Category Archives: 3. Prof. Skills & Abilities

My First Attempt at the NOMA and the OLA

Leave a reply

Over the past 2 weeks I have attempted both the OLA and the NOMA online assessments. The NOMA was easy enough to complete in my flat, however the OLA wouldn’t work correctly, so I had to head to the library.

My scores for both tests were:

OLA – 80%   NOMA – 81%

I was very happy with my scores, especially for my first try at both tests. I have looked at the feedback which highlighted my strengths and areas that need to be developed. I will work to improve these areas throughout the year so that the next time I take the test, I will have increased my percentage.

In my opinion, these tests are very effective as it tests your knowledge to see how good you are at literacy and maths. However it also shows which areas you need to work on and it helps everyone develop further skills they thought they already knew how to do.

Why teaching?

2 Replies

This is a very simple, yet difficult question for me to answer. I know it may sound like a cliché but I’ve always wanted to be a primary school teacher from a very young age, but my passion for this profession really ignited when I was in primary 4. There was a male teacher who engaged, enthused and made a huge impact on me. I have such amazing memories from primary school, which has always made me want to be a teacher even more. I have been fortunate to have had a fantastic learning experience which has further developed my interest and enthusiasm.

Image result for primary school teacher clip art

As I have grown older, I started to realise that I wanted to give something back to the community and help young children prepare for their future. I am a firm believer that children should be able to always achieve their full potential, no matter who they are and what background they have come from. I feel that it is vital to instil a love of learning from as early an age as possible.

During placement at a Primary school, I helped out in classes of all different ages and abilities and the children seemed to have a natural affinity towards me because of my young age. Also when I was teaching in smaller groups, I could see first hand how children love to learn and I couldn’t help the absolute joy I felt when seeing the happiness of the children when they learned something new, got the right answer etc.

Overall, I want to be a teacher because I want to transform lives. I want to be able to teach children new things and alternative ways of looking at challenges they will have to overcome in their lives. I feel that I can develop myself as a professional and as a person through my dream career. I know it will be difficult but I have absolutely no doubt that it’s the best decision I could have ever made. I am the only boy from my school who wanted to be a primary school teacher but that never stopped me believing that I could achieve my goals. The overwhelming feeling of happiness when I got accepted into Dundee is one that will live with me for the rest of my life and beyond.

Now starts the journey to become the best possible teacher I can be…