Author Archives: Kirsten Farquhar

End of Module Reflection

Throughout this 1st semester, I have enjoyed the HWB module. It has been good to develop my knowledge & understanding in each of the different areas within HWB and also with some aspects relating to my ongoing thesis, it has enabled me to make connections and hopefully deepen my discussions later.

The module as a whole has enabled me to look further into specific areas which are of interest to me & those I did not have high confidence in delivering within the classroom. Working with others during the inputs has enabled me to further develop my communication skills as well as skills such as listening and empathy. Furthermore, working with others on some of the tasks has made the experience more enjoyable. The motivation & encouragement we provided to each other was invaluable. I feel I have learnt a lot from them as professionals, sharing ideas and thoughts about many different issues – seeing different perspectives and encouraging me to develop my own thinking.

I decided to do the tasks within this blog/portfolio for a variety of reasons. Firstly, we had 3 compulsory ones which had to be completed and thereafter the rest were up to us to make our own choices about which ones we were going to complete. I chose to do the vast majority of the tasks based on what I felt I had an interest in but also, I chose some which I thought would challenge me. For example, the tasks within the areas of Relationships, Sexual Health & Parenthood and Mental Health & Wellbeing. I believe I felt these would challenge me due to not having much experience in the areas, therefore aiding my professional development.

For the most part, these tasks have been enjoyable to complete. It was a continuous process throughout the module with the majority of tasks being completed before the end of October. I feel that by doing them throughout the module it has taken some stress away from the completion of the assignment as a whole. I chose to do this portfolio as a blog on Glow due to feeling like I wanted to make it a bit more interactive rather than just word documents on a USB. In addition, I wanted to again challenge myself but also make a start on building a resource bank/reflection for my future career & professional development. Having this online and on Glow means I will always have access to the information as this is a system teachers continue to utilise in practice. Furthermore, Thorburn (2014:207) also states, that

“teachers are urged to share examples of their practice across the Glow intranet network; an online resource platform designed to help create communities of practice and to offer practitioners new opportunities to share and collaborate”.

Having the opportunity to experience the Glow system before going out into practice, I feel more confident in using it and recognise the advantages of such a tool.

Although it has been good to experience this tool, it has been very time consuming & at times stressful. After completing each individual task and then having to place it on here & edit it to make the blog posts more engaging took a lot longer than I had first anticipated. I hope that the time & effort can be seen throughout.

I remember getting asked whether doing this module has influenced my own health & wellbeing. On reflection of the module, I would say it has – some positive, some negative. The vast amount of information, knowledge and resources which I have gathered has been great in giving me the confidence to go out and teach all aspects of HWB. It has also encouraged me to think about areas, issues & topics I have never really considered due to a lack of opportunities to experience them in university and whilst out on practice. In addition, I feel that it has made me want to continue making positive changes (ie. exercise more, eat better etc.) in my own life. However, uni life does make this slightly difficult at times!!

Unfortunately, it has been a very demanding module at a time when thesis is also very demanding which has been slightly difficult to balance. HWB is such a huge curricular area and there is SO much to learn and take in that it is impossible to know everything. But like any module/assignment, it has been a stressful process to ensure quality & quantity.

I have to admit that completing this portfolio has been quite a challenge and I have taken a lot of time & effort to (hopefully) make it the best it could be! I do feel a sense of pride & achievement after completing this module & portfolio as I believe I have taken myself out of my comfort zone many a times to complete tasks in lectures and also in this portfolio, for example making videos. This is something I still don’t feel completely comfortable with but you’ve got to give something a go at least once! The digital skills that have been developed, from creating the blog to editing videos & uploading files are also going to assist me in my future career & professional development.

The TDT Task Sheet & Assessment Criteria states that a minimum of 30hrs is to be completed out with class. I feel I have far exceeded the 30hrs due to:

completion of set tasks (compulsory/non-compulsory)
extra activities which I believe have been of benefit to me professionally
time taken to create and utilise the blog to make it more engaging to include short reflections, pictures, videos, websites & documents.

Overall, I have enjoyed the module. I just wish there had been more opportunities throughout university to build such a bank of resources as we have only covered small amounts. With HWB
being a responsibility of all, alongside Literacy & Numeracy, I don’t feel that there is such an emphasis on it in university. This is something which I feel should be incorporated more due to many practitioners leaving with very little knowledge/awareness as they may have not chosen it for either their 3rd/4th year elective. I am glad that I made this decision as I now feel more confident in delivering lessons in specific areas which I previously was slightly daunted by.

I hope that you enjoy reading the posts and that my commitment, time and efforts have been portrayed!

🙂

PS. if the videos don’t play first time, refreshing the page should make them work!

Reference:

Thorburn, M. (2014) ‘Educating for Well-being in Scotland: Policy and Philosophy, Pitfalls and Possibilities’, Oxford Review of Education, 40(2), pp. 206-222.

Mindfulness

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Within the TDT Task booklet there was an activity on Mindfulness. I decided not to complete this task as others were of more interest and I had already completed a number of tasks to make headsp up the 30hrs. However, throughout the module I have been interested in what mindfulness is and thought I would give it a go. I had already downloaded an app ‘Headspace’ ages ago but never actually used so this is the app I decided to try out.

After signing up and creating an account, I began the free trial activities available. It is a set of 10 which you’re encouraged to do on a daily basis. This however proved to be quite challenging to actually do. I felt that when I did it in the morning, it made me more tired and wanting to have a nap so I decided to use it at night, as a wind down from the day. I found this actually helped me drop off to sleep a bit easier, especially as some days were quite busy and stressful & it can take a wee while to switch off! MBSR

This is however something I would like to give another go and try to do it everyday as sometimes I would forget. I would also like to read up about it and if possible see/implement it in practice as I have heard a lot of positive things about doing Mindfulness within the classroom and the benefits it has on children and young people.

🙂

What Causes Wellness?

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Watch video of Harry Burns – write a reflection (1 hour)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEh3JG74C6s

Evidence: Write a reflection about your thoughts on wellness and wellbeing in children.

Personal Thoughts:

I recently watched the above clip of Harry Burns giving a talk on wellness & wellbeing. This was an interesting video which gave a lot of information which I had not thought of before.

He began by discussing why he started to look into the reasons behind those in the poorest areas taking longer to recover whilst in hospital. Throughout the talk he highlights many issues such as smoking and poor diets however recognises these alone cannot explain the persistent gap between rich and poor over some 25 years of study. Burns then looked at the work of other psychologists and came to an understanding that it is the early life of individuals which has the greatest impact on adulthood experiences. For example, growing up in chaotic environments has a negative influence however those young people who develop resilience have done so as a result of having a close bond with a caregiver/mentor, positive personal attributes and good support systems from peers and the community they live in. He then goes on to highlight the changes which occur in the brain due to stress in an individual’s life. It becomes apparent that these chaotic circumstances can have a detrimental impact on children and young people’s learning and development. The ability to learn, make sense of the world and behave appropriately is lowered as a result of lacking the ability to manage stress. Burns also highlights the importance of treating the root cause of all these problems as opposed to just ‘using drugs’ to cure individuals when they have become ill. Finally, the notion of alienation is discussed, particularly highlighting it as a continuous cycle. This suggests that it is vital practitioners work hard to ensure all young people have positive mindsets and encourage them to persevere with their education and reach their full potential.

I believe that the wellbeing of children and young people these days is something which we should be keeping an eye on to ensure we give all young people opportunities to build resilience and the skills they need to fully participate effectively within society. Resent research suggests that mental health in youngsters is continuing to decrease which is frightening; to think that young people, of primary age, are being reported as having depression. wellbeing-wheel

In order to find a solution to these problems individuals are facing, action must be taken across the whole board, from the early years, giving children the best start in life, to ensuring the elderly are not feeling isolated. Here in Scotland there are a variety of strategies and initiatives to help tackle such issues and make Scotland a happier, healthy place to live. For example the Early Years Framework – practitioners are actively engaging with parents and young people to improve overall wellbeing; breastfeeding initiatives to get more women participating due to the health benefits identified and also smoking cessation. I fully agree with Burns when he discusses the notion of having ‘Will’ and ‘Method’, to enable Scotland to be transformed.

Finally, the quote at the end of Burns’ talk is something which I think everyone should take on board –

“A compassion that stands in awe at the burdens the poor have to carry rather than stands in judgement at the way they carry them”

If we all took a little bit of time, made a little bit more effort to connect with people, we can help change Scotland as a nation and assist in creating better wellbeing for all.

Reference:

TEDx Talks (2014) What Causes Wellness: Sir Harry Burns – TEDx Glasgow. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEh3JG74C6s (Accessed: 09 November 2015)

‘Snapshot’ Assignment Feedback

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Write a 250 word assignment (2 hrs)

Using the assignment criteria, write 250 words of your assignment, complete with references and bibliography. You will then write a self-assessment of your short piece of work and include this with your mini snapshot essay. You will then share this with your critical peer and give written feedback to each other on your work.

Evidence: Your written 250 word assessment. In addition you should add in your self-assessment feedback and your peer assessment feedback.

Personal Thoughts:

This was a difficult task to complete. I don’t often share any assignment work I have produced due to my lack of confidence and not wanting to pass on incorrect info or scare someone if they haven’t written about something I have or vice versa. Also, this task was a challenge to try and fit in. When it comes to writing an assignment, I like to lock myself away in my room and just get on with it!

In addition, sharing a piece of approx 250 words, that I felt happy with or that will even be used within the final assignment was a slight challenge. I was fully prepared for this and welcomed some feedback, positive/negative. I gave my justification for choosing this particular section and also what else I was hoping to discuss within the assignment.

I personally found this task very difficult to do – giving someone feedback on their academic work when I don’t feel like I am in a position to do so. For example, I don’t feel qualified enough to do this. I also believe everyone has different ways of writing an assignment, taking a different spin every time which also makes it a challenge to give some constructive criticism/feedback further than “looks good, keep going”. I feel we did manage to give each other something that we may want to look at and work on however this was quite an uncomfortable task to do.

My word count is slightly over due to in text references and not wanting to stop half way through a sentence.

A copy of the 250 words & self/peer feedback can be viewed as a word document –

Assignment Snapshot Task

HWB Presentation

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Develop a Presentation about HWB research; carry out a self-assessment of your work (3 hrs).

Working with a critical friend (peer), each person present five slides (must be pictures) that can be used to summarise a piece of research or a policy focus in the wider area of HWB. The pair should decide and identify the assessment criteria that have to be used. This should be displayed in your e-portfolio. Write up a self-assessment of your presentation before you present it to your critical friend. Present your presentation to your critical friend and collect detailed feedback from your peer.

Think about – are you meeting the agreed assessment criteria, have you practised your presentation, does it have impact, are you getting across the key points.

Evidence: A copy of your PowerPoint presentation. In addition, you should add your self-assessment feedback based on the assessment criteria. A copy of assessment criteria should be added.

Personal Thoughts:

This activity was quite time consuming to do. Thinking of the wider aspect of HWB, I wanted to focus on a policy/research document which hadn’t been considered in class. This led to the presentation focusing on the policy document ‘Achieving Our Potential’ which aims to tackle poverty and income inequality. The issue of poverty is something which we did look at in class however this was more based around the context of the attainment gap. Throughout the presentation, my aim was to:

discuss what poverty is, the causes, how it’s measured whilst giving statistics in relation to Scotland and also consider child poverty
discuss income inequality and its effects, also the notion of ‘working poverty’
discuss the government policy and it’s aims
consider the policy in relation to others, eg. Early Years Framework; early intervention etc.
emphasise there are many strategies/initiatives being implemented to tackle these issues in order for Scotland to become a fairer, healthier, more prosperous place to live – increasing the overall wellbeing of all those living in the nation; one alone will not achieve anything

Before carrying out the presentation, we decided on a criteria which we would self/peer assess against. Looking back, I believe we could have made this more specific however at the time of creating it we were unsure of what we should have. This may have helped develop the presentation further. In terms of practising the presentation, I feel this was something we lacked. Although we felt we knew our topics quite well and given the environment which it was presented (library) in, less reliance on notes may have improved the overall quality. I feel the chosen images, on each slide, were relevant to the current area being discussed – the audience recognised how they related to the topic.

By the end of the presentation, it was made clear that I had given clear and relevant information – focusing on key points – which is what I hoped I would do, enabling the audience to (potentially) learn something new, as I did with theirs. I found it challenging to be critical in my feedback however do feel I gave some constructive criticism to my peer.

The presentation can be viewed as a PowerPoint document –

HWB presentation

A copy of the self/peer assessment feedback sheet has been included –

Food & Health Resources

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Spend some time looking at the vast resources around the area of food and health provided by Education Scotland. Choose two areas and resources that you could use in the classroom.

Evidence: Identify two resources that you could use in future practice and reflect on how they could help to identify skills development for the learner.

Personal Thoughts:

Maureen’s input about food & health was of great interest. I personally learnt a lot of new information regarding balanced diets & healthy eating, reasons for food choices and also resources available to practitioners and schools. Following her input I looked further into the resources & support material available on Education Scotland for practitioners hoping to cover this HWB area in a classroom context.

The task can be viewed as a word document:

Food Resources Task

Interview Opportunity!

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So last night, I was being a very good friend and helping out some fellow teachers do one of their Science Elective module tasks. This involved a group of us debating the issue of: Animal testing for medical purposes. The group was composed of Teaching students, Law students, a Maths student & a Mental Health Nursing student.

Before the debate, myself and few others on the science elective were heading along to the CafeScience event on Space at Avery & Co. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to enter the event as the venue had reached capacity. This was quite annoying as it was pouring with rain, cold and we had an hour and a half to spare before we said we’d meet for the debate…

Not to worry DUSA to the rescue!!

We headed along to Liar and got dry. Whilst waiting for the others to arrive, I thought this would be a great opportunity to ask my fellow teachers how confident they feel about going out into their probation year and future teaching career in delivering lessons on all areas of HWB. This was very spur of the moment so nobody was prepared, including myself, but it was interesting to get their perspective – especially because they have not undertaken the HWB elective in uni.

Although this was not a task set for the portfolio, I thought it would be interesting to do. Also due to my kindness of taking time out of writing my assignment to help them out, Niall & Laura were up for returning the favour in some way.

The interview can be viewed here and don’t worry, Laura doesn’t always have evil eyes!

Thanks to Laura Glass & Niall Ridgway (budding future scientists & primary teachers) 😀

Some pictures from throughout the debate –

Substance Misuse

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Collect a bag of objects that could be used to introduce a topic on substance misuse in second level CFE. Consider how you could use active teaching strategies and write a lesson outline. (2 hours)

Evidence: Write a lesson outline complete with Learning intentions, success criteria and assessment strategies. Include activities that you would be using during the learning.

Personal Thoughts:

Following the input on this topic, it was interesting to consider how substance misuse could be discussed within the classroom. As this activity is aimed at second level, I believe that a lot of discussion with children can occur. They are at an age where they may/may not know about substances however may come across something and experience it in their life. Ensuring that children and young people are informed of substance misuse, and/or use, enables them to make informed decisions and positive choices.

The attached pictures show the lesson which was prepared:

The mind map picture suggests objects we may be use within a classroom context (real/picture etc.)

Experience & Outcome: I understand the effect that a range of substances including tobacco and alcohol can have on the body. HWB 2-38a

We decided to make this activity active and engaging, getting the children to fully participate in order to develop their knowledge & understanding further. As Education Scotland (n.d) state, ‘Active learning is learning which engages and challenges children and young people’s thinking using real-life and imaginary situations’. This activity through having opportunities to look at and touch real objects therefore enables the activity & learning to have a more ‘real-life’ context.

Through opening up the discussion with children about what they already know about substances enables the teacher to gain an understanding of the pupils’ knowledge and encourages open communication within the classroom. Throughout the activity, the children should be encouraged to discuss what they believe the specific substance (each group has a few) to be, how it may be used and what effect it may have on the body. Following this discussion, the children must collaborate their individual ideas, decide and create a body outline poster stating where & what the effects of each substance may be. This will then enable each group to feedback to their peers.

Once each group has had an opportunity to feedback their ideas, the teacher can then work with the whole class to identify and discuss each substance provided. This can then also be displayed as a body outline poster with all of the discussed substances and their effects being highlighted. As a wee round off to the lesson, a short video clip could be played to highlight that any form of substance misuse doesn’t only affect you as an individual but also your family & those around you – this could then be a link to any following lesson(s) regarding substance misuse.

A short clip which could be used:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/ztmxfg8

Reference:

Education Scotland (no date) About Active Learning. Available at: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/approaches/activelearning/about/what.asp (Accessed: 08 November 2015)

Learning Goals

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Identify 3 learning goals at the start of the module and write reflections at three identified points during the module to indicate your progress in learning related to your stated goals.

Evidence: Learning goals identified and three short reflections will be written about your chosen learning goals and reflect about your progress in development of your ideas, knowledge and critical thinking during week 1, 6 and 10.

Personal Thoughts:

These goals were set after the first input of the module. I cannot be sure that the reflections were done on the weeks stated, more so following any input I felt related to a goal. This task was stated to only take an hour however I feel that due to the length of the reflections, this took me longer.

The task can be viewed as a word document –

Learning Goals

Closing the Attainment Gap

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Design a poster (3 hrs)

Design a poster on closing the attainment gap and how HWB can contribute to this. This poster should be of a high quality with typed print and pictures on A 3 sized paper. Posters will be shared with the class. For the portfolio, take a picture of the poster and include a bibliography.

Evidence: A photograph of your poster and a completed reference list.

Personal Thoughts:

For this task it required some background reading to be undertaken to inform ourselves about the attainment gap in Scotland. We then discussed what we had found out and how we think we should complete the task. We deliberated a variety of ideas and had a few plans however we soon realised that we had so many ideas about what is being done to close the gap, this would be what we displayed. After discussing how we felt HWB contributed, we acknowledged that it is like an umbrella; everything done is in relation to HWB. With HWB being a responsibility of all, closing the attainment gap is also viewed in this way. For the gap to close, everyone must work together to achieve the ambition of the government. The introduction of Policy is a major influence in closing the gap however, for it to be successful, teachers and schools need to be informed about ways in which they can implement effective strategies into their practice.

On reflection of the final product, I feel it could have been more engaging; with more colour and images & being less wordy. However due to working as a small group time was an issue for some. I do feel I could have potentially been more persistent in suggesting using my own resources (printer etc.) to enable this to be achieved however I recognise that working in a group, compromises have to made.

This was an enjoyable activity as it is an area of great interest to myself. I found that those I worked with had little/no knowledge of what the attainment gap is and what is being done to reduce it; this was therefore beneficial in allowing an opportunity to discuss the issue whilst informing others at the same time.

References:

The attached document is a reference list which was used in the initial research of ‘Closing the Attainment Gap’ before producing the poster –

Poster References