Virtues of Teaching

To me, teachers need a variety of different virtues and ethics to display themselves as professionals but also there for the pupils as a support unit.

The 5 virtues that stood out to me as being important to teaching were;

Compassion – We as teachers will be interacting with children from a range of different backgrounds. I believe that it is important for a teacher to be compassionate towards pupils so they can rely on you as a support unit which they may be lacking at home. It is also professional for a teacher to show compassion to show their class that they are in fact human.

Respect – I believe it is highly important for teachers to be respected by their class but also pay this respect back. If there is a mutual respect shared in the classroom then it will be a much better learning space. Children will look at the teacher as being a professional if respect is given.

aConscious – With primary school children there will always be playground arguments to deal with. In such situations, it is very important for a teacher to have a conscience to distinguish between which child is in the right and which child is in the wrong in order to resolve the problem.

Justice – I believe that it is important for a teacher to promote justice within the classroom. All children will feel that they are treated equally so are more likely to contribute to classwork, enjoy their learning and strive to do their best. This is an important value to encourage children to carry with them into later life also.

Empathy – Like compassion, I believe it is highly important if a teacher can bring themselves down to the level of the child to fully understand what they are feeling and how they can help.

Professionalism and the Online World

The GTCS professional guidance on social media and the way it is used in classrooms identifies the rise of social media’s power in todays education and the importance of the teacher introducing this to their pupils to enhance their learning.

aSocial media is infused with a number of different benefits including, when used correctly, it allows children a safe way to communicate with one another. They can, for example, talk to one another of what they learnt that day and build friendships. These interactions can build a child’s confidence in the way the approach their learning and immerses them in the digitised world from an early age, making them more aware of their surroundings as they develop.

I believe that teachers have a very important role in portraying the importance of social media to their pupils. I believe, in order to do this we, as the curriculum’s fresh faced teachers, must first marry the personal vs professional outlook to social media, ourselves. These days, children have the knowledge to make a few simple clicks and find their teachers on social media sites for example, Facebook.  To me, the way a professional, such as a teacher, displays themselves on these sites is vital. It is in the best interests for all teachers to adapt the private outlook to social media and ensure that everything accessible is of the correct content, privatised and displays themselves as a professional.

connecting-with-parents-onlineHowever, I do find that the digitised world lacks a space in which parents, pupils and teachers can work and correspond to one another cooperatively. The mainstream social media sites: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are too personal and can easily cause problems. However, the educational targeted social media sites e.g- Glow I feel, seems too educational and there is no way for pupil’s to express their likes, dislikes and include both the teachers and parents all at once. This would be an idea to take forward in the progression of the online world and digitised space we are exposed to as teachers.

I believe that a class teacher should propose a class blog. To which, all parents and pupils can contribute to. This would keep parents in the loop of their children’s education and homework. It would also allow the pupils to gain the skill of peer assessment through commenting on one another blog posts.

The media is infested with stories to prevent the use of social media in classrooms. From the misuse of certain websites on behalf of the teacher/pupils, to the wrong video link being displayed to the class. To me, these stories are only there to scare those wishing to embark into the digitised space. Instead of holding back because of the threats we should be embracing that sometimes mistakes do happen. Aren’t we encouraging children to not be scared and that mistakes are part of a healthy education? Then how can we do so if we too are afraid of embracing new learning technology?

aaWe should focus on encouraging pupils to embrace technology and enforce how to use it correctly. We can now set up links with classrooms worldwide which is a concept which excites me. Children can learn easily about different cultures and countries through conversing with classrooms worldwide.

I believe that we, as teachers, should be embracing social media/technology and using it to our advantage to strengthen our pupils’ knowledge of society in general. Instead of hiding away because of the very few problems that may arise from its use.

A Philosophical Approach

Coming to uni, I didn’t have a clue what Philosophy was. It wasn’t a subject ever covered from the high school I came from.

This all changed when we began our Philosophy module with John. I soon became aware of some the key concepts and began to challenge my own thinking.

aaaWe were introduced to key philosophers and their views on education including; Dewey, and his view that immaturity is important in education as it allows the individual to grow; Plato, and his view that the soul is immortal and that we do not learn anything instead simply we recall information and also that error is a very important part of education; Aristotle, and his view that practical subjects, for example music, are just as important to the holistic learning and development of an individual as the scientific ones; Gramsci, and his view that there is no unity between school and life resulting in education becoming like a tool; Paulo Freire, his view that education is an ongoing activity due to the human being being incomplete; Maxine Green, and her view that today’s teachers must be aware of their student’s needs; Alfred Schutz, and his view that our actual experiences aren’t merely retentions and recollections and himself, and his view that education beyond education is an invitation to estrangement.

platoPlato’s story ‘Allegory of the Cave’ was really interesting and helped my understanding of the main philosophical questions. In his seventh book of the republic Plato tackled the philosophical question of ‘What is reality?’ In the story Plato imagined a group of people born in a cave who couldn’t escape and could only see the shadows of the people, animals that pass the opening of the cave. This builds up their reality of the real world. However, one day one of the people escape the cave but at first is blinded by the natural light. Over a course of a few days, their eyes adjust to the light and they begin to experience the outside world and return to the cave to tell the others that their reality is just a projection. However, without the others experiencing the outdoor world then the story is just a projection. This develops the theory that you can have a projection of something that isn’t it’s true form.

I feel these philosophy lessons has helped my understanding greatly. I now feel confident in writing about philosophy for my VIVA which, at the start, before the lessons, I was dreading.

Gender Discrimination

For me, personally, gender discrimination was a big issue whilst growing up. I wasn’t aware of it at the time but since learning about Gender with Jill I realise how serious it can be.

aaI always loved football growing up. Ever since my dad dragged me along to my first Dundee match at the grand age of 4, I was hooked. I began to kick a ball about in the garden most days and when I got a little brother I though all my Christmases had come at once, someone I could beat. I went along to trail for a local boys team as I thought I would be given a chance. I was so wrong. The coaches only agreed to let me play for the team if I hid my hair, on match days, under a hat. This to me was sheer discrimination against my gender which forced me to play on a girls team my whole life. 

I have also experienced gender discrimination against a male. My Mum runs her own Highland Dance class and a boy Andrew has attended regularly for around 2 years. Andrew is subjected to bullying and constant name calling at school because of his interests in dance.

I think both scenarios are appalling and that gender discrimination should have been left in the past. I hope we as the fresh faced teachers of the new curriculum can help to change this in the future.

Why I want to become a Teacher

Growing up I always respected my teachers highly and remember thinking “Wow, they know everything. I wish I did!”

That’s when I started to become curious as to what was involved in becoming a qualified teacher.

This curiosity only continued further as I moved up into High School and my opportunities broadened. When I was 14, I signed up to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. This involved a 6 month period of volunteering which I returned to my old Brownie unit to complete. During my time here, I shadowed and encouraged a young girl with severe autism, Jess. I remember the feeling of pride I got when she managed every day, simple tasks and remembering thinking “Wouldn’t it be great if I could experience this sense of achievement every day?” For me, that’s when I knew I definitely had to become a Teacher.

aI always grew up immersed by teaching due to my Mum’s dance school. At 13 I began to take an interest in the dance but more importantly the teaching. I liked the idea that I could help the children better themselves and help them achieve in life. I began to help my Mum run her classes and even had the idea of establishing a rewards club. I began to run the ‘FunClub’ in May 2012 and have continued to this day. The sense of pride I receive each week from doing so and from parental feedback cannot be matched.

From running the ‘FunClub’ I have been able to explore what kind of teacher that I would like to become. I have been able to establish myself with authority but have also, at the same time, been able to adapt myself to the same level as the children so that they can confide in me with any problems they may have.

My work experience placement at High School also broadened my expectations of myself as a Teacher. In the p3 class that I was placed in there was a girl who had Downs Syndrome and required specialist one to one attention and encouragement. I was able to help Lily with various tasks that week including maths, language and topic, all of which required patience and the correct level of encouragement.

In my final year at school I had Wednesday afternoons free so I took it upon myself to get in contact with a local primary school. I phoned the Head Teacher and agreed to come along for an induction, I loved it. For the next year I then began to assist the teachers throughout the school, at various stages. For my final few months I was to shadow a first year student and assist her where need be. This opportunity opened my eyes up to all that was involved in lesson planning. Having someone in the position that I would hopefully find myself in the following year was also key to my understanding of the role. I was able to ask questions, gain experience in lesson planning and teaching a class of 26 students.

This experience also allowed me to develop my skill of peer reflection. After each lesson myself and the student would sit down and discuss what we thought went well, what we could improve for next time and what we thought the children gained from the lesson. This also allowed me to always consider the benefits of the lesson first and to adapt various learning styles so that each child has the opportunity to strive.

My experienwhy I want to be a teacherces have only strengthened my passion to become a Teacher further. I know that I would like to be a teacher who is approachable, patient and also has authority. I would like to be an encouraging teacher who strives for the best in each child’s individual goals and one that is flexible and can adapt to the different learning methods of the new curriculum.