Category Archives: 3. Prof. Skills & Abilities

Animation

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Animation is something I had never experienced before and since having a workshop on it, it is something I would definitely want to introduce to children. Animation is becoming more popular in schools and I can see why. It is something that would very much appeal to children and they would have a lot of fun creating it. pivot-stickfigure-animator-4.jpg

Children develop many skills through creating animation. For an animation to be successful it is important for the children to work in a team as there are many jobs to be done in the process of the creation. Children develop their creativity skills as they create characters and a story for their animation. Children will develop their social skills as they will be interacting and communicating with other children. Through animation children develop their ICT skills for example as the learn to use the software to create the animation. The children will also be learning how to get a camera to work through a computer. Through animation children develop their knowledge of graphics and digital photography which enhances their ICT Skills. The children will also learn out to create sound to add to their animation.

When googling examples of animations on youtube I was quickly made aware that the animations created contained violence. I was shocked to see this and it is something that would have to be addressed in the classroom if children were to come across this.

The experiences and outcomes I acknowledge for animation was:

I can create, capture and manipulate sounds, text and images to communicate experiences, ideas and information in creative and engaging ways. TCH 1-04b / TCH 2-04b

I explore and experiment with the features and functions of computer technology and I can use what I learn to support and enhance my learning in different contexts. TCH 1-04a / TCH 2-04a

Collaboration

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As my elective I chose the Working Together module. I have really enjoyed this module so far and have noticed how it could be used in practice already. The term collaboration comes up a lot in the lectures and we were given as essay to write on the term.

I have always been intrigued to find out more about collaboration so I did some research. I found that collaboration is when a group of people work together to complete a task and there are two types of collaboration:

– Synchronous collaboration- people meet at the same time for example in a room together or on Skype

– Asynchronous collaboration- not everyone is available so work is discussed by uploading documents or discussions online (aiim, 2005).

I noticed from research that there are various theories on collaboration: Huxham and Vangen (2005) and Frost. Frost identifies four different ways of working together and has identified them in levels. The theory I found most interesting was Huxham and Vangen (2005) as I could really relate and see their ideas in practice. Huxham and Vangen (2005) developed a theory of collaborative practice. They developed a ‘trust building loop’ which aimed to get everyone that was involved in collaboration to trust each other in order to initiate the collaboration. However they also stated that trust can take a while to develop.

Since reading into collaboration I can see that it is everywhere. As part of this module we are split into peer learning groups and in these groups we collaborate. We share ideas and develop each others. Out of the two types of collaboration we use both as we meet everyone Monday to work on our essays and tasks that have to be completed. We also have a facebook chat where we communicate with each other regarding information needed for our essays. I feel that we collaborate effectively as we all work well together. Everyone has a say in the group and disputes are always resolved.

Sources used

aiim (2015) What is Collaboration? Available online at: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Collaboration (Accessed: 29th November 2015).

Huxham, C. and Vangen, S. (2005) Managing to Collaborate: The Theory and Practice of Collaborative Advantage. London: Routledge.

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.

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.

Reflection

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For me reflection is extremely important in order to improve and get better. Although I feel that by reflecting it allows me to see my strengths and the things I am doing well.

Reflection allows you to analyse and learn from experience. By reflecting it allows you to identify the areas of development but also the things that went well. Reflecting is not just about describing what happened, it is about being able to use your thoughts and feelings to evaluate the experience. When reflecting it is important to look at the whole experience picking out the negative and positive things.

As part of the NC and HNC in Early Education and Childcare you had to reflect on activities you did in the classroom and observations you carried out. This was extremely helpful as it gave you guidance on how to improve and make it better the next time you did the activity/observation. It allowed me to see what I was doing well during the activity but what also could have been improved. This reflection allowed me to analyse my own work and make it better rather than not doing anything and just assuming everything went well.

 

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Benefits of working co-operatively

For me when I think of working co-operatively I think of working as a team. By working co-operatively it helps you form bonds and relationships with others you are working with. A benefit of working co-operatively is that it allows problems to be solved using many ideas and opinions. Working co-operatively develops skills such as communication skills, team work skills and time management skills. These skills are all essential for your future career whether it be a teacher or a police officer.

In the teaching profession working co-operatively is essential as it allows people to build on their knowledge and share their own experience and knowledge with others. It also brings people together as a group and allows relationships to be formed between staff in the school.

Benefits of active learning

Active learning allows children to develop their self-confidence and self-reliance. Children who work together on active learning tasks learn to work with other people of different backgrounds and attitudes. Having active learning in the classroom helps engage children in the learning process. By the teacher using active learning in the classroom it is allowing them to base the learning around the children’s area of interest.

A main benefit of active learning is that is creates a sense of community in the classroom which I believe is an essential part of a classroom environment.

Managing my learning!

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B. Managing My Learning

Activity 1

Complete the table below to identify and reflect on those factors and plan actions for each.

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
Working/studying on my own – Set time aside where I solely just study on my own
Studying with others – Get a group of friends together studying the same course and find a place to study for example in the library
Discussing tasks and topics with other students – Communicate with others via email or social networking sites- Meet with other students on my course and share ideas and thoughts
Taking notes in lectures and when doing further reading – Print off the power points prior to the lectures so I can take notes more effectively- When reading have a pen and paper ready and write down relevant and interesting information that could be useful for tasks and assignments

 

 

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
Getting distracted by my phone – Turn my phone off while I am studying
Using books to enhance my learning – As we have been given reading lists I will use these as a start to get my self into reading books- I will then start looking for further information from other books
I do not ask questions maybe when I should – If I feel that there is an important question that I do not know the answer to and cannot find the answer, I will email or speak to the lecture relevant
I do not take many breaks – I will make sure I allow my self regular breaks to take my mind of what I have been studying