Category Archives: edushare

Scary ICT

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As a child I loved ICT! Going on the computers was always my favourite thing to be asked to do! Now coming to teach ICT in the classroom I get butterflies in my stomach.

After my workshop today I was brought to many of the dangers involved with ICT if you do not teach children the appropriate social-networking-picway to use it. It was highlighted that internet safety needs to be taught to children in order to make sure they know how to use the internet safely and so they know the dangers involved. There are so many resources out there to teach children the correct way to use the internet and social media sites. Before showing the children the various resources out there that they can use I feel that its important to have a lesson on internet safety first.

As much as ICT needs to be used carefully there are so many opportunities to show children what you can all do using the computer and different software. The resources we were showing today over half of them I had never heard of. It really scared me as I thought I was up to date with what is new on the internet. Going forward I am going to have to pay more attention to what new technology schools are introducing and read more about the new technology that is being used today.

Prezi was one of the things I had never heard of before. It is something that I could see being a great resource in the classroom. Prezi is a way of creating eye-catching prezipresentations. It can be used for all age groups within the school. Teachers could use it for the younger children to introduce there letters or animals of the rainforest. For older children it may be used to introduce facts about world war 1. Children can also have access to prezi. This would be for the the older children p3-7. The children could create a presentation to present to the class. This could be as part of a topic they are doing.

Maths

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‘Mathematics Explained for Primary School Teachers’ by Haylock was a book recommend by one of my lectures. I read the first three chapters and I found them extremely interesting. I had no idea about the number of teachers that have insecurities about teaching maths. It was made clear that many trainee teachers have anxiety about teaching maths and most of their anxiety was based on their experience of being taught maths. It was stated that in order to come away from this feeling we need to teach children how to understand maths and explain maths to them. This got me thinking about how I was Maths icontaught at primary school. Maths was never explained to me, I was just taught how to do things and that was it. I believe that in order for children to enjoy and appreciate maths it needs to be explained to them and they need to have an understanding of why they are doing it.

The importance of relating maths to everyday life is extremely beneficial to the children as the children can see what they have learned being put into a different contexts. Maths as a subject is extremely important and every child should learn maths in primary school. Maths contributes to everyday life and without children learning maths they will not be able to: read bus time tables, tell the time, solve problems. Maths contributes to children’s intellectual development and the more that develops the more ready they will be for secondary school. With maths being taught effectively children will enjoy it.

Maths nowadays is taught differently and I feel that it is taught more successfully now. For example more resources are used to help children with their counting, ICT facilities are available, children are given the opportunity to talk about maths to their peers, show me boards are used and maths games are encouraged to teach children. The list of ways in which children can be taught maths is endless.

Maths is linked to other areas of the curriculum and can be taught with other subjects. This allows children to use skills they have to help them in another subject which shows them there skill can be used in a variety of ways. Instead of children learning something and trying to remember it for example the times table. Children are taught to connect the times table to help them understand it better.

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.

Student Teacher Code?

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The Student Teacher Code was something that I was not aware of before. After reading this I believe that this code is extremely beneficial to student teachers as it establishes guidance for you as a student. The code also provides support and helps you as a student build a professional foundation which leads to a successful career as a teacher. It also contains information that student teachers need to be aware of before becoming a fully qualified teacher.

There was some content within the code that really caught my eye. I never realised that the GTC Scotland go into great depth to make sure you are fit to teach. I knew that a PVG check would be carried out but I was not aware that when you register with the GTC they look at the professional standards and principles. I strongly believe that this is a great thing for GTC to do as it makes sure that the teacher is fit to teach. The different parts of the code really help to define how you should work with others and pupils. You can see how the code links into the Code of Professionalism and Conduct as it mentions things that relate to how you should act as a professional.

 

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.

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.

Why teaching?

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My parents were foster carers for many years which allowed me to have contact with a diverse range of children and their families as well as learning how to care for children. It was from this experience that I knew I wanted to work with children.

Through doing my fourth year work experience, I developed a strong interest and passion for promoting children’s learning and experiences within an early years setting. To take this further I decided to do the NC in Early Education and Childcare. By doing this course it improved my understanding of child development, teaching and assessment. During this course I attended 2 placements one in a nursery and the other in a primary school. These experiences taught me how to observe children and plan activities to suit differing needs. It was from this experience that made me want to become a primary teacher. I wanted to be part of children’s learning and help them grow as individuals.

An element for me for wanting to become a primary school teacher was working in a preschool in Sweden for children aged 1-8 years old for 2 weeks, this experience was incredible; giving me the opportunity to become immersed in the culture, learn about their education system and compare it to ours. It was exciting to see how the fun learning environment created through outdoor learning enhanced the children’s experiences. The knowledge I gained from this experience was shared with teachers in primary schools that I had worked with.

From my experience on the NC and my passion to become a primary school teacher, lead me to study the HNC in Early Education and Childcare, as this would provide me with the qualification to apply for primary teaching. I gained a much broader and in depth understanding of childcare, education, children’s rights, theoretical approaches to learning and The Curriculum for Excellence in supporting children’s learning. My combined experience over the last few years and my interest in primary teaching prompted me to apply for Primary School teaching.

Seeing the children’s faces light up when you tell them well done or give them a sticker for completing there work is a huge reward as a teacher. Seeing the children develop and learn new skills makes you say “ this is why I am a teacher.” However it is not all about the positive aspects about being a teacher but also the challenges and obstacles you face is a big part and it is something that I look forward to on my journey as a teacher.

As a teacher I want to provide the children with a fun and enjoyable learning environment. As a teacher I want to be organised and have lessons planned in advance. I want to be able to work in a team but also independently, I feel it is important to have that balance. Building positive relationships with your pupils is something that I want to build as a teacher. I want to be professional and flexible as a teacher.