Category Archives: My educational philosophy

Reflecting on my first week…

My first week at Tracy Locke has been an absolute whirlwind of new knowledge and meeting so many new people who have made me feel extremely welcome. This has made working in an unfamiliar setting a lot easier. I have taken part in so many things that have been extremely beneficial in contributing to my knowledge and understanding of what the world of marketing and advertising is really like.

I have learnt a lot about how companies choose to advertise their products through looking at assignment briefings and decks. From this, it allowed me to realise that advertising is everywhere around us. There were obvious thing like offers at till points and signs above the road (maybe more of an American thing than something we’d see at home). But companies try and reach you through digital aspects such as emails and texts very early in the day to influence your food decisions in the next few hours.

Additionally, this week has shown me how other workplaces use professionalism in their jobs. The dress code here is different to what we would normally wear in the classroom. Most workers wear denim jeans with a blouse/shirt but also a blazer to “smarten” up the look. Professionalism is also used during meetings and phone calls with clients and other colleagues through the use of language addressing the needs of the phone call straight away.

I believe I have met the SPR of integrity this week through the aspect of demonstrating honesty. As previously stated I did not have much knowledge of advertising and marketing and this week I have not been worried to admit this to people and ask questions. Everyone has been so nice anyway so I haven’t been worried when I’ve not known how to do something.

Furthermore, I believe I have addressed the trust and respect section well. The standard states that a teacher should act and behave in ways that develop a culture

of trust and respect. I believe that I have done this as I can tell I am a respected member of the Pizza Hut team. I feel as though this is recognised through little things
such as being invited to go and get lunch or coffee with people. This has also made me feel extremely welcome.

Also, I feel as though I am in the process of meeting the standard of professional commitment as I am committing myself to lifelong learning and adding to my own professional development through working in a different industry where I am choosing to learn new things everyday.

From everything I’ve learnt about advertising this week it has prompted me to look at the CfE Experiences and Outcomes document. Under the Health and Wellbeing (HWB) section there are two Es and Os in the primary section, one in the First level and one in the Second level, which relate to advertising under HWB. HWB 1-37a states: “I am discovering the different ways that advertising and the media can affect my choices”, while HWB 2-37a states: “I can understand how advertising and the media are used to influence consumers”. Progression from the First to Second level is highlighted through the words “discovering” to “understand”. This, therefore, allows me to differentiate lessons between stages and know how much depth to go into in my advertising lessons.

From being at Tracy Locke this past week I can very easily see how advertising is used to influence our everyday choices and I am looking forward to what the next few weeks entail to expand my knowledge of marketing and advertising.

So Much Jargon!

The ‘M’ Word

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Yes, the M word… Maths. Maths is a subject which I have never had huge confidence in so knowing that on Wednesday I had to sit in a workshop all about my most dreaded subject was something that I was really not looking forward to. I was actually very nervous. I had this image in my head of being sat in groups and working out maths problems in a scary kind of silence. But, that was not the case at all.

Throughout my time at primary school I hugely lacked in confidence when it came to maths. I stress always remember being that child who was sat beside a pupil, who I always thought, was smarter than me and felt I needed to look at their answers just so I didn’t get in trouble for not completing the work or having too many wrong answers. Of course this was not the case. The teacher I had would always give me the support I needed- it was just a fear of being embarrassed that I always seemed to have.

Moving on to secondary school- maths was still the subject I dreaded. And this time, it was worse in my mind because ‘high school maths is much worse and harder than primary school maths.’ Even just the little thing of having to buy a scientific calculator rather than just a normal one seemed daunting enough. However, in first year I was put into the middle set which was almost a confidence boost. Although I wasn’t in the top group, I wasn’t in the bottom one either.

I had a teacher called Miss McCutcheon and she managed to entirely change my view on maths. She made me, and my whole class, understand that maths is not something that you should be scared of and always made lessons enjoyable. She was a teacher who believed in every single one of her pupils and knew that they would succeed. In third and fourth year I was put into the middle set again aiming for an Intermediate 2 in maths. I feel this is when my maths anxiety returned because I knew I was going to be offically assessed on my mathematical knowledge. I had a different teacher whose teaching style was different from Miss McCutcheon’s, but she took a maths revision class after school on a Thursday. This was great as I could still rely on her for support and that positive push I needed. When teaching maths, I want to be as motivational and encouraging as she was for me throughout my whole time at high school. In fourth year I obtained a C in maths. The fact I’d passed was an absolute miracle in my eyes, but I knew I needed at least a B to get into university. So, I did Intermediate 2 maths again in 5th year, but this time I managed to get an A.

So, although I have an A at Int 2 maths, the thought of this maths workshop was something which scared me a lot. I had no idea what we would be doing. But, we sat in groups and the workshop was taken by Tara Harper whose enthusiasm for maths shines through. She has made me understand, again, that maths should not be something to be nervous about or scared of. We started the workshop with making a scale with 0 to 10 and putting a dot on the point of the line on how confident we are with maths. I rated myself at a 2. Throughout the workshop we spoke about maths in the primary school. From different types of maths to myths about maths. Originally I was scared to think that I would be teaching a subject I have such little confidence in, but it has made me realise that when one of my pupils are struggling with something in maths I will be able to give them the support they need because I know exactly what it is like to be scared and nervous. And when they have that ‘lightbulb’ moment of understanding or getting the right answer I will know that I have done my job correctly and I will feel extremely proud of my pupil.

By the end of the lesson I felt so much more confident with maths and, thanks to Tara, I am now really looking forward to next workshop on Wednesday.

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Why Teaching?

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From being in primary school, my teachers were always so important to me and I see them as role models I will always remember. I’ve had teachers who have inspired me. I love history and I had a teacher who would show his clear passion for the subject, which made me as a pupil love the subject too. But teachers who did not engage in my learning and understanding of their subject did not allow me to have the same enjoyment of learning as I did in other classes. From having so many different types of teachers, in both primary and high school, it has made me want to follow that profession and be able to make a positive difference to a child’s education.

I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. One of the main reasons being that I want to make a difference in a child’s life and for them to remember that I taught them a specific fact or something which they will use in their day to lives. I also want to be able to see that ‘light bulb’ or that ‘eureka’ moment in which a child understands something that you’ve been teaching them. I would like to vary my teaching styles in order for each pupil to get something different out of what I’ve been teaching. I’ve always enjoyed school and I want my pupils in the future to feel the same way as I do about education, and share the passion I have for learning.

Being a teacher means being a role-model. I would love for my pupils to look up to me and admire my devotion to the subject and career.

In my 4th year at high school I was given a week’s work experience in a small school in Arbroath. The school had composite classes so I was able to spend time with each year group throughout the week. This showed me what each year group was like, but it also taught me each teacher had their own way of teaching and how differently they came across to their pupils. I remember one in particular, she was very friendly and engaging with her pupils, but also in a way that the children would listen to her and she was in clear control of her classroom. I knew for a fact after this one week that teaching was definitely the path I wanted to follow and I would do everything I could to get onto this degree and in four years’ time, have a class of my own.

I spent a week in 5th year and every Tuesday morning in a different school with a teacher I had in Primary 1. I noticed her teaching styles were very different from the other teachers’ in the smaller school. She had a stricter way of controlling her class, but still in a way that she would allow the children to enjoy what they were learning. But, this allowed me to understand how teachers differentiate, but still manage to do a wonderful job.

These separate occasions of work experience highlighted to me even more that teaching was the career and life that I wanted. I was able to understand a teacher’s workload for the week, but also the rewarding aspect of the job.

The teacher I’d like to become is one who will be remembered. I want to be a teacher that pupils will look back on and remember little thing I’d taught them and for them to be excited and eager to learn, just like I was at school and now at university. For me, teaching is not about the money or the time off, that so many people seem to think it is, but it is about making a difference in so many children’s lives and being in a vocation you enjoy and everyday being different.