In my first year of university, semester 1 opened up a wide range of knowledge and skills for me to learn or develop. During the module, Values, I improved on basic essay skills. This included learning how to present and structure an essay to a professional standard and also how to implement appropriate reading into my work. Further reading was frequently recommended and played vital part in enhancing knowledge learnt in lectures.

In addition, the Working Together module offered a chance to visit an agency related to  social work. I was able to work in a group which consisted of both primary education, social work and CLD students in order to interview and collect relevant knowledge and data. This all worked towards performing a 10 minute presentation on what can be achieved when agencies collaborate and work together effectively.

My timetable did not consist of an incredible amount of time in the lecture theatre or spending time in workshops. There was in fact many opportunities throughout a typical week to self study. This allowed me to use the university facilities, particularly the library to further develop and work on any assignments or group projects. Therefore, semester 1 also gave me the chance to improve on time management skills and using my time effectively.

Overall semester 1 has provided a great start to my learning journey in becoming a teacher. Material learnt during these modules I will frequently revise and return to as all of it is relevant to my future learning during my time at university and beyond.

This time last week my modules officially started and to say I was nervous for starting my studies was an understatement. Apart the normal challenges a first year student faces in the first couple of weeks such as making friends and settling into your new home I was also worrying about how I was going to deal with getting back into studying.

I took a year out after finishing secondary school and this year did not consist of me going to college or taking up any additional studies. I had a year away from studying, classes and the stressful exams. To be suddenly thrown back into it all I wasn’t sure how well i was going to cope with it. It can be quite overwhelming however the big difference for me, personally, was being involved and interested in the modules I have each week. I come away from the lectures motivated to do well in what i’m doing, work hard and put in the time to make sure I understand what had been said. It’s like going back to the gym after you’ve had a long period of time away from it, the first session is always the toughest as it can be a shock to the system but afterwards you feel a sense of achievement and determination to keep going and reach your goal.

The Values module was particularly intriguing in the first week. In the workshop we were split into 4 groups and all given one large brown envelope all containing a number of different objects. Unaware that some groups had a lot more to work with than others we proceeded with the task at hand which was creating a useful piece of equipment to help a first year student who just started at the university. I was in group 2 which had a variety of resources to use and so we made a starter pack filled with to-do lists, a welcome letter, study tips and stationary. We soon learnt the real lesson behind all this which was inequality. Two groups had a lot more than the other two groups and because they had more resources they got more praise and attention from the teacher. This was emphasising the fact that children must be treated fairly and equally no matter their background or situation. This happens in everyday life not just in primary schools, there will always be people who are better off than others and we have to remember we cannot treat those who aren’t any differently.

Now that lectures and workshops have officially started i’m looking forward to whats to come in the Values module and also in my other modules this semester which are working together and psychology. Year 1, semester 1 has well and truly begun.