This placement has provided me with several learning opportunities and I am developing my own educational philosophy and teacher style. I was fortunate to have such a wide range of experiences during the six weeks with school trips, sports competitions and one to one observations. Gaining insight into these aspects has allowed me to grow in confidence of what is to face me as a teacher. I think by going on school trips as a student, I will be better prepared for when I need to plan one as a qualified teacher.
At
the beginning of placement, I was not feeling confident in my ability to be a teacher. I think my tough placement last year made me really doubt myself and wonder if this career is the one for me. I now feel more confident in my ability to deliver a lesson. Last year, I was constantly feeling I needed to refer to my lesson plan and stick to it. Whereas, this year I was confident enough to teach the lesson without looking at my plan and was able to take the learning wherever the children led it (within reason!).
I have found lesson plans are coming more naturally to me and I am getting the learning intentions and success criteria are appropriate. Clarke (2001, pp. 19) believes that sharing the learning intentions is the first step to formative assessment. Research has found that children are more motivated and focused when they know what the objective of the task is. I have developed an ability and understanding of how to gauge a lesson right for each child and differentiate accordingly. I know that I still have a long way to go with my confidence and just trust my own judgement as if I act confident the children will trust me. Whilst I have taken some risks on this placement, I think it is important for me to challenge myself to continue taking them as I need to build up my confidence by seeing that risks sometimes do pay off.
As a student who was educated in Northern Ireland until coming to Dundee for university where I have experienced 6 weeks of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, I have found it interesting to compare the two systems. I would say that the aims of each subject area are more specific in the Experiences and Outcomes. With NI, it is less specific on what topic the learning would be on and is instead about developing the skills. Additionally, whilst Scotland has standardised testing at the end of P1, P4 and P7 in primary school, Northern Irish children are assessed every year through teacher assessment and planned tasks and activities. Formal results, in the form of levels, are reported to parents at the end of primary 4 and 7. Certainly, from this experience I would say that Northern Ireland schools are more open to expressing and exploring Christian values. This, however, may just be the case for a few schools rather than the majority in NI.
Last year, my class were extremely difficult for all staff and myself to manage. This meant that my tutor’s feedback on my behaviour management was poor, decreasing my confidence in myself. This placement has really helped me to build this confidence up as the class have been well settled I adapted a firm but fair approach with the pupils which appeared to work as they respected me whilst we also had fun together. Pitt (2001, pp.155) believes that the best ways to support good class management are to vary the type of activity to cater for different learning styles, link learning to children’s interests and maximise the time spent on direct teaching. I tried to incorporate this into my lessons. During my time on placement, I tried to minimise interruptions, however, it is not always possible to avoid interruptions e.g. children from another class with a message. I felt my expectations were clear so the children were not distracted or likely to interrupt e.g. talking or playing with pencils. The class teacher was very impressed with my control over the class and didn’t see any cause for concern.
I really appreciated getting to see some work with children who have additional support needs as this wasn’t something that I experienced on placement last year yet is likely to be extremely common in my future classes. I feel better equipped to deal with these situations, however, each situation and how I approach it will be unique to each child.
I tried to work on cross curricular learning during this placement. My main literacy topic of the Lighthouse Keeper provided many opportunities to link learning to crafts, RE and even data handling. I planned to read Jack and the Beanstalk to lead into measuring and planting beans but unfortunately as I learned there can be interruptions during the school day. I developed a confidence and ability to deal with change and take over from the class teacher without notice.
Finally, the types of assessment I saw in action have helped to inform my practice and consider how I might assess future learning. Clarke (2001, pp.40) suggests training children to self evaluate e.g. what made you really think? What helped you (e.g. a friend, a teacher, wall display) when you found something tricky? What are you most pleased with about this lesson? This helps improve self esteem as pupils feel more confident with admitting they were wrong and what they did to try and help themselves. The school has adopted the following assessment for learning strategies:
“No hands up, its thinking time” – this means that all children need to think as the teacher could ask anyone. Children cannot hide and not make an effort, everyone needs to try.- Positive discipline- rewarded or praised for good work in the hope that others will change their behaviour to follow the example of the hard working pupil
- Traffic lights- red “I need help”, amber “It’s making me think but I can manage on my own.” And green “I understand this well”
- Response partners- In pairs the children read each others work and write some comments about it. For younger children, this could be an oral activity.
- 2 stars and a wish
- Self assessment at the end of a topic using traffic light colours
Overall, this placement has been a great success and I am feeling more content with teaching as my chosen profession.
References:
Clarke, S. (2001) Unlocking Formative Assessment. Bristol: Hodder Headline Group.
Pitt, E. (2001) Ready, Set, Go – Maths. Interboard Numeracy Group.
I found myself in shock the other day as I sat down and counted how many days of placement I had completed and how many I had left. The time is going by in a flash. This week has given me experience and understanding of more elements of teaching.
I have been given the responsibility of taking a reading group. This involves reading two books a week with a group of 7 children and creating a worksheet for each day. We are reading Oxford Reading Tree’s The Magic Key series which brings back memories for me as I read the exact same set of books when I was P2. This shows how some resources, if they are good, can last for many years and only the worksheet and discussion needs to be adapted to suit the needs of the children. I found the first day of reading groups hard as I didn’t have much of a clue how to go about it. I had my worksheet at the ready but still was quite worried about it. The children seemed to enjoy the story and engaged well through asking and answering questions.
However, some children acted up and did not listen when someone else was talking even though they knew the rules of reading group. I had to speak to one child on multiple occasions about their behaviour and respect for others. I felt quite disheartened after this but once I had spoken to the class teacher, I felt more at ease after getting some advice. She told me that I need to just put my foot down and take no nonsense from them. If they are acting up after being given a warning, they should be sent to their seat. This really helped me for day 2 as I felt more confident and had better control over the children. Most of them understood the worksheet however one child wrote the page number of where the sentence is in the book instead of sequencing the sentences. This shows that I did not explain it clearly enough. 
By day 3, the child were more settled and focused and we started a new book. They completed the set task quickly and accurately, showing that the level of the work was appropriate. They understood what they needed to do demonstrating that I had learnt from my error on day 2. I took another reading group due to the class teacher being out of the classroom most of Thursday with the art exhibition. This group were of a lower ability and instead of a worksheet, we discussed the book as we read it. On day 4, all children were able to complete the worksheet with one child requiring a lot of support. I think I made the worksheet too hard for them as they were writing an invite for a pirate party. Instead, I should have included a word bank to help them as a few children struggled with spelling. One pupil clearly rushed the worksheet and did the bare minimum amount of work. This pupil was questioning why they had to do this worksheet and the rest of the class did not. I had informed the pupil that their main worksheet for the lesson was this reading group one and the main language lesson worksheet was only if he finished the first sheet. I think sometimes it can be hard as some pupils do not understand that there are different abilities within the classroom and that sometimes the work will be different.
In a class of little ones, I find it hard to know who actually needs the toilet and who just wants to avoid working! I guess this is something that comes with getting to know your class. I think some of the pupils have been trying to push my boundaries with this and after a chat with the class teacher, I am more aware of who should be allowed to the toilet and who might just be pushing my buttons! She advised me to only allow a couple of pupils to go to the toilet during class time and anyone else can just wait until the lesson is finished unless they look absolutely desperate! Perhaps, the use of toilet passes could be effective and children can only use their pass once a day. I think it would be interesting to see if this would work and whether the children reduced the number of times they ask to go to the toilet or not.
A big aim this week was to get stuck right into the measurement topic in mathematics. We had our starter lesson a while ago on the concept of shorter and longer but this week I really wanted the children to begin measuring objects with their own hands. I started off with something small- cubes. I learned of the importance of demonstration particularly for younger children as without it they will end up doing the wrong thing and the lesson could easily turn into chaos if not corrected. Whilst most children managed to complete the task, some were amused by the cubes and decided to use them for other purposes. This was quickly sorted. I had originally planned that the children would measure using cubes and then paperclips in the same lesson but upon consideration I believed it would be best to do two separate lessons to avoid confusion. The worksheet was already photocopied so I didn’t want to be that annoying student teacher who wastes paper and ink on photocopying so I just stuck with the original sheet. This caused some confusion as children wrote under the paperclips heading instead of the cubes heading.
One of the highlights of my week would be my lesson on Thursday where we used straws and our hands to measure the length of various objects around the classroom. The kids really engaged with this and were so keen to get round the classroom and start measuring. My explanation on how to measure using hands and straws was good as all children were able to accurately measure all sorts of objects. I felt I had good control over the class especially for such an interactive lesson and they knew to quieten down when the noise was breaching on outdoor level. It was so so great to listen to the kids share their learning and get really excited about it. Proof that maths really can be fun!
I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a smaller group- the P3’s and 2 P2’s. We were learning all about money and what coins we use as well as telling the time to the hour and half hour. This was a lesson using the interactive whiteboard and a demonstration of using ready made resources and websites. We used top marks for various games involving money and time. I made a professional judgement and decided that the children were ready to move on to giving change and determining the best coins to give e.g. if an item cost 16p and you used a 20p coin. I am beginning to grow in my confidence in altering an activity if it is too easy/hard for the children and deciding when they are ready to move on.
The lighthouses are all starting to come together with all but one completed, we only need to make our bases. The children are really enjoying this craft and are constantly begging to take them home to show their families. On Thursday, the class spent the morning in creative play which was encouraged to be lighthouse based. This involved children making picnic baskets out of paper, lighthouses out of lego and Mr Grinling out of play dough. I was amazed at one child’s efforts- he had made a whole scene from the book by linking EMIDO plastic rods together. He had made the picnic basket, Mr Grinling, the lighthouse, the cottage and even the zipline from the cottage to the lighthouse that Mrs Grinling sends his lunch down! If only I had taken a picture. Martlew, Stephen and Ellis (2011) discuss the importance of allowing children to shape their own learning. As teachers, we need to provide the resources and watch from a distance what the children decide to do. If children are struggling to come up with an idea then we can intervene and support their thinking. It is unfair to expect children at the age of 5 to go from a play-based nursery environment straight into a formal schooling system with little play based learning. We need to allow children to explore their ideas through play and learn this way alongside some teaching.
Unfortunately, this week I learned the lesson of knowing when you are pushing yourself too far. I hadn’t been feeling well from Wednesday (possibly due to trying mac and cheese on Tuesday night- probably not the best idea when you might have coeliac disease and are on placement!). I just braved it and dealt with the pain whilst teaching on Wednesday. However, on Thursday I could hardly touch any food by lunch time and was keeling over but again I was determined to keep going and teach the little ones all about Jesus feeding the five thousand. My worksheets were photocopied, powerpoint made and waiting but my teacher insisted I go home and rest up. Little did my mum know that her days of picking up her sick child from school were not quite over!
I went back in on Friday as I had been asked to be another adult for the P5/6 forest schools trip to Downhill. My teacher insisted that I go home if I was not feeling well and did not want me to feel under any pressure to go on the trip. The trip was all for this new project the school are getting involved with to become a forest school. I have worked with this class on a couple of occasions now which is nice as I am starting to get to know them. It was 9.45am, we were all ready with our coats and hi-vis vests on. We set off on our trek from school to Downhill Demesne. To our surprise, we were greeted by some fires although not really what you need when it is sunny and 15 degrees out!
We started our session by using flint to make sparks and learning about how they used flint to light fires years ago. Next was my favourite part- toasting marshmallows on the fires- YUM! The National Trust had made some hot chocolate for the children to sip on while they ate their marshmallows. Oh no! The fires were starting to go out- we needed to find some materials to keep the fire going. Phew- we saved the fires! Next up was a dander around the forest and garden area in groups looking for various things such as mushrooms and animal tracks. My group were super speedy- within minutes it was “Miss Gibson, I see some pinecones!” “Miss Gibson, there’s a hole in a tree!” “I see some colourful flowers!”. Next each group was told to find a tree and measure it. “What!? How do we measure a tree without a ruler or tape measure? We aren’t tall enough to reach the top!” the children exclaimed. “That’s where your hands are needed! You are going to measure the tree in hands not centimetres and to measure the height we will use out thumbs. You will need one person to stand against the tree and the rest of you will step back until they are the size of your thumb. Then, you will count how many thumbs tall the tree is.” the staff member explained. The children worked really well together for this activity, however, a few pupils in my group acted up but I felt I dealt with them well.
As a whole class, we walked down to the play area. The fun was about to begin. We walked over the bridge, balanced on some planks and clambered to the other side into the main play trail area. This was where we built a den per group. Unfortunately, we had been assigned a tree which was on a slope, a muddy slope at that. We were sliding everywhere, there was no way we were going to be able to build a den when we could just about stand up! I decided we should just go elsewhere and use a different tree in a safer location. We found our spot and got to work. It turns out it is a lot harder to make a den when all you have around you is a bunch of branches which won’t prop up against a tree nicely. We managed to eventually have something that like somewhat like a den but I don’t think I’d want to spend much time in there! The trek back up to school seemed to go on forever as 21 tired and hungry children don’t tend to make fun company! We were glad to get back into school and get some lunch after a long but exciting morning!
According to the Early Years Interboard Panel (undated, pp.11), outdoors and indoors need to be viewed as one combined environment. Outdoor learning is just as key as indoor and so requires the same detail of planning and evaluation. It is important to develop outdoor play especially in the early years as it allows children to relive their experiences through their most natural channel-movement. It is one of the four vehicles through which children learn. The others are play, sensory and talk (Early Years Interboard Panel, undated, pp.15). The Early Years Interboard Panel (undated, pp.35-78) suggest having various areas of learning:
These kinds of projects are a great way to get children into the outdoors and show them just how much fun it can be. Forest schools were initiated in Denmark as a way of encouraging regular outdoor learning for children. The key principles focus on ensuring the outdoors are enjoyable, using natural resources for learning and building an awareness of their senses to enhance natural curiosity (Early Years Interboard Panel, undated, pp.169). In today’s society, it seems that children are glued to technology and spend less time outdoors than I did at their age. I think this is really sad as they are in a sense brainwashed by technology and just don’t realise the opportunities the outdoors has to offer. As teachers, I believe we have a responsibility to introduce and encourage these children to the wonders of the world and provide opportunities for children to explore the great outdoors during school hours. For some pupils, this may be the only time they get outside to play. Outdoor play not only benefits children educationally but also physically. Children benefit from being exposed to sunlight, natural elements, and open air, which contributes to bone development and a stronger immune system. It seems that some parents’ fear of their child getting hurt when they are not with them is taking over and they are bubble wrapping their children by keeping them indoors (Bento and Dias, 2017). I think it is important for children to explore independently as this is a way in which they can learn from their mistakes e.g. if they fall over they know not to do that again or be more cautious.
On Friday morning, I decided I was fine to go on the trip and stay in school as I thought what more could a bit of gluten do to me!? Bad idea, Clare- I’m not sure if it has been the gluten or if I caught a bug on Friday but I have ended up feeling rotten all weekend and don’t know if I will be well enough for school tomorrow. I think as a teacher it can be hard to be sick as you obviously want to go in and just brave it so you see your class and can teach them. However, you also need to remember that you could end up making them sick or not be able to teach them effectively and would be better just resting up. Ultimately, if you cannot focus on the children and their learning, it is unfair on them and yourself to be in that classroom. Children deserve teachers who can be focused and think clearly to provide them with the best educational experience possible. Of course, we as teachers also get sick. How could we avoid it when we work with kids!? Half of which don’t wash their hands after using the toilet! Sometimes, we just need to take some time to recover and reenergise ourselves when we are under the weather. Maybe, just don’t make it too often!
I found this workshop useful as it helped me to practically think of how to apply the standards from the GTCS into the classroom during placement and after university.
