Mathematics a Tool of Everyday Life

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As a Student Teacher holding a B at higher maths, I begin to get the butterflies in my stomach when i start to think hard on maths. Like many other students, I can find maths challenging, hard but also as a boring subject which i will have to make it as interesting and creative as i can for the pupils I teach.

My perception of Maths before from what I have seen in schools and from my personal experience reminds me of a child sitting with worksheets scribbling down numbers.

However, maths brings a lot more to it, and after the workshop i have started to understand that maths is all around us. it comes in the form of time, money, and putting shapes into order.

Our first workshop on Mathematics today brought to me a set of new ideas and changed my perception, as I always have felt that I am not very knowledgeable in Maths and it would be the most frighting subject to teach. Whereas now I feel a bit more relaxed and less anxious about going into to placement with these skills.

So why could so many of us be freighted to learn and teach maths. Frank 1990 mentioned a few ideas which are still around so many years later.

Examples, women can’t do maths.

My parents aren’t good at maths.

If you’re good at maths you can do problems quickly in your head.

You’re either good at maths OR language.

As a teacher, i would try and make my classroom as vibrant, stimulating and interactive in a way where children would be taking part in maths without having to put pressure on themselves,

There are many stimulating ways which you can get children engages with maths:

Show me boards; challenges; going outdoors and playing games whilst recording numbers, counting and much more.

Watch this inspiration video to find out about lots more interactive maths.

This brings a wealth of ideas which really surprised me as a teacher. I hope that we begin to understand maths as a whole and how it can really impact on the life’s of the children we teach.

How animation can trigger your imagination….

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This Monday was our first day back at university, were i was feeling both excited and nervous to start our new module, Teaching Across the Curriculum. So first day back, and we were supposed to start of with a technologies workshop which consisted of learning about different program’s which allow you to create an animation.

First of all we simply learn how to do a flip book animation. It wasn’t hard after all, we just needed to make sure that we draw the pictures starting from the back of the book and use the last half of the page. It makes it easier to draw animations if you have sticky notes and gives it a better effect.

We watched this video which shows the simplicity of the work, yet an admirable piece which is easily created and makes a story within itself.

The next step was a Pivot animation. This is widely used in schools and create to get children to learn different concepts of ICT together with their imagination.Using Pivot is a great

pivot image idea for children as it allows them to tell a story without any words and connect to other people.

Lastly we used ZU3D which was an interesting software which would allow children to create a short movie using figures made out of plasticine. We worked as groups to create this short movie. It took us a long time to try to get things working. We added subtitles and text, however we struggles to add sound to it. This would have given it a much better effect and a great stimulus with it. Another idea would be to add a background which would give it a better visual effect.

Here is our short ZU3D clip.

Reflecting on Reflection

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I had always primarily thought of reflection as looking back at an experience or an idea and developing on it. However, as I have read further into it, I have come to know that reflection allows an individual to take a step back and question your work. It gives you an opportunity to question your belief and ideally see where you could be going wrong.

As a Student Teacher, reflecting on my learning will enable me to further my knowledge in certain areas but not only that, it will give me room to see aspects in which there is scope for development and also consider my weaknesses. In addition, reflecting at my assignments, will give me the fantastic opportunity to really think about where I am going right and what I can do to develop. It will allow me to take control of my own learning in various aspects and see how I can develop as an individual and as a Student Teacher.

Looking at Gibbs’ Model of Reflection (1988) I have been able to evaluate some of the main concepts that will go through the process of reflection. As a Teacher reflection will play a vital part in my day to day life. Reflection gives you an opportunity to consider solutions for your problems. Simple questions such as ‘what made today’s class success’ and ‘how can improve my time management’ will be stimulus to bigger and very important answers which will simultaneously effect my Professional Practice as well as impacting on my students.

Reflection is a process in which you can see yourself and your experience from a different perspective. Through which you allow yourself to question and to be critical about your work. Not only to develop yourself as an individual but to allow change to benefit others and the children who I will go onto teach.

Enquiring Practitioner

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Enquiring Practitioner relates to life long learning, willing to listen and further questioning different issues around you. A summary of what it means to be an Enquiring Practitioner defined by Menter et al (2011), is a ‘finding out’ or an investigation with a rationale and approach that can be explained or defended.’ To ‘find out’ raises a huge aspect for me, to be willing to question the work I do and to ask a question about any problems that may be arising in the class setting with me a stimulus to an answer.

I was very mesmerised by the idea of “investigating through different lenses” (Donaldson 2011) opens up the idea of co-operative learning and working colligiately with staff and other educational organisations to further question your own work. Each person has a unique personality which allows them to have different perspectives and contrasting ideas which creates a ‘group dynamic’ ( Study Skills ). This enhances the idea of collegiality and working as part of a team. Working colligiately as a Teachear involves Staff meetings, joint planning and school events to name a few. Through these experiences Teachers have the opportunity to participate in group discussions and effectively contribute to the discussions.

The review also states that Teachers are ‘agents of their own learning’ which shows that Teachers have the responsibility to ongoing learning and being aware of updated rules and regulations. Practitioner Enquiry gives the Teacher a better understanding of their practices and allows them to investigate new strategies.

It is cutial to question believes, assumptions, value and practices. Teachers has to challenge their professional practice in a manner which will benefit their students and in a way which will have a positive impact on them.

Being an Enquiring Practitioner has many benefits to the Teacher, their students and the school as a whole. Being able to ask questions and convey your view point can have a wider benefit and answer wider questions. It keeps the Staff informed and maintains a collegiate attitude within them in which they are willing to work together to tackle many issues.

This diagram here illustrates the numerous ways in which a Teacher can engage in Practioner Enquiry. It reflects deeply on the idea of a Teacher being open minded, willing to question and ‘having a critical hat on’ which allows you to take a step back assess what is happening.

‘It is argued by McLaughlin et al (2004) that teachers who engage in research have “better understanding of their practice and ways to improve it”.For some teachers, enquiry may promote levels of critical reflection that are ‘transformative’” . This is very crutial as it explains how an Enquiring Practioner will be willing to adapt to their norms in order to benefit their students. It is challenging for an individual to raise an issue, or your voice against the views of everyone else.

Even as a student, I will take part in many colligiate situations such as workshops, group assignments and peer feedback. I would have a professional responsibility and engage with the work I undertake, whilst questioning issues I am not fully understanding and being critical about different issues.

I have become aware of many new situations in which a Teacher can be an Enquiring Practitioner and how that effects their day to day life. I have a better understanding of how this will impact me as a Student Teacher and benefit me as a future Teacher.

The Virtues of Teaching

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There are numerous qualities which a teacher needs to posses but I am going to focus on 5 which I feel are really important.

Patience
Empathy
Respect
Kindness
Self-Control

Patience is a vital quality which a Teacher should possess. As a Teacher it is very important that you are willing to listen to children and take time to understand them. Children might have had problems at home and therefore have not been able to do their homework and instead of a Teacher just getting them into trouble, they should ask the children if they were finding it hard or if they needed more help. A child will most likely approach a teacher if they know that the teacher will be willing to listen and be keen to help them. Furthermore, a Teacher might face behaviour problems in on the class, but instead of just getting the child into trouble the teacher should acknowledge the child as a whole and practice different teaching and learning method as they might show frustration because they are unable to understand the work the teacher gas given them.

Another important virtue is Empathy. Everyday a Teacher comes across children who have different issues at home and are affected by it. A Teacher should be understanding towards the child and encourage them to stay positive. A Teacher should keep any personal issues confidential and share it with a line manager if any further action needs to be taken.

Respect is a key virtue which a Teacher needs to role model. Children will look upto the teacher, listen to the way she speaks to them and effectively to other teachers. They will catch words and phrases as they hear them and learn how to speak politely to one another. They will watch to see how the teacher respects their resources, book and pens and them follow such actions. For example, if a teacher uses pens then puts the back to the pencil case without throwing them, then the children will learn how to treat the pens and keep them safe.

In addition, children will learn their manners and how to act by people around them. In a classroom setting children will have their teachers as a role model and see how they behave. Teachers will teach them daily how to be kind to one another and how you can effectively communicate to one another without causing an argument. Children catch the smallest of actions and will learn through what they see and hear.

Lastly, Self-Control is very important for a Teacher as there are lots of things which always change and the teacher needs to know how to effectively adapt to it. For instance, a Teacher might have planned her class lessons weeks in advance but last minute something changes and that means that the lessons will need to change. As a teacher you need to maintain your self control and not show your emotions such as worry on your face as the children are all under your supervision and if you start to panic then it will be natural for the children to get panic. Therefore teacher needs to maintain their self control, sometimes by even taking a step back and a moment to think.

Professionalism and the Online World- TDT

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There are numerous challenges which come across when you put together the Personal vs Professional presence on social media. It is crucial to make sure that as a professional you have separate Social Media accounts so that your personal life does not come into your Professional life. Also, it is important what we make our Personal accounts private and ensure that we do not post something that will question our Professionalism. We can never accept, ‘friends’ request and never share our personal contact details with children as it becomes unacceptable to communicate with children in a personal manner.

Undeniably, Social Media is a form of technology which is embedded in our lives. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages that we must take into account. We need to understand that children will have access social media and we must incorporate the use of it in our classrooms in a safe and fun manner. We must promote the use of Social Media in an educational and fun manner which will encourage children to share their views and reflect on their learning.

However, we need to distinguish between our Personal and Professional accounts and must always communicate in appropriate channels. Having access to social media stops there being a boundary between communication within class and developing discussions and sharing opinions out-with class in relation to classwork.

In relation to GTCS Professional responsibility towards pupils (2.1)-

you must treat sensitive, personal information about pupils with respect and confidentiality and not disclose it unless required to do so by your employer or by law;

It is important that as a Professional, you do not share any information or comment about any aspects of your students life on social media which is not in context to education. It is vital that you do not keep in contact with children through your own, personal accounts and separate blogs or channels such a Glow are ideal to make sure that your pupils can contact you in regards to any classwork. In addition, the Teacher has to comply with employers policy and guidance and always communicate in a way which will not put your professionalism in doubt.

As Professionals we must teach and show a good example of using the internet safely and how to prevent and tackle Cyber Bullying. There are many resources that we should that we should make children aware of such as the NSPCC and educate them about the dangers of the internet and advise them on how to tackle any such situations. Children should be engaging with the internet and using channels like Glow to share and develop discussions but at the same time be aware on the potential dangers on Social Media and ensure that they are safe.

What teaching means for me ?

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For me teaching is not only a phenomenal profession in which I can help shape a child’s future, but develop their skills and see their growth. Most importantly, it is a fantastic profession which gives me an opportunity to learn and develop my skills as every teaching day is different and it brings in its own challenges. Through my experiences in different schools, I have had the opportunity to witness the real life challenges of teaching and being able to tackle such situations with the help of the class teachers increased my self-confidence. Being able to work alongside many teachers gave me a true insight to their day to day work and increased my skills. I was given many responsibilities, such as working with children in small groups doing literacy to leading a P.E session. At first I felt nervous but as my placement went on I began to feel that I am able to understand and help the children more confidently. I was able to see myself as a Teacher, and work collaboratively with the staff.

My vision of a perfect teacher is one which can bring a wealth of knowledge into the class and share the knowledge with the students in a fun and interactive manner. I would like to make learning fun and engaging for all the children making sure I can personalise the work to meet all the children’s needs. Most importantly I would like to bring in lots of different teaching and learning styles which would make the teaching day more interesting.