Monthly Archives: October 2015

What it means to be an enquiring practitioner

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For me, an enquiring practitioner is a professional who is able to adapt the way they teach or learn based on critical research in to what works and what does not work. It is someone that is capable of reflecting upon their own previous teaching/learning and think critically about how they could better themselves. This evaluative process is intrinsic to being an enquiring practitioner.

The benefits of being an enquiring practitioner are that you are able to develop and improve the curriculum along with other teachers which would stop the curriculum from staying set and rigid and would mean it is constantly being modified to improve upon it therefore providing students with a better education over all. If this is the case for the curriculum then it enables general improvement of the educational institutions themselves and means that every school will not necessarily be teaching the same curriculum. It also provides teachers with a capacity for self-improvement in terms of the way they plan lessons and teach the curriculum. Being an enquiring practitioner would also mean that a teacher would be more likely to take constructive criticism and use it to refine their own lesson plans and style of teaching.

The challenges of being an enquiring practitioner I would imagine would be it would be difficult to align your way of thinking if you were not used to the process of enquiry and evaluation as it is difficult to challenge your own assumptions. Some would also argue that enquiry is fairly limited as it is contextual as even if one approach works in a school somewhere, it does not necessarily mean that the same way would work in a different place. The process of enquiry can also be rather slow as there is no real fixed end point as you can steadily continue to improve yourself for an indefinite period of time. Many classroom practioners who use enquiry can get off topic but the enquiry needs to be connected to teaching or learning.

I believe that if I want to be a successful teacher and continue to improve my teaching style and ability to educate that the process of enquiry and evaluation should be at the core of my planning and practice.

My Understanding of Reflection

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Reflection is defined as either “serious thought or consideration” or “an idea about something, especially one that is written down or expressed” by the Oxford dictionary but I believe reflection has a deeper meaning than that. Reflection, to me, is being able to look at your actions or writing critically with no bias and I believe that this is very difficult to do as it is nearly impossible to look at your own work with no bias. Reflection also involves being able to look at your actions from different perspectives so as to gain better understanding of their impact. I often find myself trying to look at things I have done from the perspective of others and usually find it interesting to try and get inside someone else’s mind. I also believe that reflection can also be important before you act by considering all the different ways your action can be construed.

I do not think that it is a natural thing for a human to reflect, especially in a critical way, about their doings but I believe that reflection is more of a learned behaviour in a sense. However, i feel it is important that we learn how to reflect especially due to the impact an ability has to reflect on learning. Reflection greatly increases the quality of writing someone is able to produce as it enables them to polish pieces of work without the aid of a teacher before handing it in. It may be a good idea to educate those in primary school on how to reflect so they know how to for when they have to produce work of a higher standard. As a primary school student, I never would have thought about my work critically or even have thought about ways of improving or bettering my work. The only times I would think about that would be when I had my work given back to me with penned in teacher’s comments in the margin. I firmly believe that if I was taught how to reflect on myself before this stage, it would have prepared me better for later study.

Virtues of Teaching

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In a recent lecture, Derek Robertson asked us to reflect on what we thought five important virtues were for teaching and I believe that these five core values are necessary to be a successful educator.

Tolerance

For a teacher to have tolerance means that they are able to tolerate children from any background without having any pre-conceived notion of how well they may do. A teacher with tolerance should not judge a child based on race, gender or socio-economic class. They must be open minded to any culture and not impose their own views on the classroom or any students mind. A tolerant teacher would also set a good example for their students as it would teach them not to judge or bully anyone and treat everyone equally regardless of their culture. It is also very important for a primary educator to display tolerance as pupils are at a very susceptible age and could potentially copy some of the teacher’s behaviour.

Fairness

In order to set a good example for the pupils, a teacher must treat them all fairly. When I was in primary school, I noticed some of my teachers acted in a sexist way, which was possibly subconscious, because they would discipline the males in the class more than they would the girls. I feel that disciplinary measures should be applied based on circumstance and regardless of gender.

It is also good for primary students to learn fair etiquette early on in their life in the hope that this would carry on for their behaviour as adults. For example, teaching children to share when they are given something seems like it is very good practice.

Patience

A patient teacher to me means an understanding teacher who can adjust their teaching style to the different speeds at which their pupils work at. For example, a teacher with patience will not get annoyed by a pupil interrupting their lesson with questions or with a request to slow down and will be prepared to explain a concept as many times through as is required.

As a primary student, I felt too nervous to ask my Maths teacher a question or to slow down because the teacher had a reputation as being “strict” and I was too embarrassed that I would look stupid if I asked. If a teacher was able to give the impression that they were patient and happy to answer questions, the pupils may feel less afraid or ashamed.

Empathy

I believe that a teacher should be able to display empathy to their students in order to truly be an effective teacher and make a difference in a pupil’s learning. If a pupil feels like their teacher does not understand how they are feeling then they will never give full confidence or trust to the teacher which can be important for pupils to feel happy in the classroom.

Kindness

Kindness is also very important when dealing with primary students. Difficult students can seem to need more discipline when sometimes this is not the case. I know when I was in primary school, for my first two years, I caused trouble constantly and was punished for it constantly until I was placed in a kind teacher’s class where I learned to behave myself without the need for stringent punishment.

However, with this virtue there needs to be more of a balance as it is equally important for a teacher to be firm with discipline as the teacher could easily be taken advantage of as a lenient teacher.

Benefits of Active Learning and Co-operative Working

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The Benefits of Active Learning

Active learning is the process by which students engage in their learning in order to prevent the occurrence of passive learning which is when the mind does not fully absorb what it is being taught as it is working in an automatic fashion. Learning actively helps pupils to fully understand reading and writing and retain this information for longer. Rote learning would be an example of a learning style which does not promote active learning and only helps students to have short term retention of information. There are many benefits of active learning over passive learning, for example, it aids in improving a student’s critical thinking abilities as they are not just learning for their exam. They have a more deep, insightful understanding of subject matter enabling them to think critically about it and even pick flaws in the arguments presented to them rather than just accepting  information unquestioningly. Active learning can also serve to increase enthusiasm and motivation in students and also teachers that use active learning styles. To be able to truly complete a task and feel that you have independently been able to finish it makes an activity feel like more of an accomplishment for a student. Teachers gain confidence as students are more stimulated by their teaching and incorporating active learning into their teaching can help to improve results. For all these reasons, I believe there should be more of an emphasis in the curriculum on assimilating active learning techniques into lesson plans.

The Benefits of Co-operative or Collaborative Learning

There are many benefits of co-operative learning and team work whilst working on a task. One potential benefit is the fact that it gives a platform for healthy debate between cohorts to take place. Debate can give wider depth of knowledge to everyone in the group as it gives perspective on both sides of the issue. Co-operative learning can also help students to learn their roles they naturally fit into, whether that be a leader role or more of a thinker/contributor. It also means that students can learn to work with all sorts of different types of people. Working as part of a team can also help to build upon a student’s interpersonal skills as they have to learn how to communicate their points eloquently whilst still respecting the opinions of others. The fact that students have to share their opinions should also result in an increase of confidence as they have to be sure in their opinions so they can debate their point with well-founded evidence within the group. Group dynamics at an earlier stage can also be helpful as working as a team often reflects what the workplace will be like and reinforces the skills that are needed to be an effective worker. A group is also a chance for a student to get feedback that they may not get if they are just working as part of a class under the supervision of one teacher as it is impossible for a teacher to give constant feedback to every one of their students. However, within a group, ideas and opinions are constantly commented on.

A Teacher’s Presence on Social Media

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In a world that is so wired in to social media, for a teacher, it could be difficult to maintain a professional front. In a way, all professionals have to keep an element of professionalism in their social media, but most of their problems can be solved through setting their accounts as private before heading in for a job interview so their prospective employer does not get to see any of the embarrassing or inappropriate content that could potentially lay therein.

For a teacher, they could be under constant pupil scrutiny online whilst remaining blissfully unaware of this fact. As soon as a child finds out the teacher’s first name, there is the potential that they could locate one of the teacher’s accounts whether it be on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media site. This puts the teacher’s career at risk due to the fact that their social life should never really cross into their professional life. Whilst reading the GTCS code relating to social media, I discovered that they frequently use the phrase “fit to teach”. The GTCS state that, “Maintaining the public’s trust in the individual teacher and in teaching as a profession sits at the heart of being fit to teach, and this can be undermined not only by behaviour occurring in a teacher’s professional life, but also within their private life, including activity online.” (GTCS Professional Guidance on the Use of Electronic Communication and Social Media). The phrase “fit to teach”, whilst seeming reasonably subjective, is held by the GTCS as an ethical standard by which all teachers must adhern to. It seems obvious that a teacher must be fit for their profession but the GTCS determine whether they are by putting a teacher in front of a panel to see whether they have let the two sides of their life cross over in an inappropriate way. In their code, the GTCS say that another thing which is central to this concept of fitness to teach is “sound judgement and due care” on the teacher’s part as to what they post online. I believe that the carefulness in the way you frame yourself in the classroom which is integral to professional conduct should automatically transfer over onto what you post online.

There are many obvious things that have resulted in disciplinary measures before according to the GTCS, for example, sending inappropriate messages to a pupil to try to establish a relationship with them and sending indecent images. However, there is certain actions that could be taken by a teacher accidentally online that can result in punishment from the GTCS, like “using inappropriate YouTube content in the educational setting”. This famously happened to a primary teacher in Dundee when they clicked on a Mr Men video on YouTube which was at the top of the search list believing that this was the preset video for that lesson. It turned out to be a more inappropriate video that showed extremely graphic images which frightened the pupils. This was supposedly an innocent mistake and it goes to show how easy it is for a teacher to slip up with access to thousands of videos on YouTube which can often have misleading thumbnails.

However, there are also many opportunities afforded to teachers by social media. Careful use of YouTube allows teachers to make their lessons more stimulating and can enhance potentially boring subject matter for young children. Social media could be used as a platform to keep parents up to date on their child’s learning in between the traditional parent’s nights. Facebook and twitter can also be used as an outlet to share educational ideas and to arrange meetings with other teachers to share lesson plans and there have been various websites set up to do this.

In conclusion, as long as social media is used carefully and responsibly by educators, I believe it can enhance primary education greatly. However, it is easy for an educator to be caught out with their social media account being public especially for those that do not fully understand the internet.

1B: Managing my Learning

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Managing my Learning

  Activity 1

Recognition/ Reflection Action
What helps my learning? How can I utilise this?
Example: “Discussing the topic with others” ·         Set up a study group of like-minded peers·         Engage with the online community
When I need to focus on an essay, I need quiet ·         Go to the silent section of the UoD Library
If I am really struggling to focus, I find privacy then works ·         If I still cannot study in library, I will study in my room.
A tidy area ·         Go to library·         Regularly do wash loads and keep my room clean enough to work in.
Mnemonics ·         This will help me to remember parts of my presentation easier and also to help remember information for traditional exams.

 

 

Recognition/Reflection Action
What hinders my learning? How can I address this factor?
Example: “I’m easily distracted” ·         Study in a place where distractions are minimal·         Read lecture notes before the lecture and then take notes lectures to keep me focused
Social Media ·         Mute my devices for a period of study.
Long periods of study tire me and mentally drain me ·         Take occasional breaks but know when to have a break and when to keep working.
Lack of organisation ·         Make sure I know everything I need to be doing and how I can do it.

Developing Skills and Abilities

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Activity 1: Identifying Skills and Abilities

Personal Skills and Abilities

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 Flexibility                       X
 Self Confidence                      X
 Self Discipline                       X
 Work under Pressure                      X
 Set personal goals                      X
 Take risks                      X
 Share opinions confidently                      X

 

Interpersonal Skills and Abilities

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 Team work                      X
 Take responsibility                       X
 Build social networks                       X
 Manage Time                       X
 Act as a leader                       X
 Negotiation                       X
Communication Skills and Abilities

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 Make presentations                      X
 Listen to others                       X
 Debate formally and informally                      X
 Contribute to discussions                      X
 Converse confidently                       X
 Take notes                       X
 Write for academic purposes                      X
Technical Skills and Abilities

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 Computing Skills                       X
Be creative                       X
 Use technology                     X
Intellectual Skills and Abilities

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 Problem solve                      X
Generate new ideas                       X
 Work on own initiative                       X
 Organise and plan                       X
 Think critically                       X
 Evaluate Information                       X

Activity 2: Reflect upon development of skills and abilities

Recognition Reflection Action
Skills already developed How will I use these How do I know (evidence)**
 Make presentations
  •  During lessons with primary pupils.
  • For interviews with prospective employers.
  • For assignments as part of my course.
  I was required to make a 2 minute talk/presentation for my interview for Primary Education in Dundee and the fact that I have a place seems to attest to the fact that I presented well.
 Computing Skills
  •  To keep my lessons up to date and interactive in order to engage pupils in their learning.
  During my sixth year, I decided to take a National 5 Computing Science course as I had not continued this line of study since second year. I went on to get an A in Computing Science.
 Write for academic purposes
  •  To write essays for assessments or TDTs in the course.
  In sixth year, my results improved dramatically compared to my fifth year results and I feel that is because my academic writing improved. For example, I wrote an English dissertation on film that was 4000 words.
 Contribute to discussions
  • To participate in discussions in lectures about issues/ideas in education.
 During my group interview for Dundee, it was necessary for me to get my point across in order to be considered for a place but I did not want to interrupt or act in an unprofessional manner. I believe I was able to effectively contribute without coming across this way, hence why I got the place.

 

Recognition Reflection Action
Skills not yet developed How will I develop these How do I know (evidence)**
 Organising and planning skills
  •  By making lesson plans.
  • Maintaining focus during my four academic years to make sure I am on top of work.
  I have improved my organisational skills over the last few years in order to progress academically so I hope to continue on this upward curve. I have also purchased a student planner for this year which I find myself frequently using.
 Sharing opinions confidently
  •  Ensuring I follow and understand the course material in order to form strong opinions that are based in fact therefore giving me the confidence to share them.
 I found I was able to talk more in class if I was well-informed on the subject matter.
 Take responsibility
  • By living alone for the foreseeable future therefore making me take responsibility for everything in my life.
 I have never lived away from my parents for such a long period before and I am hoping this will force me in to becoming more independent and taking more responsibility in general.