Professional Goals and Reflection on Placement – Page 4

The importance of self-evaluation

After watching the videos and completing the observation checklist myself and Emily discussed what we had both taken from the videos. We had both noted similar points in regards to body language, the teacher had mainly open body language, he got down to the children’s level when speaking to them and sat with them at their tables which seemed to provide a more inclusive and accessible learning experience for the children. We both noted at times he did however appear to close himself for from the children with his body language however we both had a different example of this. I noted that he often put his hand, in a fist, up to his chin which could come across as boredom, Emily noted he sometimes crossed his arms, another sign of closed body language. We both found that he spoke at an adequate volume and pace however at times, as the lady who was assessing him at the end of the video pointed out sometimes standing up in certain situations would gain him more attention form the children so he could start his lesson quicker.

I found the idea of the teacher videoing herself fin the Bill Gates video surprising. However, after listening to her talk about this being her tool of self-reflection I think it is a really great way to self-assess, look at your own body language, voice, tone, every part of your teaching and the engagement of the class in different aspect so you can then reflect and improve on this for future lessons.

I enjoyed this task and as it was a video online I did not find it too difficult however it will be much harder within a classroom setting with children and assessing a peer as everybody wants to give positive feedback however on some occasions constructive feedback is also necessary for your own and your peers own progression in teaching.

I am really looking forward to placement and can’t wait to be back in the school environment and learn from both the children and the teachers/ all the staff in the school. I am a little nervous about all the placement tasks we have to do and ensuring these are all done to a high quality however I am sure there will be plenty of opportunity for observations in all the various areas.

Reflections on Placement

Overview The night before on the Sunday I was feeling very apprehensive and anxious for going on the placement on Monday morning. I was worried about what the children and staff would think of me and if I would give off the professional but fun side that I wanted to show them. I was fretting […]

Reflections on Placement

I can now look back fondly on my first, all too fleeting placement experience as a trainee primary school teacher. I had approached it with a mixture of obvious excitement but slight trepidation. I was assigned to a primary two … Continue reading →

Reflections on Placement.

On the week beginning the 31st of October I went on my first of many weeks of placement within the BA Education course. I went to a small primary school minutes away from me and learned a lot whilst I was there. I really enjoyed my placement and am looking forward to the next one. … Continue reading “Reflections on Placement.”

Strengths

I realised that I was more confident at interacting with pupils and staff than I thought I would be. I consistently was able to communicate clearly and loudly enough for pupils to hear and understand what I was saying. In addition to this I also made eye contact with who I was communicating with and used positive body language all week. For example I was not sitting with my arms crossed. As I was in every class in the school throughout the week from nursery all the way to primary 7 I realised that I was able to adapt my language to suit the pupil that I was talking to with ease. The staff within the school were all very welcoming and encouraging which gave me more confidence to push myself outside my comfort zone when communicating and approaching the pupils and other members of staff.

Area of Most Progress

The area that I feel I progressed the most in was simply my confidence. At first I thought that children would rather interact with their own teacher who they are used to rather than me but as the week went on I realised that the pupils also valued my opinion and wanted my help as well. In addition to this I noticed at the beginning of the week that I was not really using hand gestures a lot which may have come across as showing that I was not as enthusiastic as I wanted to show. I worked on this throughout the week and by the Friday I felt as though this had significantly improved, and will continue to improve with the more practice that I get.

Areas Requiring Progress

During the week I had to complete two self evaluations. I found this challenging as it was hard to judge what I had done well and what I had not done well as I can not see myself communicating from an outsiders point of view. However the help of the peer evaluation and advice from teachers assured me I was on the right track with my self evaluation. Furthermore, I had a bad habit of asking pupils a question and not giving them enough time to think of an answer, instead giving them another question to help them answer the initial question. I have learned that it is important to allow children to think and give them time as they can not always come up with an answer straight away.

Action Plan

As my next placement is a long time away I want to work on my communication skills in my everyday life so that when the next placement comes around I am more than prepared to go feeling very confident in my communication skills. In order to do so I think my part-time job will come in very handy as it involves serving customers and also being out on the shop floor welcoming customers and interacting with them. I think this will massively increase my communication skills as I will be able to get a lot of practice with a huge range of people. In addition to this I will also get to practice my communication skills with the upcoming situated communication presentation assignment, which will test my skills in front of an audience, something which I do not have a lot of practice in. The previous points mentioned should help me to strive to be a more effective communicator in the future.

Reflection on Placement

After having completed a one-week placement in a primary school, observing and interacting with staff and pupils I have acknowledged and learned many new aspects about the teaching world. I […]

pencils After having completed a one-week placement in a primary school, observing and interacting with staff and pupils I have acknowledged and learned many new aspects about the teaching world.

I completed my one-week BA1 placement in a small, underprivileged school, where it held 110 pupils and around 10-12 teaching staff. All classes at consist of composite classes and I was lucky enough to be placed in the primary 1 and 2 class. The class consisted of four primary 2 boys as well as fifteen primary ones. By being placed in this class for the week I was able to interact fully with the class teacher and the pupils. During my time at placement I engaged well with the pupils by taking small groups of pupils to complete several literacy and mathematics tasks. At one point in my placement I was allowed to prepare an art lesson for the full class that would tie in with the celebration of ‘Guy Fawkes night’ I used paint, marbles and black paper for the pupils to create a firework display picture that the teacher then made a display wall with. I felt a sense of achievement as this was the first teacher to pupil lesson I had ever done with no guidance or support from fellow members of staff. I used this lesson to self observe my verbal and non-verbal communication which has allowed me to view my strengths and weaknesses to develop in time for my next placement.

Strength

After analysing my self-observation checklist, and my peer observation checklist it highlighted in both that my strongest aspect of communication is being able to give the pupils a clear understanding of how to carry out tasks. I managed to do this by having a good pace and adequate volume when delivering instructions to pupils; I used appropriate language and used repetition to ensure that the pupils had a clear understanding of the task they needed to carry out. For example when carrying out a mathematics task with four primary two boys I was able to maintain eye contact with the pupils and regularly asked questions about the task to keep them engaged through the explanation. Furthermore, when a mistake was made I did not raise my voice or get angry with the pupil I simply explained to the pupil in an appropriate tone what he did wrong and how he could fix it for himself to make the pupil feel more relaxed and confident. I then ensured he could do the task by getting him to do a couple more sums.

Area of Development

I also noticed many areas of developments throughout my time at Dalmellington primary. One of my main areas of development would be to ensure I use appropriate body language at the appropriate times and avoid sitting next to pupils with my arm closed. For example, again when working with the primary two’s carrying out a mathematics tasks I tend to sit next to the pupils with my arms folded when explaining the task. When the pupils began the task I made my way round the group helping everyone however when I helped one pupil and had my attention away from the rest they seemed to become very unfocused quickly. I found that they wouldn’t complete the task when I had my back turned as they started carrying on and talking.

Action Plan

Before starting my lesson I should prepare a stance that I can go back to when teaching the lesson to pupils this will show that I am more confident and open and the pupils will take me more serious as I don’t look as laid back by doing this. I should practice using body language when teaching as this will keep pupils focused and they will be less likely to get distracted when I am just talking. Overall when dealing with a small group when a pupil asks me a question I should lower myself to their level and make sure all the pupils can see me and ask the pupils if anyone else is struggling with this particular aspect. This allows me to keep all the pupils engaged in conversation instead of them becoming unfocused when I turn my back to discuss a question with just one pupil. In conclusion this will allow me to complete a lesson that will run smoothly throughout, after all practice makes perfect.

Reflections on Placement

Placement was a time for me to get a real insight into every small step that goes into teaching a child. It clarified to me that this is something that I am very passionate about pursuing. Although not all aspects of my placement were positive I learned a lot and it was a great experience. While on …

Continue reading “Reflections on Placement”

Reflections on Placement

Now that my BA1 one week placement is over, I can now look back and reflect. I had an extraordinary week with many learning curves which I will take on board with me through my whole teaching career. As Monday, … Continue reading →

Now that my BA1 one week placement is over, I can now look back and reflect. I had an extraordinary week with many learning curves which I will take on board with me through my whole teaching career.

As Monday, the 31^st was quickly approaching, my nerves were starting to kick in. I was anxious to begin my first day as a student teacher and worried I wasn’t going to make the impression I needing to make. After all, first impressions are cruical. It was like going for a job interview only this time 100 times more nerve wracking. As I prepared my tasks the night before, I remined myself that to succeed I must fling myself into the deep end I give everything I have. I knew the week ahead will be an experience I will never forget and one I had to grasp with both hands to gain the experience I needed.

Strength

One area of strength I identified through my self-evaluation check list was an element of communication which was the pitch and tone of my voice. I had the opportunity to work with a small group of primary one children during literacy. The task I had was to introduce a new book to the children, ask them to identify the pictures in the book to describe the story. All children seemed to be engaged throughout the lesson and they also seemed to be following the lesson. I tried to make the instructions as clear as possible throughout the lesson. I encouraged turn taking and no shouting out. I also encouraged the children to ask questions to help further their learning. My peer mentioned that I had a “soft tone” when working with the children and commented that I spoke clearly at an adequate volume to suit the size of the group.

Area of most progress

I think the area I made a lot of progress was communicating with parents. This is something I have hardly had an opportunity to do, and I would like to have more experience in. However, placement allowed me to further this skill. I took part in an after-school session which was linked to the Scottish Attainment Challenge. This session invited parents to come into the school to work on maths with their children. This furthered the parent’s knowledge on what their children were learning in the classroom and helped the parents assist their child with their homework. I had the chance to interact with some parents and ask them questions about their involvement in the school. Some parents commented that they weren’t too great at maths their selves so these sessions helped their learning as well as their child. I enjoyed working with the parents as this was a different insight to the child’s learning at home

Areas Requiring Progress

One area requiring progress would be my nonverbal communication. When working with the primary sevens I realised that I was very standoffish and not that confident. I also found myself not sitting in the correct place when I took a group lesson in literacy. The class teacher gave me some informal feedback on how to correct this and ensured me that I don’t have to be nervous.

Action Plan

Throughout my years of being a student teacher I aim striving to gain as many experiences as I can to further my skills, knowledge and communication skills. I am a strong believer in no matter how old we are, we are still learning every step of the way. I will take guidance from the informal feedback I received and I will also take guidance from the peer observation. I will research and keep on top of how to communicate positively and effectively and I will also practice. I will aim to be a reflective practitioner.

Reflections on Placement

Introduction Starting on the 31st of October I completed my one week placement at Newmilns Primary School. One hundred and seven pupils attend Newmilns Primary and all classes, apart from primary seven consist of composite classes. I was placed in several classes throughout the week which allowed me to experience different levels of learning within different […]

Reflections On Placement

Throughout my first placement I observed a range of literacy and mathematical class lessons so I could gather information to complete the eight observation tasks. I interacted with pupils in the classroom, and with teachers in both the classroom and the staffroom. I supported learning within a variety of different classes throughout the school and demonstrated effective communication … Continue reading Reflections On Placement →

Reflections on Placement

Initial thoughts If I’m being perfectly honest, I was not particularly anxious embarking on the BA1 placement. I was aware that our role would primarily be centered around working with small groups of children and not any actual teaching as … Continue reading →