I can safely say that my first week of university went much better than I expected. From knowing absolutely  no one on the course before I started i was a little bit anxious in meeting new people that I will spend the next 4 years of my life with but I can safely say that after speaking to people on my course, they were feeling the exact same way.

Throughout the first week, there were many different lectures and workshops that I and the rest of the year took part in and every single one gave me an insight to what each module will contain. However if I had to pick a favourite, it would be the “Getting to Know You” workshop lead by Angela. I enjoyed it because it allowed me to get to know other members of my section through various fun methods but also learning how we should be communicating with each other and the children we will ultimately teach which is essential with the Situated Communication Module.

Overall, despite being a nervous wreck walling into the University on my first day and also a tad dreading it, I can safely say that it has exceeded expectations and I can simply not wait to get started with the rest of the course.

The experience of University so far within the first 2 weeks has been an eye opening experience. I have met many new friends and different variety of people that i have been able to communicate freely with. I have also came across many challenges that i feel i will struggle but i know that there is the help out there to overcome with these challenges. For example, Spanish was a subject i was worried about as it was completely new to me and i had no understanding of the language at all. I knew when picking the subject it would be a challenge that i put myself up for but now after having a lesson in Spanish, i have realised that most of us within the class are on the same page and that made me feel more comfortable and looking forward to the next lesson.

My experience of University so far has been extremely positive. I have enjoyed new challenges, such as Spanish. I have already noticed in my short time at University that i need to work on my listening skills and this was personally highlighted in a lecture in situation communication when i found myself drifting into daydream and not fully grasping the task at hand.

The first week of university has been easier than expected however i am aware of the challenges ahead. i was really nervous before starting however now i am here and started the course i now see i was not the only person feeling this way, which has settles my nerves.

Todays lecture with Angela was lively and interactive, just as last weeks was. I was able to understand more about different aspects of communication and the importance of it.

I am looking forward to complete the rest of the module throughout the year and expand further on my understanding of communication and the ways it will contribute to my career.

Reflection on Placement

For the last two weeks, I have been on placement in a local primary school and have found it both throughly enjoyable but also extremely valuable in an educational sense.  I was able to see how all the theories I had learned about in University were used in practice but it also allowed me valuable time to spend with the children and remind myself that this was the career for me.

One communication skill that I think to be a strength of mine is listening.  I think this because of the way the children then reacted back to me.  During the two weeks, I done a lot of one-to-one work with children who needed a little bit of extra support. I would ask them questions and then allow time for them to answer and when they did, I let them answer on their own. I wouldn’t interrupt them, correct them or point out the mistakes right away. I allowed the child to voice their opinion and let their point be heard. I also maintained good eye contact with the children to know that I was paying attention to only them. I also enjoyed listening to the pupils as it gave me insight into how their brains worked and some of the comments I received still make me laugh to this day.

However, a communication skill that I thought needed developed was the language I used with the children. It wasn’t that I used inappropriate language in the classroom, I wouldn’t dream of it. It was more that I struggled to know what kind of language would be best suited for each level, especially with some of the Enfant classes. I knew I would have to simplify what I said but I was unsure how far to go. I tried my best to lead them towards answers but sometimes I felt like I ended up just giving them the answer because it was taking so long for them to understand. Finding the balance between explaining and  just telling them the answer was really difficult but it showed me that this was a weakness for me and somewhere that I should focus on if I want to be a successful teacher of all ranges.