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.

  Activity 1

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