During my time in placement and having reflected afterwards, I have been able to identify areas of my communication which are a strength and areas which need development. I felt that my time in the school (in classes P2-P6) was extremely valuable and the experience has taught me many things about myself, and the profession.

I feel that my body language in the class setting was welcoming, I made a conscience effort to make the pupils feel at ease by engaging in eye contact and ensuring my stance was warm and approachable. When speaking to individual pupils I came down to their level to ensure that they did not feel intimidated, particularly because I was a new and unfamiliar presence in their classroom. I made the effort to introduce myself to 2 pupils who had been absent the previous day, to make them aware of who I was and allow them to feel comfortable with me.

An area in which I feel I need to develop is my pronunciation. I am very aware that I speak with a broad accent and have developed habits which are difficult to eradicate. I did make a conscious effort to pronounce my “ings” “ens” and “ts” efficiency but it was difficult to keep it up constantly, without making slip ups! In particular, when I spoke with a small group of children, I felt that I relaxed more, so therefore may have been prone to speak more broad. I also found myself saying “emm” and “ehh” at times, which is more of a habit rather than lack of confidence, which I feel will be hard to stop completely.

Having read my school placement and peer feedback, I am extremely happy with the way that I have came across, as a person and a student teacher. The ways in which I hope to be envisioned has came across in my feedback which gives me confidence as I progress in my course.