Category Archives: 1 Prof. Values & Personal Commitment

Monday 19/03/2018

I went into my second week of placement very enthusiastic and excited about the week ahead. Having already spent a week in a French school environment I was eager to get back into the school routine. This was my first Monday in ‘l’ecole Romain Rolland’ and I was interested to see if the Monday routine was any different from the other days due to the change in teacher. A supply teacher takes the class on the first day of every week as their normal teacher only works four days a week. I had the chance to meet this teacher last Wednesday. Last week I reflected upon the fact that this teacher could not speak English and the difficulties I faced because of this. I made a real effort to converse with the teacher in French on this day. Throwing myself into the French language is the only way I’m going to improve my communication skills.

The children had an English lesson, there is an English language assistant that works on various days throughout the week. The topic the children were working on was clothes. Repetition was a major part of this lesson. The teacher gave the children a worksheet detailing pictures and names of various items of clothing. He would say the word and ask the children to repeat after him. Once they became more confident he would ask individual children to stand up and tell that class what they were wearing. It was clear to see that the children in CM2 find English difficult due to the different pronunciation of words. This is something that I must consider when I am assisting the children with their English. Through what I have witnessed so far, speaking the language is key in successful learning. This allowed me to consider the way in which we teach language in Scotland. I believe that we focus more on

reading and writing and not as much on the conversational aspect of the language. I believe that when I become a qualified teacher I will ensure that the spoken aspect of foreign languages is not forgotten. I have also had the chance to gain insight into the way in which the children learn best, I can adapt this to ensure that the children get the best out of their English lessons.

I noticed that throughout the day the majority of lessons are taught through textbooks, worksheets and the teacher writing on the blackboard. It is a very traditional way of learning. In Scottish schools we try to have an interactive classroom, with teachers thinking of creative ways of teaching lessons. This is something I believe should be enforced in the French education system. I believe that children benefit from the way in which the Scottish system enforces education. However, despite the lack of interactive lessons, or range of subjects taught the children in France are always engaged and enthusiastic during lessons. Therefore, this traditional method of teaching may be what works in school to gain the best results.

The children took part in physical education on Monday at the local gym hall. This was about a ten-minute walk from the school. This was the first time that I had observed a gym lesson. Every other lesson that I have observed has been in the classroom. It was interesting to see the children in a different environment outside the school. They were very enthusiastic and rearing to go. However, some of the children forgot their gym kit and therefore had to sit out and watch. The teacher was very strict about this and didn’t make any exceptions. This was the first time I had seen the children do something that wasn’t written in a textbook, I believe that curricular areas such as physical education should be practiced more often within the French school system. I believe that moving forward in this placement I will try and make lessons as interactive as possible so that the children are involved in their learning and are not merely sitting and writing. Having gotten to know the characters within the classroom I believe they would thrive in a more creative learning environment.

One thing I have noticed this week, especially on Monday with the supply teacher was the very literal hands on approach they take with the children. The push, shove and grab the children at times. This is something that shocked me as this would never happen in a Scottish primary school. Putting your hands on the children is not something that happens. However, in France this is seen as normal. The children don’t react when it happens to them, they simply learn their lesson and move on. This is one of the main differences I have noticed thus far. I don’t believe that it is the right approach to take in primary schools, there are better ways to go about disciplining the children. It is interesting to see how different teachers handle pupils. The student’s normal teacher Amélie is very different with the children I have never seen her physically interact with the children. She is very calm, and the children respond to her very well.

In the afternoon CM2 swapped with the class next door. I stayed in the same classroom with a different group of children to help them with their English lesson. However, I was not involved in this lesson as the teacher decided to do it herself. Swapping classes in the later stages of primary school in France is common to prepare the children from the transition from primary school to high school. The teacher started off the English lesson by asking one of the pupil’s questions about himself in English before moving on to testing various pupils on a poem they had learned in English. This class proved to be very confident in English. I noticed there were certain member of the class that were misbehaving throughout the lesson. This is something I have not been used to thus far. The other children in the class were growing more and more annoyed at these children. This is something the teacher tried to address by raising her voice, however, they continued to act out. It wasn’t until the game of Simon says begun were the disruptive children good. This shows that the traditional teaching strategy of working out of textbooks does not work for everyone and sometimes children need to be more active.

Week 1 Reflection

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Wednesday

Wednesday is a half day in France meaning that the children finish school at half past eleven. This is very different to Scotland as school runs to and from the same time every day. It felt very strange leaving the school at this time. However, it did allow me to recharge and go into the next two days feeling energised. It was a supply teacher that was in on this day which proved a challenge for me as she didn’t speak English. I attempted to use my French, however, this was a very difficult morning. The language barrier meant that I didn’t have much involvement in the day, I merely sat at the back of the classroom and observed. This supply teacher usually takes the class on a Monday as Amélie, their normal teacher doesn’t work Monday’s. This means that I am going to have to improve my French in order to be able to communicate with this teacher over the coming weeks.

The children followed the same structure and the day before, having both maths and French in the morning. I have noticed that the do the same things in these subjects everyday however it become progressively more difficult. The children are always very engaged and always offer answers when the teacher asks. Having now seen them with two different teachers I have noticed that they do not act differently with the different teachers. From experience in Scottish primary schools, children may act up or work harder when they are confronted with different teachers. This further emphasises the level of respect children have for their teachers in France. They do not test the teacher’s boundaries and misbehave. However, despite this I believe that the supply teacher had a much stricter approach with the children than Amélie. The tone of her voice was stern at all times and she didn’t allow talking during lessons. This made me feel slightly on edge as the children were so well behaved and didn’t require this approach. This allowed me to consider the way in which I will approach lessons when I begin teaching. I believe that positive reinforcement and a smile goes a long way.

Thursday

On Thursday I found out that I am going to be involved in the class radio project. They will be planning and recording a radio sequence. Part of this will involve an interview. I will be asked questions by two of the children in French and I will be required to answer in French. I was very worried when I found out as my French is not very strong. I was worried about the pupils’ reaction to my lack of French coupled with my Scottish accent trying to pronounce French words correctly. However, during the week two of the children sat with me to discuss the various questions that I will be asked and also helped me to formulate some answers. This was a great opportunity for me to involve myself and talk to the children more about their studies. It also made me realise that although I am there to teach them, they are also teaching me. The children are very patient with me and try to help when I struggle with the language. This is another reason that I feel so at home in the school. Although at times I have felt embarrassed due to my lack of French, both the children and the teacher help and are not judgemental. I am looking forward to being involved with someone within the class that is different from merely teaching English.

The structure of the day was very much the same as previous days. One thing I noticed was how studious the children are and how every child completes their homework. It is clear to see that all of the children enjoy being at school.This is so refreshing to see, as during my placement in Scottish primary school that this wasn’t the case. Many children would not turn in homework and every day at least one person would be absent from class. In my school in France the class has been full everyday thus far. This emphasises how successful the French education system works. Although there are certain aspects that I disagree with, the way in which they run schools obviously works very well. This has allowed me to understand more about French culture and values. I am very interested to see over the coming weeks if what I have seen for far continues as we grow closer to the spring holidays.

Friday

I was unsure at the beginning of the week if the children were excited to have me in their class or if they thought of me as someone who just sits at the back of the classroom and observes lessons. However, when the teacher explained that they would be doing an English lesson their response was “Avec Briony?”. I was happy that they were so enthusiastic about me teaching English and understood that I was going to be a part of their class for the next six weeks. This was the first time that I was able to sit with groups of children on my own and assess their knowledge of English. I was nervous at first because I didn’t know how the children would react to me teaching English as I was foreign to their classroom. I played a sound game where thy had to match up jigsaw pieces that had the same sound. I found that most of the children picked this up very quickly, however, there are some sounds that we use in English that are very difficult for the French to pronounce such as H and WH. I found that when I introduced words that they were unfamiliar with, they repeated them in a Scottish accent. This was because they were merely imitating the way in which I was saying each word. This was all very new to me and it was very interesting to see their reaction to the game. When they grasped a new word, they were very excited. This was very rewarding as I was helping them to develop their English language skills without any help form the teacher.

By this day I felt very comfortable in the school and felt as though I had been there for more than a week. The children began to greet me in English and I did my best to talk to them in French. I believe that over the coming weeks I will be able to build relationships with the pupils as I become more confident teaching English as a foreign language whilst also improving my French speaking skills. The language barrier will prove to be an issue however, my goal is to be able to overcome this and eventually be able to converse with others in French confidently. I am looking forward to the various lessons and activities I will be involved in over the course of placement. I couldn’t be happier about how my learning from life placement has started.

One thing I feel bad about is not being able to learn the children’s names. I am usually someone that finds it simple to learn names in a classroom, however, this has proved difficult in France. I have never come across any of these names before and the pronunciation is very difficult. I hope that as I progress through placement I will be able to remember names whilst using the correct pronunciations. The children have also found it difficult to pronounce my name which allowed me to understand that it is difficult to pronounce names that are uncommon in your country.

Overall, I have had a very successful first week in Orléans and I am looking forward to the coming weeks. I aim to develop and progress as I go whilst gaining further insight into the French education system.

First Day in a French Primary School

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I was both anxious and excited going into my first day of placement. Arriving at the school was surreal, I couldn’t quite believe I was going to be teaching English in a French primary school. After entering the school with my host Nina, I was given a very warm welcome by both staff and my host teacher Amélie. I was very happy to find out that she was fluent in English as the language barrier was something that I feared going into the placement. Although I have basic French and studied the language when I was in high school, I am not very confident. It was good to find out that I was with a teacher that I could converse within in my mother tongue as well as someone that could help me improve my French speaking skills.

The Language Barrier

I realised very early on in the day how difficult it was to try and understand native French speakers. The children in my class were all very excited about me being in their classroom and attempted to ask me question after question, in French. At this point I panicked a bit as I realised my level of French was not going to cut it. Throughout the day I tried to pay attention to everything both the teacher and children were saying. I could pick out various words, but the fluency along with the speed was too much to keep up with. This made me realise that during my time in France I would like to improve my conversational French. The language barrier was also an issue in the staff room at lunchtime. I was sitting at a table with teachers talking at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. This also made me realise how long a two-hour lunch actually is. It seemed like an eternity sitting in silence not understanding what anyone was saying. I knew it was going to be difficult going into a primary school setting where English wasn’t their native language, this is something I believe I will get used to over time. I hope that being submerged in the French language will allow me to improve.

My Role

I was already aware going into the placement that my role within the classroom was going to be helping as a language assistant. As this was only my first day I spent a lot of the time observing various lessons. However, when it was time for the children to begin their English lesson, I was given the opportunity to stand up in front of the class while the children asked me questions in English and I answered them in English. This was v

ery good as it allowed the children to get to know me better and ask me questions about both myself and my country. They were very excited to find out that I was from Scotland. I had to ensure that I spoke slowly and clearly to allow them to understand the English along with my Scottish accent. Having this small input in the class allowed me to gain an idea of the level of English the children had as well as the kind of activities I will be doing during my time in school.

Lesson Structure

Although I have only been in the school for one day it was clear to see that the French school system is very structured. Mathematics and French are always taught in the morning and are kept to a strict time limit. I did not see any expressive arts classes today as they focused on literacy and numeracy. In France I believe that they teach the subjects that are considered more important and more creative subjects take a back seat. This is something very different from Scotland as we ensure there is always time for expressive and creative subjects. Because the children have three breaks throughout the course of the day, this is the time where they can unwind and have fun. This may be why there is a lot less play within the four walls of the classroom. However, I have only experienced one day of work, so I cannot confirm that this is the way in which every day will be structured.

Behaviour

It was great to see the high level of respect the children have for the teacher and vice versa. The children are all very polite and eager to learn and participate in lessons. From the beginning of the day the children were positive and equipped for learning. The children all arrive within the necessary equipment needed for the day ahead, they don’t rely on the teacher to provide stationary as some students do in Scottish primary schools. When a lesson begins, the children all sit very quietly and get on with their work. There was not one person in the class that was disruptive or not getting on with their work. Something else that I noticed was that every member of the class would put their hand up when the teacher asked a question. They all wanted to be involved in their learning and would get excited if they were to be picked to answer a question. This is something I have never seen before in Scottish primary schools. Often, it’s the same children who put their hands up whilst others sit back and don’t offer an answer. This was very refreshing seeing children so enthusiastic about their studies.

Overall, I had a great experience during my first day in a French primary school setting. I got to know the children whilst having my first insight into the French education system. It was challenging at times due to the language barrier, but this is something I look forward to improving throughout my time in France. The first day allowed me to realise how lucky I am to be spending the learning from life placement in France.

CV

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Briony Grieve

brionygrieve@hotmail.com

Phone

Address

Personal Profile

I am currently in my second year at the University of Dundee studying Education. I consider myself to be a bubbly person and believe I have the social skills and attributes needed to succeed within the workplace. I am very hardworking and thrive in everything I do. I find it easy to talk to and get along with people. I am keen to develop new skills and build upon those I already have. I consider myself to be a people person and believe this is something which I can bring to my work. I am also both approachable and friendly and understand the importance of customer service. I am a very positive person and I am always keen to learn from the people around me.

Key Skills

Leadership

Head girl at Queen Anne High School (2015/16) – I represented my year as well as led various committees throughout the school including Prom and yearbook.
Head chorister at Dunfermline Abbey – I was given a medal for my dedication and commitment to the choir and was responsible for helping the younger members as well as leading the choir into the church each Sunday.

Teamwork

Working in retail has allowed me to further develop my teamwork skills. Having worked in Next, Wallis and Farmfoods I understand the importance of working together and helping colleagues.
I have enjoyed the teamwork aspect of university. Various modules have required group assignments and presentations. This has allowed me to build upon my teamwork skills.

Organisation

Being a student primary teacher has taught me the importance of organisation. I have had to plan class and group lessons as well as full teaching days. Organisation and management is a key factor in being a successful teacher therefore it is important to always be prepared.
I am always organised and have very good time-keeping skills. No matter if it is work or socially related I am always on time and organised. I don’t let people down.

Communication

I find it easy to converse with anyone whether it be teachers, friends or colleagues.
I am a good listener in both my personal and professional life. This is essential in order to provide excellent customer service.

Education

2016 – 2020 University of Dundee MA(hons) Primary Education On-going

2010-2016 Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline

2016 Higher: History (A), RMPS (A), Music Technology (A)

2015 Higher: English (B), Maths (B), French (B), Chemistry (C)

2014 National 5: English (A), Music (A), Geography (A), Maths (B), French (B), Modern studies (B), Chemistry (C), Biology (C)

Work Experience

Retail Assistant July 2017 (Temporary Sales Assistant)

I worked in Next for the Summer sale. My role included customer service, stock room work and various jobs on the shop floor. I picked up any overtime shifts that were available over the three weeks of the sale.

1, 119 High St,

Dunfermline

KY12 7DR

Retail Assistant August 2015 – September 2016

In this role I served customers, worked on the tills and stocked the shelves. Throughout my time here I learned the importance of providing excellent customer service and how to deal with the public.

Farmfoods Dunfermline

Carnegie Drive Retail Park,

Carnegie Dr, Dunfermline

KY12 7AU

Reference – Ian Ramage (manager)

Contact tel: 01383 623571

Wallis Sales Assistant December 2016 – May 2017

In this role, I had to ensure excellent customer service was provided at all times. I had to talk to customers and use my sales skills to keep up with daily and weekly targets for the store. I was responsible for getting email addresses as well which allowed customers to subscribe to the brand further promoting the store and merchandise.

Overgate Shopping Centre,

Dundee

DD1 1UE

Waitress June 2015 – August 2015

In this role, I was a waitress serving both food and drinks in a fast-paced restaurant setting. I had to ensure that I provided excellent customer service as well whilst keeping up with the pace of the restaurant.

Regents Way,

Dalgety Bay,

Dunfermline

KY11 9UY

Student teacher (First year teaching placement primary 5/6)

As part of my university degree I had a six-week placement block where I taught in a primary school setting. I taught various lessons as well as having full responsibility for the class for three days.

Interests and hobbies

Dance: Dancing is a sport I have always been involved in and loved from a very young age. I am currently part of the university dance club and I am on the Advanced tap competition team for this year.

Theatre: Theatre is something I have also been involved in. Whilst at school I was a member of my local youth theatre. I performed in four productions during my time there as part of the chorus and dancers.

Referees

Ian Ramage (manager) Lorraine Fraser (choir leader)

Farmfoods ltd. s.fraser@btinternet.com

Carnegie Drive Retail Park, 07714765880

Carnegie Dr, Dunfermline

KY12 7AU

01383 623571

Identification of Learning Opportunites

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French Language – Going into a French school will allow me to develop my language skills. Having studied French to higher level in high school I am familiar with the language, however, I am not a confident speaker. This placement will afford me the opportunity to improve my French, learning from those around me. I will have to converse with both staff and pupils in order to get the most out of my experience.
English as a foreign language – I have never had experience of teaching English to children that don’t have English as their first language. I will be able to learn from the teachers in the school how they like to teach English. I will then be able to adapt my own teaching style to fit the way in which the children learn best. I will have to ensure that research and read about the various ways English can be taught in a foreign environment. I will then have the confidence to go into the primary school having a sound understanding of what is expected of me.

Placement Proposal

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I would love the opportunity to take an international route for the learning from life placement. I am very interested in going to Orleans in France to teach English in French schools. Having researched the city and the university, I believe this would be a great way to broaden my horizons and experience a completely different school setting. Teaching classes as well as one on one will not only help me evolve as a student but will also allow me to see how teaching in another country differs from the UK.

I studied French in school to higher level and will be continuing this throughout the languages module this semester. Having a sound understanding of the French language is something that I believe will be valuable when teaching in a French school setting. I believe that being able to speak to the children in their mother tongue will allow me to form good relationships. I also plan to further develop my French stills in the coming months at home to ensure that I am keeping up with the language whilst further developing my pronunciation and grammar skills.

The learning from life placement is one of the reasons Dundee stood out when applying to various Education courses. I believe that having the chance to do an international placement allows students to experience a different culture whilst gaining invaluable life skills. I think one of the benefits of this placement will be, experiencing how educations systems work in another country. Throughout the placement I will be able to compare and evaluate the similarities and differences between France and Scotland. I also believe that it will allow me to develop and build upon skills such as organisation and management. I will be able to take with me everything I have learned from my previous placement experience and further develop and alter these skills to fit the French education system. The challenging nature of the placement is another reason I believe I would thrive throughout this experience. I would love to have the opportunity to use the French I have learned throughout school and university and further develop this.

If given the opportunity to spend my placement in Orleans I would be able to bring my love of language and culture. I believe it is important to have a genuine interest in the country and the language. This will allow me to connect with both staff and pupils when working in the schools. Knowing some of their language shows interest and commitment to the placement and will help to build trust and integrity with colleagues and pupils. I would take full advantage of this incredible opportunity and work hard to make the most of my time there.

Skills to Develop

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Communication – Although I consider myself to have good communication skills, I am going into an environment where English is not the native language. Therefore, I will need to ensure that I am always trying my best to communicate with the teachers I am working with in French. I will be able to do this by continuously studying the language and submerging myself in the language.
Teaching strategies – Since I have never had experience of teaching English as a foreign language and have only had a broad primary school experience I may have to alter and enhance my teaching strategies in order to be successful in teaching English. Through reading I will be able to gain knowledge regarding the approach to take when teaching English as a foreign language.

Reflection on Experiences

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Prior to the learning from life placement I have had one professional practice placement. This took place in a Scottish primary school. I was in my first year of the MA (Hons) Education course and it was my first experience of teaching in a Scottish primary school. I had the best experience on my first professional placement. It was this that confirmed I was in the correct field and teaching was my passion.

Over the six weeks that I was in the primary school I became more confident in my teaching ability as well as in my organisation and behaviour management skills. I was at a challenging school in a deprived area ad I couldn’t believe how rewarding it was working with the children in primary 5/6. I taught various lessons in all subject areas during my time in school and worked up to having three full days of responsibility. This was a great achievement as it proved that I was capable of taking control of a classroom. I built great relationships with both my host teacher and the pupils and I believe that this was one of the reasons I had such a successful placement. In the class there were some children that had additional support needs as well as behaviour problems. This was something I had never experienced before, and I learned a lot about both autism and ADHD. I had to ensure that I researched these conditions and altered my teaching strategies to ensure that all of the children were learning in the way that was best for them.

I believe that since I had such a good experience during my first placement I will go into my placement in France both prepared and enthusiastic. I have had experience working with challenging children, pupils with additional support needs as well as a large classroom. I believe I can take this experience and progress further during the learning from life placement as I will still be in a school environment. I will be able to reflect upon the differences between the Scottish and French education system as well as the difference between the very different classrooms.

Skills Audit

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Leadership skills – I believe throughout my experience to date I have shown good leadership skills. I believe I have the ability to take charge and control of a situation in order to bring about the best possible outcome.
Team working – This is an essential skill to have when entering into the teaching profession. I believe that I am a friendly approachable person that can get along with anyone. I enjoy working as part of a team. This is important entering into a foreign school environment as you have to work with the other teacher in order to understand how their school runs.
Communication – I am able to speak to people as well as communicate through things such as email. Communication is key in becoming a successful teaching professional as you have to be able to converse with other teachers as well as pupils to ensure you are always progressing. This is essential in a foreign school due to the language barrier. I believe that I will have to use my communication skills to form relationships with both teachers and pupils.
Organisation – Having sound organisational skills is important in a classroom environment. I believe that I have shown in previous placements that I am very organised and take initiative. I am always prepared for lessons and ensure that I keep my files and documents organised.

Reflection TDT

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After starting the University of Dundee in September I was anxious but excited to find out what our first semester would entail. Having two modules for Education as well as an elective to study for proved very challenging as the semester progressed. I soon realised that university was a much bigger jump from high school than I had originally anticipated. Throughout school I was always very hard on myself when I didn’t achieve the grades I was aiming for. In my eyes getting a bad grade meant that I hadn’t put enough work in, even when that wasn’t the case.

When we were first given the brief for our values assignment I was very enthusiastic and believed that I had a good grasp of the concept. I spent a lot of time in the library researching and studying in order to try and make sure it was completed to best of my ability. Studying with groups of friends and discussing the differing areas we had chosen to focus on seemed to be a great idea. After drafting and redrafting I allowed someone to proof read my assignment in order to ensure that it was free from grammatical errors. It was my first proper piece of writing completed at university and I wanted it to be ‘perfect’.

By the time January arrived I was eager to find out my grade. When I eventually found out my final result I couldn’t have been more disappointed. I felt as though all the hard work, hours and research I had put in was for nothing. However, the truth in the matter was that I just didn’t have the knowledge regarding academic writing, critical reflection and analytical perspective that I thought I possessed in the first place. I obviously hadn’t fully understood the concept of the task which has allowed me to realise the importance of talking to others who may be more experienced or have a better insight. I took the initiative to contact both the tutor who marked my paper and my advisor of studies to discuss what I needed to do in order to ensure my future assignments are up to the standards of both the university and my personal goals.

Reflecting back on the Values assignment I believe that I should have made the effort to include further reading outwith the reading list in order to back up everything said throughout the paper. I believe that for future assignments I will ensure that I have a sound understanding of the task in hand, speaking to my tutors and advisors before hand so that I know I am definitely on the right track to success. Reflection is an essential part of everything we do as perspective teachers and it is only in recent months that I have realised it’s true importance. I will try to evaluate and reflect upon every assignment, task or professional practice I complete from now on.