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 31st 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.
