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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did your gender affect you as a child?

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Gender affects everyone as a child in a way; you are born into a society which has certain preconceptions about the way you should behave. As a child developing in primary school, I recognised that some of the female teachers seemed to favour the pupils of the same sex. One incident stays with me that was an example of this, in my primary six class, we would have to organise our folders for the year in a tray. Each pupil had a tray and you had to get out of your seat to access this tray but the catch here was the moment the teacher said to get back in your seats and settle down, you were to do so as fast as possible. Now, I was still trying to get my stuff back into the folder in my tray when I heard my name shouted across the room and I was ranted at for being the last out my seat. There were three other girls still out their seat in the same position as me but what I now think the teacher meant was that I was the last male. In hindsight, this incident was not a major injustice but it just goes to show how there are some gender inequalities and this can even come across as early as primary school. It also illuminates the fact that even professional classroom practitioners can demonstrate their biased nature.

Why teaching?

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I always assumed that the role of a teacher was solely that of an educator; an authoritative figure that is supposed to help prepare you for your tests or exams. However, upon reflection I realised that a teacher plays a much deeper role in a child’s development than I felt they did as I progressed through my academic life. In my first two years of primary school, I misbehaved constantly and caused trouble for myself and others around the school. In the second year, I had an incompetent teacher and I now believe this contributed to my early development in a negative way. In fact, I do not think that either of my teachers in the first two years knew how to deal with me or control my behaviour in a way that meant I was not a distraction in class. It was not until my third year that I had a teacher that was truly able to understand the way I learned and was able to manage my behaviour without being too stringent with disciplinary measures. The fact I felt understood and that this teacher was different from every other teacher I had before brought the best out in me as a young child and set me on a better path than I had been heading in the previous years.

As a child in her class, the thought never crossed my mind that I would one day want to become a primary teacher but in hindsight I see this as a major reason for my wanting to pursue a career as an educator. My third year teacher is also the type of classroom practitioner that I want to be, a professional that is able to influence a child’s development in a positive way without having to resort to traditional, lazy disciplinary actions and make an impact enough to set a child on the right path for life and give them the start in life that every child should be entitled to. Therefore, the possibility of me being able to eventually make as much of an impact is what led me to teaching.