As part of my first year placement at university, I undertook one week placement at a primary school. This experience has made me certain that teaching children is what I would definitely like to do in future. Throughout the week, I have … Continue reading →
As part of my first year placement at university, I undertook one week placement at a primary school. This experience has made me certain that teaching children is what I would definitely like to do in future. Throughout the week, I have … Continue reading →
As part of the situated communication module in BA1, I undertook a one week, whole school placement in a designated primary school. The school I was allocated to is of Roman Catholic denomination, located in an area of high deprivation, with a current roll of 137 pupils across a mix of single year and composite …
As part of the situated communication module in BA1, I undertook a one week, whole school placement in a designated primary school. The school I was allocated to is of Roman Catholic denomination, located in an area of high deprivation, with a current roll of 137 pupils across a mix of single year and composite …
Strength I believe that one of my strengths on placement was my communication skills, in particular, my listening skills. I was able to listen well to the instructions from class teachers as well as any queries by the children in the class which allowed me to adapt quickly to any situation. I used positive body … Continue reading “Reflections on Placement”
Strength I believe that one of my strengths on placement was my communication skills, in particular, my listening skills. I was able to listen well to the instructions from class teachers as well as any queries by the children in the class which allowed me to adapt quickly to any situation. I used positive body … Continue reading “Reflections on Placement”
I took part in a whole school placement as part of the BA1 Situated Communication module. I was placed in a rather small school of about 180 pupils with around 9 teaching staff as well as 5 teaching assistants. During the course of my week I was able to observe a number of different lessons … Continue reading Reflections on Placement
I took part in a whole school placement as part of the BA1 Situated Communication module. I was placed in a rather small school of about 180 pupils with around 9 teaching staff as well as 5 teaching assistants. During the course of my week I was able to observe a number of different lessons and the techniques in how they were carried out. Although this placement was meant to be whole school, I spent my full week in a primary three class with a great teacher who I have learned so much from. I was met with several different challenges regarding myself and the pupils during this placement. Due to me lacking in confidence I had to overcome a number of obstacles in terms of my communication skills but I was given nothing but praise from my teacher and the teaching staff on the way that I conducted myself, despite me being terrified to start. I was able to witness the lectures at UWS come into play, with active lessons/learning and numeracy and literacy throughout the curriculum being explored in every lesson.
Strength
I found that my main strength was how I interacted with the students, staff and parent helpers. I spend my whole week in primary three, where I witnessed a number of different lessons/teaching techniques, as well as accompanying the class on a trip to the local hospital. During class time, it was primarily just myself and the class teacher (my mentor for the week) as well as the children. I was lucky enough to be given so many opportunities to improve my communication skills with not only the children, but with professionals as well. My teacher allowed me to take small reading groups, where I felt my ability to ask relevant questions and give adequate thinking time was increased. On the hospital trip, it was the class teacher, myself and two parent helpers. We each had a group of six children that we were put in charge of. It was my duty to ensure that each of the pupils were paying attention to what was going on, that their behaviour was good and that they treated the staff with respect. I got good feedback on how I conducted myself during this experience, especially on how I interacted with not only my little group, but also the parent helpers and the nursing staff. Due to me remaining in the one class all week, I believe that I developed a bond with the class teacher and the students. Each of the pupils treated me with the respect they gave their teacher, asking me for help and allowing me to explore and develop my skills in communication, literacy and mathematics.
Area of most progress
I feel that I made the most progress in my non-verbal communication. I am well aware that I am not the most confident individual but upon taking part in the situated communication module I have found myself evaluating and analysing my body language. I received excellent feedback on my ability to hold eye contact with the children and the use of my facial expressions and hand gestures to enhance the children’s engagement. In terms of body language, I used the theory, fake it till you make it. If I were ever in doubt I would stand with my hands on my hips or cross my hands together with my feet apart. This allowed me to re-evaluate my emotions and calm down before proceeding with the activity. However, towards the end of the week I no longer had to do that and found myself relaxed in the classroom environment. I also noticed that I began mimicking the teachers body language. This must have been a sub-conscious thing as I looked up to the teacher so much.
Area requiring progress
In terms of feedback, I was never given any solid evidence or anything that I needed to work on but I am well aware that I need to vary my tone more when speaking. To begin with I didn’t vary tone and kept my voice at an upbeat pitch but never having any change. I feel this made me look unenthusiastic toward the class or lesson although I could not be more involved than I was. This will come down my confidence again and the way in which I always feel judged but again, I found that towards the end of the week I was really going for it in regards to tone, I was changing my voice regularly and witnessed that the children were a lot more willing to engage with me.
Action plan
The majority of my developments stem from my lack of confidence however I am aware that is something that I am going to need to overcome. To ensure my enthusiasm is recognised I need to work on my tone. Though there is nothing in paper that I can do to help improve my tone, I can start interacting with people more. Having and holding conversations is one of the best things I can do. I could also read an extract from something a couple of times a week and film myself whilst doing so. That way I will be able to observe and record my progress and maybe even highlight other problems that I didn’t know existed.
Strength An area of strength I felt I demonstrated during my placement week was interacting with teachers and pupils and showing initiative. It was highlighted in my mentors report that I communicated very confidently with all staff and pupils. I believe that I took instruction well and displayed a high-level of initiative when taking groups in a … Continue reading Reflections on Placement→
Strength An area of strength I felt I demonstrated during my placement week was interacting with teachers and pupils and showing initiative. It was highlighted in my mentors report that I communicated very confidently with all staff and pupils. I believe that I took instruction well and displayed a high-level of initiative when taking groups in a … Continue reading Reflections on Placement→
Disasters was a topic that I had a great interest in as I studied this throughout geography in high school and therefore had a vast knowledge of many of the disasters which engaged me more in the sessions. It was interesting to learn about concepts such as the progression of vulnerability where certain ELDCs’ due […]
Disasters was a topic that I had a great interest in as I studied this throughout geography in high school and therefore had a vast knowledge of many of the disasters which engaged me more in the sessions. It was interesting to learn about concepts such as the progression of vulnerability where certain ELDCs’ due to root causes are more vulnerable to certain dynamic pressures which in turn create unsafe conditions which mean they are less able to prepare for a disaster and to deal with the aftermath. Closely inspecting the role of international organisations provided me with some new knowledge as I could learn if they were politically neutral or not, what their priorities were and how they worked with governments within and between nations to effectively deal with short and long term impacts of disasters.
Furthermore, replicating experiments that can be done in classrooms was a useful insight into what considerations need to be made before conducting, for example, a volcano model with children as it may get very messy, especially with early years and first level, so this may be done as a whole class demonstration instead. The experiment we conducted in the workshop is shown via an accessible dropbox link below:
A model illustrating a volcano that can be used as a whole class demonstration.
We also looked at what can be done at a local, national and international level before, during and after a disaster, shown below:
Posters showing what can be done at a local, national and international level before, during and after a disaster occurs.
Moreover, working in groups we each presented a different disaster with a focus on a certain curriculum for excellence level where my group focused on typhoons with a view on teaching it to second level. This was an extremely useful experience as not only did it allow me to add to my existing subject knowledge but it also brought together different teaching ideas from different perspectives that I may not have thought of, for example, linking disasters to interdisciplinary learning through integrated arts with collages or models of volcanoes. It was also useful to gain teaching techniques when teaching a topic as sensitive as disasters as I learned that appropriate humour can be used to help children feel more comfortable with the disaster. It is also important to establish the seriousness of disasters but also bring the light-heartedness to it.
Learning about disasters has positively impacted how I feel about going on to teach this as many practical activities can be used to accompany the theory side of it to make it more enjoyable and engaging for children. Learning about each of the case studies that each group presented provided a real life context for children to relate to and it is required that I continue to refresh and update my knowledge on these case studies. I think it would be interesting to look at how different organisations have responded to disasters as Stout and Buono (n.d.) argued how seemingly “natural” disasters are actually social problems as many “government sponsored plans and programs of recovery and reconstruction tended to favour the interests of big business and the wealthy.” This would be useful in raising awareness to children of the social injustice and inequality that arises in our world as Stout and Buono (n.d.) continue to argue how lower class citizens and those of ethnic minority were not a priority in the aftermath of the recovery process. Therefore, it is important that I continue to research and find out more about such organisations and their roles in the aftermath of disasters.
Theme: Disasters- microteaching Key Learning: This week we were to work in groups of 5/6 to prepare a presentation on a kind of disaster and present this to the rest of the class. My group chose fires and we were … Continue reading →
Theme: Disasters- microteaching
Key Learning: This week we were to work in groups of 5/6 to prepare a presentation on a kind of disaster and present this to the rest of the class. My group chose fires and we were able to get across the conditions needed for these fires to burn, the impact of nature in relation to the spread of fires, where they occur most commonly and the impact on nature and humanity itself. We were also able to relate this to teaching and how we would go about teaching children about these natural disasters.
Impact on my views/lifestyle/practice: After listening to all the groups presentations on their own choice of disaster, I feel like I am a lot more well informed about how these take place and the impacts they can have on people’s lives and homes. Although it is unlikely that any of these disasters will happen so close to home I still plan to take security measures in order to be prepared if the event was ever to take place.
Areas of interest to explore further/develop: I am very interested in the work that charities have done in the past to help citizens out of a time of crisis and I am keen to look further into this and possibly see what help I could give.
I live in Kilmarnock which is quite a large town in East Ayrshire. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire with a population of 46,350. Physical Characteristics There are many housing estates in Kilmarnock, most of these are fairly new builds. However there are also many old, historical buildings such as the library & … Continue reading The environment→
I live in Kilmarnock which is quite a large town in East Ayrshire. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire with a population of 46,350.
Physical Characteristics
There are many housing estates in Kilmarnock, most of these are fairly new builds. However there are also many old, historical buildings such as the library & museum ‘The dick institute’ which was opened in 1901. In the town centre there are lots of shops and a small shopping precinct, many of these shops are now closing down resulting in this area not being as lively as it once was. There are various retail parks with many shops, restaurants & a cinema etc.
The dick institute
There are great road links to Glasgow with the fairly new motorway.
On the outskirts of the town there is a lot of greenery and fields surrounding the area.
Transport
Kilmarnock has a bus station where frequent buses run throughout Ayrshire and to Glasgow. There is also a train station with frequent services also running to most major towns. There are various taxi services in Kilmarnock.
Kilmarnock Train Station
There are a lot of main roads and most people travel by car although it is easy to get to certain places by foot or by bike.
Community spaces
There is one college, thirteen primary schools, four secondary schools and eleven nurserys. There are four community centres, one library & one allotment.
Kilmarnock Ayrshire College new campus
Recreation Spaces
There is one leisure centre with a swimming pool, gym, ice rink, squash halls, tennis courts etc. There are various other gyms around Kilmarnock, grass bowl facilities, tennis courts, football pitches and parks. There is one theatre called the Palace theatre/Grand hall which puts on many shows & pantomimes.
The palace theatre
Population density
East Ayrshire’s population density is said to be 97 people per square metre by http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc134_c/index.html
Air Quality
According to www.scottishairquality.co.uk Kilmarnock has low air quality index 3.
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