement I have identified is to prevent myself from using the word “like” when explaining activities and tasks to children. I hadn’t realised how often I had said this until I completed my two self-evaluations. I will aim to stop myself from saying this as it sounds very colloquial during conversation.

Overall, placement is so crucial on the journey to becoming a teacher. I enjoyed every moment of my placement as the school were so welcoming. However, I wish the placement in first year was for a longer period of time. I have wanted to be a teacher since I have been in primary 4 myself, my placement has fully enforced that this is the career which is perfectly suited to me.