Emily Tinkler's ePortfolio of Education Training

Both Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and the International Bachelorette (IB) are very child centred. CfE and IB use an active children learning approach where the children are involved in their own learning.

CfE and PYP focus on inter-curriculum learning where the children can see the connections between the different topics and subjects helping to create an all round learning. Through this method of teaching the children gain a better understanding and more in depth comprehension of the curriculum.

PYP and CfE differ through the structure of the curriculums. PYP us a more fluid approach to learning whereas CfE has more structure in their teaching and encourages the children to follow certain aims. PYP is very student led and motivates the children to use their initiative rather than follow direct instructions and other children in the class.

Both education systems are effective in their own way and produce positive outcomes just with different overall goals.

Progressive IB has been developed to encourage children to think and analyse on the information which they have been given. This method of teaching and the way children learn means that children use a range of different skills and strengthen the openness and variety which is needed in education.

The IB Education Trends (by 1960s) correspond with CfE in a number of ways including: Education of the whole child, critical analysis, a range of skills tested and multiple perspectives. All of these Progressive IB Trends link with CfE through being able to critically think, work in a group and individually, children in CfE also need to demonstrate that they can be adaptable to different subjects and problems.

 

In more depth the Progressive IB Trends and CfE align in numerous ways:

Education of the Whole Child- CfE focuses on ensuring the children have a wealth of knowledge in lots of areas as well as establishing the children’s respect for others and being able to work in a group and individually.

Critical Analysis- Under Effective Contributors, the CfE tries to motivate children to apply critical thinking, solve problems. In other areas of CfE, the curriculum inspire children to develop reasonable, informed and developed views on a variety of issues and to be able to assess risks.

Range of Skills Tested- CfE includes a range of skills and teaching children how to use these skills through the array of different subjects and ways of applying their learning to real life scenarios. CfE also encourages problem solving which in turn uses lots of skills and analysis to determine solutions.

Multiple Perspectives-  Through encouraging children to work in groups, the Curriculum for Excellence, learners can listen to others opinions and take feedback with a positive attitude.  Children are also taught to use multiple perspectives to their advantage as they learn about different views that people may have and being able to understand and respect others opinions, but also to be able to see why people view things in certain ways.

I believe that the Progressive IB Trends and CfE do align in multiple different ways and they also provide the overall child with an education which includes multiple different factors and can think about their learning in depth and analyse the information to apply it to the question or scenario. Both IB and CfE utilise the child’s learning to help them understand the world and their surroundings.

International Baccalaureate (IB) and Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) have many similarities in their capacities and attributes. However, they also have differences in their aims, outcomes but similar results.

IB shares similarities with CfE as they both aim to encourage students to be thoughtful individuals. IB focuses on creating caring individuals, where CfE encourages children to be respectful of others and teaching how to care for other people’s feelings and understand the needs of others. The four capacities for learners that CfE create mirrors the values that IB strives to achieve.

CfE and IB teach pupils to be kind, enthusiastic, polite and knowledgable. IB tries to focus children on using initiative, fairness, appreciative and having consideration for surroundings. Whereas CfE uses the four capacities, where in order to become a successful learner you need to be enthusiastic, motivated and determined. Confidence stems from having secure values, ambition and self-respect while being an effective contributor focuses on having the appropriate attitude and being resilient. CfE also focuses on making learners responsible citizens which comes from respect and commitment.

This shows that IB and CfE do have some differences in their focus, where IB tries to ensure that their learners are open-minded and can appreciate cultures, values and traditions. Where CfE focuses on being a successful learner by being determined to achieve and being motivated. IB also differs from CfE as IB learners are encouraged to inquire into their learning and develop their curiosity and learning. CfE focuses on being open to new thinking and ideas rather then researching.

I have experienced IB attributes in my own learning when I was at school and we would be given a topic (e.g. rivers) to research and make a presentation on individually and in groups. This showed the IB attributes of ‘inquirers’, ‘thinkers’, ‘communicators’ and ‘knowledgeable’, these projects were effective as they allowed for group work as well as playing to everyones strengths as there was an area of the project that everyone would be able to do.

I have also experienced IB teaching on my MA1 placement, where the children had visited the high school and we reflected on their feelings about moving to their school and what they are nervous about and what they were looking forward to. We used the thinking hats to further the ideas and opinions and to help give suggestions so that all areas were covered.

When I was in primary school I really enjoyed maths and I have continued to enjoy it. I gain a feeling of reward from maths, which some may say is geeky or nerdy, but I see it as motivation. You know if the answer is right or wrong, it can be demotivating if there is only one small calculation error at the very beginning and you have continued until the end to realise that it is wrong. However, it is clear and concise. I struggled with English and History at school as there is many possible answers to one question. But with maths there is one possible 2 correct answers depending on the positive or negative.

I was determined to carry on with maths, in my 5th year of school i sat Higher maths and didn’t achieve the grade I wanted. So in my last year at school, I went back and continued with the class and re-sat the exam and came out with a result I was really happy with. Maths taught me that things can take multiple attempts and if you struggle it isn’t worth giving up, you can gain determination from not letting something defeat you. Just like I did with my Higher grade.

 

I understand that people have different strengths and weaknesses, but I do not believe that whole subjects so be written. People cannot be perfect at everything however, it is up to the teacher to keep on motivating their pupils to keep trying. Giving new ways to explain the same concepts and helping give extra to those who struggle so that children don’t think that just because they struggle with their times tables for example, they aren’t able to continue with the rest of the course. This is not true, some children may be really good at creative writing but struggle with discursive writing and yet they are not given the thoughts that they are rubbish at English. Each child has strengths and weaknesses. But it is up to the teacher to praise their achievements and support in their struggles.

 

In today’s workshop, I learnt that innumeracy is just as bad as illiteracy. Not being able to work with numbers is worse to lifestyles then not being able to read and write. Most people I think will underestimate how important numbers are. It is a universal language. Numbers are present in everyday life, whether we are aware of it or not. I believe that it is important for all teachers to teach maths with the same enthusiasm as every other subject, because there is no reason why maths should be penalised. Every subject is worthy of being in the curriculum, and every child deservers the change to excel at them,

Through watching this video, I learnt that teaching drama lessons must always begin with an agreement of the 3 C’s: Communication, Co-operation and Concentration. This is the best way to ensure a productive and effective lesson.

 

The next step of a drama lesson is the warm-up, this gets the body and mind ready for the lesson and ensures that there is a clear definition between the drama lesson and other class lessons. A warm-up also differentiates play and learning to allow for children’s creativity to begin. Types of warm-up include; Vocal, Concentration, Teamwork and Physical, any of these could be used or multiple styles could be used together. This shows that the pupils need to focus on the lesson to follow.

Focus is the following step to a constructive drama lesson. This is where a stimuli will be shared with the pupils such as a video, song, image, word etc. This allows for a subjected to be created and set, allowing for the children to think about what they could do using their imagination.

Following on from the focus, is development; starting with the stimuli and progressing to a bigger idea. The pupils will be able to visualise and talk through the story journey and use their creativity and imagination to discuss the topic.

Continuing with visualising, the students will have a scene described to them and then be asked what they think of this image.

Moving onto the next sense, the children will use the skill of Soundscaping. This is where a pice of sound will be played and the students will be asked to think about what they can hear. As a teacher asking what their suggestions are is really important as it allows the children to express their thoughts and develop on these, as well as asking how they would create their suggestion using their bodies.

By using their body’s, this utilises the skill of bodyscaping. It allows for the children to use creative aspects in a visual context. It is important to not provide props in this sense, as it is to allow children to think about how they can make different shapes, images and effects with no resources.

After all of these sections, the Performance is important as it allows children to show their work to their peers. Performance also shows them that there is a purpose to their hard work, effort and determination.

Other areas of drama which are important for children to understand are frozen scenes and thought tracking. These involve the children using different levels and vocalising what they feel in that image.

Evaluation is the best way to finish a lesson as it allows for children to be aware of their achievements and know and understand what they have learnt. Evaluating a lesson allows for children to develop the play and fun into a learning experience as well as calm them before returning to the classroom.

 

Overall, through this drama workshop I have built my confidence, I was not sure how I would start teaching a drama lesson. However, I now have a clearer understanding and feel more comfortable to teach a drama lesson.

Reflecting on semester 1, I believe that my most important learning point was at the very beginning of term, where the working together module demonstrated how all the different professions interlinked. This was then reinforced in the values module where all different backgrounds, political views, cultures, races, genders and professions interlink in society on a wider scale.

 

Through taking part in these modules my learning journey progressed through realising that all areas interlink to have the best outcome for each child. Through widening my views and opinions of inter-professional working I realised that the overall outcome and work for each profession improves. There are more suggestions and ideas available with the more experience available.

I believe that the process of reflection is very important in the teaching profession. Without looking back at previous situations and scenarios and learning from them, you can never improve, adapt and develop as a professional.

In the module “Working Together” we took part in an anonymous peer-reflection activity which was really interesting to understand how other group members view each other and their role within the group. I found this activity useful and I learnt that I need to explain the point I am making in a clear and concise way.

 

Over my time at university, I believe that I am improving on my personal reflection, which will benefit my daily and weekly reflections on professional practice.

Through this lecture I have seen how different exemplar reflections compare, which are in more detail, which are more professional and which will be more useful to the writer looking back at their experiences. This  was very useful as I was unsure of how the daily and weekly reflections were to be worded, but I now have a clearer view.

I found learning where to be critical and where to reflect and improve on situations difficult to distinguish. However, after learning about Schon (1983) reflect on-action and reflect in-action, I have improved my understanding and awareness of the differences.

 

At school I found constructive criticism difficult to accept and understand. However, since I have had school exams and university work, I am learning how to take the feedback out of the information. Through my change in attitude to constructive criticism and the change in my understanding, I feel better prepared for my professional practice. I also feel better equipped for professional development as I am constantly improving my understanding, organisation and self-reflection.

Relationships have always been important in the development of children. Through watching Dr Suzanne Zeedyk’, I have become aware of how much of an impact Early Years relationship have on child development and growth.

Dr S. Zeedyk used the analogy that if a baby grows up in a dangerous background (e.g. domestic violence), they will constantly be looking for danger and producing Cortisol which will make them alert. The production of this hormone was originally produced to protect the human body from dangers like a saber-toothed tiger and help the body cope with stress. This means that a baby who has grown up with domestic violence, will constantly produce the stress hormone which is detrimental to their health as they will not know how to relax and calm down. As well as not being able to process stress effectively, these children are constantly focused on possible dangers and will therefore no be able to learn other important factors of their life- sich as their surroundings.

 

John Carnochan OBE, a former head of Strathclyde’s Police Violence Reduction Unit, speaks about the importance of the first 4 years of a child’s life. In these years, children develop a sense of coherence and belonging; they learn how the world is structured and how their internal resources meet demands and which of these are worthy of engagement. This shows that the first 4 years of a child’s life are important for them to understand human connections and bonds.

As a teacher, Carnochan makes it clear that children that come into your class maybe at 4 different stages of reflection in their home life; chaos; just coping; coping and thriving, this makes it so important for a teacher to ensure that the learning environment that they provide is suitable for every child and every child feels safe and secure to have a place where every child can thrive.

Teaching children the essential factors of humanity- care, forgiveness, optimism, nurture, tolerance, empathy and compassion- is so important for children to develop into well-rounded individuals who can improve society.

 

Through watching these documentaries; I now understand more about how children’s relationships with their families, guardians and other important members of their life, can impact all areas and aspects of their life. A a primary practitioner I will be more aware of how each child in my class presents themselves each day and how their attitudes, behaviour and personalities waver as this may be a sign that they are in the “chaos” category of the class.

Todays workshop was very interesting to see how dance and movement can link into a large variety of other areas of the curriculum- like lesson topics.

Through using a stimuli the use of movement can help the understanding of children in a different way to the topics that they are learning about at the moment. This is very useful as it is good for children to experience different types of learning.

Before attending this workshop I had never considered using dance and movement in lessons for explaining information. However, after this workshop I am encouraged to as it allows for children to express themselves and develop their confidence and understanding.

From this workshop I will take forward:

• The positive ways to reassure the children that we were taught.
• The ways to help children build relationships with other members of the class and build their confidence.
• To be open-minded to new ideas of teaching methods that I have not experienced before, as well as collaborating with other colleagues.