1 Prof. Values & Personal Commitment | Lucy Somerville's ePortfolio

Overall, I found Semester 1 to be an enjoyable, stimulating experience and I feel that my knowledge acquired will aid me in my further professional development at University and on placement.

In terms of the three modules (Values, Working Together and French). Values was the one that challenged me most but that also felt the most fulfilling once completed. The module made me question a lot of things about myself and my approaches towards certain topics/issues. Furthermore, I gained a stronger appreciation for the importance of values in teaching and how I can apply these in my practice to create an inclusive and nurturing environment for the children.

However, a milestone for me in my professional development from Semester 1 was the agency visit as part of the Working Together module. I was able to see first-hand how an organisation in my home town supported unpaid carers and disabled people of all ages and the importance of organisations such as this in giving everyone equal opportunities regardless of their circumstances. Throughout the module we had been discussing and learning about the importance of Education, Social Work and Community Learning and Development professionals working with one another. I felt I had a sufficient understanding and awareness of the importance of collaborative working, however, the agency visit gave me an insight into this in practice and heightened my appreciation. From this incident, I have learned how the different professions approach certain situations and how they can come together using these different approaches to ensure the service user gains the greatest possible outcome/experience. I have also learned to be more open-minded and not just listen and stick to what my education course mates say but other professional opinions too.

I can see how the process of reflection in going to be of great importance in my practice as it will not only allow me to look back on my achievements in University and on placement but to also see where I can improve upon to make sure that the children and myself can attain their full potential.

In the workshop, each group were given a pack of resources which -unbeknown to each other- contained less resources than the next. We were then asked to create a product for new students that would be useful during their first few weeks at university. Our group were lucky enough to be given the largest number of resources and so the task was a great success. We decided to create a university starter pack containing all the necessary items that we, as a group, agreed would have made our first weeks at university a little easier. Inside the pack we included:

A campus map
A guide to making your way around the Dalhousie building
A recipe book for students living in halls
Stationery
Hints and tips for lectures
Information about Freshers’ Week and the union itself,
A personalised timetable.

Our group all saw these items as being a great aid to new students, especially the guide to the Dalhousie building, as this would have helped us massively on our first few days.

Throughout the seminar and during the presentation of each groups ideas, our group received great support and appreciation. Derek repeatedly described us as “industrious” and complimented both our work ethic and product. This gave us a boost and we assumed all the groups were receiving the same treatment. However, during the presentation it became very clear that not all the groups had been so lucky. Our table was scattered with items to use and our presentation received great positive feedback. Whereas other groups had a mere 3/4 items to work with and were not treated as well by Derek as we were. An example of this was that we were gifted with biscuits and showered in praise yet other groups were completely ignored and Derek even sat on his phone while some of them were presenting.

We were lucky enough to have been in the more ‘privileged’ group and so most of us sadly took no notice during the activity to the fact that everyone else had almost nothing and near to no help/support. This activity was used to highlight to us the inequality in society and the difficulties certain places/people endure.

In joining the Primary Teaching profession, it is important that we recognise that not all learners will come from the same background and not all schools will be as well-equipped as one another. For example, we may be working in a more deprived area that does not have access to resources that other areas might, or working with children who:

May not have a great support network at home
Families are struggling financially
Have learning/social difficulties
Are of a different race/ethnicity/religion

This means that we need to adapt teaching methods to ensure everyone feels included and are all treated equally. No matter the background/circumstances it is our duty to aid every child in reaching their full potential.

This was our first workshop for the Values: Self, Society and the Professions module. I thoroughly enjoyed both the activity and widening my understanding of the inequalities in both teaching and society and how we can work through these to create a more equal and supportive network for our pupils. I am really looking forward to the rest of these workshops over the semester and I am eager to further my knowledge for this module.

Reflection on Semester 1

Resource Allocation Workshop Reflection