At the start of placement I really wanted to work on the following skills:
| Skill | Halfway Through Placement | End of Placement |
| Effective relationships with others | I feel I have developed a good relationship with both staff and pupils. I do think I am quite quiet in the staff room but I believe this is partly due to feeling weird about being in a staff room with teachers who taught me. Hopefully, over the final weeks I will feel more comfortable with all staff members. I believe I have integrated well into the staff team and staff members are aware that I am willing to help them. | Throughout my placement, I tried to chat with each staff member and ensure that they knew who I was and saw me showing an interest in them. Whilst I have been quiet in the staff, I think I have integrated well into the team. I definitely feel I have developed a good relationship with my class teacher and classroom assistant which is extremely important as a teacher. A good relationship between the class teacher and classroom assistant makes the classroom run more smoothly. The children and I got on really well and they were always very excited to tell me about the various things going on in their lives such as wobbly teeth. They were also very sad when they heard I was leaving and said I better come back! I think I had a fun but fair relationship with the children and put my foot down when required. |
| Effective communication with others | I think I am doing quite well at this as anything my class teacher or classroom assistant has needed to know I have told them e.g. child leaving money or any cause for concern. My communication with the children has been clear as they usually know what they need to do and understand my expectations. | I informed my teacher of any concerns that I had about the placement or any children. There weren’t any communication errors and the class teacher was aware of what I had planned for each day. Whilst teaching the children, I have made my expectations and instructions as clear as possible. This has ensured that the children know what the task is as well as what I expect from them. |
| Demonstrate professionalism and commitment to my role | I think I am demonstrating a professionalism and commitment to my role as a student teacher. I am trying to show initiative when I can and am trying to keep up with the workload. | I demonstrated my professionalism and commitment by attending placement everyday that I was able to. I took 2 days off due to sickness and 1 day off to do uni work as my teacher insisted so. I showed maturity and initiative when making decisions and teaching the children. I kept on top of the workload and handed in my lesson plans on time. |
| Understanding of the best level for a class and how much differentiation is appropriate | At the minute, I think I am finding this quite hard as there is quite a range of needs within the class. Some children are finishing the extension activity whilst others don’t manage to complete the main worksheet. I need to work on getting the level right for the children to ensure challenge and enjoyment for all pupils. | At the end of placement, I am feeling happier with gauging the level right for this class. I know that some children need pictures to help them understand the worksheet as they are not yet confident readers whilst some need more complex words to stretch them. I gauged my reading group’s worksheets “perfectly” according to the class teacher. I have learnt the importance of always having an extension sheet at the ready and then an idea in mind for those who manage to finish the extension. The pupils were challenged but also enjoyed their learning. |
| Continue to develop my organisational skills and always try to be one step ahead | So far I think I have been fairly organised as I have kept up to date with my blogs as well as producing lesson plans for the class teacher. Sometimes, I leave the typing up of my evaluations a few days but I usually have a written reflection. I need to try and be one step ahead and write up my evaluations on the day I give the lesson. | Throughout this placement, I have been pretty organised. I think I was a bit more laid back about it all as I knew my main work was the blog and I didn’t need to do lesson plans for every single lesson. However, my teacher asked me to create a lesson plan for every lesson which I can now see the benefit and importance of. By doing these lesson plans, I was confident in what I was doing. I got better at writing my reflections on the day of my lesson as time went on. |
| Demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of others, respecting their individual rights and supporting their development | I have demonstrated a sensitivity to the needs of both the staff and pupils. I understand that everyone is different and therefore has their own needs and interests which need to be respected and considered especially within the school. | I feel this came easily to me as I tend to put the needs of others above my own and love caring for people. I understood that these children came from various backgrounds such as divorce, single parent and one child had even had brain surgery. This meant I had to be sensitive to their needs and also consider what topics and stories I did with the class to avoid any unnecessary upset or stress. I needed to consider the needs of every single child and adapt my teaching to suit them. I also understood that not everyone there would have the same values and beliefs as me although they were similar. |
| Develop my own educational philosophy whilst using other educators’ beliefs and values to inform and justify my beliefs and practice | So far I have learnt a bit more about my own educational philosophy but have also benefitted from observing other teachers and learning of their values and beliefs. | I felt this placement was an ideal school for me as my educational philosophy is quite similar to that of the staff. The school has Christian values and believes that educators need to show children they care in order to build a relationship with them and thus help them learn effectively. |
| Act professionally in all situations both inside and outside the classroom | I have acted professionally both inside and outside the classroom. As a student teacher, I know that I must promise confidentiality and nothing should be shared on social media about my placement. I have ensured that no information is shared that would not be considered appropriate or professional. | As a student teacher, it is always made clear to us that we are not to share any confidential or personal information to anyone in person or online. Whilst I shared various stories of what I had got up to and any cute/funny stories, I ensured that anything personal regarding the staff, pupils or school did not leave the classroom. Ultimately, I know that these measures are in place not only to protect the person and the school but also myself. |
| Explore and experiment new ideas, taking risks whilst showing confidence | I have tried out some new ideas which I was unsure of how successful they would be. It was important that I acted confident even if I didn’t feel it as the kids would notice any uncertainty within me. So far, they have paid off. I want to keep experimenting and determine what ideas might be good for future classes. | During this placement, I have had the opportunity to experiment and explore new ideas without the pressure of a tutor visit. This has allowed me to determine what ideas work and how to improve those which didn’t go so well. As it was an Early Years and Key Stage 1 placement, all of my ideas were new and I was unsure of how they would work. I decided to take risks with my crafts between the Easter chicks and the mighty lighthouse project. I wasn’t sure if these would be too hard or easy for them but I felt they were just right for this class. I also took a risk with the Lighthouse Keeper book series as these books are aimed at pupils aged 6-11 which is quite an age range. I changed some of the words in the books to help pupils gain a better understanding of the stories. I tried to include a wide range of activities to try and explore the different needs and learning styles within a classroom. |
| Demonstrate the capacity to work with and manage change | This is a different environment compared to placement last year in that it is a different curriculum and the school has different values to the Roman Catholic school I was in. There haven’t been too many unexpected changes so far and all of them have been easy to adapt to. | Just like any other primary school, there have been unanticipated changes within the school day. Sometimes, it was that the hall was no longer available or that there was a special assembly. Even the likes of it being a super rainy day when you’d planned to go outside. As primary teachers, we always need to have a backup and be prepared to deal with the expected. I felt I have dealt with changes well as during my time I had several nose bleeds, sick children and on a few occasions the class teacher had to leave the room unexpectedly. During these times I have had to take over and teach the class and I feel I have managed this well. |
| Be systematic, well-prepared and capable of planning ahead | My planning has gone well so far and I am keeping up well with lesson plans. I have had all my lesson plans ready the week before I am teaching the lessons but need to work on how quickly I evaluate them. | It is undeniable that teachers need to be prepared. This placement has shown me this with the various happenings within the school and how they can affect the classroom timetable and routines. It is important to try and be one step ahead and have a back up plan incase something doesn’t go according to plan. By the end of placement I usually had something else up my sleeve just incase the children didn’t respond as well as I’d hoped. I want to continue to work on this to ensure that I always have something else I can do with a class if my original plan isn’t working. I completed my lesson plans on time and handed my folder into my teacher to give her enough time to read it, get it back to me and give me feedback on it before the final day. |
