Category Archives: 1 Prof. Values & Personal Commitment

The Construction of the Professional

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Many different things reflect on the role a teacher plays in the classroom and their role as a professional. I believe these 5 terms in particular are important in doing this:

Integrity

The word itself means to be honest, and to have strong moral principles. Children are not born with integrity, they develop it as they grow up and learn how to behave. As children learn most of their behaviours they will need in later life such as honesty, respect and social responsibility in the classroom, it is important we show them integrity so they too can pick it up and learn how to be moral citizens.

Compassion

To be compassionate, is to show sympathy and concern for others. By showing compassion to our pupils, it shows we care. It shows we are paying attention to them and acknowledging them. By being compassionate we are passing this trait on to out pupils. It is important they too learn to be compassionate to succeed in later life.

Patience

Different children will learn at different paces, and it is important to realise some children will take a lot more time to grasp concepts than others. So whilst we will have to have patience with everyone, some pupils will require even more. It is important as a teacher to have this skill, as learning from someone who is impatient is frustrating as nothing will be broken down and explained slowly enough until understood.

Kindness

Kindness is important in teaching as it reflects on who you are as a person. Children do not want to learn from someone they are scared of. A kind teacher is approachable and their pupils are more likely engage in lessons and ask questions. Kindness is a characteristic of being friendly. Even though we are not in the classroom to be friends with our pupils, it is important they see us as a kind approachable adult they can trust to learn from.

Fairness

Fairness in the classroom is important to ensure all the pupils are treated equally. It would be unfair to only praise one person when everyone else has done that same thing well too. This would cause upset and even de-motivate some pupils. Everyone in this world wants to be treated equally, and by being fair in the classroom you are portraying to your pupils that equality is important and that you should not favour certain people.

Words Associated With Being a Professional

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it is very important to be professional, especially in a career such as teaching. How you act reflects back on you, and you want this reflection to be positive, to be professional – you do not want it to be negative in any respects.

There are many things associated with being professional. Here are some examples of some words and phrases I associate with the term.

  • Experienced
  • Trustworthy
  • Accomplished
  • Trained
  • Educated
  • Skilled
  • Literate
  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Collaborative
  • Polite
  • Presentable
  • Sympathetic
  • A good Listener

Reflection

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Reflection is a very important aspect of learning. If you cannot reflect, you cannot identify where you have went wrong in order to improve it.

At first I just assumed reflection was about thinking back and seeing how far you have come, but from reading further into it I have realised it is way more complex than that.

To reflect is to have the ability to stand back and look at something from a number of different imagesperspectives. It is the act of thinking about something and analysing those thoughts. When reflecting, it is important to make sure you do so from many perspectives, as doing so from only one may limit understanding.

Reflection is important in order to highlight your weaknesses. By doing this, you then understand exactly what went wrong and you can then improve from there. This is evident within Gibbs Model of Reflection (1988). This model is very useful, with six parts all explaining how to break down your reflection and use it to critically analyse a situation. These points included in the model are:

  • What happened?
  • How did you feel?
  • What went well and what did not?
  • What sense did you make of the situation?
  • What else could have been done?
  • If the situation happened again, what would you do? Would you do anything differently?

I think this model is very useful in reflecting on situations as it highlights everything needed to do so. In future I will certainly refer to this model.

reflect_cartoonReflection is very relevant to teaching. Teachers must be able to look at what they do in their classrooms and question why they are doing it and if it is having a positive impact. It is important for teachers to reflect and realise why lessons went well and why exactly that was. Similarly, it is important to reflect on situations that did not go so well, to make sense of the situation and come to a conclusion on what else could have been done to either prevent or resolve the situation. Then, they will know what they would do differently if a similar situation was to arise.

Reflection can be useful in many different situations. In dancing, it can be hard when you do not place as well as you have done in the past in competitions. Reflection is very beneficial in situations like these. It allows you to reflect on the positives, that you are capable of doing well, as well as the negatives – not everyone can be perfect all of the time. I believe it is very important to always be conscious that things do go wrong and there is always something to improve on. By reflecting, we can identify what has changed (for better and for worse) so we can do something about it. Reflection helps us learn from our experiences. And experience is a very successful way of learning.

Social Media

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•What challenges/opportunities you may be faced with when marrying the personal vs the professional presence on social media?

I do not feel I will be faced with too many challenges, hopefully, as I constantly make sure my social media is acceptable and portrays me in the way I want to be seen. 

I know many people who are teachers or work with young people and have deleted everyone under the age of 16 from their social media accounts. I think this is a good example to be setting, especially as your pupils may be mutual friends with these people and you do not want your posts to appear on their feeds. 

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) states that they acknowledge teachers have private lives, but it is important to think about how this may reflect on your professionalism and fitness to teach. I agree with this, it is important to stay sociable and communicate through websites such as Twitter and Facebook. However, I also feel it is important when becoming a teacher to be more wary about what you are posting and who you associating yourself with online.

My accounts online were already private prior to coming to university, but after the social media inputs I went on to check the privacy settings. It is amazing the loopholes that you can miss, with things such as pictures still being visible to people you are not friends with. I know teachers who have their accounts set so you can only add them if you are a mutual friend, which I feel is a very good idea. This will hopefully stop pupils and parents being able to request you as a friend or contact you. 

The GTCS codes highlight the impacts that acting unprofessionally online can cause, with things as serious as criminal convictions. They state that you should not compromise your integrity or personal identity by behaving unprofessionally online. One example of this is a group of primary school teachers who went out to let their hair down, and later published pictures online of their antics. As their accounts were not private everyone could see them, and the daily mail even published an article about them http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389292/Disgrace-drinking-pole-dancing-primary-school-teachers-published-pictures-Facebook.html. This brings to mind another of the GTCS’ codes that you should think very carefully when writing a post before publishing it. They also state you should never post things when you are angry as you may be caught up in the heat and write something you normally wouldn’t. It is much better to save a draft and come back to it later, you will thank yourself in the long run.

I feel teachers are very vulnerable when it comes to the digital space online and they need to be more careful than others to ensure they are still viewed as a professional. Reading the advice on various sites such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, http://www.net-aware.org.uk/# and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, http://ceop.police.uk/, it has really hit home how unsafe the internet can be.

 

•How are the challenges/opportunities afforded by social media framed? How will you frame things – positive or deficit viewpoint?

Many of the challenges of social media are framed by a deficit view. You always hear about the negative impacts and the horror stories, never the positive side or the opportunities it can bring.

As a teacher I will frame social media with a positive viewpoint. I think it is important, especially with the development of technology in this, in the 21st century, to stay in the digital space. Everything these days is online, even most libraries now have hundreds of e-books instead of paper copies! And it’s not just books, even CD’s and DVD ROMS are on the way out, with many companies such as Apple not even putting disk drives into their newest models. 

Almost everyone these day is on social media. It is a great way to stay in touch with your friends and family, especially those who stay far away, sharing your photos and achievements for them to see. Even most schools now have their own Twitter accounts, which is an excellent way of keeping pupils informed as they are in this space every day.

I will however ensure I teach them of the dangers online, in a way appropriate to their age. Children are vulnerable to a range of different things online, and it is important they know what they are getting themselves in to and how to get out of these risky situations. 

Social media can and is a positive thing, but it is important to realise there are very negative consequences.

How can we support one another during our study?

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I believe we can support one another by motivating each other to get things done, and done well. There is nothing worse than being unable to continue studying as you just feel you are getting nowhere. With motivation from your peers it makes it a whole lot easier.

We can support each other by reading over anything someone in unsure of and giving them the best advice we can offer. We can also help by giving them praise when we feel they have done something well, as it will really boost their confidence.

We can offer support when someone just cannot concentrate, by offering to study with them it will stop them from procrastinating. It will also allow you to bring different viewpoints to any discussions that may arise, allowing you to share ideas and allowing you to develop new study skills from each other.

I like to study alone, as it gives me the opportunity to concentrate as I get distracted really easily when with friends. However I do like to collaborate with others and fins out how they are getting on with tasks and how much they have done, as it helps keep me on track and lets me know I am (hopefully) doing things right! I like to regurgitate what I have learned and teach it to others. I think just being able to do this makes you feel so much more confident in what you are speaking about and this subconsciously makes me feel so much comfortable with those subjects!

What do you see as the main benefits of working co-operatively? Are there any challenges?

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Working “co-operatively” is fundamentally working well together as a team. Teamwork is essential within any community of practice and certainly brings about many benefits. It sa1_collaborateincreases motivation by working with peers and helps make learning more enjoyable. It also develops oral communication skills through the dialogue needed to communicate. Also, with all the listening and conversing involved with the communicating, these skills will also develop.

There are also some challenges with working co-operatively. Some people within the group may be more dominant than others, causing some to be outspoken and others to not even get a chance to speak. There is also the problem that some people may sit back quiet allowing the others to do all the work, which is unfair and not a fair devolving of tasks.

Working co-operatively is essential for teachers, as they have so many other professionals involved in their school communities such as Social Carers, Community Learning and Development Workers, Police Officers and various others who have to work with teachers in some instances. 

Personal and Interpersonal Skills and Abilities: Online Unit

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A. Identifying Skills and Abilities

Activity 1

  1. (1=Not very well developed; 3=very well developed)
Skills and Abilities 1 2 3
Goal Setting X
Team Work X
Time Management X
Listening Skills X
Computing Skills X  
Problem Solving X
Taking Responsibility X

 

Activity 2

Recognition Reflection Action
Skills already developed How I will use these How do I know (evidence)**
Goal Setting I will use my skill of goal setting to set specific goals to work towards. This will ensure I know exactly what I am aiming for and allow me to use it as motivation. I have always set very high goals for myself and it has always helped by giving me motivation to work harder towards them. For example, at school, although not expectation to do amazing, I still aimed high and managed to come away with straight A’s at higher. If I had aimed for C’s, I don’t think I’d have got results close to what I did.
Team Work I will use my experience with team work to work effectively with fellow students and also when working alongside teachers and pupils on placement. I know I work well in a team from spending most of my summers as part of a team in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The teamwork skills gained from spending so much time with a group of people is so amazing, from how to negotiate, keep each other motivated, share ideas to improve dances and generally how to work well together.
Listening Skills I will use my listening skills to make sure I listen intently in lectures and do not miss anything. I will also use them to make sure I am communicating effectively. I have always been a good listener. I was a buddy at school, and from this I understand how important it is to fully engage and listen properly. Without developed listening skills, I may have come across as uninterested or rude, whereas by listening properly I was able to communicate effectively and understand/sympathise with the pupils I was working with.
Taking Responsibility I will take responsibility for my learning and ensure I do everything to the best of my ability. I will also take seriously any responsibility put on me throughout the course. I had a great deal of responsibility as Deputy Head Girl at school. I always took full responsibility, ensuring everything was done properly. If anything was not to go to plan, I would have also taken full responsibility for it.

 

Recognition Reflection Action
Skills to be developed How I will develop these How do I know (evidence) **
Time Management I will develop my time management skills by writing down when and where I need to be in a diary. I will also use it to record when assignments are due, so I know when to begin working on them in order to meet deadlines. Up until this last year I have always relied on other people to tell me where I need to be and what I need to do. I now fully understand it is my responsibility to know these things and make sure I am organised and in the right place at the same time.
Problem Solving I will develop my problem solving skills by focussing on a solution instead of worrying about the prevailing problem. I will keep an open mind to any possible solutions and try not to over-complicate any issues. If a problem ever arose back at school, I would always try and come up with a solution. However, I usually panic and over-complicate the situation, when there is actually a simpler solution. I will develop this by being more realistic and staying calm in these situations.
Computing Skills I will develop my computing skills by engaging more with the digital community. I will start working from my laptop than on paper and share my experiences on my e-portfolio. I do feel confident working electronically and using computers, but there are some things I just cannot get my head around. I have never blogged before in my life, and I hope I can use my e-Portfolio to give me experience sharing my learning.

 

B. Managing My Learning

Activity 1

Recognition/ Reflection Action
What helps my learning? How can I utilise this?
Example: “Discussing the topic with others”
  • Set up a study group of like-minded peers
  • Engage with the online community
Note Taking
  • Writing notes neatly so I can read back over them and reflect
  • Keep all my notes organised so I know where to find them
Group Studying
  • Collaborating and discussing my work and my ideas with my peers.
  • Stay focussed on task and get work done quicker in a more relaxed environment such as a group study zone.
Background Reading
  • Sourcing relevant books and reading more in-depth into the topics discussed in our lectures.
Studying Alone
  • By studying alone in the quiet I can give all my attention to my work and not be distracted by others going off-topic.
Goal-Setting
  • By setting goals, I know exactly what I need to do to fulfil them, so I do not end up overworking, or not doing enough work.
Study in different ways
  • By varying my study, such as reading one day, note taking another, jotting down mind maps and watching educational videos, I am getting in to a good routine of keeping myself interested. This will keep me motivated and more willing to learn.
Recognition/Reflection Action
What hinders my learning? How can I address this factor?
Example: “I’m easily distracted”
  • Study in a place where distractions are minimal·
  • Read lecture notes before the lecture and then take notes lectures to keep me focused
I try to get everything done at once
  • ·Set goals of what I want to achieve in each study session I plan.
  • Know when it is appropriate to stop and take a break.
I get easily distracted
  • ·Turn off my phone and any notifications on my laptop so I can stay focussed.
  • Study away from other people so I do not get distracted by their conversations.
  • Try to refrain from tidying things up or rearranging things when I should be reading.
My surroundings
  • ·Study somewhere I can focus, such as my room or in a classroom – communal areas will just cause me to go off-task and “finish it another night”.
Illness
  •  Instead of battling through and trying to get stuff done, I will firstly get my health in order so I can then study when I am feeling better. This will ensure I am not wasting time revising half alive when I am never going to remember any of it.
Not feeling good enough
  • When I hear others speak about their work and what they have done, my natural instinct is to panic. I am going to address this by working to the best of my ability, and if someone has done something I haven’t done – I won’t panic, as I will have bene organised enough to get everything done I was supposed to…
Lack of sleep
  • ·No one works well when they haven’t had enough sleep, and your mind doesn’t work well either. I will ensure I am getting enough sleep, so when I do come around to working, I will be fully attentive and put all my mind towards it.