Introduction
Starting on the 31st of October I completed my one week placement at Newmilns Primary School. One hundred and seven pupils attend Newmilns Primary and all classes, apart from primary seven consist of composite classes. I was placed in several classes throughout the week which allowed me to experience different levels of learning within different age groups. By being placed in different classes each day I was able to interact with several different teachers and observe their individual teaching styles. During my time in class I worked with individual groups for literacy and mathematics. For example in my primary seven class I took a guided reading group. For this we read a chapter of a book and whilst doing so the pupils would highlight the grammar used within the book and write down words they didn’t understand so that they could look them up in a dictionary. Using my self-evaluation checklist I was able reflect on my strengths and weaknesses within both verbal and non-verbal communication. This then allowed me to create next steps which would enable me to build on my communication skills and further my progress when I go on my next placement. I was also peer assessed by another UWS student which highlighted to me areas of weakness within my communication skills that I hadn’t observed myself. Therefore by being made aware of these issues I was then able to build on that feedback and create an action plan to resolve them. However during our placement my partner and I were situated in different classes each day and were only allocated a short time slot in which we could both be together to complete our peer assessments. Throughout the week I was involved in a range of activities within literacy and mathematics lessons which enabled me to complete eight observation tasks. Each class used a variety of teaching methods within these lessons which allowed me to complete the tasks. For example whilst in my primary two/three class I played board games with a group of pupils to help them consolidate their knowledge of addition and subtraction. I also participated in a mathematics lesson outside where the class used objects they found in the playground to create symmetrical images to teach them about reflective and rotational symmetry. Although by being placed in a different class each day my notes were limited to one lesson and I was unable to see how the next lesson was used to build on the pupils’ prior knowledge.
Strength
During my placement at Newmilns Primary I concluded that my use of body language proved to be my strongest aspect of communication. For example, during literacy in my primary seven class I had written words up on the board for a group of pupils for a spelling test. As I explained to them how I would be conducting the spelling test I used hand gestures to direct their attention to the board. Also whilst giving this explanation I maintained good posture so that I seemed confident. I also ensured that I faced the whole class and maintained an open stance when delivering these instructions. Also when I had to deliver instructions I gave good eye contact to keep the pupils engaged. As I observed the pupils I moved around the room to make my presence known and when a pupil asked a question I bent down to their level to seem more approachable and to allow the child to feel more relaxed.
Area Requiring Progress
After completing my placement at Newmilns Primary I found that I could improve some areas of my oral communication. Living in East Ayrshire I have adopted a thick accent which I now realise could create communication barriers. I found that when I was delivering instructions to the whole class I would feel nervous and so I would speak at a faster pace which was sometimes too fast for the pupils. I also found that I wouldn’t enunciate some words properly and would use colloquial terms such as “ken” when speaking to the pupils. As well as this I also noticed that when I was giving an explanation, I would sometimes use the terms like “em” and “eh” when I was thinking about what to say next.
Action Plan
Before giving an explanation or starting a lesson I should research and make notes on what I am about to talk about. After this I should roughly plan my lesson so that I am prepared in what I’m about to say so that I won’t need to constantly think about what I’m going to say next. Also by preparing my lesson I can then practice my lesson a few times before delivering it to the class. Therefore I can spend less time thinking about the content of the lesson and focus more on how I deliver it. As a result of this I can then be more aware of my pace and by having practiced my lesson I’ll feel less nervous and so I feel my pace would slow down naturally. As well as this I feel I should become more conscious of what type of vocabulary I use and try to enunciate words clearly when speaking to pupils and other members of staff so that I am recognised as a professional.
