1.4 Professional Commitment – Page 4

Situated Communication – Feedback – Independant Study Task – 16/10/17

For this study task, we were required to work as a pair, myself and my partner found that our points matched in many places with very minimalist disagreement. With relation to the prompts provided the following conclusion can generally be applied;
The more eager a teacher is at accepting feedback and criticism, the better they will become. By accepting their own good and bad habits, and forming new techniques with regards to their communication skills when integrating with pupils.
In the videos, I was not surprised by anything said or presented, however I do believe that for the teacher in the second video he could have been more open with his body language. All information presented in the videos was like information from the course so far. I think that is due to the topic of communication being very similar no matter who you ask or how you approach it.
I found the task simple and straightforward, however the blog post to me is difficult as you need to conceptualise what you’re going to say. Feedback is where you get information back and can be associated with criticism. Whereas, judgement is typically a one-way street where usually one person tells you all the things you did wrong.
The one thing I would keep in mind on placement is to keep an open body language always, to prevent children turning away from you.
Finally, I feel phenomenal about placement and can’t wait for it to start!

Reflection and Feedback

Today we have been thinking about self reflection and feedback in preparation for our first school placement in two weeks time. This is an area I find largely uncomfortable and certainly one that currently makes me nervous. It has been interesting to watch feedback sessions take place with two teachers. It has given me some […]

It has been interesting to watch feedback sessions take place with two teachers. It has given me some idea of the sorts of observations that someone may make of me. However, it also strengthens the knowledge of the sorts of observations I will need to make of my placement partner. Furthermore, through watching these videos today I have a much deeper understanding of the benefits of feedback and self evaluation.

Before today I would have been dismissive of recording myself in a classroom setting to reflect upon later. However it is clear to see that watching myself teach would allow me to see things happening in my classroom that I may miss while it is happening (in a good and bad way). Also, while I may feel that I come across to pupils in a certain way, watching a video of myself would allow me to re-evaluate verbal and non verbal communications which may be causing concern or confusion. Reflecting upon my own practice in this way will allow me to move forward in the right direction with my teaching.

Sue Cowley observed a third year student in the second of the videos we watched today. There was a lot to observe both good and bad about the practice of the teacher and Sue gave constructive criticisms and guidance to allow the teacher to better his practice with his class. In a group we discussed the video and found that we had very similar views to each other of the practices of the teacher. One difference of opinion that we did have was surrounding the teacher choosing to send three members of his class away from the main part of the class to sort out an argument they have been having over lunchtime. I felt that it was good to see the teacher care for the well-being of the children in this way. However other members of my group felt that this should have been left at the door of the classroom in order to not disrupt the learning for the whole class. Upon reflection, I can understand this stance and it will be something I carry forward with me.

There is now only two weeks left until I go on my first placement. I am nervous about the experience. Knowing where I am going and who I am paired with has lessened my nerves to an extent though. I am very interested to be within a school outwith the area that I live in and also one that is very small. I am intrigued by the logistics involved in a school with only two classes. The website for the school is informative and shows me that they are a busy vibrant school which I am looking forward to finding out more about.

Settling in at UWS

Can not believe I have been at university for three weeks now, time has flown by so fast and everything still feels very new and confusing. I have created this blog to help me record and reflect on my journey through the BA hons Primary Education course at the University of the West of Scotland, I have never blogged before therefore I am a bit hesitant and unsure of what I am supposed to be doing but hopefully as the weeks go by this task become second nature and I can look back on my posts and see how far I have come in my journey.

Having been out of education since 2013 it has been daunting stepping back into an educational environment, I feel so out of touch, its been a long time since I wrote an essay or solved a maths problem! However my literacy lecturer and maths lecturer have helped me put my worries at rest by being very welcoming and approachable. I also realise that I am not the only person in this situation, there are many other mature students who are returning to education hoping to become successful Primary Teachers.

I have a lot of reading to do for next week, it feels like it has all come at once so I anticipate a long week of reading ahead trying to understand what I have just read and making sense of it. At least I have my new highlighters to brighten the pages up a bit and help me remember important information.

Reflections on Placement

Introduction The week starting 31st October to Friday 4 November I was on a week-long placement at a local primary observing various teachers throughout the school. Through observing teachers from up and down the school I was able to get an insight into the different tasks and challenges that the teachers faced and how to think on your feet when you are … Continue reading Reflections on Placement →

Introduction

The week starting 31st October to Friday 4 November I was on a week-long placement at a local primary observing various teachers throughout the school.

Through observing teachers from up and down the school I was able to get an insight into the different tasks and challenges that the teachers faced and how to think on your feet when you are faced a situation you didn’t expect to be faced with.

I learned a great deal while I was on placement. I learned that no two school days are the same and that no matter how much you prepare for something you need to be able to adapt to the situation you are in.

Area of Strength

I believe that one of my areas of strength is that I am able to speak in front of a large group of people without any major issues. As a result of doing drama at school and outside of school I have grown more comfortable with communicating with a big audience. Throughout the week there were various situations where the teacher would leave the room or would be focusing on another task and I would speak to the class about the task they were doing. I spoke confidently to the class so they knew that even though I wasn’t their teacher they still had to listen to what I was saying.

I believe that being able to communicate with a large group of people is very important especially for a teacher because communicating with your class is at the centre of everything you do as a teacher.

Area for Improvement

After looking back on my week long placement I think an area that needs to improve for me is that I must try and not use any slang terms whilst I am in the classroom. For the majority of the placement I was able to not use any slang terms in the classroom however there would be times where I would lose my concentration and slip up. The pupils would be coming in from their playtime and would say hi to me and I’d accidently respond with ‘awright’ instead of hi. Or I would say ‘naw’ and other terms like that.

Action Plan for Improvement

In order to try and avoid using slang terms in the company of pupils I will involve myself in different situations where I come in contact with pupils. I will go to the after school care where I completed my work experience. This will allow me to not only get feedback from the pupils at the work experience but it will also allow me to try and replicate the situation of being in the classroom and interacting with the pupils.

Conclusion

This placement was very beneficial to me. It reinforced my belief that becoming a primary teacher is the path that I should choose. It also gave me an insight into what it is like being a primary teacher and what sort of challenges a teacher faces every day and how stressful the job can be at times. It allowed me to evaluate what my strengths are and what I needed to do to improve myself. The placement has me looking forward to continue the course and prepare me for the placement I will have next year.