As this was my first university assignment, I decided I would start to prepare quite early. I chose which topic I was going to write about and began to gather materials and reading that related to my decision. Throughout the duration of writing the assignment, I broke down into tears many times. My mind could only handle so much of this assignment at a time, and when I went over that time then I found myself getting stuck on one sentence and stressing over it. This would cause me to panic and feel like I was not going to get anywhere. I filled my mind with negative thoughts about my capability as a student and found myself feeling guilty when not working on the assignment. I handled the situation poorly by doubting myself every time I got stuck and trying to work past the fact that I just needed a break. Sometimes, I left the assignment alone for a day and got on with other things, I found that when I went back to the assignment I had a whole new set of ideas and a fresh mind to work with. I am pleased with myself for making sure I was organised early which meant I had enough time to give myself breaks. However, next time I am writing an assignment, I will remember this experience and be more positive about my work. I will give myself regular breaks because I now know how necessary they are as they allow you to keep a clear mindset about the task and prevent it from taking over your thoughts.

SPR 3.4.2 states the need for reflective practice within your teaching career, I believe that reflecting on this experience has helped me to gain a better understanding of how I best work. This means I can apply this in other aspects of my professional development, staying organised and planning ahead to ensure that I can work to the best of my ability at all times. I believe it is important that people don’t go through life accepting it as it comes without giving anything a second thought. I believe that reflection helps people to understand themselves better, appreciate themselves and others, and develop into the best version of themselves they can be. I realise the importance of reflective practice within the teaching profession because if we are able to identify where things are going right or wrong and why, then we are able to adapt our teaching to ensure the children are receiving the most beneficial learning experiences possible.

Managing my learning

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Activity 1

Complete the table below to identify and reflect on those factors and plan actions for each.

Recognition/ Reflection	Action
What helps my learning?	How can I utilise this?
Example: “Discussing the topic with others”	· Set up a study group of like-minded peers · Engage with the online community
Finding out more than I need to	· Researching relevant topics · Reading · Asking questions
Writing things down in a way which I can understand	· Taking notes during lectures, and rewriting them at home in my own words
Explaining to others	· Write blog posts bout what we have been learning · Engaging family and friends in conversation about what I have been learning
Working in a quiet environment with no distractions	· Keep my phone in a separate room while studying · Study when flatmates are also busy

Recognition/Reflection		Action
What hinders my learning?	How can I address this factor?
Example: “I’m easily distracted”	· Study in a place where distractions are minimal · Read lecture notes before the lecture and then take notes lectures to keep me focused
Being overwhelmed/stressed	· break work down into chunks · always write down things to remember · take regular breaks
Lack of motivation	· I have recently downloaded the ‘focus’ app which gives me the motivation to study and keeps me off my phone · Find fun and different ways to study
Being sad/tired	· Make sure I’m getting enough sleep · Be more sociable, but keeping a good balance between work and social time
Procrastination	· Treat every day like a school day-set time for starting work, lunch and breaks · Ensure household jobs are done before going to bed, so I don’t use them as an excuse to not do work

Every child

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Primary school: where the academically gifted were given gold stars and extra play time as a reward for their hard work, and the driven misbehaved claimed the rest of the teacher’s attention. If you did not fall into either of these categories, you could perhaps relate to the quiet individuals in the middle, who completed the work and followed the rules but didn’t exactly ‘shine’. I believe that pupils like these are disregarded, in the sense that it is expected they are able to get on with their work, without diverting the teacher’s attention from those who command it. For me, having been one of those pupils, I consider my feelings of stupidity and self-doubt, to stem from the lack of teacher attention and adaptation to different minds. Every child is unique, each child’s mind works in a million different ways which differ from the next. Yet still, children are grouped according to their level of academic knowledge, and with their learning based around these standards, they can begin to believe that it defines them. I was asked why I wanted to become a Primary Teacher, my simple answer is because I want to make a difference. I want to eliminate the labels of ‘smart’ and ‘stupid’ from the school environment, and society as a whole. I want to embrace the differences of each child, and ensure they can all be the best they can be, in their own ways. I want to allow children to explore their young minds and find their own strengths; and when they do, I will do everything in my power to help them flourish. Because every child deserves the right to feel valued.