Strength
I believe that one of my strengths on placement was my communication skills, in particular, my listening skills. I was able to listen well to the instructions from class teachers as well as any queries by the children in the class which allowed me to adapt quickly to any situation. I used positive body language such as maintaining eye contact, nodding in agreement and presenting a calm exterior in order to indicate to those speaking that I was engaged and interested in what they had to say.
Area of Most Progress
In my opinion, my area of most progress during my time on placement would be my communication with others. Prior to placement, I was nervous about the prospect of being within a class full of children and adults that I did not know, however I found that by presenting a positive body language I was able to quickly build connections and relationships with those within the school. By showing that I was confident and calm I was more easily approachable. This encouraged the children to ask questions and I found it easier to engage with conversation within the staffroom.
Area Requiring Progress
My area requiring progress would be my ability to speak effectively in front of large groups of others. When nervous, I tend to speak a lot quicker than I would in a more comfortable environment. I will work to improve this by practicing more on speaking aloud and getting used to my own voice by recording myself speaking. This will allow me to work on putting more effort into my vocal production and my tempo of speech. By doing this, I will eventually become more comfortable with speaking in a public context and be able to show not only confidence and clarity, but also to reflect my own personality in my speech.
Action Plan
As stated in the previous paragraph, I will work on my effective speaking skills by recording myself speaking in order to become more comfortable with hearing my own voice as well as identifying my areas of strength and weakness. As well as recording myself speaking, I will also seek to work on my presentation skills by practising in front of my family and my peers in order to be best prepared for my oral presentation.
