Category Archives: Curriculum resources

Reflection, reflection, reflection

From reading the blogposts that were produced from our year group it was clear that there was different levels of engagement with the eportfolio.

Throughout all the example posts a high level of knowledge was displayed to the topics covered and this was conveyed through the use of professional language and reflection. From writing these posts students will be adopting their professional role in society and beginning to adapt what characteristics a professional has into their work.

I believe that it is important for all students to read these posts to develop a deeper understanding for the eportfolio and the topics covered in the posts. For example, I believe Claire’s post on classroom grouping and behaviour management was beneficial to me, in particular. By coming onto the course straight from school I have not had much experience assisting the teachers in work experience when it comes to the likes of grouping the class. Approaching my first placement as a teacher has also created apprehension surrounding the area of behaviour management. From reading this post I was able to develop a deeper understanding into the reasons behind certain grouping techniques and how these can influence the ambience within the classroom.

I believe that the eportfolio can be a key resource in our learning pathways as aspiring student teachers. Not only can we learn more on topics covered in lectures by researching them before creating a blog post on them but we can also develop the professional attribute of criticality and reflection by looking at other’s posts and offering critical feedback which they can build upon to further their professional development.

One, 2, Three, 4, Five

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Throughout Secondary school I had varying experiences of Maths which I believe has been the major factor in influencing my opinions on the topic.

In my first year at Secondary I was given one of the stricter teachers who was firm in his belief of textbook work. I had always been good at maths yet, I began to struggle. I would ask for help and would be ignored or mocked of in front of the class for not understanding what to do from the brief explanation at the beginning.

I then moved into my next year and was assigned a new teacher who I remained with until the end of S5. What a difference. The teacher believed in a thorough note which was taken in a separate jotter at the beginning of each lesson on the chosen topic then progressing onto textbook work once a clear understanding had been established within the whole class.

In my personal experience, it was the teacher who made the difference to my outlook on maths. They may not have had the best understanding of the topics we were covering but I believe that was beneficial on both our parts. A clearer explanation was given at the start for the class’ understanding and the teacher’s clarity. The teacher also implemented fun into his lessons with the use of interactive white boards for class recaps and discussions.

When faced with the daughnting task on my first placement of teaching maths I will arrive at the situation with the confidence and enthusiasm that I saw in my teacher. Even though I may not have a clear understanding on the topics myself I hope this will not portray through my work and that every child has a clear and profound knowledge of the maths covered that day.

A Big Bang

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Biology and Chemistry were always made to be fun with lots of experiments throughout primary and secondary which is why I believe I enjoyed them so much more than physics which was mainly equations.

I believe that in primary schools there is a lack of science in the curriculum with maybe one lesson a week, if any. This has always been a concern of mine as there are so many different topics which can be made so much more enticing and enjoyable through the use of experiments relating to science.

At a local placement there was a day set aside to science once every year where the kids were encouraged in the weeks previous to research and come dressed as their favourite scientist with 3 facts about “themselves”. The children were also encouraged to bring into the class a short science experiment which I believed to be a great idea as it not only allowed the children to explore their creativity but also created room for class discussion on what was learned through the experiment.

Whilst on professional practice I will hopefully be able to introduce a vast range of science into the classroom from the knowledge that will be built up over the next few weeks through the science inputs.

Stranger Danger

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From the ever increasing number of headlines appearing these days surrounding internet safety I knew that it was an important matter to educate myself on as a teacher.

In our ICT lecture we were given the opportunity to explore a range of resources that we could engage with whilst on professional placement. I used the time set aside to exploring these resources to have a look at the video titled ‘Tom’s Story’

This was a short youtube clip that followed the story of Tom who went to meet up with a friend he had gained online at his house. Tom was greeted by what he thought was his friend’s big brother and was given alcohol after realising that his friend was made up, Tom attempted to leave the house. This angered the man who then abused Tom. The video clip ends with Tom reporting the man then his arrest.

I believe that this video clip could be a very interesting resource to use with an older class as it hits hard the dangers of meeting strangers from online without a trusted adult. I would only use this resource with children of an older age as the content is quite intense which could distress a younger class.

A resource that I would use with children of a younger age would be the adventures of Winston, Kara and the SMART crew. These are short video clips with a childlike nature to them whilst still conveying important messages regarding internet safety.

As part of the Internet Safety TDT I have also linked a short Prezi that I created on the topic which I believe could be used at the end of an Internet Safety lesson to round the topic off.

https://prezi.com/vq6qwfxrbf-q/internet-safety/

Developing Professional Skills and Abilities: Online Unit 3

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Words/phrases relating to professionalism:

Competent
Knowledgeable
Calm
Skilled
Respectable
Punctual
Motivating
Encouraging
Enthusiastic
Constructive criticism
Passionate
Collaborative working
Going above and beyond

I chose to watch One Born Every Minute and believe that the midwives displayed all the characteristics I associate with a professional. I believe that the midwives displayed a great deal of commitment and dedication which was seen when encouraging the ladies through their labour regardless of their situation. There were no situations within the programme that I thought the midwives acted unprofessionally, they done everything in their power to ensure the best start to life for every individual child.

This level of professionalism offered by the midwives made a lasting impression on all the families, I believe. For years to come the mothers especially will remember how motivating and encouraging the midwives were and without their help it would have been a very difficult situation.

I believe that it is important for the midwives to wear the uniform that they do as they all look the same and can easily be recognised. By wearing the uniform also the midwives also have a sense of authority. Also, the colour blue, that the midwives wear, is known to be calming which I think is important for the mothers to be in their situations.

If designing the midwifery degree I would arrange the following;

Attending lectures – 10%
Background reading about relevant subjects – 10%
Practical skills based training such as role play- 30%
Work based learning- 20%
Other (Placement0 – 30%
What have you learned from the programme that you can apply to your own professional development?

From watching One Born Every Minute I have learnt that within the professions of teaching and midwifery that no two day are the same. Our professions are dynamic and we must have the level of enthusiasm and commitment to the profession to be able to adapt to all the different situations we will find ourselves in.

From looking back at my UCAS Personal Statement my opinion on the personal values that we as student teachers must posses has not changed. I believe that it is fundamental for teachers to display professional values as we are the role models that children will observe and mimic. I believe that it is important to have the personal value of considering everyone as an individual and that everyone’s situations are different. I also believe that it is important to sympathise with children by showing a great deal of empathy and not to judge the children within our care. I chose teaching as throughout school I noticed the lack of passion displayed by the teachers, and wanted to change this for the better. Teaching to me is one of the most challenging, dynamic, yet rewarding professions. I am eager to get into the classroom and observing children flourish as individuals of the future.

To me, to commit to this course a professional commitment must be made. To support myself on the course, I have decided that I will spend more time in the library and make use of the resources available to me. I have also committed myself to engage in all the relevant reading to continue my self development.

The importance of being an enquiring practitioner…

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As we learnt today, in Nikki’s input, being an enquiring practitioner is highly regarded within the teaching profession. This is something that I think we should acknowledge as new student teachers.

On the GTCS website it states that “Practitioner enquiry is an area of professional learning which was highlighted in Teaching Scotland’s Future (Donaldson, 2011) as a way forward to support teachers to become more engaged with research to support their own learning and ultimately pupil experiences.”

To enquire means to ask for information from someone, to investigate and look into a situation further. So, to be an enquiring practitioner, we must investigate. Whilst investigating, we must be able to explain or defend our actions by using a rationale approach. Practitioner enquiry is usually undertake within a practitioner’s own practice however, can be completed in collaboration with others. For practitioner enquiry it is fundamental that it is based on evaluative and reflective teaching. Also, for effective enquiry undertaken by practitioners in the future; it should become and integral aspect of the day to day practice. This I believe interlinks with ‘The Standards 1.4.2 – “I am committed to lifelong enquiry, learning, professional development and leadership as core aspects of professionalism and collaborative practice.”

Like most concepts of education, practitioner enquiry brings both benefits and challenges to the table. Advantages include;

Through using practitioner enquiry, teachers can become empowered and encouraged to transform and challenge education.
It provides a resource that teachers can use to monitor and develop their own practice.
It allows teachers to explore and investigate strategies and initiatives they can adapt in their classroom.
It can increase their knowledge of teaching and learning. This helps to build their self esteem as a professional and can aid them in making a professional&autonomous judgements which goes onto enhance their professional identity and self esteem further.

However, engaging in practitioner enquiry can also rise challenges for teachers;

Before engaging with practitioner enquiry, a teacher must consider that it can be somewhat overwhelming and needs to be carefully managed. With the model, it is very easy to take on too much.
Practitioner enquiry can also be a disengaging and a disempowering process if there is no planning, understanding, management or support offered at all levels. Also, if it is imposed it can lead to the disenfranchisement of those involved.
It can also be a very slow process, there is not always a specific end point or direction for teachers carrying out practitioner enquiry.
To transform professional learning there must be radical and rigorous change. This is difficult and individuals and schools need to be open to and ready for potential changes.

Therefore, I believe that we, as teachers, must be adaptive and open to change. We must also engage critically with our practice and always be questionable, never accept.

We must adopt a professional, critical and questionable approach to learning.

We, as student teachers, should grasp education with both hands and transform it for our students by following the ‘Model of career log professional learning’.

The GTCS website was used in support of this TDT.