Dance… love it or hate it?

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Friday mornings dance workshop gave me a whole new perspective on the subject I once did anything to avoid. I have no previous experience of dance and always thought it was not for me. This, combined with the fear of making a fool of myself left me ‘hating it’ throughout my childhood.

However, after Friday’s workshop I began to realise I can no longer be the child scared of making a fool of themselves. I need to be an adult; A teacher that inspires children with full confidence in the subject. The workshop highlighted to me the importance of this subject in the curriculum. I believe if dance had been part of the curriculum when I was in primary school this would have given me the chance to try it and learn some basics. By the time it became part of the curriculum when I was in secondary school many children had thrived in outside school dance clubs and I still had no experience. This has motivated as a future teacher to give every child a chance to try out dancing and inspire them continue it into later life.

But why bother you may ask?

After doing some reading on the ‘Get Scotland Dancing’ campaign and the Curriculam For Excellence Subject outcomes and experiences I have found dance is a huge part of Scotlands culture and brings in many important aspects of a child’s development. First, it helps the child develop their creativity through choreographing and demonstrating their feelings and ideas through a different media. Second, it is a very good and fun activity that can help towards children reaching their 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Finally, dance is a very social activity that builds on teamwork, cooperation and friendship all of which are very important for good mental wellbeing.

This new information got me motivated and inspired to teach dance in a successful and exciting way to all children. However, I am obviously facing some challenges due to my lack of experience. Therefore I am going to make a professional commitment to improving my knowledge of dance and my ability to teach it. I plan on doing this through more reading, watching dance performances and fully participating in the dance workshops. I thoroughly enjoy physical activity therefore I know I can do this in order to make me a better teacher in the future.

Personal and Professional Values and Commitment- online unit 3

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This task asked me to look at my own personal values and how they motivated me to choose this career path.

Questions like this are never easy for me……having to look beneath my first response I give when people ask me ‘why do you want to be a teacher?’. However, I see the importance in understanding my values before I enter my first professional practice.

I guess my first and core value is quality; in all aspects of life. However, in relation to teaching I believe (and so do the Human Rights) that everyone has the right to a good education regardless of their background. Therefore, I knew that this would be one of my core values in the classroom; that I would strive to ensure no child would be subject to stereotypes within education. However, when I began to look at this deeper I realised I couldn’t treat every child equally otherwise those disadvantaged would still be below others. This brings me onto my second value, the importance of equity. I realise now this is what really motivated me to become a teacher. Equality is all good and well in many situations but when you look at education equity is what is important. Equality in the classroom is vital to ensure individual’s abilities are not under estimated due to their race, gender, religion or social background etc. However, when looking at the way you educate children methods cannot all be the same. This would not be giving each child an equal chance to achieve. Here’s an example; teaching an English lesson exactly the same to every child is equality but not taking into consideration those in the class whose first language is not English means these children do not have a fair chance at achieving what the rest will. I want to ensure that throughout my career I stick by my value of equity and not only does every child have an equal opportunity to be educated but that all children have a truly equal chance to achieve. The picture below describes these concepts well…

Equality Versus Equity

There are also other values that I see as fundamental to me personally and in my professional career such as honesty, openness, wisdom and team work. Each of these are vital in teaching and I know my values and skill set will be exercised in this profession unlike others. Finally, the value sharing is very important to me; the sharing of knowledge.

Described above are my personal values yet it has been shown these can all be used in a professional setting. As I consider this more I am finding that within teaching there is a very thin line between personal and professional values. Obvious personal values such as religious views or stereotypical beliefs cannot be discussed within the classroom however the GTCS Standards For Registration outline the core values in teaching and much of these are personal. They include: Social justice, Integrity, Trust and Respect and Professional Commitment. This demonstrates that personal values are extremely important within teaching and I must continue to reflect on my own throughout my studies and career.

Moving on from this the final task brought everything together and asked me to look back on my weaker skills I identified in unit 1. I was then asked to make a personal commitment to developing these marking the beginning of my CPD (Continual Professional Development).

My commitment is to develop my academic skills mainly my reflective writing, spelling and punctuation skills. I plan on doing this by reading continuously especially reflective pieces and essay writing skills books. I look forward to re- evaluating this a year from now and making another commitment.

Reflection- Online unit 2

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Reflection can mean many things and can be used in a variety of different ways. Today I will be discussing the types of reflection I will be using during my academic study and professional practice.

First of all, I’d like to clear something up… ..simply describing the situation/event IS NOT REFLECTION. Reflection involves looking at an experience and considering what you learnt from it. Here are some examples:

Independently one way in which everyone uses reflection is by considering the success or failure of your actions for example reflecting on a lesson you planned for your class. You will do this by calling upon your own experiences, emotions and beliefs related to the situation. You will then be able to note what went well, what you achieved and what you didn’t. However, it is vital you also look at things from others points of view to come up with the best next step. This leads me onto the next form of reflection…reflecting together.

Reflecting together can be in two forms. It can involve working together by comparing your beliefs to come up with a joint solution. You would do this by having a discussion with your class on what needed improving about the lesson. This allows you to gain new ideas and learn from the experience. It can also mean reflecting on feedback you have received. For example, looking at the feedback you were given on your last essay and thinking about how you can improve for your next one. This type of reflection also allows us to learn and in some cases, challenge our existing beliefs when hearing others opinions.

Both types of reflection result in a learning experience that can be put into practice in future (for example your next essay), you will then reflect again on this new situation and so the cycle continues. This then demonstrates that one of the best ways to learn is to constantly reflect on your practices.

Summary of why we should reflect –

· Build theory from observations

· Continually self-develop even if things are working fine

· Help solve problems/ gain new ideas

· Learn from mistakes/ challenge existing assumptions

· To take control of your own learning

Top tips for reflection-

· Do it immediately after the event

· Reflect again after a couple of days

· Ensure you look at the situation from different view points

· Think about how your learning will affect your future practice

Overall this activity has helped me understand the importance of reflection and the different ways I can do it. I am keen to get into a good habit of reflection as I know it will be key in my future career therefore I will continue to work on my blog to develop my skills.

Following on from this the final task asked me to reflect on my understanding of various academic skills including: Punctuation; Spelling; Grammar and Shaping of text. The required reading (The Study Skills Book) gave me an insight into my strengths and weaknesses in these different areas. I have concluded that my strengths lie in shaping of a text and grammar whereas I am weaker in areas such as spelling and punctuation. I feel confident in paragraphing and sentence structure which will be useful for my academic writing. However I struggle with complex and less frequent punctuation along with uncommon spelling of words. After reflecting on this I understand the importance of these skills for my academic study and my future Career therefore I will continue to develop these. I plan on doing this by practicing the Online Literacy Assessment – an online test the university created for students- and using The Study Skills Book to revise the areas I am weaker in.

I will post soon about the effect this has had on my OLA score!

Managing and Engaging with my learning – online unit 1

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Todays post is about how I plan on taking control of my own learning.

First I completed a task which asked me to look at what helps and what hinders my learning. I was then asked to write about I planned on using this information to make my studying practices more effective. Here is what I came up with…

What helps my learning?	How can I utilise this?
Discussing with others	· Meet with peers on my course out with class · Participate in online discussions
Planning	· Plan when I will complete homework tasks · Set goals on completing reading
Organisation	· Organising my notes into categories eg modules
Revision	· Go over key terms and definitions until I remember them
Using a variety of materials	Use… · Books, Websites, Articles and videos
Visual aids	· Use Flashcards
Experience	· Learn and reflect on my practice

What hinders my learning?	How can I address this factor?
Distractions	· Study in a place with minimal distractions, eg alone
Long periods of study	· Take regular breaks
Not being given examples	· Take time after lectures to put facts into real life situations
Social priorities	· Make time for study and social priorities
Fatigue	· Having a good sleeping pattern and sticking to it
Obstacles	· Ensuring I ask for help when I am struggling

The final part of the task asked me to reflect on the benefits of Active Learning and Co-operative Working.

I feel it would be good to start with an small description of the kind of things active learning entails. Opposite from passive learning, active learning involves engaging with your materials and sources. This could be done by re-writing your notes after a lecture into a way that makes more sense to you. For example dividing them into categories or linking them with real life examples. By doing this you are able to think about the subject in depth with more time than you would in during a lecture and add information. This is an obvious benefit of active learning as by the end of it you are left with a larger and more in depth set of notes which will be useful in assignment writing. Another way to actively learn is to describe you topic to another person. By doing this you are consolidating your knowledge and committing it to memory in a way that is simple enough to describe to others and therefore easy enough to remember. A final example of active learning asking yourself questions as you study or re-write notes. This allows you to analyse and evaluate your notes while making conclusions or comparisons again providing you with a more in depth understanding of the topic.

Moving onto co-operative working I have chosen 4 main benefits – In a group task setting working together allows higher standards to be produced. This is because each person only has to focus on one area of the task rather than trying to complete it all. There is also benefits to working co-operatively in a discussion setting. By working together and discussing knowledge everyone in the group is able to learn new things and hear others opinions. This is particularly helpful when you are struggling with a certain area as there is usually always someone that can help. Another benefit is by passing on your knowledge to others in your group you are also consolidating your own knowledge. I believe if you are able to explain it to someone else this shows you understand it. Finally not only does working co-operatively provide a wider range of knowledge it also provides a collection of different skills.

I feel this activity has helped me understand how I can improve my study skills and has also introduced me to new methods I will begin to use.

Now to start unit 2……Wish me luck

Identifying my Skills and Abilities- Online unit 1

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After completing Activity 1 and 2 I feel I have a better understanding of my strengths and the areas I need to work on. The completed activities can be found in my Personal audit and transferable skills page located along the top of the blog.

The discussion task ‘What would you say are the most important skills/attributes/qualities we need to develop for successful academic study, and why?’ helped me realise the different ways in which I can use my skills.

Here is what I wrote…

Setting personal goals: I believe this is key to academic study. By setting your own goals you are able to deal with a large amount of tasks in a more organised approach and become motivated to achieve them to a high standard. It also helps you keep good time for example when working towards an assignment submission.

Building social networks: I see this as a useful tool in academic study as it allows you to learn out with your lectures. By making friends and talking with others on your course you are able to share knowledge and opinions on subjects. This skill is also useful when working within groups during your academic study.

Take notes: This is an important skill during academic study at university. Not only does taking notes give you the opportunity to refer back to a subject area it also helps you retain the information more than just listening does. There are also many useful pieces of information said during a lecture that are not on the Power Point Slides. Having the ability to listen for this and take notes will widen your knowledge.

Evaluate information: In assignments or any piece of academic writing it is not enough to simply state knowledge you must be able to evaluate this to gain higher marks. For example demonstrating how the information/ knowledge is useful or relevant to the question.

Participate in discussions: I believe this final skill is key to successful academic study as it allows you to broaden your knowledge. By participating in discussions you are able to get others view points on your opinions and this can be very useful to use in your writing. Contributing in discussions will also help to consolidate your learning on the subject. If you are able to discuss it this shows your understand it.

Overall I feel this task has been very useful and I know I will refer back to it throughout my academic study.

GIRFEC – The debate on the Named Person

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In this evaluative post I am hoping to reflect on Thursday’s class debate and come to my own conclusion on the issue.

GIRFEC (Getting it right for every child) is built on 3 main aspects. The wellbeing wheel, The Named Person and the Child Plan. While I could sit and talk about GIRFEC all day there is one key area I will be focussing on….Is the Named Person a positive or are there too many negatives???

If you would like to find out more information about GIRFEC follow this link – http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright/what-is-girfec

Before evaluating the positives and negatives it is important to understand the Named Persons role. Every child in Scotland up to the age of 18 is to have a Named Person who they have regular contact with. From the age of 0-5 this is usually the child’s health visitor and once the child starts school it becomes a Guidance or Head Teacher. The Named Person is to be the first point of contact for anyone, including the child, who has any worries or concerns about the child. The Named Person is also there to provide advice to parents or children and help them get into contact with other services if needed. Finally they have the important role of getting into contact with the Lead Professional to put into place the ‘Child Plan’ if there are serious concerns about the child’s wellbeing. Many welcome this introduction and have no problem with it but on the other hand a large amount of people have found various negatives and fail to support it.

So, here we go… I’ll begin by summarising some of the negative aspects I found.

The child may not like or want to speak to their Named Person therefore problems still could go unnoticed. There is no element of choice for the child, the Named Person should be someone the child chooses and that they are comfortable with. If this were the case it could be argued some problems could be identified and acted on quicker as the child would be more likely to report them.
In a primary school of 300+ children It will be very difficult for the Named Person (usually Head Teacher) to know every child well enough to be able to identify problems especially with quiet children. It is also a lot of work for the Head Teacher who already has various tasks and some argue they cannot do the job properly when they are so busy.
The are many gaps in the scheme. For example children who move around a lot can be without a Named Person for sometime until they are settled and even then they may find it hard to build a relationship with them. Also when a young person leaves school – which they can at 16- they are left with no Named Person and this can be very vulnerable time for them.

However there are positives…

The named person is someone the child is able to speak to about problems at home if they are unable to speak to family. This reduces the chances of problems at home going unnoticed.
Some also argue the child and the Named Person do not always need to be friends it is simply an extra person watching over them.

Overall it is obvious the negatives out weigh the positive but this does not mean the Named Person scheme is not a good idea, it simply means it needs improving. Having an extra person aside from parents to look after every child is never going to be a bad thing. In practice it should mean problems are identified quicker and solved sooner. However it cannot be fully effective until the negatives listed above are addressed.

Workshop- Values: Self,Society and The Professions

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This workshop was one of my first therefore I was apprehensive about what to expect. Not long after we had sat down we were back up again and split into groups; I was in group 3. Each group was given an envelope with materials in it and we were told to make a product for a university student. I thought to myself, I’ve done this before, it’s just another team building exercise, nothing new. Oh I was wrong….

Each group was asked to present a brief to the class of what they were going to make and explain the resources they were given. I decided to take the plunge and present my group’s brief to the class; a scary but beneficial move. As my confidence grew throughout the talk I was glad I did it.

After all the groups had presented it came to light that two groups (1&2) had far more resources than the remaining groups (3&4). I did begin to wonder why…Until I realised we only had 15 minutes left to create something exciting out of 3 bits of paper, some blue tac and a pen!

We knew we weren’t doing well, we could feel the disappointment of our lecturer. While other groups received praise we went unnoticed and began to loose motivation. We observed group 1 receive encouragement and positive comments on their wide variety of materials while group 4 were discouraged and told they were limited in what they could achieve. After a frantic 15 minutes the exercise came to an end and it was time to present our masterpieces.

Group 1 & 2 received smiles, attention and positive comments about their projects while 3&4 received the opposite. After my group had presented we were simply told to sit down with no feedback. It then came to group 4 who weren’t even given attention, never mind feedback! Our lecturer was checking her watching and gazing out the window throughout their whole presentation.

Anyways ; Surprise, surprise, group 1 were the winners.

It was obvious by this point it was deliberate the way the groups had been treated and the resources they were given. It was to teach us about inequality in todays society and how it can feel when you are in direct competition with those who have so much more than you. It was also to demonstrate how important and valuable encouragement can be. I found myself thankful I was in one of the disadvantaged groups, I was able to experience and reflect on how this felt first hand. I realised; We’re university students and we still got grumpy and a little upset at the way we are treated for that hour workshop; therefore its hard to imagine how a child who faces that everyday must feel.

This workshop taught me a valuable lesson that I will carry for the rest of my Career. Inequality, in most cases, reduces motivation to achieve yet motivation is key to escaping inequality. Therefore by doing your best to treat everyone equally this motivation could be increased. This rule is extremely important in the class room. No matter the child’s background I will strive to ensure every child has the motivation to achieve; whatever this may mean for them as an individual.

Why teaching?

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My inspiration to become a teacher comes from a common answer many students will give you- My time at primary school.

Before I begin you should know, I come from a small primary school, very small. My year had 10 pupils – 4 boys and 6 girls. This meant on a daily basis I built strong relationships with my teachers throughout my time at school. I looked up to them and knew from a very young age I wanted to be just like them (sounds cliché I know). At that age they were my biggest role models and helped to develop my kind hearted and patient nature I have with children.

On a one to one basis my primary 6/7 teacher in particular helped me closely in building my confidence before transitioning into secondary school. Six years later when I reflect on this time I realise the impact she had on my life; the impact I am excited to have on others.

After finding my interest in teaching I began to take it more seriously. My little brother was born when I was 5 and I have always had an extremely close relationship with him. I was at an age where I could watch him learn new things and I became excited when I was part of that learning process. Whether he liked it or not he became my own little student in my own little class. I loved helping him with his homework from p1 right through to p7 and showing him creative ways of remembering things. Even though I had just learnt many of the things I was teaching him I found a love for sharing my knowledge. Now, as he begins secondary school and I start my 1^st year in teacher education I understand the impact I had on his learning journey and I am assured this is what I want to do.

So there you have it. To be honest, there are far too many reasons why I want to do this. All I know is nothing compared to the exciting idea of becoming a teacher and I can’t wait to get started.