Monthly Archives: October 2015

Feedback

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As part of a tutor directed we were asked to give feedback on peers blogs. I found writing positive feedback easy as I was able to pick out the positive aspects in their work. When it came to writing constructive criticism I found this quite hard as I did not want to offend the person. I struggled with trying to put what I wanted to say in the best possible way that would not hurt the person’s feelings. However I managed to be constructive in the criticism as I believe I was positive and suggested how the improvement could be made.

By carrying out this task I feel that I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned more about my strengths and what is good in my blog but also what needs to be improved and how this could be improved. It has also allowed me to look at other students work and get ideas of different ways of writing. It has also given me ideas to start adding videos and pictures to my blogs.

The feedback I received on my blog was very helpful and highlighted improvements that could be made that I did not notice, for example breaking my sentences up so they are not as long. The feedback given was very positive and the improvements were written in a positive way that was not offending. Looking at the feedback made me read over my blog again. By reading over it again and with the improvements in my head I was able to understand what they meant and how it could be adapted.

This process of peer review has been extremely beneficial.

Active Learning

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Active learning is seen in many schools and in the curriculum. It is learning that challenges and engages children in their thinking using imaginary and real-life situations. Active learning is said to develop children’s skills, knowledge and opportunities. It also allows children to have a positive view on their learning. Active learning is about children being actively involved in their learning for example physically doing activities to help them learn.

Active learning is seen in the four capacities of the curriculum:

Successful learners- Active learning is seen as children use their imagination and creativity. Active learning also takes place when children have new experiences and learn from them.

Confident individuals- Active learning is seen when children succeed from doing activities and are satisfied after completing a task.

Responsible citizens- Active learning is seen here as children see the world in different ways and learn to share their ideas. Also active learning is seen when children learn to respect each other and themselves. Also as children learn to share this is seen as active learning.

Effective contributors- Active learning is seen when children play/communicate together, tackle problems and take part in thinking and talking.

Enquiring Practitioner

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An enquiring practitioner is someone that engages in research to support their learning and also pupil’s learning. For me being an enquiring practitioner is a really important part of being a teacher as it allows you to expand on your knowledge and develop your practice. It also allows you to evaluate and reflect on your practice.

Being an enquiring practitioner also allows you to work collaboratively with others as you share your experiences and ideas. It also allows the research topic area to be looked at through different perspectives and then the ideas shared to the group; this expands your knowledge even further. There may be challenges when working with others as some practitioners may not want to share their ideas, conflict could occur and ineffective communication. If these challenges occur in your team this could hinder the work completed and you would not be getting the overall experience to share and communicate your ideas.

Being an enquiring practitioner creates an opportunity for you to stop and look at the different ways of working and teaching. By doing this it allows you to adapt the way you teach in order for your pupils to be more engaged in their learning and to get the best possible experiences. People who engage in research have a better understanding of their practice and ways that they could improve it. An enquiring practitioner becomes more aware of their pupils and the difficulties they may have and how they can help them.

I feel that being an enquiring practitioner is important to consider as a student teacher as it allows you to collaboratively work with others. It allows you to develop your knowledge and observe teachers taking lessons and carrying out lesson planning.

There are challenges that could occur as an enquiring practitioner for example some enquiries could simply be to prove the best practice or test the latest initiatives.

Overall being an enquiring practitioner is extremely important and it is definitely something I will be doing as a teacher.

5 Virtues of Teaching

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Respect can mean a variety of different things and is a huge concept to grasp. For me respect means looking out for each other, listening to other people’s points of views, caring about their feelings and acting in a positive away around people.

Honesty is so important in the teaching profession and being honesty sets a good example to the children. Honesty is about telling the truth and not lying to yourself and others.

Kindness in the teaching profession is extremely important as you are a role model to the children. Kindness is a gesture of goodwill and the quality of being friendly towards others.

Fairness is incredibly vital in a classroom and is an important quality for a teacher to have. Fairness is about showing equality and treating everyone how you would want to be treated.

Patience is an important quality for a teacher to have. Being patient means you are able to wait quietly and without moaning for someone to finish something or simple just waiting on someone.

Social media

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I have always been careful with social media and using the internet but after having an interesting input focusing on the internet/social media it made me think a lot more about the challenges we may face as a professional. The input really was an eye opener to all the things that could happen when you are not careful. This could simply be children requesting you as a friend on facebook or photos being posted online from a night out.

When looking into the GTCS codes and reading the “Professional Guidance on the Use of eComms and Social Media” it really touched on how to be professional and deal with situations that may occur. It also highlighted the fact that it is extremely important to watch what you post on social media as children/parents may look you up. In order for people that are not your friends not to see your profile the guidance mentions making your profile private. I strongly believe that this is important as it allows you to keep your private life separate from work. Before reading this guidance I had never thought of making my profile private and how social media could affect how your viewed as a professional.

Since reading this guidance I have made all my social media accounts private and adapted the settings. I have always been one for keeping my private life and work life separate as I believe that this is important as a professional especially in a school environment.

There are many challenges and risks of social media and technology however it is not always a bad thing. There are many schools now a days that have a facebook page to show parents how well their children are getting on or what the school are getting up to and events the school are hosting. You tube is also used in schools as an educational tool. Glow is used for students and teachers to communicate regarding assignments and homework task. All these sites are used carefully and in a professional way for example the facebook pages are private and a child’s photo is not put up without having permission from the parents. They sites are intended to support pupils and help them with there education.

Words/phrases I associate with being a professional

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There are many words/phrases that can be associated with being a professional. These are the ones I though were important and believe are key to a good professional.

Trustworthy

Working collaborative

Approachable

Organised

Do more than expected

Communicate effectively

Share your experiences and knowledge

Have good listening skills

Always have a smile on your face

Dress appropriately

Time management skills

Thoughts on my academic writing

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Before starting the online module I felt that my academic skills were reasonable good and met the basics skills required for academic writing. However, by working through this module I have noticed weakness that should be a lot stronger for academic writing. The weakness I noticed were punctuation and spelling. I realised that these were areas that needed developed and improved in order to make my academic writing better. In order to develop these areas I turned to ‘The Study Skills’ book by Wengers, J and McMillan, K. I feel that already this has helped me develop these weaknesses and has gave me tips/ activities to do in order to improve them. Also the online literacy test has helped in developing these areas as it gives you a score at the end of the test and pointers in order to help you develop the areas you struggled with. In order to continue developing these areas I will refer to ‘The Study Skills’ book and attempt the online literacy test regularly.

This online module has also pointed out strengths within my academic writing for example being able to take notes from books and websites. It has also highlighted that I have the ability to reference correctly.