As part of the situated communication module in BA1, I undertook a one week, whole school placement in a designated primary school. The school I was allocated to is of Roman Catholic denomination, located in an area of high deprivation, with a current roll of 137 pupils across a mix of single year and composite classes. I had the opportunity to spend some time in each classroom over the course of the week, interacting with pupils, teachers and other members of staff.
During my placement I had the opportunity to apply my knowledge of effective communication in a variety of situations. At all times, I demonstrated a good model of spoken English, using an appropriate register and correct grammar. I made sure to project my voice so I could be heard effectively by all of the pupils with whom I was communicating, and varied my pitch and tone to keep the children’s interest. When working with small groups, or individual children, I always got down to the children’s level to ensure adequate eye contact and develop a positive rapport with each child.
At the beginning of the week, I lacked confidence in dealing with challenging behaviour, although after discussion with the class teacher, this did not appear to be evident to others. Nevertheless, I felt this was something I needed to act upon in order to increase my self-confidence in this area, and I took steps to familiarise myself with the school’s behaviour management policy and sought advice from the teachers on how to deal with behaviour within the classroom. I also sought advice in my own time from friends who work within education and researched some resources to enhance my knowledge and confidence. By the last two days of my placement, the respective class teachers both commented on my behaviour management skills as positive strengths, allowing me to see the progress I had made in this area.
In terms of feedback, it is evident from the mentor observation checklists, and the final assessment report that there are no glaringly obvious areas that I need to work on. However, during the course of my placement I came across one or two children who had an additional communication need, and although no extra skills were required on my part, it made me realise that there is a strong chance that over the course of my teaching career, I will encounter situations where it would be extremely beneficial for me to have some additional communication skills. To that extent, I have begun taking steps to learn British Sign Language, and the child-friendly Makaton signing. I have contacted BSL to enquire about courses that I can take, and in the meantime I have followed BSL on social media, and make good use of their ‘Sign of the Day’ posts to start building up my BSL vocabulary.
In all, my experience on placement has been a thoroughly enjoyable time, and I have relished the opportunity to develop my communication skills in a school setting. I enjoyed working with both staff and students and I am excited for my next placement opportunity.
